INSIDE: New prosecutors to press their agendas • See Page 2 6 Opinion 8 Real estate 4 18 17 Sports Sun Gazette CHAMBER ALL-STATE 19 Public Safety Us on Facebook CELEBRATES FOOTBALL 20 Classied FIRST- SELECTIONS You’ll Like Sun Gazette 23 Crossword What You See RESPONDERS ANNOUNCED 23 Local History News Sun Gazette GREAT FALLS McLEAN OAKTON TYSONS VIENNA VOLUME 41 NO. 14 JANUARY 2-8, 2020 SATs Up 2019 in Review at Most Changes Schools Marked In Area Most public high schools in Past Year the Sun Gazette coverage area BRIAN TROMPETER saw higher SAT scores in 2019, Sta Writer while the Fairfax school system as a whole also posted a slightly 2019 was a momentous year in Fairfax higher average score, according County and Virginia, with political sea changes to new data. upending previous power arrangements, land- The average SAT score for use controversies roiling Vienna and police ac- members of Fairfax County countability in the spotlight. Public Schools’ Class of 2019 Democrats Make Huge Gains in General was 1218, up slightly from 1213 Assembly, Local Ofces: Democratic candi- in 2018 and an improvement dates had a banner year in the Nov. 5 election, from 1185 in 2017. ousting some Republican incumbents and giv- Fairfax County’s overall av- ing their party the majority in both houses of erage was 99 points higher than the General Assembly for the rst time in two the statewide average of 1119 decades. (up from 1110 in 2018) and 159 Democrats also increased by one member points higher than the national their already sizable majority on the Fairfax average of 1059 (up from 1049 County Board of Supervisors, leading to a 9- in 2018). to-1 advantage over the GOP. Supervisor John The maximum possible score Cook (R-Braddock) did not seek re-election is 1600: 800 on the math and and will be succeeded by James Walkinshaw 800 on the reading/writing por- (D). tions of the exam. Countywide, Board of Supervisors Chairman Sha- Fairfax students scored 612 on ron Bulova (D) and Supervisors Catherine the math portion and 606 on the Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) and Linda Smyth reading/writing section. (D-Providence) also did not run for new terms Results from SAT exams are and will be succeeded, respectively, by former used by some colleges and uni- Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay (D), Wal- versities in making decisions on ter Alcorn (D) and Dalia Palchik (D). Rodney admissions. County school of- A STATESMEN-LIKE DEFENSE Lusk (D) will succeed McKay in Lee District. cials said approximately 68 per- George C. Marshall High School’s Valerie Dirkse jumps to defend Maikya Simmons of Bishop Supervisor Patrick Herrity (R-Springeld) now cent of all Fairfax seniors took O’Connell in a seminal game of the girls Rebel Roundball Classic at Fairfax High School. Mar- is the board’s lone Republican. shall nished third in the tournament. See coverage in Sports and a slide show of photos at https://sungazette.news. PHOTO BY DEB KOLT Continued on Page 16 Continued on Page 20 ONLINE https://sungazette.news l On Facebook: sungazettenews l On Twitter: @sungazettenews @sungazettespts Local Postal Customer Postal Local TEXT SUNGAZETTE to 22828 to sign up PERMIT NO. 605 605 NO. PERMIT Frederick, MD Frederick, PAID for weekly U.S. POSTAGE U.S. ECRWSS PRSRT STD PRSRT E-editions! Incoming Prosecutors Vow to Press Agendas Incoming Fairfax County commonwealth’s attorney Steve Descano elds questions from mod- erator Josie Duy Rice during a Dec. 17 panel discussing in Washington. PHOTO BY BRIAN TROMPETER BRIAN TROMPETER the advice of his father, who viewed the Sta Writer legal profession as “the one place where everyone could get a fair shake.” Three new Northern Virginia com- “Unfortunately, what I saw during monwealth’s attorneys-elect indicated at a my time as a prosecutor was that there Dec. 17 forum in Washington, D.C., that were disparities – based on the color of they’re raring to start reforming their ju- someone’s skin, their background, what risdictions’ criminal-justice systems. their education was, where they lived, how Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (D), common- much money they had – and that bothered wealth’s attorney-elect for Arlington me signicantly,” he said. County and the city of Falls Church, Buta Biberaj (D), commonwealth’s wants to update Virginia’s discovery sys- attorney-elect for Loudoun County, on tem, which she said denies defendants Nov. 5 defeated a Republican incumbent. access to police reports for their cases, While serving as a substitute judge, and work toward abolishing mandatory- Biberaj said she saw cases with similar minimum sentences and helping offenders facts result in different outcomes. We Bring Dreams to Life. keep their voting rights. “There’s this huge disparity in the sys- Dehghani-Tafti, a former public de- tem,” she said, adding that those results fender who defeated incumbent prosecu- affected the entire community. “A client tor Theo Stamos in the June 11 primary who’s being sent to prison [might] have and ran unopposed in the November elec- been the wage earner in that household tion, said the current system has “created who provided for that family. Now I have an incredibly inequitable society.” Now a kid who has one or no parents in the that some prosecutors want to reform it, household. So we’re creating these genera- opponents want them to have less leeway, tional impacts.” she said. Biberaj favors changing the culture “Prosecutors had plenty of discretion of the criminal-justice system, which she when they were white men trying to make said encourages prosecutors to punish de- the system more harsh,” Dehghani-Tafti fendants to the law’s fullest extent. said. “That’s the truth. Prosecutors had “Safety and justice are not opposite discretion and they were allowed to exer- statements or opposite goals,” she said. cise it. But now we are getting prosecutors “It’s not a success-oriented system. It’s a who want to talk about reform, who are failure-oriented system.” saying, ‘Look, the system isn’t broken. It’s The forum was moderated by Josie functioning exactly how it was supposed Duffy Rice, president of the legal-orient- to function. And that is wrong.’” ed publication The Appeal. Steve Descano (D), commonwealth’s It is important to have reform-minded Remodeling has never been easier than working with Foster Remodeling Solutions. attorney-elect for Fairfax County and the leaders at the head of prosecutors’ ofces, Our experienced designers create the spaces of your dreams, and our qualified city of Fairfax, said he ran for the post so said Ed Chun, vice president for criminal- carpenters bring them to life. We’ve got you covered with a process we’ve been he could build a system that treats every- justice reform at the Center for American perfecting since 1983. Get started dreaming and schedule a free consultation today. one fairly. The county only has had two Progress, which hosted the event. Call 703-651-1767 or visit us online at www.FosterRemodeling.com commonwealth’s attorneys, Raymond “We’re reminded every single day that Morrogh and Robert Horan Jr., in the elections matter,” Chun said. “Prosecu- For an in-home complimentary · Kitchens · Bathrooms past 52 years, he added. tors, as many of you know, are considered · Whole Home Remodels consultation call Descano beat Morrogh in the June 11 to be the most powerful actors in the crim- Additions · Entertainment Areas primary and defeated independent Jona- inal-justice system. At their best, prosecu- (703) 651-1767 · In-Law Suites than Fahey in the general election. tors are gatekeepers who make sure that · Electrical Services · and much more or online at FosterRemodeling.com. A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot the interests of justice are served, not only Foster Remodeling Solutions who worked as a federal prosecutor dur- to pursue and obtain the most convictions 7211-H Telegraph Square Drive Lorton, VA 22079 ing the Obama administration, Descano or the harshest and most severe penalties 703-651-1767 FosterRemodeling.com told the audience he became a lawyer on possible.” 2 January 2, 2020 www.sungazette.news Incoming Prosecutors 2019 Won’t Top 2018 in Regional Home Sales Vow to Press Agendas N.Va. Market Being Held Back by Lack of Inventory, Not Lack of Buyers Even Santa won’t be able to deliver onset of the recession. enough real-estate transactions this During and immediately after that eco- month to push Northern Virginia’s 2019 nomic downturn, the Northern Virginia year-end sales totals past those of 2018. market bottomed out at 16,704 sales for With 19,662 homes sales reported 2011 before beginning a generally upward from January to November, the market trajectory. would need to post 2,478 transactions in Looking back on more than 45 years December to surpass the 22,140 sales re- of sales data from across the suburbs, the corded in 2018. average price stood at $58,739 in 1975, And that’s not going to happen: Even surpassed the $100,000 mark for the at the height of the 2019 market, over the rst time in 1981, the $200,000 mark in spring and summer, the highest monthly 1991, the $300,000 mark in 2002 and the sales total was 2,381, recorded in May. $400,000 mark in 2004 before peaking at Once year-end home sales are reported $538,463 in 2007. It then dropped for two in early January, it is likely that 2019 will years, to $431,018 in 2009, before starting fall somewhat below 2018, which marked another upward swing, with the $590,582 This home in the Bellevue Forest community of Arlington currently is on the market, listed at the 10th highest sales year in Northern recorded in 2018 setting a new record.