Partisan Election Criticized In Letter From 20 Fairfax City Leaders

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Twenty former and current elected officials have signed a letter mailed to City of Fairfax voters calling for an end to the partisanship that has emerged in the lead-up to the Nov. 8 general election.

The city's charter and the Code of Virginia require that local elections be nonpartisan. As such, candidates cannot seek the formal endorsement of a party and they must run as independents. The charter specifically says that no mark indicating party affiliation can appear next to a candidate's name on the ballot.

"This nonpartisan tradition is something we hold dear," the letter says. "It is integral to our city’s identity. ... We personally believe that these elections for local office should remain nonpartisan, so that all citizens can participate, and candidates can be chosen based on their merits — not their political party affiliation."

The signed mailer includes the disclaimer: "Paid for and authorized by the signatories. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."

With the exception of incumbent State Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34), all of the signatories of the letter are former or current elected officials who ran as independents in nonpartisan city elections.

Related: Partisan Politics Emerge In 2022 Fairfax City Mayor's Race

Currently, all mayoral, city council, and school board candidates are running as independents and no marks appear by their names on the Nov. 8 ballot voters will see. But actions taken by some of the candidates during this year's campaign have raised accusations of partisanship.

At the Sept. 28 candidate forum at American Legion Post 177, Jeffrey Greenfield, who is running for city council, spent part of his opening statement criticizing the emergence of partisanship in the current election.

"I would ask you to join with me and remind folks, it's not about whether you've got a 'D' or an 'R.' It's about what are you interested in doing to move the city forward in the City of Fairfax," he told the audience. "So, when you see folks being endorsed by different people, I hope you question why are you throwing that into a nonpartisan election?"

What Greenfield was referring to in particular was a sample ballot that the City of Fairfax Democratic Committee had started distributing outside City Hall once early voting began on Sept. 23.

Under the committee's name, the ballot shows incumbent U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly with a "D" next to his name and then the names of mayoral candidate Catherine Read and city council candidates D.T. "Tom" Ross, Jon R. Stehle Jr., Billy M. Bates, and So P. Lim. The names are arranged in the order they appear on in the real ballot but with the other candidates' names shaded out.

Kathy Hackshaw, the vice chair of the City of Fairfax Democratic Committee, told Patch that her group had asked all of those running in November if they wanted to fill out a questionnaire so that the committee could choose candidates to include on the flyer.

While Ross, Stehle, Bates, and Lim filled out questionnaires, two other candidates declined the offer. They told the committee that they were federal employees and are barred by the Hatch Act from participating in partisan activities, according to Hackshaw. The remaining candidates declined the offer or did not respond.

The letter sent to city voters cites the Hatch Act as one of the reasons why it was important for city elections to remain nonpartisan.

"Career Federal employees with significant leadership experience have been able to serve our City Council and School Board. Otherwise, they would be barred by Federal law — the Hatch Act," the letter says.

Related: Fairfax City Candidates Share Views On Development, Traffic, Budget

When asked why the City of Fairfax Democratic Committee decided to solicit the candidate questionnaires to create the sample ballot, Hackshaw said it was in response to mayoral candidate Sang Yi's June 24 campaign fundraiser, which Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other Republican Party luminaries attended.

During the Oct. 19 candidate forum at the Sherwood Community Center, city council candidate Billy Bates took issue with Greenfield's remarks at the Sept. 28 event.

Related: $210K In Campaign Contributions Reported In Fairfax City Mayor's Race

"You need to know the values of the people you're voting for, and it's unfortunate that not all the candidates are willing to be open about that," he said. "Party affiliation, while not perfect, does tell you something about values. When a sitting governor raises money for a mayoral candidate behind closed doors, that says something about the candidate and those who support him. We should be asking about their alignment with Youngkin's recent policies."

A few minutes later, city council candidate Kate Doyle Feingold criticized Bates' remarks.

"You can't tell someone's character unless you walk up to them, you shake their hand and you speak to them," she said. "You ask them about what are you going to do about my streets and the sidewalks? How do you feel about this development project? What do you think about these issues that actually impact voters in the city? What's happening in this country has been brought down into this local election."

The following is the full text of the letter sent by 20 current and former elected officials to Fairfax City voters:

Dear fellow City of Fairfax residents,

Our City has a long tradition of nonpartisan, inclusive elections. As a result of this stance, which is reflected in our City Charter, career Federal employees with significant leadership experience have been able to serve our City Council and School Board. Otherwise, they would be barred by Federal law – the Hatch Act.

This nonpartisan tradition is something we hold dear. It is integral to our city’s identity, which features many noteworthy accomplishments, including the fact that we were the first jurisdiction in the South (1998) to receive a permanent “pre-clearance” from the United States Department of Justice under the Federal Voting Rights Act.

In 2021, over the objections of the City’s representatives, the Virginia General Assembly mandated that all future municipal elections in Virginia be moved to November. That is now state law.

November elections are likely here to stay, and we respect the fact that political organizations have a First Amendment right to support candidates of their choice
However, we personally believe that these elections for local office should remain nonpartisan, so that all citizens can participate, and candidates can be chosen based on their merits – not their political party affiliation.

Our City is unique in this regard. We ask you to consider keeping it that way.

Sincerely,
Chap Petersen, State Senator

Janice Miller, member, City Council

City of Fairfax School Board Members
Jon Buttram
Bob Reinsel
Toby Sorenson
Mitch Sutterfield

Page Johnson
Commissioner of Revenue

Tom Scibilia
Treasurer

Steve Moloney
former City Treasurer

Former City of Fairfax Mayors
Steve Stombres
Rob Lederer
John Mason

Former City Council Members
Bill Coe
Tony Coughlan
Dan Drummond
Nancy Loftus
Gail Lyon
Ellie Schmidt

Former City School Board Members
Al Doerhing
Julie Knight
Suzanne LevyBill