Category: Meetings
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Seeking the truth about Islam
Citizens of all political persuasions agree that gerrymandering — the deliberate manipulation of legislative district boundaries to benefit a particular party or to disadvantage an opposing party — undermines the democratic process.
Independent authorities have ranked Virginia as the fifth most gerrymandered state based on the lack of compactness and contiguity of its districts.
In the interest of learning more about this important issue and what is being done to address the problem, the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club will conduct a public program April 21, featuring Brian Cannon, executive director of OneVirginia2021. The organization is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy group whose goal is an amendment to the Virginia Constitution to establish an independent, impartial commission to apply a fair and transparent process in drawing political districts after the next U.S. Census in 2020.
The program will be held at 1:30 p.m. on April 21 in the meeting room of the LOW Community Center. A meet-and-greet sessions will begin at 1 p.m. Everyone, regardless of political affiliation, is welcome.
In Virginia, state legislators redraw district lines for the U.S. Congress, the House of Delegates and the State Senate after every 10-year census. Under the current system, the party in power in the House and the party in power in the Senate can draw the lines to serve their own interests. As a result, 56 candidates in the House of Delegates faced no real competition in the general election in 2013, with 22 Democrats and 34 Republicans facing no major-party challenger. Of the remaining 44 races, only 19 were considered competitive to some degree. In the end, only two seats changed parties.
In 2013, a group of concerned citizens came together in Charlottesville to discuss redistricting in the Commonwealth. From that meeting OneVirginia2021 was born. The group partners with individuals and organizations to raise awareness, provide information and work with legislators to implement meaningful reform. Members of the coalition range from progressives and independents to Tea Party conservatives.
Mr. Cannon has been executive director of OneVirginia2021 since January 2015. He has more than a decade of experience in non-profit leadership, community building, fundraising, and bipartisan advocacy for state policy issues. Previously, he worked as a consultant with startups and high-growth companies.
Mr. Cannon received his bachelor of arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the College of William and Mary. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Richmond with their son. When not working on redistricting reform he serves on several non-profit boards and plays rec league football.
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Free clinic to open soon, club is told
The Rev. Adam Colson, pastor for community missions at The Lake of the Woods Church, visited the LOW Democratic Club Jan. 21 to report that the new Living Water Community Health Clinic in Locust Grove is expected to open soon.
The club is one of many community organizations that have supported the establishment of the clinic, which will offer no-cost acute health care to families in the region who cannot afford care.
The Rev. Colson said a recent fund-raising dinner resulted in $10,000 being raised to fund the effort.
He said support for the clinic has been strong with the donation of funds, volunteer hours and equipment. He said the University of Virginia Health System has even pledged access to free surgery for patients in need.
He said the clinic would begin to accept patients withing the next two to three weeks.
Lee Frame, unopposed candidate for District 5 representative on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, and Tim Murphy, candidate for Orange County sheriff, visited the LOW Democratic Club Oct. 15 seeking the support of voters.
The two candidates made informative presentations and answered members’ questions.
Mr. Frame, who has served as District 5 supervisor since 2007, is a retired Naval officer. He served as the District 5 representative on the county’s planning commission before becoming supervisor.
He presented his views on the role of local government and discussed several current issues before county government, including the Wilderness Gateway Study, which concerns future development along the Rt. 3 corridor.
Mr. Murphy, a former chief deputy in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, described his vision for community-based policing, special attention to the growing problem of drug abuse in Orange County, and aggressive investigation of unsolved drimes.
He has 32 years of experience in law enforcement. During his last five years in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, he held the position of chief deputy in which he supervised all divisions of the office and acted as sheriff in the absence of the sheriff. He has trained at the FBI academy, was chosen as Virginia Deputy Sheriff of the year and was Orange County’s first K-9 trainer and officer.