From the President (June 2025)

The 2025 Legislative Review event, co-sponsored by the BDC, was a great success. Participating were: Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy (33rd District), Kat Thames chief of staff for Senator Stella Pekarsky (36th District), and Delegates David Bulova (11th District), Vivian Watts (14th District), Laura Jane Cohen (15th District), and Kathy Tran (18th District). Each elected official provided a detailed account of the just-concluded ‘short’ session of our General Assembly to include bills that they carried, key successes, and legislation that was not enacted but will be re-introduced at the 2026 General Assembly session.

On the subject of politics, the entire House of Delegates is up for election in November, along with the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Locally, early voting for the Democratic Primary already ongoing; there is no Republican primary. As the Legislative Review clearly demonstrated, active participation in government by citizens is the key ingredient in our democracy. So I encourage everyone to pay attention to the issues (and there are many!),  know who is running for which office and what they stand for, and then be sure to exercise your right to vote for the candidate of your choice.

With the passing of Congressman Gerry Connolly (11th District), a special election must be called by Governor Youngkin to fill his seat. Based on the provisions of Virginia law respecting timing of a special election, the earliest date would be Tuesday, 24 June (one week following the 17 June Democratic primary). However, this date would not give the candidates much time to campaign. Although the election could be scheduled for any subsequent Tuesday up to 9 September, a more likely choice would be to put the seat on the ballot for the 4 November general election. So please stayed tuned to find out who the candidates are and when the election will be held.

Congressman Connolly leaves big shoes to fill. His service to Fairfax County as a two-term supervisor (Providence District), two-term chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and a full eight-term congressman has left a large and enduring legacy of accomplishments. He enjoyed attending BDC functions when his duties on the Hill allowed and was very good about sending a senior staffer when he couldn’t. Additionally, he always put recognition for Best of Braddock awardees into the Congressional Record and provided certificates of the proclamation to recipients.

Our next regular business meeting is 18 June (7 p.m., Braddock Hall). We have scheduled a presentation by Robert Soule of Go Electric DMV, a non-profit organization that has trained personnel to assist associations and private citizens on how to use ‘green’ technology (e.g., solar panels and electric vehicles) to conserve energy. They also conduct home audits to identify energy-saving devices (appliances, windows, insulation, etc.). This presentation is a logical follow-up to the one we had just over one year ago in April, 2024, by John Morrill, Division Manager, Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC), which covered various programs and incentives available to help homeowners and HOA communities make energy improvements to their properties.

Following the presentation, we will hold elections for BDC Board officers for the upcoming 2025-2026 operating year. Both the current BDC Secretary, Susan Di Maina and I are stepping down. I issued the notification of election on 16 May, to include the slate of candidates. Todd Murphy (Country Club View Civic Association) is on the ballot for president joining Nancy Lane Carey (Canterbury Woods Civic Association) for secretary along with incumbent BDC officers Marie Norman (Vice-president) and Barbara Smith (Treasurer). Per our Bylaws, nominations can also be made from the floor at the meeting. Please make plans to attend this meeting to cast your vote for next year’s BDC officers.

In closing, the most recent Aging in Place “Braddock Storytellers” event was "People Said it Couldn't be Done!—Bob and Kathy’s Excellent Adventure to all the National Parks in the Lower-48 States in an Electric Vehicle." Robert Soule (see above) and his wife, Kathy, gave an interesting and humorous presentation filled with numerous photos of places they visited. The link is on the BDC website and provided here for your convenience. I know you will enjoy viewing it.

I have attended all three of the Braddock Storytellers presentations so far and can confirm that they have all been very interesting and educational. AIP Coordinator Paul Hartwell has done a great job in finding speakers who have interesting stories to share, so please stay tuned for announcements of future “Braddock Storytellers” events in the fall.

Bob Cosgriff

President, BDC