County and State Redistricting Effects in Braddock District

The redistricting plans for both Fairfax County and the Virginia Legislature have been released recently, to mixed reactions. Local legislators had differing opinions on how the plans would affect our area.

Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity said that only six or seven precincts would change districts county-wide in the current Fairfax County redistricting plan.

“I think we as a county did a very good job redistricting,” Herrity said. “It was a very good process, with citizen input.”

In the Springfield District, Herrity expects to lose Eagle View and possibly Monument, while potentially picking up other precincts. Braddock District Supervisor John Cook said that his district is expected to remain basically the same, though it may pick up Eagle View and Monument from Springfield.

Both of these Republican Supervisors decried the state-wide redistricting plans released last week.

“What they did was clearly political on both sides,” Herrity said.

He was particularly upset over the proposed Senate dividing of Popes Head into two districts (37th and 34th), which would result in members of the same district voting for two separate state senators. Herrity called the dividing of the district an expensive decision that was ripe for error.

“It’s confusing to people in line who are talking about who they’re voting for,” Cook agreed.

Democratic Senator Dave Marsden in the 37th district had different thoughts on the redistricting plans.

“It makes for more competitive seats in Northern Virginia,” Marsden said. “Some of the overly Democratic seats have become more balanced and some of the more Republican seats have become more balanced. At the end of the day, it works out pretty well.”

He said his district would move across the beltway under the new plan.

“I think that’s a good thing,” Marsden said. “I think the legislator’s role is to knit the commonwealth together and find solutions for everybody instead of digging in for one particular group or another. I’m looking forward to it.”

He mentioned his childhood home, which was Woodburn Elementary back in the 1890s, would then come into his district. He did not ask for the area, but said he thinks that’s “kinda neat.”

“It’s all in the same county,” Marsden said. “It’s not like we’re going across jurisdictions.”

One of the candidates for the Republican nomination to run against Marsden, Republican Jason Flanary, had a decidedly different opinion on the plan for the 37th district.

“It is the worst case of partisan gerrymandering I’ve ever seen in Virginia politics,” Flanary said. “This new district stretches from Centreville to Annandale. It’s very long and narrow.”

He said however that if he won the seat, the potential changes in the district would not change his approach to the position.

“The issues in Annandale are the same as Centreville and Braddock as well,” Flanary said, citing jobs, transportation, education and keeping government small as his continuing priorities.

You can look at all the proposed county redistricting maps at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/redistricting. State redistricting plans can be checked out at http://redistricting.dls.virginia.gov/2010/RedistrictingPlans.aspx.

To look at plans on the map, click on Map at the top, then use the drop-down box to choose whether you want to look at Senate or House plans. You'll have to zoom into Fairfax County manually. You can then overlay the current districting with the proposed plans to see how they've changed.