Dear Neighbor,

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 4, the Board of Supervisors will vote to adopt the fiscal year 2022 budget. The vote will be the culmination of the months-long budget process that began in February with the release of the County's Executive's proposed budget. I deeply appreciate the hundreds of Braddock District residents who participated in that process through our Braddock District Budget Town Hall meeting, the Board's three days of budget public hearings, or by emailing me with your thoughts and concerns. The package that we will vote on tomorrow reflects much of the feedback I heard through the process.

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The Board of Supervisors announced the selection of Kevin Davis as the new Fairfax County Chief of Police on Friday, April 23. While I understand there have been some troubling media reports, as Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, Chief Davis earned a reputation as a national leader in police reform with a track record of building trust between law enforcement and the community. Over time, he earned the trust and support of civil rights leaders, including the President of the Baltimore NAACP.

The Board of Supervisors is planning a community listening session so the community can hear directly from Chief Davis. We will share the date and time via social media when it is available.

Until then, I encourage you to watch this video and Meet Kevin Davis.

After an extensive interview and outreach process, including comprehensive input efforts that resulted in over 275 community meetings and calls, over 450 emails to stakeholders, and a survey which received over 3,000 responses, the entire Board was unanimous in their confidence in Kevin Davis’s ability to lead our Department and to further our already ongoing Board of Supervisors’ directed policing reforms.

“This Board fully supports Kevin Davis as Fairfax County’s new Police Chief. The history of policing has not centered around the safety of all members of the community. That is a systemic problem we are always working on in Fairfax County. It is one in which Mr. Davis has also acknowledged and it is through his experiences and his leadership that he understands and has implemented critical reforms” said Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Jeff McKay. “Through our interview process, Mr. Davis demonstrated a complete understanding and commitment to improving policing, promoting transparency, and building relationships in the community. In addition, following conversations with leaders across the region as well as people who have directly worked with him, it is clear that they also have tremendous confidence in his abilities.”

“Based on my conversations with Mr. Davis during the interview process, and since his selection, I am confident that he is the best choice to lead the Fairfax County Police Department,” said Lee District Supervisor and Public Safety Committee Chair, Rodney Lusk. “I am concerned that recent media reports regarding Mr. Davis’s record may not accurately reflect the events in question. I look forward to Mr. Davis speaking to those incidents in a public forum that Chairman McKay and I will be hosting in the coming days.”

Mr. Davis looks forward to ongoing conversations with the community as he transitions to the Chief role. Throughout our interview process, he emphasized the importance of community involvement in public safety activities, policies, and procedures.

We look forward to our community meeting and engaging with the new police chief.

After months of waiting, Fairfax County residents 16 years and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and there is enough vaccine for everyone who wants to be vaccinated!

The Tysons Community Vaccination Center (CVC) now offers walk-in appointments! While appointments may still be scheduled ahead of time, the Tysons CVC is offering first-come, first-served walk-in appointments Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The CVC is located in the former Lord & Taylor at 7950 Tysons Corner Center, McLean, VA, 22102.

Please note: You can also still find appointments via VaccineFinder.

On Thursday, April 29, Governor Ralph Northam amended Executive Order 72 to adopt new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on mask use in outdoor settings.

The CDC guidelines state that fully vaccinated individuals do not have to wear masks outdoors when alone or in small gatherings. Mask use is still required indoors and outdoors at large crowded events like concerts, sporting events, and graduation ceremonies. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine.

The Governor also revised Executive Order 72 to allow up to 1,000 spectators for outdoor recreational sports, effective immediately. This change advances by two weeks a change that was scheduled to go into effect on May 15 and will allow additional spectators to participate in final games of the current high school sports season and the summer sports season.

Governor Northam reiterated that the next steps to ease mitigation measures will go into effect on Saturday, May 15 as previously announced. He expects to be able to roll back the remaining capacity limits in mid-June as long as the Commonwealth’s health metrics remain stable and vaccination progress continues.

Learn more by visiting the Fairfax County Emergency Blog Website.

On Tuesday, April 27, the Board of Supervisors approved the markup of the proposed FY 2022 Budget. The budget is scheduled for a final vote next Tuesday, May 4. Below is a quick summary of what was approved and you can also watch the meeting.

Join me for this episode of the Braddock Voices Podcast with economist and George Mason University professor Tyler Cowen. Join Tyler and me as we discuss economic development, the future of Fairfax County, local dining options, and more!

You can watch this episode on my YouTube Channel. Prefer to listen to the podcast on the move? Visit my Soundcloud account to listen to the episode while you go about your day. You can enjoy these options for free, and you do not need to have an account. Make sure to reach out to me if you have recommendations on guests we should include next!

On Friday, April 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted their recommended pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine, following the recommendation of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that the vaccine should be cleared for use by all adults.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has instructed providers across the Commonwealth that they are free to resume administering the J&J vaccine immediately.

The recommendation is based on the following:

Residents may schedule an appointment to receive one of the three available free COVID-19 vaccines at Fairfax County Health Department clinics, the Tysons Community Vaccination Center, or the George Mason University clinic by creating an account in the Health Department’s scheduling system – Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) – through the Fairfax County website or VaccineFinder.org.

Are you a Community Pool Board Member for your local pool? Be sure to join Supervisor Walkinshaw virtually on Monday, May 10 at 7:00 pm for COVID-19 updates specific to community pools from the Fairfax County Health Department.

Additionally, we’ll have a round table discussion with pool board members. This is a great way to get the latest information, get questions answered, and connect with other pool board members in the Braddock District. Please email Sally Kidalov at sally.kidalov@fairfaxcounty.gov for the meeting invitation and zoom link.

Visualize 2045 is the federally mandated, long-range transportation plan for the National Capital Region. The federal government requires that this plan must be updated every four years. The Transportation Planning Board is now updating this plan to produce a final plan in 2022. Visit the survey page to learn more about how you can participate in developing the 2022 plan. The public comment period ends on Monday, May 3, 2021 at midnight.

1) Writing:

2) Telephone:

3) Online

4) Email:

Send email to TPBComment@mwcog.org using subject line: Visualize 2045 2021 Public Comment

Want to be more involved with the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD)? Want to provide a valuable service to your community, and be more informed about county issues and laws at the same time?

Consider joining your local FCPD Community Advisory Committees (CAC).

CACs enhance communication between residents and the FCPD and offer residents a chance to dialogue with members of their local police districts. Members are kept informed about significant safety matters in their neighborhoods, and are encouraged to bring any issues or questions to the attention of local police commanders.

Click this link to join the meeting.

The Solarize Fairfax County program is back for a fifth year, providing county residents and businesses the chance to install solar arrays at a discount. From now until June 30, Solarize reduced rates will be available through a pre-qualified solar installer, Solar Energy World.

All county residents and business owners are eligible for a free, remote assessment to evaluate if solar is appropriate for their home or commercial building. Those who decide to pursue solar through the program receive a 10-15% discount off current consumer rates for solar arrays and systems.

In 2021, for the first time, the Solarize program is offering participants the opportunity to install battery storage systems in connection with their arrays. Additionally, residential Solarize participants are eligible for a complimentary, virtual home energy assessment to help improve their home energy performance holistically. Solarize participants can also bundle electric vehicle charging stations with their solar system purchase at a discount.

If you are curious about Solarize, attend one of the remaining virtual information sessions taking place in the coming months:

All Fairfax County residents and stakeholders are invited to join one of two virtual climate planning public meetings taking place May 18 and May 20, from 7:00 p.m. through 8:30 p.m. These two meetings, connected to the development of the Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) will offer information on the planning process and the content of the plan, and will include opportunities for attendees to provide input to county staff and consultants.

CECAP is the county’s first-ever plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from community sources. More than 95 percent of all emissions in Fairfax County come from sources other than county and school operations. Energy use in our homes and businesses, as well as emissions from cars and trucks on our roads are two of the greatest sources of carbon emissions requiring our attention. For CECAP to succeed, community members will need to take voluntary action to cut down their personal greenhouse gas emissions over time. The May public meetings provide an opportunity for discussion of the goals and strategies recommended by CECAP before the plan is finalized and presented to the Board of Supervisors this summer.

The meetings on May 18 and 20 will be identical in content and format, residents need only attend one of the two. For more information on the May public meetings, please visit the CECAP website.