Time is running out for McLean residents to make their voices heard about the controversial Tysons casino proposal, state legislators said Tuesday night.
“This is my call to action: Now is the time, do not wait,” Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6) said yesterday (Tuesday) at a General Assembly roundup session sponsored by the McLean Citizens Association (MCA).
Legislation led by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) that would permit a countywide referendum on allowing casino gaming in Fairfax County currently sits on the desk of Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D).
“She has to make her decisions by April 13,” said Sullivan, who opposes the casino proposal. “You need to let her know [your views].”
Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-38), a vocal opponent of the casino bill whose district includes Reston, McLean, Great Falls and Herndon, said the referendum legislation “is the no. 1 thing I’m hearing from my constituents.”
“I have been asking my friends and neighbors to reach out to the governor,” Boysko said. “Let her know that this is important to us. We all need to work together.”
MCA has been on record opposing the plan to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino since a bill emerged in 2024.
If Spanberger signs the legislation and a referendum passes, developer Comstock Companies has been angling to include a gaming facility in a larger entertainment complex it hopes to build near the Spring Hill Metro station.
Not everyone in the room appeared to oppose the proposal, but those who spoke up expressed concern and frustration.
“We don’t want it,” said one speaker, who asked why the proponent’s main backer is gung-ho for a casino but isn’t suggesting it for his own district in southeastern Fairfax County.
MCA President Camille White-Partain opened the meeting by ticking off the names of legislators who opposed the casino measure at the local and state level, urging members to support them.
“Remember those names when you go to vote,” she said.
Lobbying has been extensive on the casino bill. In late March, a group of labor unions gathered to support the measure, touting its economic-development benefits. A coalition of local civic organizations, including MCA, opposes the measure, as do some members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The March 31 forum, which attracted about 100 people to the McLean Community Center, featured Sullivan and Boysko discussing a wide range of issues, from energy to health care.
“We’d like to hear about some of the other bills — it’s not just about the casino,” White-Partain said at the outset.
With a Democratic governor and majorities in both houses of the legislature, many of the party’s priorities succeeded in the 60-day session, both lawmakers said.
“This year was a success on many levels,” Boysko said.
“It was a very productive session,” Sullivan agreed.
Noting that the new governor has 1,200 bills to consider in coming weeks, he added that “she’s earning her money.”
About one-third of passed legislation had no opposition, another third had some bipartisan support and the final third passed on largely party-line votes, according to Sullivan, whose 6th House District spans McLean and Great Falls. It skirts Tysons, which is located just south of the district.
In addition to civic and community leaders, the forum brought out two former state legislators — Margaret “Margi” Vanderhye and Kathleen Murphy — as attendees.
