by Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Tuesday officially kicks of the presidential election in Virginia when the voters go to the polls to formally cast their ballots for what looks to be a foregone conclusion this November – a repeat of 2020’s presidential election. (For information on where to vote, poll times, sample ballots, and related information, see our Election 2024 page.)
A feeling of frustration, nee, depression, is understandable. And yet, to borrow Ta-Nehisi Coates’ imagery from We Were Eight Years in Power, I have felt within the past several weeks that the political “wind was waking all around me.”
Our singular and collective voices in this region will have relatively little sway over the outcomes in November for the presidential race. But here in the Fredericksburg region, whether as individuals or as a small force for change, we can have a significant say in who represents us in the halls of Congress. And we can make change happen in our area by refusing to stand by while the status quo moves forward unchecked.
That’s precisely what citizens in our region are ever-more-boldly doing.
Waking Voters
For some 70 years, political scientists have studied Americans’ political leanings. And throughout that period, they’ve consistently found that “independent” voters are both a marginal factor in politics, and indeed, aren’t all that independent. Instead, they tend to be closeted Democrats or Republicans.
That theory, however, has come under attack of late. Omar Ali of the University of North Carolina has argued in his book The Independent Voterexplains the problem in an interview with UNCG:
Independents have a broad range of ideological positions – but what many have in common is that they are alienated by partisan gridlock. They are concerned that Democratic and Republican party interests take precedence over compromises and practical solutions.
But can independents actually make a difference in an electoral system that is controlled by party money?
In November we saw two independent candidates – Megan Jackson and Belen Rodas – win school board seats in Spotsylvania. The reason was driven by voters’ frustrations with a board that was spiraling out of control.
The same spirit that vaulted them to power drives a new informal group in Fredericksburg led by Anne Little, the “democratic Breakfast Club,” with an emphasis on the lower-case “d” in democratic.
As Little noted at the inaugural event on February 24, the club is “dedicated to informing voters about issues and candidates in our region. All are invited to attend and connect with your neighbors in our shared goals to stay informed and engaged.”
That sentiment is hardly new – we’ve heard it all before. But what she said next is too infrequently heard:
I do not have the answers, but more importantly I have the same question that Rodney King had so many years ago: “Can’t we all just get along?”
Like so many voters, Little has grown tired of the toxicity in our public square. “Most of my friends,” she said, “both Republicans and Democrats, are not extremist. They want government to solve problems and know that compromise is not a dirty word.”
She concluded by noting that divided government works best, because it forces people to find common ground.
Both Shaun Kenney and I were invited to speak at the event about our views on the importance of the 7th District race. We gave our thoughts, but more important shared wide ranging discusses with people from across the political spectrum in our region. It was a welcoming experience to see those one might normally eschew break bread and talk honestly about the issues confronting us all.
Of course, one breakfast club won’t close the political fissures that separate us, but this meeting spoke to the hunger people have for a new discourse – the room was packed.
Waking Activism and Media
“Activism” in its most general sense – people actively engaged in the political process – has gone through cycles both revered and reviled in U.S. history. Locally, we’re entering a cycle that should command people’s respect.
Laying aside for a moment questions of who is right and who is wrong, look at what has happened in our region over the past few months.
When word began to spread that Mary Washington Healthcare was moving to close the Kids’ Station daycare on the MWHC campus, hundreds of concerned parents, working professionals at Mary Washington Hospital who use the daycare, and other people similarly struggling to deal with finding quality, affordable daycare in the area took to social media and reached out to the Advance to make their voices heard.
The situation – for the moment – has come to an amicable conclusion that doesn’t leave families stranded without adequate daycare.
But it’s also shown a bright light on the crisis facing families in our region with daycare.
A similar backlash came when it became public knowledge that Mary Washington Healthcare was moving to place the Moss Free Clinic in a vice that would in all likelihood would lead to their being forced out of their building.
Later reporting over grant applications has elevated more response from the public about MWHC’s relationship to Moss. A meeting between the two boards is scheduled to work through some of the issues that have elevated public concern. Let’s hope an amicable resolution comes from this meeting, and it did with the Kids’ Station situation.
Citizens are also getting bolder about expressing their concerns to their elected representatives. Recently, FOIA’d text messages among some City Council members surfaced and were shared by private citizens via email and social media. (The Advance has not reported on these messages, though we are in receipt of them and exploring the questions they raise.)
There is no immediate resolution, but this alerting government officials that people are watching ensures that sunlight is let into government process.
A more complex situation, which the Advance has reported heavily on, has been emerging in Spotsylvania County. Following a combative meeting between swim team parents and Riverbend High School administration, Theo Marcus – previously a coach on the swim team – grew concerned about the level of involvement select school board members and school administrators were playing in trying to control every aspect of a controversy that has destroyed the swim season for Riverbend athletes, led to the firing of the school principal, and is now growing uglier as former Board chair Lisa Phelps has yet to turn over requested records.
This story, unfortunately, is far from over, and the Advance will continue to stay abreast of what is transpiring.
Finally, late last year in Stafford County, a group of concerned citizens has banded together to fight a methadone clinic being dropped into their neighborhood with little, if any, forewarning by Stafford officials. (See the Advance’s reporting on this situation here, here, and here.)
The Winds of Democracy
Sometimes, it takes losing something to appreciate the importance it plays in our lives.
Such has been the case in this region as local news coverage has waned as the once mighty Free Lance-Star was taken over by a national organization with no ties to our region.
The loss damaged this community for a time. But it’s also awoken citizens to the importance of being informed, and re-established in the minds of many the importance of local media.
Over the past year, the Advance has been honored to help fill the need that we all have for information about the people, institutions, and organizations that shape our community.
It’s been equally rewarding to watch people awaken to the importance of being involved in the governmental institutions, as well as the public and private organizations, that shape our lives.
The winds of democracy are, indeed, waking all around us.
