McKay, Lusk, Descano winners in straw poll
Board of Supervisors chairman candidate Jeff McKay edged Alicia Plerhoples in a straw poll held by the Mount Vernon District Democrat Committee on Saturday, while Rodney Lusk topped the poll for Lee District supervisor.
Steve Descano, the challenger in the Commonwealth’s Attorney race, scored a convincing win against incumbent Ray Morrogh. In the race for three at-large seats on the Fairfax County School Board, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Rachna Sizemore Heizer and Abrar Omeish finished highest.
The straw poll, held at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, was the first of the year held by the Fairfax County Democrats. Although the event was organized by the Mount Vernon District Democrats, anyone who paid admission was eligible to vote. A county-wide straw poll for Democrat candidates will be held March 31.
According to final results released by the Mount Vernon District Democrats, 193 people voted in the chairman’s race, while 194 voted in the Commonwealth’s Attorney Race.
So far no Republican candidates have declared for any of the races polled at Saturday’s event.
Candidates who attended Saturday’s event gave two-minute speeches at the beginning of the event, and those can be viewed on BlueVirginia.us.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Race
- Jeff McKay — 48.7 percent
- Alicia Plerhoples — 43.5 percent
- Ryan McAlveen — 5.2 percent
- Tim Chapman — 2.5 percent
McKay, who has served as Lee District supervisor since 2008, topped Plerhoples by 10 votes in what has become a crowded Democratic primary. Plerhoples, a McLean resident who is a law professor at Georgetown University, entered the race on Feb. 15 after initially running as a school board candidate in Dranesville District.
Both McKay and Plerhoples far outpaced the other two chairman candidates, Ryan McAlveen and Tim Chapman. McAlveen, an at-large school board member, got 10 votes while Chapman, former chair of the Virginia Housing Development Authority, received five votes.
Lee District Supervisor’s Race
- Rodney Lusk — 41.4 percent
- Kelly Hebron — 23.4 percent
- Larysa Kautz — 21.6 percent
- James Migliaccio — 13.6 percent
Lusk, who works as marketing director for the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, received 67 votes. Kelly Hebron, a lawyer and professor at Northern Virginia Community College, finished second with 38 votes. Groveton resident and non-profit executive Larysa Kautz finished third with 35 votes, and Lee District Planning Commissioner James Migliaccio came in fourth with 22 votes.
“Mount Vernon and Lee District are so closely tied,” Lusk said in a statement released after the poll. “We commute Route 1, visit the same parks, shop at the same stores, and many of our children attend the same schools. That’s why I’m so honored and humbled by tonight’s result.”
Commonwealth’s Attorney Race
- Steve Descano — 69 percent
- Ray Morrogh — 31 percent
Descano, a former federal prosecutor, won convincingly over incumbent Ray Morrough. This is the first primary challenge for Morrogh since he was elected in 2007.
“We have the momentum and the grassroots support to bring our progressive values into our criminal justice system,” Descano tweeted after the poll. “Mount Vernon knows we need change. Fairfax County knows we need change. Together, we can make a difference on June 11th [primary day] and every day that I’m your Commonwealth’s Attorney.”
At-Large School Board Race
- Karen Keys-Gamarra — 32.7 percent
- Rachna Sizemore Heizer — 24.7 percent
- Abrar Omeish — 23.4 percent
- Ilryong Moon — 19.4 percent
School board candidates do not run with party affiliations. There are three at-large positions on the board, and so far four candidate have declared — two incumbents and two newcomers.
At-large member Karen Keys-Gamarra, who was elected in a special election in the summer of 2017, topped the field in Saturday’s poll. Longtime member Ilryong Moon, who has served as the board chairman in the past, came in behind newcomers Abrar Omeish and Rachna Sizemore Heizer.
Mount Vernon district school board representative Karen Corbett Sanders is running unopposed so far, as is Lee District school board representative Tamara Derenak Kaufax. No poll was held for either race.
Alicia Plerhoples has been a forceful advocate of not utilizing our parkland for county developments. As available space becomes more and more scarce, Fairfax County increasingly has looked toward converting parkland into County Facilities. Right here in Mount Vernon, the County plans on eliminating nearly all of Lorton Park, the only park between I-95 and Richmond Highway for a 5 mile stretch, to build a county facility.
In Providence District, the County is planning on the elimination of Blake Lane Park to build another facility there. In both cases, there are parcels of county owned land nearby that would be better suited for the projects, but the County wants the option of selling those parcels to developers in the future. So, for all intents and purposes, these parks are being sold to developers. It makes a complete joke of One Fairfax, since this would never happen in McLean.
Alicia has come out squarely against this practice and that explains a good part of her success in this vote.
https://www.facebook.com/SaveLortonPark/
Rodney Lusk shared his experience working in economic development bringing jobs to Fairfax County; he shared his commitment to public education and creating effective transportation solutions. He spoke about his experience representing Lee District on the Planning Commission; experience leading projects to increase access for persons with disabilities, and addressing significant human service needs including homelessness in Fairfax County.
The Lee District Supervisor represents us and serves over 1,148,000 residents of Fairfax County by working with a board of peers. The significant portfolio of needs they address includes public safety; public education; human services; healthcare; clean, abundant water; affordable housing; economic development; environmental stewardship; libraries, recreation centers and parks; transportation; land use; managing storm water and preventing soil erosion; safeguarding the interests of government employees and retirees; justice; and tax policy. All these priorities and more must be continuously addressed with a balanced budget.
Experience matters especially when the results of hard work are desirable. While recognizing we still have a lot of work to do, we can see our beloved Fairfax County leads the nation in health and wealth among communities with a population of at least one million persons.
There is a reason Sharon Bulova, the current Chairman of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and her immediate predecessor, Rep. Gerry Connolly, endorse Rodney Lusk for Lee District Supervisor. They both know and have worked with Rodney for decades.
There is a reason former Lee District Supervisor Dana Kauffman and former Virginia Deputy Secretary of Education David Temple endorse Rodney Lusk for Lee District Supervisor. They both know and have worked with Rodney for decades.
I appreciate all the candidates, especially persons standing for Lee District Supervisor and believe the choice is clear.