Four Democrats vying to represent their party in the Braddock District supervisor’s race shared views at Monday night candidate forum.
BURKE, VA — Countering President Donald Trump’s policies targeting federal employees and the county’s school system were among the top priorities voiced by the four Democrats in the Braddock supervisor’s race during Monday night’s candidate forum at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Marguerite Wiese, co-chair of the Braddock District Democratic Committee, which hosted the event, posed the same set of questions to all four candidates competing in Saturday’s firehouse primary: Rachna Sizemore Heizer, Sabrina Mattin, Ilryong Moon, and April Pavis Shroeder. The primary winner will face Republican Ken Balbuena in the Dec. 9 special election.
When incumbent James Walkinshaw (D-Braddock) defeated Republican challenger Stewart Whitson on Sept. 9 to fill the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D), who died in May, Walkinshaw’s seat on the Fairfax Board of Supervisors became vacant. A special election is set for Dec. 9 to fill the seat, with the Braddock District Democrats opting to hold an Oct. 4 firehouse primary to choose their candidate.
In the following excerpts, the candidates shared how they would address unemployment caused by Trump’s layoffs of federal workers and the administration’s attacks on Fairfax’s immigrant residents and FCPS over its transgender policies.
What concrete steps can Fairfax County take to support federal workers and unemployed residents? Should the county set aside reserves, expand safety net programs, or develop partnerships to cushion the blow here in Braddock?
“I have a vision for a strong, smart economy that plays on Fairfax County strengths we have. We can grow our own industry hubs here in areas that we already have from our federal workers and the skill sets they already have in cybersecurity, clean tech, in AI. We can grow industries that fit who we are. I’ve seen other areas do it. I’ve studied other areas that do it, and we can do it here, so the federal government becomes a plus.” — Rachna Sizemore Heizer
“The school system has been doing a pretty good job in helping college teachers, and also being able to help in those college teachers be able to find a way to get a teacher certification in an expedited manner. In a similar fashion, there are things that the Fairfax County government can do for those laid-off federal workers. And, it’s not just the federal workers, by the way. For each federal government employee in Fairfax County, there are 2.5 contractors working for all of us, the federal government and more of us. They are also being impacted.” —Ilryong Moon
“George Mason University has done some really great things with their online training club. They also have a small business support coaching programs, which I think is really great. NOVA has also stepped up and invested over a million dollars into their programs. So, if we’re helping people focus their attention on those resources, that’s really helpful.” — April Pavis Shroeder
“As supervisor, I will continue on my work that I have already been doing through the Small Business commission and other avenues to stand with our federal workforce while building for a resilient future. That means adding to what we’re already doing with resume workshops and job search assistance. We’ve already been helping with that, expanding job retraining, upskilling, job placement programs for displaced workers. Because, unfortunately, a lot of these long-term employees were not considering ever re-entering the job market. They wanted to retire in those jobs.” — Sabrina Mattin
As supervisor, what steps can you take to defend Fairfax’s values against these pressures, whether by resisting federal and state mandates protecting reproductive and LGBTQ plus rights, or opposing efforts to drain resources from our public schools and undercut public health?
“We can work with churches and other faith institutions to say, ‘Here’s how you can combat the fear that some of your members and friends might be feeling when it comes to our LGBTQ brothers and sisters and siblings.’ For example, FCPS Pride has been doing incredible work for a really long time, and we should be following their lead. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Fairfax County has already been doing really incredible things to push back against this administration. We should also be following the Fairfax Health Department, because hey got us through COVID really well by keeping us informed and aware of everything that was happening.” — April Pavis Shroeder
“I vow to keep ICE out of Fairfax neighborhoods, ensure that our trust policy is upheld, protect reproductive health care access, no exceptions. I’ve heard from folks at the Inova Pride clinic that they’re afraid to provide necessary services, because they’re going to lose federal funding. But there are doctors out there that are also afraid of losing federal funding to provide necessary care. These decisions should be made between doctors and patients, not politicians. Politicians have no right to be making health care decisions for anybody. Our residents should feel safe, respected and celebrated.” — Sabrina Mattin
“As a school board member, I am fighting against Trump administration. I’ve been fighting against MAGA extremism. We are currently, as you probably know, in litigation where the federal government threatening to cut close for under $7 million on our policy of how we treat our transgender students. Back in 2014, I was the school board member who made a motion to include sexual orientation as a part of our non-discrimination policy, because I strongly believe that we should not discriminate against a student or our employees based upon their sexual orientation.” —Ilryong Moon
“We can protect reproductive rights. We can protect immigrants. I’m proud that I voted for the Trust Policy. In 2021, I supported it. I’m proud that we insisted it was displayed prominently in the eight most common languages in every single school for our families when they come in to see this Trust Policy. And I will proudly uphold similar policies on the county side.” — Rachna Sizemore Heizer
How To Vote In Braddock Democratic Party’s Firehouse Primary
After a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge called for a Dec. 9 special election to fill the vacant board seat, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee scheduled a firehouse primary for Oct. 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at these three locations:
Braddock District Supervisor’s Office, 9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke
Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax
Landings Community Center, 6001 Cove Landing Road, Burke
Online early voting will be available Oct. 2-4. More information on how to vote in the primary is available on the Fairfax County Democrats website.
Also See …
Keeping Fairfax Co. Affordable For All Aim Of Sabrina Mattin: Questionnaire
Opportunities For Residents To Thrive Rachna Sizemore Heizer’s Goal: Candidate
Creating More Affordable Housing Priority For Ilryong Moon: Candidate Questionnaire
Affordability Top Issue For April Pavis Shroeder: Braddock Primary Candidate
Special Election To Fill Vacant Braddock District Seat Scheduled