Kingstowne, Franconia Voters Choose Ebbin, Surovell, Storck

Kingstowne and Franconia area voters helped push Democrats Adam Ebbin and Toddy Puller to victory Tuesday night in the Senate.

Voters also re-elected Scott Surovell to the House of Delegates and chose Fairfax County school board and board of supervisors representatives.

Also see:

• : See results from the key races across southern Fairfax County.
• : Election Day in Northern Virginia
• See our full election coverage at kingstowne.patch.com/topics/participate.

Senate

The Virginia Senate was split evenly, with 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans, by the end of the night.  Any tie votes would be broken by the Republican lieutenant governor. But one senate election in central Virginia may be headed for a recount, as fewer than 100 votes separated Republican Bryce E. Reeves and Democrat Edward "Edd" Houck in the 17th Senate district.

30th District

Timothy T.C. McGhee and were vying for Patricia Ticer’s seat in the 30th district for state senate. Ticer is retiring. As many expeted, Ebbin pulled a solid win with more than 64 percent of the votes.

McGhee, a Republican, works in church administration and took some heat during the campaign for comments some believed were anti-gay.

McGhee told Patch he’s tried to be the kind of candidate he would want to elect—somebody who is not taking pledges, who is listening to voters and running on a fundamental principle. “And, as far as I am concerned, there’s only one promise to make: That’s to uphold the constitutions of the United States and of Virginia as revised in 1971,” he said.

Ebbin was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates who won the Democratic party nomination after defeating Elizabeth Garvey and Rob Krupicka in the August primaries.

Transportation was a central concern of his campaign. Ebbin told Patch earlier this year, "I'm going to fight for a lot of things, but quality of life suffers when transportation suffers," he said. "That's the key issue for the 30th District whether it's transit or BRAC improvements."

36th District

In one of the most-watched races in southern Fairfax County, Republican Jeff Frederick challenged Democrat incumbent in the 36th district, which covers part of Fairfax and Prince William counties. Ultimately, Puller pulled out a win with about 55 percent of the votes. In Fairfax County, Puller's support was stronger—about two-thirds of voters chose her over Frederick. But Frederick's supporters turned out in Prince William County, where Frederick and Puller were just about even, and in Stafford County, where Frederick won.

Whereas Puller pushed for funding for a major Rte. 1 corridor study, Frederick “thinks it is time to stop studying and get on with it,” according to his campaign website.

Puller served in the House of Delegates from 1991 to 1999 and in the State Senate from 2000 to now. Frederick served in the House of Delegates for three terms from 2003 to 2009, when he became chair of the Republican Party of Virginia. "I'm glad it ended on a really happy note and I thank all of you for making it possible," Puller told supporters at the Fairfax Democratic Party gathering in Fairfax.

House

39th District

Vivian Watts, the 39th district delegate, won against Independent Green Party candidate Dimitris Kolazas. Watts, who received 76.53 percent of the votes, has served as a delegate since 1998. Watt is the former executive director of Fairfax County Court Appointed Special Advocates (for children), a non-profit organization, and was the Virginia Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety from 1986 to 1990. Transportation is still important to Watts.

“I believe the over 20 percent of drivers who aren't Virginia residents should be contributing through the gas tax, which hasn't been raised in 25 years and is well below all of our neighboring states.  In addition, I will continue to work with bi-partisan efforts to establish dedicated transportation revenue raised in Northern Virginia and kept in Northern Virginia,” Watts wrote on her website.

43rd District

Incumbent Democrat Mark Sickles ran unopposed for the 43rd district seat. Sickles was elected to the House of Delegates in 2003, when he defeated Republican incumbent Thomas Bolvin. In 2011, Sickles introduced legislation focusing on the rights of homeowners and on healthcare. He also introduced legislation that would have created a tax credit for residents who purchase plug-in electric vehicles.

44th District

In the 44th district, Republican John Barsa and Independent Joseph A. "Joe" Glean challenged Democrat incumbent Scott Surovell, who has served in the House of Delegates since 2010. Surovell, a lifelong Fort Hunt-area resident, has focused on transportation and development improvements along the Rte. 1 corridor and he has helped close some legal loopholes to better protect consumers in the courts. He is chairman of the Conservation Caucus.

Barsa, who works in business development for General Dynamics Information Technology, has lived in the Mount Vernon area for 15 years. His goals for the 44th district included seeing a community college campus established in the region to help residents with education and further job training. Barsa also told Patch traffic congestion along the Route 1 corridor and in other areas of the district needs to be improved quickly.

Glean told Patch his top two priorities are abortion and same-sex marriage—he is opposed to both.  He is also against amnesty for resident illegal aliens and dependence on foreign oil. As for local transportation issues, Glean said he would like to extend the Virginia Railway Express hubs northward and bring light rail to his district.

Surovell said Tuesday night: "Today turnout was heavy compared to what it usually is during what we call an off year. [With] 43-44 percent of voters in Stratford precinct, I haven't seen those kinds of numbers in 10 years. It was great to see a lot of people energized...and exercising their right to vote. I spent a lot of time on Route 1, talking to people who don't usually vote. I focused on precincts a lot of campaigns ignore, and they really appreciate it when you take the time to talk to people, inform them, get them energized to vote."

Board of Supervisors

In the Board of Supervisors chairperson’s race, incumbent Democrat Sharon Bulova retained her seat, defeating Republican Michael “Spike” Williams, Independent candidate Will Radle and Independent candidate Christopher DeCarlo.

In reference to both her own race and that of other Board of Supervisors candidtes, Bulova said Tuesday night, “I’m very pleased with the results.”

Bulova received 59.40 percent of the votes; Williams received 35.59 percent; DeCarlo received 3.40 and Radle received 1.53 percent.

Michael "Spike" Williams thanked his wife and supporters as he acknowledged his loss to Sharon Bulova at the Fairfax GOP party in Falls Church.

Last time DeCarlo ran he only got 1 percent, and he told Patch he attributes his new success to his rap campaign video. "I'll run every year, " DeCarlo said, hinting that he might run for Congress in 2012.

Lee District

Incumbent Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay ran unopposed. McKay has served on the Board of Supervisors since 2008, though his service in Lee District has been much longer. McKay was the chief of staff to Lee District Supervisor Dana Kauffman from 1996 to 2007.

Fairfax County Public Schools Board

In one of the most watched Fairfax County races this season, walked away with victories in the at-large school board race Tuesday night.

It was the "most intense" Fairfax County School Board race in years, and also among the largest. Seven candidates sought the board's three at-large seats, two of them vacated by incumbents who chose not to seek re-election. Voters also approved a referendum.

Braddock District

In the Braddock District, defeated Nell J. Hurley. McLaughlin, who received 59.97 percent of the votes, has made a name for herself in local education advocacy through Fairfax Education Coalition, FAIRGRADE and Renovate Woodson Now (RENEW). FAIRGRADE, founded by McLaughlin and three others, petitioned the school system to re-evaluate grading policies. She also was on the leadership team of RENEW and co-founded the Fairfax Education Coalition.

Hurley, who is retired from the U.S. Navy, told Patch earlier this year that disaster preparedness is lacking in Fairfax Public Schools. She also wants to increase community input in school affairs, improve school instruction and reduce class sizes.

Lee District

Tamara J. Derenak Kaufax ran unopposed for the Lee District seat. Kaufax has served on the county Child Care Advisory Council since 2001 and the Lee District Budget Advisory Council for the past two years. This is her first term in office with the Fairfax County Public Schools board.

Mount Vernon District

Current Mount Vernon district school board representative defeated a strong challenge from .

Nellenbach is the Stratford Landing PTA President and was an early and active advocate for full-day kindergarten at all Fairfax County schools. Nellenbach is especially focused on ensuring the school board is listening more to parents, which she said didn’t happen enough with issues surrounding disciplinary procedures.

Nellenbach’s campaign promises included “increasing accountability to parents and students, restoring Honors classes to our schools, reducing class sizes, focusing FCPS on the needs of Mt. Vernon District schools and eliminating wasteful spending,” according to her candidacy website.

Storck has served on the Fairfax County Public Schools board since 2004. His goals include bringing back a full-day Monday at all schools. The next few years may bring some boundary realignment around South County Secondary School, as well as for West Potomac, Hayfield and Mount Vernon. He was a key player in getting the middle school at South County built.

"I think the grades for Mount Vernon voters are in. I'm pleased with the marks they've given me. I look forward to being at the top of the class," he said.

Springfield District

In the Springfield District, won, defeating John F. Wittman. Schultz received 58.8 percent of the votes. She was an outspoken advocate for the now-closed Clifton School, and she has children in pre-school, elementary, middle and high school. Wittman served as chair of Fairfax County Public School’s business and community action committee for two and a half years.  He has also spent the last five years on the career and technical advisory committee.

"I am really tired, but also very emotional for all the races I've worked on throughout the campaign. ... I've been trying to change the culture from the beginning of the campaign all the way through. The environment is right. Taxpayers want change," Schultz said Tuesday night.

Other Races

In the Fairfax County sheriff’s race, Republican William Cooper challenged current Sheriff Stan Barry in a race that was fairly close throughout the evening. Barry won with 54.4, crediting his experience for the win. "Honestly, I think I had a long record that people could look at," Barry said.

Cooper is a former deputy sheriff lieutenant.  Barry has been Fairfax County Sheriff for 12 years, though there was a over Barry's participation in the DROP program.

Barry said the DROP attacks hurt his opponent, because people in Fairfax want a positive campaign.

"All of that stuff was just very negative."

Current Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond Morrogh, a Democrat, ran unopposed. Morrogh has been CA since 2007.

for three open positions for Fairfax County Soil and Water Conservation director in the Northern Virginia District. The agency's goal, according to its website, "is to promote clean streams and protected natural resources."  It is not a regulatory agency, but provides technical expertise in soils, conservation engineering, water quality and erosion control. George W. Lamb, John W. Peterson and Johna Good Gagnon won.