By Supervisor Pat Herrity of the Springfield District and Fairfax County’s lone Republican member of the Board of Supervisors

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Board of Supervisors’ majority once again demonstrated how those who preach diversity can be the least tolerant of diversity of opinion. Not only did the Board majority reject my request to recognize the history and service of the Christian church in our communities, but the Board again blocked one of my appointees from participating in government without explanation .

Rejection of the Church Heritage Recognition Day Proclamation

The Board refused to support my motion for a routine proclamation for Church Heritage Recognition Day. This was requested by residents of the County as a way to acknowledge the positive impacts of the Christian church in our community, including its volunteer work and service to the poor (you can read the full Board matter and proclamation here ).

The Board has a long history of recognizing specific faith groups as well as broader communities that have made an impact in Fairfax County. Just this year, the Board recognized Sikh Awareness Day and the Church of Latter-Day Saints, and in the past has acknowledged anniversaries of many more religious groups and institutions and made other “heritage” recognitions.

Despite this longstanding precedent, Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw and Chairman McKay proposed a substitute motion to replace my proclamation request for Church Heritage Recognition Day with a motion that would instead acknowledge all faith communities. I fully support recognizing the diverse faith communities of Fairfax County for the great work they do, so I asked that Supervisor Walkinshaw present his proclamation as a separate action that I would support in addition to recognizing Church Heritage Recognition Day.

Despite having the ability to recognize both Church Heritage Recognition Day and the other faith communities in Fairfax County, the Board voted against my motion to specifically recognizing the contributions of Christian churches and instead replaced the proposed Church Heritage Recognition Day with Supervisor Walkinshaw’s motion. I’d like to thank Supervisor Dan Storck for being strong enough to voice support for both recognitions.

As Roberts Rules of Order prevent me from bringing this proclamation back to the full Board, I announced that I will be preparing a Springfield District Proclamation for Church Heritage Recognition Day and have invited my colleagues to join me in recognizing the history and great work our Christian churches do in our community.

Another Potential Springfield District Appointee Rejected Without Discussion or Explanation

Open, honest discussion will always get you to better answers. Unfortunately, Chairman McKay and Braddock District Supervisor Walkinshaw want to prevent those open discussions from happening on the Planning Commission and our other Board-Appointed Boards, Authorities, and Commissions (BACs). Even though a Springfield District appointee would only represent one voice and one vote on a BAC, at Tuesday’s Board meeting, they opted to prevent my appointment to the Planning Commission without any discussion.

As I shared when Supervisor Walkinshaw previously blocked my appointee, the process of appointing residents to our Boards, Authorities, and Commissions (BACs) has historically been non-political and largely a formality.

Unfortunately, the Board majority has opted to continue to gatekeep who can have a voice in local government even though my Planning Commission candidate 1) was previously appointed to several BACs by previous Boards, 2) is highly qualified 3) is respected in his field 4) has a long history of service to the community (see second time stamp below), and 5) is willing to serve.

We need more balance in government, which comes from diversity of thought and opinion. In my 16 years on the Board, this is the third time Springfield District appointees have been prevented from participating in our government without explanation. This is nothing short of hypocrisy coming from a Board that continually preaches about diversity.

To view the Board’s discussions of my motions outlined above here is the link to the Board meeting. The time stamps are below:

Church Heritage Recognition Day Proclamation – beginning at the 2:09:00 mark.

Planning Commission Appointment – Vote beginning at 1:38:39, Recognition beginning at 2:34:00

Additional Early Voting Locations Now Open

Thirteen additional early voting locations opened on October 17 th . These locations are open in addition to the Fairfax County Government Center, Mount Vernon Government Center, and North County Government Center which will remain open until all early voting ends November 2nd at 5pm. Before going to vote, please double check the hours early voting sites are open because times vary by location.

Weekend voting will be offered on two Saturdays from 9am to 5pm:

• Saturday, Oct. 26 (all locations)
• Saturday, Nov. 2 (all locations)

There will also be a period on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 1pm to 5pm for early voting at all locations. For details on the dates and additional early voting locations, see this link: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/early-voting