Early Voting for June 20 Dem Primary Begins This Friday

This Friday, May 5, is the first day that early voting for the June 20 Democratic primary in Falls Church will commence. Voting can be in person at the Voter Registrar’s office at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue, or by mail upon receipt and deposit of a requested ballot at a secured box in front of City Hall.

There are two candidates each for State Senate 37th District and for Arlington-Falls Church Commonwealth Attorney. Chap Petersen and Saddam Salim are facing off for the State Sen. nod, and incumbent Commonwealth Attorney Parisa Deghani-Tafti faces a challenge from Josh Katcher.

2 on F.C. School Board Say They Won’t Seek Re-Election

Falls Church City Public School Board chair Laura Downs and School Board Member Dr. Susan Dimock issued a statement this week that neither will be seeking election to another four-year term this fall. Their statement reads as follows:

“With the final year of our four-year terms underway, we have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election to the Falls Church City School Board. It has been an honor to serve our school system but we are ready for new challenges and are excited to find new ways to serve our schools and engage with the greater Falls Church City community.

“We found serving on the Board to be demanding at times but always fulfilling and enjoyed working with our School Board colleagues (past and present), the superintendent, teachers, staff, parents, and students. It is our hope that community members who love our schools as much as we do will step up and run for our positions. The deadline to collect signatures to get on the ballot is June 20. If you have questions about running for elected office or the role of a School Board member, you can reach us at ldowns@fccps.org and sdimock@fccps.org.”

Warners Joins Bill to Protect Children Online

Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner joined 27 colleagues in introducing the Kids Online Safety Act, comprehensive bipartisan legislation to protect children online. The act provides young people and parents with the tools, safeguards, and transparency needed to protect against online harms. It requires social media platforms to, by default, enable a range of protections against addictive design and algorithmic recommendations.

It also requires privacy protections, dedicated channels to report harm, and independent audits by experts and academic researchers to ensure that social media platforms are taking meaningful steps to address risks to kids. 

“Experts are clear: Kids and teens are growing up in a toxic and unregulated social media landscape that promotes bullying, eating disorders, and mental health struggles,” said Sen. Warner. “The Kids Online Safety Act would give kids and parents the long-overdue ability to control some of the least transparent and most damaging aspects of social media, creating a safer and more humane online environment.”

F.C. Neighborhood Reacts to Sanitation Worker Injury

A sanitation worker contracted to work for the City of Falls Church had his leg crushed in a garbage truck accident last week on W. George Mason Road. With surgery, his leg has been saved and it is reported that among caring neighbors, over $1,000 and a gift basket has been raised to help his recovery.

On Friday morning, a Fairfax county sanitation supervisor will be present to receive the money and the gift basket, as will a large contingent of neighbors.

No. Va. Chamber Hosts Civics Event With Saslaw

The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership have come together to advance policies that have continuously made Virginia one of the best states to do business. This partnership, called Advancing Civics, will host its first event next Wednesday, May 10, with State Senators Dick Saslaw and Emmett Hanger as speakers, moderated by Julie Carey of Channel 4 News.

F.C. Participates in May Building Safety Month

Throughout the month of May, the City of Falls Church  is participating in the 43rd Annual Building Safety Month, a worldwide campaign presented by the International Code Council to promote building safety.

This year’s campaign, “It Starts With You,” raises awareness about the role all citizens play in ensuring safety in the spaces in which they live, work, and learn. The campaign also makes the connection between building codes and our personal safety, as well as the important work done by building safety professionals in our communities.