I’m posting the following press release from Fairfax County Board Chair Democratic candidate Tim Chapman mostly because it’s newsworthy. Also, frankly, as someone who’s endorsed Alicia Plerhoples for Chair, it’s fine with me if her rivals want to attack each other. 🙂 As for Chapman, he’s a decent guy, but I can’t really support someone who in 2013 gave $15,000 to the gubernatorial campaign of Ken Cuccinelli (R) – quite possibly the worst (bigoted, far-right extreme, etc.) person in Virginia politics since I got involved in 2005 – and also gave $2,700 to then-Rep. Scott “Petitiongate” Taylor (R) in July 2018, as Democrats were working our butts off to take back the U.S. House of Representatives (in the case of VA-02, we were trying to elect Elaine Luria). I mean, sure, it’s possible for people to make a mistake or whatever, but $15,000 to “the Cooch” and $2,700 to “Petitiongate” man is kinda hard to take…
As for Chapman’s ad, it hits fellow Democratic Fairfax County Board Chair candidate Jeff McKay for “shadowy corruption,” “cozying up to developers,” “sweetheart deals from wealthy donors,” etc. Personally, I agree with Alicia Plerhoples’ take on this, that “where there is smoke, there is not always fire,” and that “McKay should not have engaged in this private sale, even if the developer was his friend, but more importantly, the Board should require such non-arms’ length sales to be fully and completely disclosed to the public.”
For his part, McKay has responded to Chapman’s ad as follows:
“After Republican Tim Chapman failed to succeed in peddling his unfounded lie to the press, he’s now turned to an ugly TV ad full of untruths and vicious attacks. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by these tactics, after all, Tim Chapman is one of the biggest Ken Cuccinelli donors in the country. From funding Ken Cuccinelli, to covering up his own shady business dealings in ethics plagued Washington DC, millionaire developer Tim Chapman is trying to buy this seat, but he doesn’t even bother to vote in Fairfax County elections. I’m confident the voters will see through the swamp that Tim Chapman rolls around in and will elect a real progressive with an actual record of delivering for the people of Fairfax County – Jeff McKay”
***************
Democrat Tim Chapman, Candidate for Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Releases New Anti-Corruption Ad
In his campaign to open Fairfax County’s closed political system
VIENNA, VA- The Tim Chapman for Fairfax campaign released a new 30 second television ad denouncing pay-for-play politics and highlighting Tim’s top priorities of affordable housing and improving teacher retention for Fairfax County. Tim Chapman issued the following statement regarding the new ad campaign:
“On Tuesday, June 11, Fairfax County Democrats will have the first primary for Chair of the Board of Supervisors in 50 years,” Chapman said. “I’m challenging Fairfax County’s closed political system, which stifles competition to move Fairfax forward while also failing to hold elected officials accountable for their actions. Fairfax County deserves elected officials who keep the public trust, not use it for personal gain.”
You can view Tim’s new ad here. The ad run begins today across Fairfax County on CNN, MSNBC and all major digital platforms countywide.
For more information about Tim’s campaign, visit https://www.chapmanforchair.com/, and follow Tim on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.