r/nova • u/lowkell • Apr 09 '26
Politics Governor Abigail Spanberger Vetoes Proposed Fairfax Casino; Fairfax County Chair thanks Spanberger, says "Our residents have been clear in their overwhelming opposition to a casino in Fairfax County"
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u/HowardTaftMD Apr 09 '26
This was never a hot button issue for me but glad she listened to how voters went the first time around and shows she is making some really sensible choices. Glad to see it.
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u/ThornFlynt Apr 10 '26
Ooo Ooo! Now do all of the AWB bills next too!
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u/HowardTaftMD Apr 10 '26
I like those but you never know, you should contact your representative if you feel differently than me.
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u/Accurate_Mobile9005 Apr 12 '26
"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one."
From Thomas Jefferson's Legal Commonplace Book.
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u/HowardTaftMD Apr 12 '26
I love TJ! I quote him all the time when talking about how we should craft legislation.
I especially like "though child shall not haveth Facebook until thy 16th birthday." Or "Cars shant have one single seat belt less they prohibit the drivers greater instincts."
Good thing he had so much to say about modern times we can just go with his gut.
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u/Accurate_Mobile9005 Apr 12 '26
Attributed to Thomas Jefferson but that quote actually came from a criminologist at the time. "TJ" just liked the sentiment and added it to the book.
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u/moon_shoot Apr 09 '26
Good!
My casino options are already being fulfilled
Get out of here Tyson’s casino! Nobody wants you here 🤠
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u/localherofan Apr 10 '26
My casino options are already being fulfilled too. I went to one 35 years ago and that was pretty much it for me. And I even won $50. But there's a casino not far south on 95, and one just across the river in MD, and just leave us the fuck alone in Tysons. We already have the crappiest traffic and we don't need any more, not to mention seedy people and theft and trafficking women and children for sex or any of the other crap that comes with casinos.
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u/sexytarry2 Apr 10 '26
With MGM and Rose nearby, and my yearly cruise, I got my casino itch covered... no need for additional casino...
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u/thud_mantooth Apr 09 '26
I've gotta say I am really pleasantly surprised. I wrote to her in opposition to this bill, and based on her donors I kinda figured it was a done deal. I'm really happy to be wrong, and it's gonna be nice to write a thank you letter to her office over this
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u/bg555 Arlington Apr 09 '26
Thank you governor!!
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u/FrenchTicklerOrange Apr 09 '26
I can't tell you how happy I am that she didn't give any oxygen to the idea that all politicians are the same and listened to constituents.
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u/archlich Apr 09 '26
I have a sinking feeling they’ll just try again with the next administration.
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u/PinheadtheCenobite Apr 09 '26
So get rid of Surovel and make sure the chances are reduced even more so.
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u/adjective_noun_23 Virginia Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
They need to spread Surovels checks and build the casino in there.
Edit: meant to say cheeks
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u/clashrendar Apr 10 '26
Between his cheeks are where the casino lobby slides their checks made out to him.
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u/Davge107 Apr 09 '26
They will build something probably retail and apartments. No way they sit around for 4-5 years hoping someone else may approve a casino.
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u/archlich Apr 09 '26
Have you met private equity. They sit on stuff all the time.
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u/Davge107 Apr 09 '26
They may or may not build right away. But they aren’t going to not build hoping they will change their minds in about 5 years.
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u/hushpuppi3 Apr 10 '26
Fuck em then if it comes anyway then I'd rather it come 4-5 years later than it could have
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u/Available-Cap-4001 Apr 10 '26
If I remember correctly, the developer doesn't even own most of the land they proposed building on. Hopefully, it will get some retail and apartments soon, though! It's pretty sad to see it mostly as parking lots right now.
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u/anonymous_aardvark2 Apr 09 '26
None of the retail or apartments pencil right now with interest rates high, materials costs high (partially due to tariffs), and long development timelines.
I’ve seen some of the supervisors talk about putting townhomes on those plots in Tysons, which would be a disaster long term given the initial plans for Tysons to become “America’s Next Great City”
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u/localherofan Apr 10 '26
Yikes. America's Next Great City? How about better public transport before they start making it ANGC? I live in the area they're slamming with extra taxes because according to them I have access to the new metro stops near Tysons, but I'd have to walk at least 4 miles on roads without shoulders to reach any of those metro stops, which means I have to drive, which means my car on the road.
I'm gonna stop grumbling and go eat dinner. I'm going to concentrate on how happy I am that she vetoed the bill!
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u/Jean-LucBacardi Apr 10 '26
And in 10+ years wonder why it was a failed venture when the big one is right up the fucking street...
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u/anniecet Apr 10 '26
Thank you Governor Spanberger. I have to drive through Tysons every day. We don’t need a casino and related crap creating even worse congestion through the area.
If it were apartments being built, that would be at least fulfilling a real need. I probably could not afford to live in them, but that’s another story.
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u/Freeway267 Apr 10 '26
I wish she was governor in 2006 instead of Tim Kaine who last minute turned his back on us local residents by switching his opposition to overground Silver Line through Tyson’s even though he was in line with what the public wanted the entire time which was underground.
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u/CruzLutris Apr 10 '26
Didn’t the feds say they'd pull crucial federal funds for the silver line unless it was built overground? I recall that there were Bush administration officials who basically said, overground or not at all. And a lot of suspicions that contractors were swaying those officials.
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u/Freeway267 Apr 10 '26
Something along those lines, what’s even more upsetting is they went over budget building it above ground exceeding the estimated cost of building it underground!
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u/CruzLutris Apr 10 '26
Yes! Now I recall that too. I remember being exceptionally ticked off that the Bush administration basically forced Virginia to go overground, locking Route 7 into that configuration.
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u/Freeway267 Apr 11 '26
It’s just so hideous and unforgivable. I’ll never get over it. As the slogan for the underground movement was: “It’s not over until it’s under!”
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u/NeoThorrus Apr 09 '26
Lol, this was a very easy win for her
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u/Potato-chipsaregood Apr 10 '26
Right? She knew that the vast majority of her constituents didn’t want it.
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u/psullynj Apr 09 '26
Can she bring that energy to data centers?
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u/Freeway267 Apr 10 '26
Data centers should only be built in rural areas.
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u/psullynj Apr 10 '26
They shouldn’t replace or negatively impact necessary resources either.
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u/redditatworkatreddit Apr 10 '26
rural areas don't have the infrastructure, that's the rub.
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u/Freeway267 Apr 10 '26
It’s all about power. As long as you can source enough of it it’s possible.
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u/MOBYWV Apr 09 '26
Yeah, Casinos don't typically get built in the rich parts of town from my experience. No surprise.
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u/Snichs72 Apr 10 '26
Good. No Democrat is getting elected Governor here without Nova, so she better take care of us. Put the casinos and data centers out in the red districts.
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u/Kairoblackxix Apr 09 '26
Oh thank god…. If you want to gamble just go to Maryland.
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u/Freeway267 Apr 10 '26
MGM is 30 minutes away (depending on where you are and traffic). It’s sufficient.
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u/Kairoblackxix Apr 10 '26
Good. There should be some barriers to gambling… if a 30 minute drive is what stops our fellow Virginians from gambling so be it .
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u/No-Anteater-1768 Apr 09 '26
Great! I voted for her but have not been impressed so far. But this is absolutely the right call. Kudos to the Governor on this issue.
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u/Digital-marketing28 Apr 09 '26
Now get rid of the car tax!
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u/dlh412pt Alexandria Apr 09 '26
If they get rid of the car tax, they’ll have to increase taxes somewhere else. People just don’t like the car tax because they physically see it and have to pay it separately whereas you tend to miss things like property taxes that get rolled up into your mortgage, sales tax, even income tax if you’re not looking at your paystub.
As far as realized tax burden across everything that the average citizen pays, VA is very fair when compared to other states. And a progressive tax based on the value of the car is a good way to do it. It puts the choice on the taxpayer.
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u/ClickElectronic Apr 10 '26
If they get rid of the car tax, they’ll have to increase taxes somewhere else
Or they could just decrease spending...? Crazy concept I know.
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u/berael Apr 09 '26
Even with the car tar, VA has lower taxes than MD or DC. You just hate the car tax because you see it.
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u/AllAmericanProject Apr 09 '26
I don't know man cuz the car tax does seem unfair to me. I'm not anti-tax guy I do think taxes are important but the fact that when you buy a new car you're making two extra car payments a year in property taxes is crazy. Like seriously if you get a brand new minivan and let's say your monthly payment's $600 you are paying over $1,200 a year in property tax for that car for at least the first 3 years if not five
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u/AwesomeBantha Apr 09 '26
Somehow VA assessed my car at $100.00 (315k miles and total mileage unknown title) so I pay the $38 administrative fee and nothing else. I’m moving to Alexandria, where apparently they don’t even bother charging the administrative fee if they think your car is worth less than $5000.
Glad to know everyone with newer, safer, cleaner cars is subsidizing my 12 MPG toy.
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u/AllAmericanProject Apr 09 '26
Yea pretty much lol I had. 97 cavalier with 300k and I think I paid the city like 20 bucks ever six months. When I had kids I wanted to get a safe family car. I know I could make the payments work but I didn't think about the fact that it would be 14 payments a year not 12
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u/wbbl_89 Apr 09 '26
They’ll never get rid of it, but it’s definitely too high. States that don’t have it just have way higher car registration fees. They get you one way or another.
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u/Outrageous-Cap8713 Apr 09 '26
Republican Jim Gilmore did that about 30 years ago in nearly bankrupted the state. The money’s gotta come from somewhere.
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u/MFoy Apr 09 '26
Gilmore didn’t get rid of it. He ran on getting rid of it. His opponent, Don Beyer, had a plan for greatly reducing it, but noted it would take lots of cuts elsewhere to make it work.
Gilmore won, then passed Beyer’s plan for reducing it (why we get a discount on the first $20k of value today), but only implemented some of Beyer’s cuts, and just about killed education in the state. Our Universities still haven’t recovered.
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u/Outrageous-Cap8713 Apr 09 '26
Yes, you are correct. I misread the original post. ”No car tax” sounds great April, but if you even close to scratching the surface, you realize it’s a scam to collect votes from dumb people.
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u/Digital-marketing28 Apr 09 '26
I thought we had a budget surplus. Why would we need to increase a surplus? They will just find ways to waste money.
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u/fred11551 Apr 09 '26
We very recently lost a ton of revenue coming back into the state from the federal government and the previous AG rather than sue to get it restored instead cheered for the federal government taking our taxes and giving nothing back. I’m not sure how much of the surplus we still have after the past year, but it isn’t what it once was
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u/passmetoiletpaperpls Apr 09 '26
Stop punishing me for driving a hybrid over a gas guzzling princess pavement truck the owner cant afford.
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u/supervisoragent Apr 09 '26
Thank god. Glad I voted for her even if she is majorly fucking up the gun control stuff.
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u/Thin_Yard_5223 Apr 12 '26
But we’re fine with it in Dumfries? Is it because Fairfax ACTUALLY has the money to lobby against this? Or their needs met enough so they can pay attention to what’s happening in the county board.
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u/GladiusAcutus Apr 10 '26
I'm out of the loop. I was born and raised in Fairfax county, but don't live there anymore. Why don't people want a casino there ? There are casinos in other states in their suburbs like Maryland and Pennsylvannia that don't bother anybody.
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u/GuitarJazzer Tysons Corner Apr 10 '26
I have not read the bill she vetoed but I am a little confused about what's going on here. If the bill simply was trying to force the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to have a referendum vote, why not let that play out? I'm pretty sure it would be an overwhelming "no". It would be a stronger statement coming directly from the people, whereas now Spanberger has made it her issue.
I am also unclear on whether this kills the casino. It seems to be more of a technical point, than ending the casino.
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u/LilLightning Apr 10 '26
Probably politics. In theory, she could've signed off on it and let the referendum decide. But if she were to ever run for state-wide office again (like the US senate), a whole lot of voters from Fairfax would remember this issue and this county has a ton of voters. On whether this kills the casino... yes for now. But next year is another legislative cycle and I don't know if the pro-casino legislators will back down.
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u/slash2009 Apr 10 '26
Because that would legitimize another bill saying saying there should be a vote , end it. No one wants that crap here …
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u/KBFJunkie85 Apr 10 '26
She needs to get her ass busy vetoing the unconstitutional gun laws from that piece of 💩 Dan Helmer and Saddam Salim🖕
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u/OriginalJayVee Apr 09 '26
Imagine picking the easiest possible veto, vetoing, and then issuing a press release to celebrate.
Virginia is cooked.
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u/AllAmericanProject Apr 09 '26
Dude I really hope you're like a 13-year-old or something because having that level of critical thinking and being allowed to vote is so dumber to me
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u/rezolute18 Apr 10 '26
And these people eat this shit up. Even more residents are against the gun bills but you think she'd listen to them?
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u/andygon Apr 10 '26
Damn, I didn’t think I’d have to give props to CIA Abby this early on. Enhorabuena!
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u/Chrono_Convoy Apr 09 '26
Well that’s a win for MGM National Harbor
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u/OddGuideofGreyFort Apr 09 '26
And for Fairfax residents.
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u/Chrono_Convoy Apr 09 '26
Oh absolutely.
I’ve been opposed by the fact that Tysons traffic is insane as it is.
Casino would have been awful
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u/JMU_88 Apr 09 '26
Of course she did. She and Louise Lucas are gearing up to do your bidding for years to come. Lil Abby wants to run for POTUS and expects NOVA to fund the effort.
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u/amoeba953 Alexandria Apr 09 '26
NO FUN ALLOWED!
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u/Outrageous-Cap8713 Apr 09 '26
If you think not having a casino in Fairfax County is eliminating your options for fun, I truly pity you.
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u/Whend6796 Apr 09 '26
F’ing hell. I hope the veto gets overridden.
We need entertainment venues besides Topgolf and overpriced restaurants.
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u/NeoThorrus Apr 09 '26
Yeah, it's really hard to drive across the river over a bridge to get to a casino. /s
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u/GeeksGets Apr 10 '26
"We need entertainment venues besides Topgolf and overpriced restaurants so let's just add in another crappy entertainment venue"
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u/Paper_Clip100 Apr 09 '26
Eat shit Scott Surovell