Tysons Casino Bill On Hold After Subcommittee Vote; Opponents React

TYSONS, VA — In the hours following the Virginia Senate Subcommittee's 4-0 vote on Thursday to hold over Senate Bill 675 to next year's General Assembly session for more study, those who'd marshaled themselves in opposition to the proposed Tysons casino began to let the news sink in.

"I'm very happy that the subcommittee members listened to the community and the people elected to represent them," Supervisor Walter Alcorn (D-Alcorn) said, in a email to his constituents. "It is a big victory for everyone who cares about good government!"

State Sen. Saddam Salim (D-37th), who also came out against the bill, said Thursday's decision reflected the complexities and diverse opposition surrounding the proposal.

"While the recommendation still needs to be approved by the full committee, and the bill may come back in future sessions, this development underscores the importance of my constituent’s concerns," he said, in a statement to his constituents. "I remain committed to advocating for the best interests of our community, and I will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard. My decision to oppose SB675 was based on the genuine apprehensions expressed by residents and civic groups directly impacted by the proposal. I extend my gratitude to constituents and Virginians who have actively participated in this dialogue. This vote exemplifies the impact of your voices, emails, and calls.”

In the weeks and months after Patch first broke the news that Comstock Holding Companies intended to build a casino somewhere on Metro's Silver Line, elected officials, community groups, and citizen activists in Reston, Herndon, Tysons, McLean, and Vienna began a grassroots effort to stop it from happening.

Their aim was to counter the hundreds of thousands of dollars that Comstock and its allies had contributed to political candidates running in 2023 and serving in the general assembly in 2024.

Saurav Ghosh, the director of the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center's Federal Campaign Finance Reform initiative, told Patch in October that it was common for corporations and even wealthy individuals who have certain goals for the political process to work in their favor to make political contributions.

Comstock created the Building a Remarkable Virginia Political Action Committee in September 2023 with donations from the developer's CEO Chris Clemente, his family members, the company's employees and the limited liability corporations it controlled.

"For optics reasons or to avoid the perception that they're trying to essentially put a finger on the scale to achieve their desired policy outcomes, they often will try to conceal the fact that they're making a political contribution to crucial, influential policymakers or even to sway a ballot measure one way or the other in the hopes of advancing their company's goals," Ghosh said. "They often will try to avoid that being done openly and transparently."

Since 2023, Comstock's CEO contributed $416,068 to candidates's committees, $205,000 of which went to the Building a Remarkable Virginia PAC, according to campaign financial filings made to the state board of elections. In addition to the $205,000 from Clemente, the PAC donated another $133,900 to candidates' campaign committees, bringing the total donations from Comstock and its CEO to $549,968.

Under Virginia's current campaign finance laws, Comstock, its family members, employees, and associates have the same legal right as any other Virginian to make donations to the campaigns of candidates they support. Patch is just publishing publicly available information; it is not saying Comstock or any other donors were doing anything illegal.

Reactions To SB 165 Being Held Over For 2025 General Assembly

Patch reached out to the lawmakers and citizens activists, who opposed the casino plan, as well as the bill's supporters, including Senator Marsden, Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Alexandria), Northern Virginia Chamber President Julie Coons, and Comstock CEO Christopher Clemente for comment. Their comments will be added to the ones below once they're received.

"Reston Citizens Association appreciates the efforts made by our Board, volunteers from Reston, and all around Fairfax County in participating with email, phone calls and visiting Senators in Richmond. Thanks also to Supervisor Alcorn, VIenna Town Mayor, Linda Colbert and Herndon Councilmember Naila Alam for their testimony before today's Resources Subcommittee. Finally, if it weren't for the leadership of the Resources Subcommittee Chair, Senator Louise Lucas who saw the importance of further investigating the impacts of S.B. 675, we would not have the deferral to 2025 that we accomplished." — Lynne Mulston, president, Reston Citizens Association

"This is a huge win for our District. Let me be clear, though, that if this plan comes back next year, I will be asking the same questions, raising the same concerns from my constituents, and making sure to represent you to the best of my ability every step of the way. Which is why we are going ahead with the already announced Casino Town Hall to hear your thoughts, hosted by Senator Jennifer Boysko at McLean High School at 10 a.m. on Saturday." — Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville)

“When communities stand up, commonsense can prevail. The Virginia Senate heard from Fairfax residents that this casino is a bad deal. JLARC’s study must not only analyze the benefits to the state but also the costs to the community.” — Michelle Kimmel, Save Our Sunrise

"We are thrilled that SB675 has been carried over to next year. We now will have the benefit of time to work with our counterparts throughout the county to build a stronger coalition before the next legislative session! I would say Senator Marsden and the developer should see the writing on the wall - GAME OVER!" — Linda Walsh, McLean Citizen's Association

"I am pleased by the unanimous vote of the Resources Subcommittee to not vote SB675 out favorably. I expect that the study they mandated by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission will validate the information provided to Senators by homeowners and organizations in Northern Virginia who oppose a casino in Tysons." — Sally Horn, Chair, Greater Tysons Citizens Coalition

"I am glad there is a pause on SB675 till 2025 instead of the rush to pass a bill. As a community and from a Federation perspective, we need to continue to be vigilant and prepare for the time this would come up again in 2025. We look forward to JLARC performing a study and engaging with it, but I hope it is not going to be just about the viability or the economics of a casino in Fairfax County but also something that takes into account the fact that most residents of the county are against having one in the county." — Sridhar Ganesan, President, Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations

Resources For Finding Publicly Available Information

Although the resources subcommittee recommended that SB 675 be held over for the next general assembly session for further study, a vote of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee is still required. Even if the committee chooses to adopt the subcommittee's recommendation, there's no guarantee that SB 675 or a similar bill won't be introduced in a future legislative session.

Fortunately, there are resources available to the general public that provide some degree of transparency in the political process.

Campaign finance laws in Virginia require candidates, their campaign committees, political parties, and political action committees to report every donation they made or received and any expenses incurred by the candidate's committee to the State Board of Elections. Most of this material is available for review by the public.

In addition, the non-profit Virginia Public Access Project takes these campaign finance reports and presents them in a way for the public to more easily understand how state and local political campaigns are funded.

Among VPAP's many resources is an easy to search database of conflict of interest disclosures of general assembly candidates.

The State Corporation Commission Clerk's Information System helps identify who has registered a corporation in Virginia.

Also, political lobbyists are required to register with the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council. Their registrations can be found using the council's searchable database.

Fairfax County's website contains a wealth of information about zoning, permitting, taxes, and development projects past and present. Its real estate assessment site is a great way to find out who owns a property and what level of development has already been approved there. If

Not all public records have been digitized and may require filing a Freedom of Information Act request at the county, state or federal level.

You may also need to visit the Records Division of the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax City to obtain a copy of the deed for a particular property. Depending how far back you want to go, the Virginia Rom at the Fairfax City Regional Library is also a good resource.

Related:

• Tysons Casino Proposal Delayed A Year In General Assembly
• Casino Bill: Town Hall + $416K Donated + New Lobbyist + Hogs & Cowboys
• Casino Opponents Travel To Richmond To Lobby Lawmakers: Report
• Casino Backers Kept Fairfax Supervisors In The Dark About Their Plans

Read all of Patch's reporting on Comstock Companies' plan to build a casino on Metro's Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.