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County Involvement In City Elections

By taniah

Op-ed by Maryanna Logan Fournier, a City of Fairfax resident

At this time when the county Democratic party is actively engaging in our election it’s time to  look at what being an independent city really means  

During the early 50 and 60s Northern Virginia was involved in a scramble for territory.  Alexandria and Falls Church were attempting to take land from Fairfax County. Fairfax county’s  plan was to turn the entire county into a massive city. This would have frozen the counties  borders and stopped any attempt by other jurisdictions too claim county territory. 

John C Wood had grave concerns about the future of the Town of Fairfax. 

If the Town of Fairfax remained part of the county our unique identity would be swallowed up  by the county. We would have continued to pay town and county taxes. Independence would  ensure that our local tax revenues stayed here in our city. 

We would lose control over determining how our town would be developed. 

In a preemptive strike, John C Woods out maneuvered the county. He directly filed emergency  paperwork with the court to transition the Town of Fairfax to an independent city. 

Back in 1959, he led the purchase and donation of 147 acres of land which enabled Fairfax to  secure a permanent campus for the original extension of the University of Virginia. This is now George Mason University. 

There are only two independent cities in Fairfax County, Falls Church, and Fairfax. Vienna, Herndon and Clifton are Incorporated towns. Vienna for example pays county taxes  As well as additional town, specific taxes, and local services. 

Fairfax City has had a long and time honored tradition of non-partisan elections. We have reason to be concerned over Fairfax County Democrats involvement in our elections. 

By aligning themselves with the County party, our local democratic party casts a shadow over  where their alliance truly lies. Our city politicians should serve our city’s interest. I maintain  that the committee of city Democrats have not served our city well.  

Any incursion of county organizations which try to put their thumb on the scale of our elections  should be met with stiff resistance. It’s our city and we do not appreciate any county political  organization trying to determine our future. 

I am not saying we shouldn’t work with regional partners. We need to clearly let the county  know that we are not interested in coming back.  

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