DemocratThe The Newsletter of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee December 2014 Volume 1, Issue 10 Legislative Roundtable: Big Success It may have been only a few days before Thanksgiving but that didn’t keep FCDC members from turning out for the legislative roundtable that took place an hour before the general FCDC meeting. A majority of the Democratic General Assembly members who represent Fairfax County participated in a pre-session roundtable that was organized by the FCDC State and Local Affairs Committee. FCDC (Continued on page 3) Holiday Message from the FCDC Chairman Sue Langley Please accept my wish for you and your family to have both happy holidays and a prosperous new year. Holidays are a great time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. Although Democrats had a tough year nationally, in Fairfax County we won three of the four contests on the ballot. Senator Warner and Congressman Connolly were re-elected, and Congressman- Elect Beyer replaces Jim Moran, retiring after 24 years of remarkable service. This is a lot of good news (Continued on page 2) 1 www.fairfaxdemocrats.org Holiday Message from the FCDC Chairman Deadlines for Sue Langley The Democrat January 2015 Edition (continued from page 1) Deadline Extended to to celebrate, as we learn from volunteers from all over Fairfax Friday, January 2, 2015 our 2014 experience and ener- County mobilize and turn out our gize now for 2015. voters. Make no mistake, these February 2015 Edition special elections are all about I'm looking forward to our Road Friday, January 30, 2015 turning out the base. Elections to Richmond brunch on January Articles/ photos must be like these are why FCDC exists. 4, and the special election for submitted as attach- Please make your own plan to Kathleen Murphy on January 6. ments to thedem- join Democrats from across the Now that all the 2014 election ocrat@fairfaxdemocrats. county in helping Kathleen to bills have been paid, it is time to org. All submissions are mark this one as a win for the subject to a word limit restock the treasury for our 2015 Democrats. and editing. For more program. Please join us for the information, contact the- Road to Richmond Brunch as we In November 2015, the general democrat@fairfaxdemoc prepare for next year’s elections. election will include at least 54 rats.org. races with Democratic candidates Volunteers are calling and door seeking election and our help, knocking to promote Kathleen from the constitutional officers, Murphy all over the 34th District the senate, the house of dele- for her special election on Janu- gates, the county board of super- ary 6. We can set the stage for a visors, the school board, and the winning year in 2015 by winning Published monthly by the Soil and Water District Conserva- this special election. Kathleen Fairfax County Democratic tion Board. We have great candi- came within a few hundred votes Committee dates in our incumbents, and we of defeating Barbara Comstock in 2815 Hartland Road, Suite 110 are actively recruiting challengers Falls Church, VA 22043 2013, so she has a real shot of in the remaining contests. Tel: (703) 573-6811 winning this election. Fax: (703) 560-7004 Our challenge in 2015 will be to Only a few weeks remain until http://www.fairfaxdemocrats.org get more of our Democratic vot- January 6. We win these special ers to the polls. Editorial Team: Terry Matlaga Bell, elections because Democratic Michael Fruitman, Linda Waller Views expressed do not necessarily Mark Your Calendar! represent those of the FCDC unless expressly approved by an appropriate 2015 Road to Richmond Legislative Brunch committee resolution. Sunday, January 4, 2015 11 AM to 1 PM Springfield Golf and Country Club Copyright@2014 8301 Old Keene Mill Road Springfield, Virginia Register Online at www.fairfaxdemocrats.org/R2R The2 Democrat 2 FCDC Holiday Party: Legislative A Good Tradition Roundtable: A Success With traffic crowding the malls, Kathleen Murphy, Johanna Gar- errands yet to run and more cia, and Jennifer Boysko. (continued from page 1) items to check off our lists before The highlight of the afternoon settling in to celebrate the winter program had to be Senator holidays, still we found time to Warner’s offer to lead the group members got some early in- attend the FCDC Holiday Party at in singing two Christmas carols sights into what our repre- the home of Bob and Mary Ann instead of his speech on “the fed- sentatives have in mind for Hovis. eral budget.” More than 100 the 2015 legislative session. Among our dis- guests enthusiastically FCDC members also asked tinguished joined in singing Jingle questions of the state dele- guests were Bells and the Twelve gates and senators. Virginia Senior Days of Christmas, with The top discussion issues were Senator Mark twelve groups taking the education, energy, the econo- Warner and different singing parts in my and budget, the environ- Virginia Attor- the second song and eve- ment, and of course ney General ryone joining the chorus. healthcare. Roundtable partic- Mark Herring. Food and beverages for ipants were Senator Elected officials the event featured sa- Chap Petersen, Senator Dave included State vory appetizers and Marsden, Senator Adam Senators Dave sweets, beer, wine and Ebbin, Senator George Barker, Marsden, Bar- sodas, plus holiday Senator Jennifer Wexton, Del- bara Favola, and punch. All were prepared egate Vivian Watts, Delegate Chap Petersen, and donated by members David Bulova, Delegate Rip Delegates Mar- of the event committee. Sullivan, Delegate Marcus Si- cus Simon and Mark Keam, Coun- Special thanks to Sue Thomas mon, Delegate Mark Sickles, ty Supervisors John Foust, Cathy and her team, for organizing an- and Delegate Alfonso Lopez. Hudgins and Linda Smyth, School other successful fundraiser as we Board members Ryan McElveen look to the 2015 campaign sea- The State and Local Affairs and Janie Strauss, Sheriff Stacey son ahead. Committee is planning other Kincaid, and delegate candidates roundtables. Kate Hanley Family Shelter Receives Over 100 Gifts from FCDC The holiday season was more joyous than it might otherwise have been for the children at the Kate Hanley Family Shelter. FCDC collected three full boxes, over 100 gifts of toys, clothes, and other children’s items for distribu- tion at the center. The Kate Hanley Family Shelter was very grateful for the wonderful donations. A special thank you goes to Matt Bell for coordinating this project and to those who donated so that the less fortunate children in Fairfax County can have a festive holiday season. The Democrat 3 3 Eighth District Congressional Committee Report First Vice Chair, Pixie Bell Eighth District Democrats extend congratulations Chair Alex Kirkland, Mason District Magisterial to Senator Mark Warner and Congressman-Elect Chair Rachel Rifkind, Mount Vernon Magisterial Don Beyer. District Co-Chairs Kate Spears and Destiny Aigbe, Mark and Don's victories occurred as a result of Dranesville Magisterial District Chair Greg Bran- the hard work of the volunteers on the Demo- don, and Providence Magisterial District Chair Paul cratic Committees of Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Jameson for their hard work! Church City, and the Fairfax Magisterial Districts in The Eighth District's Democratic turnout numbers the Eighth Congressional District. were critical to Senator Mark Warner’s success. Poll coverage, absentee ballot programs, precinct Arlington Democrats regret that Alan Howze's goal canvassing, Metro canvassing, phone banking and of a seat on the Arlington County Board was not voter contact, driving voters to the polls, and the realized on November 4. Arlington Treasurer Car- many outreach efforts to spread the Democratic la de la Pava and Democratic-endorsed Arlington message for Senator Mark Warner, Ambassador School Board candidates Barbara Kanninen and Don Beyer, and the Arlington Democratic candi- Nancy Van Doren were victorious on November 4. dates were crucial. No sooner did one election end on November 4, Virginia is definitely a battleground state. Eighth than Democrat Kathleen Murphy became the District Democrats know that we cannot be com- Democratic nominee for the 34th House of Dele- placent. We approach each election with a strong gates seat in the January 6 special election. Eighth determination to grow our Democratic Party and District Democrats voted unanimously on Novem- our Democratic Committees and our Young Demo- ber 17 to contribute $500 to Kathleen Murphy. crat organizations. All precincts must have pre- Eighth District Democrats will not meet in Decem- cinct captains and grass roots workers to carry our ber. Democratic message to our friends, neighbors, Abdel-Rahman Hamed recently resigned from the and new voters. Eighth Congressional District Democratic Com- Congratulations to Alexandria Democratic Com- mittee. Abdel-Rahman, who served on a number mittee Chair Clarence Tong, Arlington Democratic of the Kennedy-King Committees, is now attending Chair Kip Malinosky, Falls Church City Democratic law school in New York. Chair Peg Willingham, Lee District Magisterial 34th House of Delegates Special Election Tuesday, January 6, 2015 Kathleen Murphy, the Democratic nominee for the 34th House of Dele- gates, is reaching out daily to voters to inform them about the election, her issues, and why they should vote. She can not do it alone. Volunteer to help Kathleen. Visit Kathleen’s Murphy’s website for information and volunteer opportunities. Regular polling locations in the district will be open from 6:00 am –