Michael O’Connell,Patch Staff
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — After a long weekend spent in the trenches of state politics, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gathered to review the legislative report, the air was thick with a sense of “dodging a bullet,” even as a “bad bill” remained looming on the horizon.
Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) didn’t mince words as he pointed to the last line of the report regarding Senate Bill 756, the controversial Fairfax County casino bill.
“Fairfax County opposed all versions of this bill, which is now headed to the governor’s desk,” Bierman read aloud. “I sincerely hope that the governor vetoes this bill.”
The bill, which sought to “jam a casino into Tysons,” was framed by the supervisors not as a tool for economic growth, but as a “gimmick” to avoid the harder work of state governance, according to Bierman.
Chairman Jeff McKay (D-At-Large) was particularly pointed in his assessment of the Richmond legislators’ motivations:
“It is a gimmick and an excuse for the General Assembly to ignore the real problem in the room, which is they’re not doing their job to fund public education period. … If they were doing their job, we wouldn’t need to be talking about a gimmick.”
The supervisors detailed a chaotic weekend in Richmond, where transparency felt like a relic of the past. McKay described a late-Friday scramble where “self-selected casino advocates” attempted a “by-right” maneuver that would have stripped the local government of its land-use authority entirely.
“That was the least transparent thing I’ve ever seen,” McKay said, recounting how many state senators hadn’t even read the final language before it hit the floor.
Bierman noted the irony of the proponents’ claims that the bill followed the “Dillon Rule”—the principle that local governments only have the power granted to them by the state. He recalled a senator essentially telling them that local governments “don’t breathe unless we tell them to.”
“Well, Senator,” Bierman said, “I’m breathing and I’m speaking.”
The board highlighted the efforts of Del. Paul Krizek (D-Alexandria), who attempted to expose the bill’s true nature by proposing amendments that mirrored the Maryland casino model. He suggested a 40 percent tax rate and a $150 million licensing fee— amendments that were promptly stripped out by the House Appropriations Committee.
“It exposed that this bill is not about more tax revenue for the Commonwealth or for the locality,” Bierman said. “It’s about helping a casino developer. … The house always wins. And on this one, boy, the house was going to win.”
Supervisor Dalia Palchik (D-Providence), whose district was the target for the proposed development, echoed this sentiment, noting that her office had received more than 10,000 pieces of correspondence opposing the casino.
“Tysons is not in need of rescue,” Palchik said. “What has transpired has been the passion project of one senator … that benefits only one developer and ignores the many voices of Fairfax County residents.”
Despite the “bad bill” passing, there were moments of levity and success buried in the report. The supervisors took a moment to celebrate the passage of the “loud muffler bill” introduced by Del. Rip Sullivan (D-Great Falls) and progress on transit and housing, proving that collaboration was still possible when the “gimmicks” were set aside.
As the discussion drew to a close, the focus shifted from the legislative halls of Richmond back to the streets of Fairfax. McKay reminded the room that while Richmond “legislates,” the board has to “govern.”
“I hope the governor recognizes that and vetoes it,” Bierman said. “Let’s get back to those issues — making this county a better place to live, to work, to raise a family — and not an issue that is just to benefit a casino developer.”
December: The Gathering Storm
January: The Opening Salvo
February: Expansion and Pushback
Early March: The House Maneuvers
The ‘Bullet-Dodging’ Weekend
March 17: To The Governor’s Desk