Braddock District Democrats will meet this weekend to determine their favored candidate for a vacant school board seat.
Though school board seats are non-partisan, local political parties can endorse a candidate. With two people running to represent the district on the Fairfax County School Board, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) will let voters to decide who receives its backing.
This coming Saturday (Jan. 10), Braddock-area Democrats will cast ballots in an open caucus to determine whether the party should support the candidacy of Tom Dannan or Alexa Krezel.
Tom Dannan, a former president of the Terra Centre Elementary School PTA, entered the race in October — before the last Braddock District seat became vacant. He has been endorsed by Rachna Sizemore Heizer, who held the seat until she was elected to the Board of Supervisors in December, as well as six of the current school board members.
“Our schools are at a crossroads,” Dannan said in a campaign announcement. “We’ve made incredible progress in recent years — stronger academics, safer schools, and historic gains for teachers and staff — but attacks on public education and new challenges demand steady, forward-looking leadership.”
He is joined in the race by Alexa Krezel, an Annandale resident who serves as president of the Woodson Orchestra Boosters. She has been endorsed by four current school board members.
“We should have a school system that communicates well, makes smart policies and relies on useful metrics to track progress,” Krezel said. “We must also keep in mind that we are a school system of great privilege and great need, and that all our students, families and teachers deserve respect and access to the same opportunities.”
Saturday’s “endorsement caucus” will be held both in person and online. Interested participants can pre-register to vote online until 5 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 7), or they can visit one of three voting locations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday to vote in person:
- Fairfax County Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway)
- Braddock Hall (9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke)
- Landings Community Center (6001 Cove Landing Road, Burke)
Online voting will begin at noon on Thursday (Jan. 8), with the window closing at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
More information on the endorsement caucus, including a link to pre-register for online voting, is available on the party’s website.
The FCDC will also host a virtual candidate forum featuring both Dannan and Krezel at 7 p.m. today (Monday). The forum will be streamed live on the Fairfax Democrats and Braddock Democrats’ Facebook pages.
