Board of Supervisors - Chairman

To the Fairfax County Community,

Today, the Office of Elections opened 15 satellite early voting locations across the County, almost double the number of sites we usually have. Remember you can vote in-person at these locations or you may drop off your mail-in ballot in a ballot drop box. You can see the hours and times of all early voting locations here. I also included an election FAQ in my last newsletter that you can read here.

In addition, due to yesterday's outage on the Virginia Department of Election's Citizen Portal, a federal judge extended the voter registration deadline to October 15 at 11:59pm. If you haven't yet registered to vote, you can do so here.

See below for the full October 14 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

I have some good news to report from the Office of Elections. In-person early voting at the Fairfax County Government Center will be available this Saturday, October 10, from 9am-5pm. This is in addition to normal voting hours at this location found here. And don't forget that our 14 additional early voting satellite locations open on October 14. This is almost double the locations we normally have. Locations and times for all early voting satellite locations can be found here.

The Office of Elections has also revamped curbside voting at the Government Center. There is now a tent outside ready to attend to voters as they drive up and more dedicated parking spaces. You can see a photo below. Also in this newsletter, you will find this information and other questions that are frequently asked to our office.

I also wanted to take a moment to share two opportunities in the community where you can help as we continue to navigate COVID-19. The Shepherd Center needs volunteer drivers to provide transportation for older adults and to deliver food. If you are interested, email office@scov.org or call Erin O'Reilly, Volunteer Manager at 703-281-0538. In addition, INOVA needs blood donations and will test successful blood donations for COVID-19 antibodies. Learn more here.

See below for the full October 7 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

I wanted to take a moment to recognize Lilla Richards, former Dranesville District Supervisor, who passed away last week. Her institutional knowledge about Fairfax County's zoning ordinance helped bring about many positive land-use and environmental changes to Fairfax.

Lilla was a strong activist for her community. She was the President of the McLean Citizen's Association, worked to find a permanent home for the McLean Project for the Arts at the McLean Community Center, and was critical to the creation of the Old Firehouse Teen Center.

Lilla's archives are located in the Virginia Room at Fairfax Library. She was a Fairfax County giant and will be missed.

See below for the full September 30 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

Voting in Virginia and Fairfax County has begun and turnout since Friday has been high. As of early this afternoon, 4,649 voters have cast their ballots at the Fairfax County Government Center. This is extraordinary, however that also means lines have been long and will likely continue to be long. Social distancing requirements and personnel limitations have also added to the length of the line. That said, I want to commend our staff at the Office of Elections who have been doing great work keeping the line moving as efficiently and safely as possible.

My office has received a number of questions about voting and today, I hope to outline and answer as many questions as possible. Voting is a fundamental democratic right and I hope everyone who is able, casts a ballot. That said, before you vote, please be sure you are registered to vote. Even if you think you are, please double check. You have until October 13 to register and to update existing registration. Check your voter status here.

See below for the full September 23 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

Yesterday, we had our first meeting back in the Board room since March. The dais was outfitted with plexiglass dividers between seats and we implemented strict cleaning and social distancing protocols. We also enforced a mask requirement, a proven way to significantly mitigate the virus if everyone wears one.

These measures are necessary. They will be increasingly important as we approach the colder months and as activities move inside. To slow this virus and keep our percent positivity rates low, we have to continue to take these actions.

This meeting had a full agenda. In fact, we adjourned the meeting at 2:15 this morning. We finally got to take action on items that the County has pushed for years, including gun safety measures, stricter laws on discrimination, increased school funding, and many other things. You may read the full Board package here.

See below for the full September 16 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

I hope all students, teachers, faculty, and parents had a successful first day back to school. The back to school photos might be different this year, but it's still a big day. I shared photos of my kids below.

I know my own kids struggled with the new way of schooling, but were also relieved to see their friends and teachers, albeit virtually. All in all with two days under our belt, I have seen firsthand all the dedication the faculty and staff have put into making the best of a tough situation. There of course were some hiccups, but no wide spread issues.

This will be a challenging year for all of us, but I promise that Fairfax County Government will continue to work with schools to make this year as positive as possible.

Below, you will find the latest COVID-19 data. Our numbers remain consistent. Again, we have seen increases in case numbers since the beginning of the summer, but our Health Department expected some increases as we reopened. Largely residents are following public health practices - like mask wearing and social distancing - so for now, we haven't seen a spike in cases. However we are in this for the long haul and things can change. We need you, your friends, and your family, to continue to protect yourself and each other.

See below for the full September 9 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

Today the County flag is raised at half staff to remember our community members who have passed due to COVID-19 and to commemorate former Lee District Supervisor Joe Alexander on the day of his funeral. I wrote a note about him earlier this week.

Unfortunately, I have more sad news to share. Chet McLaren, a member of the Fairfax County Park Authority during its early days, also passed this week. Chet was an active environmentalist and worked throughout his life to protect, preserve, and expand the County's greenspace. He was another giant instrumental in Fairfax County history and will be missed.

See below for the full September 3 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

Today, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote. This is a significant milestone to celebrate, however the fight for equality isn't over. We must continue to protect everyone's right to vote. Particularly now in the face of COVID-19, we need to be making it easier for Americans to vote, not harder. See below for a video that shares Fairfax County's history in the women's suffrage movement.

On the subject of voting, I also wanted to follow up from last week's newsletter. In it, I detailed what your options for voting this fall will be. I will continue to update you should there be any changes and plan to run over this information again in a few weeks. That said, there has been a recent update to dropping off absentee ballots that I would like you to be aware of. You may hand deliver absentee ballots to the General Registrar at the Government Center and to Assistant Registrars at satellite locations when they open in October. You may only do so when the site is open for voting. Other voting measures, including ballot drop boxes, are currently being looked at by the General Assembly.

See below for the full August 26 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

The United States Postal Service is a vital public service that everyone depends on for bills, prescriptions, accessing government services, and voting. For those of us who are unable to leave home, this service becomes even more vital. The news this past week regarding cuts to the postal service and the reliability of voting by mail are thus concerning.

Many constituents have reached out to my office concerned if they will be able to cast their ballots in November. Let me assure you, we have been and are preparing to ensure every ballot is counted in this election. We are currently expecting an 85% voter turnout rate and 200,000 mail in ballots. With those numbers, you must be prepared. Today, I wanted to take a moment to outline what steps the Office of Election is taking.

See below for the full August 20 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

If you are a parent, I understand the stresses relating to child care and virtual learning that you are probably experiencing. This stress is particularly difficult for those who must leave home for work. I'm a parent of two. I wasn't ready for the challenges of virtual learning either. However, it is time to prepare, to move forward, and to put ourselves in the best possible position for the upcoming school year.

The Board of Supervisors is committed to supporting FCPS in their decision to begin the year virtually. One way we are doing so is by launching a new program with a SACC component called Supporting Return to School. With this program we hope to partially fill the need for Fairfax County families regarding child care and providing a safe education environment for the kids who need it. More on this program follows the COVID-19 data update.

See below for the full August 12 edition of my newsletter. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.