Phyllis Randall blocks Loudoun Board from taking a stand on Tysons casino, despite fact Loudoun has commented on issues in Fairfax and West Virginia

Despite receiving 5,000 letters from Loudoun residents opposed to a gambling casino in Tysons, plus a letter from 33 prominent Loudoun businesses, civic leaders and former elected officials in opposition, the County Board of Supervisors on January 22nd took no position on Senate Bill 982 (SB982), which would enable casinos in Tysons, and potentially in Reston and Dulles, if amended.

Addressing the board during public comment, Christopher Stevenson, of the Community Levee Association in Loudoun, and member of the Mormon Church, presented boxes containing about 5,000 letters to the board, all signed by Loudoun residents, opposing the casino. Stevenson, a Purcellville resident, focused his comments on gambling addiction and its negative impact on individuals and families.

He was followed by this writer, who urged the board to formally adopt in its Legislative Agenda opposition to SB982, which has passed two State Senate subcommittees and the Finance Committee. It now goes to the full Senate floor and then the House of Delegates.

This writer, a former County Supervisor, was one of three former supervisors among 33 co-singers, including former Democrat-endorsed School Board member Tom Marshall, in signing the letter. (Copy of letter below.)

No motion was made to have the board oppose the bill, but Chairman Phyllis Randall said in comments:

“I am never going to make a position that does not deal with the county. The casino is for Fairfax County, and the bill almost puts the location in Tysons Corner.

“I don’t know what I would tell [Fairfax County Supervisor Chair] Jeff McKay if Loudoun weighed in on something in Fairfax County. And we would not like it if they weighed in on something in Loudoun.”

But the Fairfax Board of Supervisors opposes the casino and SB982. Furthermore, the Loudoun Board has weighed in on other projects in Fairfax County and even in West Virginia. This writer apprised the Board of that in public comment

In addition, the Loudoun Board’s legislative agenda opposes high tolls on I-66 even though I-66 is in Fairfax County, not Loudoun. It reads: “Tolls on I 66: Support any legislative initiative proposed in the 2024 General Assembly Session that would reduce the exorbitant fees levied on the citizens of the Commonwealth, including public safety personnel, with I-66 tolls.”

And, in 2018, Randall and other Board members opposed the Rockwool fibers plant in Kearneysville, West Virginia, which crated an outcry in western Loudoun.

According to a Loudoun article, “Loudoun County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) has come out publicly in opposition to the plant, while western supervisors Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin) and Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) will ask county staff members to look into the plant’s impacts on Loudoun when the board reconvenes in September.”

That plant has since opened and the impact on Loudoun has been minuscule. In contrast, a casino in Tysons could generate thousands of new vehicles on the Beltway, Dulles Toll Road, and other roads that impact Loudoun motorists every day – let alone the socioeconomic threats.

For example, according to “World Casino News,” a letter was submitted to the State Senate from “109 former intelligence and defense personnel…[cautioning] that a casino in Tysons would attract both organized crime and foreign intelligence services seeking to exploit individuals with high-level security clearances. The opponents stress that the area’s dense concentration of federal employees and contractors makes it a particularly vulnerable target for espionage.”

CIA headquarters is just a 13-minute drive from where the casino could be built at the Spring Hill Metro Station.

Finally, there is the threat of a casino landing at Dulles Airport, according to sources. And, proponents of the SB982, Sens. Scott Surovell and David Marsden, both Fairfax County Democrats, could amend it very easily to add a Reston or Dulles location during this legislative session.

Surovell, Marsden, House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth), and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) are among the major beneficiaries of some $1.3 million in campaign donations from Comstock Holdings and its CEO, Chris Clemente, who would build the casino. Comstock also has donated about $50,000 to Republican candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General, and other GOP General Assembly members.

In addition, Comstock has spent about $276,000 for lobbying in Richmond.

No casino operator has yet been identified for the project, but unions have already worked out a project labor agreement with the developer. A coalition of mostly Fairfax County civic groups and churches, plus the Vienna Town Council, oppose the Tysons plan and may have been involved in generating the opposition letters from Loudoun residents, sources said. Visit https://nocasinocoalition.org/

If the General Assembly adopts the bill as written, the Fairfax Board has three years to put the issue to referendum to Fairfax voters. Loudoun citizens would have the same opportunity to vote if the casino were placed within Loudoun’s boundaries. But at this juncture, at least five Fairfax County senators, all Democrats, oppose the project, but the 40-member Senate could pass it with help from Republicans.

Neither Randall nor County Administrator Tim Hemstreet responded to emails before deadline to explain how the Loudoun Board decides to weigh in on projects outside its borders, despite Randall’s statement to the contrary.

Editor’s Note: Mr. Reid is active in opposing casinos in Northern Virginia and circulated the letter signed by the 33 Loudoun leaders.

Ken Reid has been a journalist and editor for more than 45 years and served on the Leesburg Town Council (2006 to 2011, and again in 2017), and on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors (2012-2015).

Copy of letter from Loudoun businesses, civic leaders and former elected officials, opposing the proposed casino in northern Virginia.

January 20, 2025

Dear Members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors,

We, the undersigned community and business leaders of Loudoun County, write you to express our strong opposition to the proposed casino development in Northern Virginia, which will most likely be in Tysons. We strongly believe Loudoun County would not benefit from this project, and instead would shoulder the burden of its negative impacts.

Therefore, we strongly urge the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and our state legislative delegation to make it clear that this casino is not welcome in our region – and oppose SB982, the bill before the General Assembly.

Significant Traffic Impacts

The introduction of a casino in Northern Virginia would inevitably exacerbate traffic, congestion and commute times. The additional traffic generated by a development like a casino in Tysons, which already has some of the worst traffic in the region, would worsen congestion and commutes across Northern Virginia, but particularly for Loudoun residents who commute to Washington, D.C. and other communities closer to Washington.

These traffic impacts would be felt on main roads such as the Dulles Toll Road, the Dulles Greenway, as well as Route 7 and Route 28, as well as local cut-through roads throughout the region. In addition, it is highly likely that toll prices and ride-share rates would increase as well, making commutes not only longer but more expensive. This would negatively impact those in our community who can least afford it, including single mothers and low-income individuals.

No Revenue Benefits

For the residents of Loudoun, the implications of a casino in Fairfax County are doubly problematic because not only would local residents and commuters have to put up with the significant traffic impacts, but Loudoun County would see absolutely no benefits from increased tax revenue. Instead, local communities would see only the negative impacts, with none of the promised economic benefits.

As local business and community leaders in Loudoun County, we are clear-eyed about the detrimental impacts a casino in Northern Virginia would have. It is clear that this project will not serve the best interests of our community and will only create more challenges for those who live and work here.

Negative Impact on Local Quality of Life

Elected officials and local leaders have long worked together to build and promote thriving communities across Northern Virginia, including in Loudoun County. This region is now one of the economic drivers, not just of the Commonwealth, but of the entire country. Unfortunately, a casino development would do little, if anything, to contribute positively to this region and the culture that have made it such a great place to live and raise a family.

We strongly urge you to publicly oppose this casino project. The negative impacts for Loudoun County and Loudoun County residents are clear.

Sincerely,

PAST ELECTED OFFICIALS

Hon. Tom Marshall, Loudoun School Board Member (nine years)
Leesburg

Hon. Janet Clarke, former Blue Ridge Supervisor

Hon. Kenneth Reid, former Leesburg Supervisor and Town Councilmember

Hon. Bruce Tulloch, former Vice chair, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
Leesburg

PRESERVATION

Eugene and Annette Scheel
Waterford

BUSINESS/PHILANTHROPY

Prescott Eagle
Waterford

Scott Hamberger
Hillsboro