FAIRFAX FORWARD 2024

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for candidates who share your values.

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RE-ELECT

MAYOR CATHERINE READ

RE-ELECT

COUNCILMEMBER BILLY BATES

ELECT • CITY COUNCIL

STACEY HARDY- CHANDLER

ELECT • CITY COUNCIL

TAYLOR GEAGHAN

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Partnerships, not Partisanship.

Endorsed by Fairfax City's state and federal partners:

Congressman

Gerry Connolly

Senator

Saddam Salim

Delegate

David Bulova

Our Priorities.

We are fighting to keep moving Fairfax Forward!

Attainable Housing and Smart Development

In our growing region and city, we must prioritize making housing attainable for all. Too many of our teachers, firefighters, police, and other essential workers can no longer afford to live in the community that they serve.

Make Housing Affordable for All: Advocate for policies that increase the availability of housing, such as ADUs, so we meet our goals and make housing more affordable. Keep requirements for developers to include affordable options in certain new projects, and add dedicated city funding for affordable housing.
Smart Growth: Promote smart growth principles that focus on sustainable, mixed-use development to reduce urban sprawl, enhance walkability, and preserve green spaces.

A Fairfax for All: Community Engagement and Equity

Enhanced Public Services: Work to improve access to essential public services, ensuring they are equitable and accessible to all community members.
Civic Participation: Promote greater civic engagement by creating more opportunities for a wider and more representative range of residents to participate in local government.
Diversity and Inclusion: Foster a culture of diversity and inclusion within the city by supporting initiatives that celebrate different cultures, provide anti-discrimination training, and ensure representation of all community members in decision-making processes.

Sustainable Environmental Practices

Decisions made in local government over the next few years will have far-reaching impacts on climate change. We all believe that addressing climate change is a necessity, and we will fight to build the infrastructure needed to tackle this problem head-on.

Green Infrastructure: Invest in green infrastructure projects such as green roofs and rain gardens to improve air quality, manage stormwater, and reduce the urban heat island effect. We will defend the progress our city has already made, including the stormwater utility.
Renewable Energy Initiatives: Support the expansion of renewable energy sources and work towards making municipal buildings energy-efficient and carbon-neutral.
Public Transit and Bike Lanes: Keep investing in the CUE bus, prioritize walkability, and continue to develop a comprehensive network of bike lanes and bikeshare stations to reduce reliance on cars, one of the largest sources of carbon emissions.

Strategic Economic Development and Small Business Support

Support Local Businesses: Create programs that offer support to small businesses and startups, especially those owned by women and minorities.
Workforce Development: Work with regional partners to invest in job training and workforce development programs to equip residents with the skills needed for the modern economy
Fair Wages and Benefits: Advocate for policies that ensure fair wages, benefits, and workplace protections for all workers in the city.

Safety and Security for All

Gun Violence Prevention: Prohibit guns in public spaces that are being used for events. Upgrade the violation of the prohibition on guns in city parks and buildings from a class 4 misdemeanor to a class 1 misdemeanor.
First Responders: Support recommended police and fire recruitment and retention efforts and staffing increases, as well as the establishment of a law enforcement civilian review panel to strengthen the relationship between the community and the police.
Traffic Safety: Add additional safety signage to sidewalks, shared use paths, and bike lanes. Continue working to strengthen protected pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.

ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 5TH

Polls are open 6AM-7PM

Vote Early Starting Sep 20th

Vote Early at City Hall until Nov 2nd

10455 Armstrong St, Fairfax, VA 22030

Weekdays; Saturday 10/26 and 11/2

8:30 AM-5 PM

Polling Places

Precinct One

Fairfax Presbyterian Church, 10723 Main St

Precinct Two

Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd

Precinct Three

Daniels Run Elementary School, 3705 Blenheim Blvd

Precinct Four

Fairfax City Hall Annex, 10455 Armstrong Street, Work Session Room #111

Precinct Five

Fairfax High School, 3501 Lion Run

Precinct Six

Christ Lutheran Church, 3810 Meredith Drive

Find Your Polling Place

WITH YOUR HELP, DEMOCRATS UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT WILL WIN THIS ELECTION

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FAQ

Why are Democrats endorsing in City of Fairfax Local Elections? Aren't they Non-Partisan?

The Fairfax City Democratic Committee believes it is our responsibility to ensure that the values and priorities of our community are accurately represented in local government. Fairfax City, with its rich diversity and progressive ideals, deserves leadership that genuinely reflects the will of its residents. By endorsing candidates for the 2024 elections, we aim to provide clarity and transparency for voters, ensuring they are fully informed about where candidates stand on critical issues.

Recent events have highlighted the importance of this clarity. There have been instances where candidates campaigned under the guise of progressive values, but later enacted policies that starkly opposed the principles of the majority of our residents. This includes the 2013 passage of an ordinance that led to the closure of Fairfax City’s only reproductive health clinic that provided abortion and contraception, a decision misaligned with the pro-choice stance held by our community. Such actions underscore the necessity for a thorough vetting process and endorsements to guide voters toward candidates who genuinely share and will advocate for their values.

The argument that local elections should remain entirely non-partisan overlooks the reality that even local decisions can have significant ideological implications. In an era where political values increasingly influence policy at all levels, endorsing candidates is not about promoting partisanship, but about ensuring accountability and alignment with community values.

While Virginia Code does require that partisanship cannot be listed on the ballot for local office, local party committees across the Commonwealth regularly endorse or hold nomination contests for local races. This is an activity that is protected by the First Amendment and helps clarify the stance of candidates to voters.

By endorsing candidates, we aim to maintain the integrity of our local elections by ensuring that voters have the information they need to elect representatives who genuinely reflect their values and priorities. Endorsing candidates in our thoughtful manner will strengthen our democracy and enhance the trust between elected officials and the community they serve.

How and who decided the endorsements?

The endorsements were decided by the City of Fairfax Democratic Committee's endorsement caucus. Our process started earlier this year when all known candidates were notified and invited to attend an information session and apply for endorsement. In order to be considered for endorsement, candidates were required to complete an in-depth policy questionnaire and attend a virtual interview open to all committee members. The deadline to apply to be considered for endorsement was the same day that all paperwork to qualify for the ballot was due. On June 29th, all CFDC members were eligible to vote in an unassembled caucus to approve endorsement for candidates who applied. You can learn more about our endorsement process at our archived endorsement page.

The City of Fairfax Democratic committee is the official representative of the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Virginia in the City of Fairfax. We are a group of more than 50 Democratic voters who reside in Fairfax City and work to advance Democratic values and elect Democrats up and down the ballot. To be clear, our endorsement process was created and approved only by City of Fairfax residents, and the only voters in our endorsement caucus were City of Fairfax residents. Our membership comes from a diverse background and has an array of views on many local issues. While we all stand for the same core Democratic principles, our committee as a whole does not require or advocate that our endorsed candidates vote a specific way on any issue that does not directly come into conflict with our core Democratic values.

Our committee is open to all City of Fairfax Residents who share our values. If you are interested in joining us, please browse our website to learn more!

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PAID FOR BY THE CITY OF FAIRFAX DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, CITYFAIRFAXDEMS.COM. AUTHORIZED BY CATHERINE S. READ, CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR, BILLY BATES, CANDIDATE FOR COUNCIL, STACEY HARDY-CHANDLER, CANDIDATE FOR COUNCIL, AND TAYLOR B. GEAGHAN, CANDIDATE FOR COUNCIL.