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A renewed battle over a proposed Tysons casino dominated a 3.5-hour public hearing held Jan. 4 by Fairfax County’s delegation to the Virginia General Assembly, alongside demands for more state funding for education and social services.
About 70 people spoke at the Fairfax County Government Center, either for themselves or for organizations. Each received three minutes to outline priorities for the 2025 legislative session, which was set to convene Wednesday.
More than a dozen state lawmakers attended but did not answer individual speakers because of the time limit. Del. Vivian Watts, the delegation’s most senior member, presided over the hearing and said lawmakers valued the public’s advocacy.
Casino opponents mobilize again
Many civic leaders urged legislators to reject anticipated legislation that would allow a countywide referendum on placing a casino in Tysons.
A similar measure introduced during the 2024 session was postponed until 2025 and formally defeated late last year. Supporters and opponents are organizing again amid reports that Sen. Scott Surovell may introduce a new bill instead of Sen. Dave Marsden.
Jennifer Falcone, representing the Great Falls Citizens Association through the No Casino Coalition, argued that gambling would not solve Fairfax County’s budget problems and would create social costs.
Paula Martino, president of the Tysons Stakeholders Alliance, said the casino’s long-term economic and social effects would not justify the project. McLean Citizens Association President Linda Walsh called on lawmakers to concentrate on school funding instead.
Casino opponents outnumbered supporters at the hearing, but several advocates testified, including three labor representatives.
Epaminondas Mouhanis of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26 said his union career had helped him reach the middle class. He argued that the casino could offer the same opportunity through a projected 5,000 related jobs.
Nelson Aguilar of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters said the project would create good regional jobs. He praised developer Comstock Companies for agreeing to employ union workers during construction and casino operations.
Aguilar emphasized that lawmakers were being asked to authorize a referendum, not approve the casino itself. Fairfax residents would make the final decision, he said.
Reston Citizens Association President Lynne Mulston countered that neither residents nor county leaders had demonstrated interest in the proposal. Advancing it without local support, she said, would reverse normal governance practices and weaken the legislative process.
Fairfax County supervisors have shown little enthusiasm for the casino, although the board has not formally opposed it as a body.
Funding, climate and local authority enter the debate
Speakers also offered competing advice on climate policy. Bryan Scrafford of the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions urged lawmakers to develop proactive measures, while Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance President Arthur Purves disputed that a climate crisis exists and opposed tax increases intended to address it.
Other testimony covered transportation, housing, safety-net programs, education funding, teacher compensation, data centers, marijuana legalization, meals taxes, judicial selection and gun control.
Keith Henning urged the delegation to pursue legislation capable of surviving a veto by the governor. He also called for loosening Virginia’s Dillon Rule, which concentrates authority at the state level and limits the autonomy of local governments.
Henning argued that changing the rule would give local officials more power while making them more accountable to their constituents.
Rob Whitfield of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance called for transparency, compromise and a greater emphasis on solutions. He also told legislators that he expected to lobby them in Richmond during the session.
Fairfax County’s General Assembly delegation includes seven senators and 15 delegates, all Democrats. The legislative session was expected to last 45 days, with both chambers closely divided between the parties and control hinging on special elections held the Tuesday before the session began.