Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Senator Feinstein Dead at 90

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Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has died of natural causes at the age of 90.

Feinstein was a “trailblazer” for women in politics. She was the first woman to serve as mayor of San Francisco, California; to represent California in the U.S. Senate; to chair the Senate Rules Committee; to chair the Senate Intelligence Committee; and to preside over a U.S. presidential inauguration. At the time of her death, she was the oldest member and senior Democratic member of the U.S. Congress. She currently holds records for longest-tenured female senator and longest-tenured senator from California.

After graduating in 1955 from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in history, Feinstein participated in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. California Governor Pat Brown (D) appointed her to the California Women’s Parole Board in 1960. She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and made unsuccessful runs for Mayor of San Francisco in 1971 and 1975. In 1976, the “New World Liberation Front” terrorist group made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate her by planting a bomb at her home; it was not armed correctly and failed to explode.

Feinstein—then serving as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors—became acting mayor after the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone (D) and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk (D-5th) in 1978. She was soon appointed by the board to serve out the remainder of Moscone’s term. She was reelected mayor in 1979, survived a recall attempt in 1982, and was reelected again in 1983. She did not seek reelection in 1987.

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Virginia General Assembly, 2023

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Seal of Virginia
Seal of Virginia

The Virginia General Assembly comprises two houses: the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates. The Senate is the upper house, and the House of Delegates is the lower house. This year, both houses stand for election.

The General Assembly was established by the British colonial governor in 1619. Initially it was a unicameral body composed of the governor, the governor’s council, and twenty-two elected burgesses. It became a bicameral body in 1642 when the Governor’s Council and House of Burgesses were split to become the upper and lower houses respectively. When the American colonies declared independence in 1776, the Governor’s Council was renamed the Council of State and moved to the executive branch (then dissolved in 1851), the Senate was created to be the new upper house, and the House of Burgesses was renamed to the House of Delegates. The General Assembly is the oldest continuously operating legislature in the western hemisphere.

There are forty seats in the Senate. Senators serve four-year terms with no term limits. Currently, the Democratic Party holds a 22-18 majority. There are one hundred seats in the House of Delegates. Delegates serve two-year terms with no term limits. Currently, the Republican Party holds a 49-46 majority and there are 5 vacant seats.

These are the first General Assembly elections since the post-census redistricting; all districts have been redrawn and renumbered. Technically, all races are open races (since all districts are technically new districts). For the purposes of these endorsements and recommendations, incumbent senators and delegates appearing on the ballot are treated as incumbents in their new districts.

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Loudoun Supervisors, 2023

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Seal of Loudoun County
Seal of Loudoun County

Article VII Section 5 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia requires that local governments be governed by an elective body. In Loudoun County, this body takes the form of a Board of Supervisors that has responsibility for all local legislation, budgeting, and appointments. It operates under the authorities and limits set forth by the Virginia General Assembly.

The board is composed of nine members, all of whom serve concurrent four-year terms on the same election schedule as the Virginia Senate. The chairman is elected in a county-wide at-large race, and the remaining eight members are elected by voters in each of the eight named county districts. Currently, the Democratic Party holds a six-seat majority, and the Republican party holds three seats.

This is the first board election since redistricting; district borders have changed. The Blue Ridge District has also been renamed to the Little River District.

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Loudoun School Board, 2023

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Article VIII Section 7 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia vests authority for public school districts in a school board, which may be either elected or appointed in a manner defined by law.

The Loudoun County School Board is an elective board composed of nine members. One at-large member is elected in a county-wide race, and the remaining eight members are elected by voters in each of the eight named county districts.

Previously, members served concurrent four-year terms on the same election schedule as the Virginia Senate. The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in 2021 allowing for the board’s terms to be staggered, and the board has since voted to approve. This year will be an unusual election as the board transitions to its new schedule.

Four seats, which were chosen in a random drawing by the Loudoun County Electoral Board, will be filled for a normal four-year term. Those seats will continue to hold elections every four years on the same schedule as the Virginia Senate.

The remaining five seats will be filled for a one-time, shortened term of two years. Those seats will be up again in 2025, and from then-on they will hold elections every four years on the same schedule as the Governor of Virginia (i.e., on a two-year offset from the other four seats).

The results of the drawing were as follows:

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Other Loudoun Offices, 2023

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Seal of Loudoun County
Seal of Loudoun County

Six local races appear on this year’s Loudoun County ballots, including five races for local constitutional offices and one for the three elective seats on the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors.

Constitutional Offices

Article VII Section 4 of the Virginia Constitution establishes five offices that are generally filled by elections in each locality—treasurer, sheriff, commonwealth’s attorney, clerk of the circuit court, and commissioner of revenue. Those elected to these offices serve four-year terms, except the circuit court clerk who serves an eight-year term. In Loudoun County this year, all five offices are up for election.

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Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.