The now-annual battle over whether Fairfax County should have a casino is over for 2026, but as some local elected officials and community leaders see it, a larger tug-of-war with the state for control over development decisions has begun.
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, former state Del. Kathleen Murphy, and other Fairfax County advocates have launched a nonprofit called Communities First VA that’s dedicated to protecting the authority of local government and giving residents “a stronger voice in decisions that shape their communities,” according to a press release shared first with FFXnow.
“Communities First VA was set up by concerned community leaders who are increasingly concerned about Richmond overreach and efforts to ignore or take away more local control and decision making,” the group said by email to FFXnow.
Organized as a social welfare organization, the creation of Communities First VA was galvanized specifically by repeated efforts by some state lawmakers — including a few representing Fairfax County — to pass legislation that would make the county eligible to host a casino.
Ahead of the Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 session, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 to officially oppose any bills allowing a Fairfax casino for the first time after previously just expressing skepticism without adopting a definitive stance.
Despite that narrow vote and vocal, consistent opposition from many residents and civic associations, particularly those representing parts of northern Fairfax County, the General Assembly passed SB 756 from Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) on March 14 — the final day of the legislative session.
The Board of Supervisors blasted state legislators representing Fairfax County who supported the measure, which limited potential casino sites to Tysons. Opposition from the board, local community groups and “an overwhelming majority” of the county’s General Assembly delegation ultimately convinced Gov. Abigail Spanberger to veto the bill, though Surovell has indicated he intends to bring it back next year.
While casino opponents have raised a variety of concerns, from increased traffic congestion to national security risks, the county board’s primary objections stemmed from the inclusion of criteria specifying where in the county a casino establishment could be located — something not proscribed for any of Virginia’s five approved host localities — and a gaming tax revenue split that favors the state over local government.
The state Senate and House of Delegates considered multiple variations of Surovell’s bill, including one that dropped the criteria limiting potential sites to Tysons and a last-minute proposal that included an even revenue split but would’ve allowed a temporary casino without a voter referendum. However, by the time it was sent to Spanberger’s desk, the bill had reverted to its original language.
When criticizing the General Assembly’s vote, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay denounced the legislation as “absolutely a direct attack on local government.”
Communities First VA seeks to counter similar “attacks” and the influence of special interests by helping raise funding from the community to support future lobbying efforts — including, but not limited to, the work done by existing casino opposition groups like the No Fairfax Casino Coalition.
“[The] Tysons casino was not an isolated case,” Communities First VA said. “The 2026 session showed a broader pattern: Richmond politicians repeatedly tried to substitute state mandates for local judgment on land use, housing and community character.”
The new nonprofit didn’t point to specific bills that its organizers took issue with, other than the casino bill, but local leaders were mixed on some legislation intended to boost housing construction, including ones to streamline the process of building affordable housing on religious sites and to allow residential development by right in certain commercial areas.
Spanberger also vetoed a bill to expand collective bargaining rights for public workers that was opposed by some local governments, though a couple Fairfax County supervisors spoke out in support of the legislation.
As a Dillon Rule state, Virginia only grants localities the authority explicitly given to them by the state legislature, a dynamic that Fairfax County officials have lamented hampers everything from tax revenue diversification and transportation projects to solar energy installations.
Communities First VA will be guided in part by a community advisory board whose inaugural members include Bierman and Murphy — who have both voiced opposition to the Fairfax casino bill — as well as former Del. Margi Vanderhye and past Virginia Young Democrats president Matt Royer.
“We know this fight will continue, and we need to be ready,” said Murphy, who, like Vanderhye, previously represented the McLean area in Virginia’s 34th House District. “What we saw in Tysons was a community coming together and speaking with one voice — and still having to fight to be heard. Communities First is here to make sure residents are organized, informed, and empowered so that their voices cannot be ignored.”
Communities First VA says community members interested in getting involved can share their contact information through the group’s website, and an organizer will get in touch.
“This advisory board is about standing up for residents who are too often ignored by top-down decision-making from Richmond,” Bierman said. “We need to restore balance and make sure local perspectives are respected, heard, and collaborated with on important economic and development decisions.”
