Katcher’s Website Decribes Candidate’s Views Similar to Those of the Incumbent

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Dehghani-Tafti and challenger Katcher?

Katcher’s literature and TV ads feature Rose Kehoe, the mother of Washington-Liberty High School basketball player who was killed by a drunk driver on Old Dominion Drive. They fault Dehghani-Taft for being too concerned with the perpetrator at the expense of the family victims. The family had also wanted the 17-yearold defendant tried as an adult, which clashes with DehghaniTafti’s stated restorative justice principle that “in nearly three years our office has never certified a child as an adult.” In the Meade case, her office had asked for three years detention, but the judge reduced it one year plus probation.

The actual facts of the prosecution are tough to verify due to state law’s confidentiality requirements, Katcher notes. “Anything you read from someone who was not in the courtroom is, at best, second or third- hand information,” he told the News-Press . “It’s important to consider the bias of individuals sharing this information or seeking to act as an authority on the matter. That includes my opponent who did not even attend the final sentencing argument.”

Dehghani-Tafti responded, “I looked at this case carefully, listened to all sides, analyzed the facts and the law with our team, and we fielded numerous calls, emails, and letters from friends of the family who urged us to transfer the case to adult court but the facts did not meet the criteria for transfer.” She added that the probation officer, “who both wrote the pre-sentencing report and who contributed to my opponent’s campaign, recommended a sentence of one year.”

Katcher’s website describes his views as similar to those of the incumbent. “I firmly believe that we need to try to keep children out of the justice system, whenever possible. That means not charging them in the first place and not trying them as adults,” it says. And he told the News-Press , “The decision to transfer a juvenile, when that decision is not mandated by the Virginia Code, is both a heavy and complicated one. These cases should be rare and the exception, not the norm.” But, he added, “Brightline rules in prosecution are unserious and fundamentally not in alignment with the reform principle of treating each and every case with the nuance they deserve. They are the creations of non-practitioners and politicians trying to get elected.”

And such tough decisions in the complex juvenile justice cases “is why prosecutors rarely start their career handling these types of cases. That’s also why experience matters so much. Developing a basis for comparison and a comprehensive understanding of the system and all of the available programs is critical for accomplishing the twin goals of rehabilitation and accountability.”

As Katcher attacks her on issues of performance, Dehghani-Tafti says she bases her decisions on “significant developments in science over the last 20 years [that] have shown that peoples’ brains are not fully developed until their mid-20s — and the part that isn’t fully developed is the part that controls executive function, impulse control, and long-range thinking,” she told this reporter via email. “Adolescence, considered to be 10-25 years old, is a time of opportunity for requiring the brain. We draw an arbitrary line at 18, but that line is midway through adolescence. We still don’t let people drink, buy cigarettes, or rent cars until 21.” Nationwide, she added, the number of children tried as adults decreased 80 percent from 2001-19. “In 2003, Virginia law even allowed for children to get the death penalty, and Virginia executed someone for a crime committed as a child in 2001. That has since been held to be unconstitutional in light of the new brain science,” she said. “I think it’s important to listen to science and to follow the rest of the country rather than moving backwards on this issue.”

Some indicators suggest an evolution in Arlington’s handling of serious juvenile offenders. In 2002, for example, a W-L student named Ray Bynum, with three classmates in a stolen car using alcohol and marijuana, drove at a high speed near Lyon Village. Bynum flipped the car which caught fire, killing his three friends and fleeing so that police had to pursue him. Commonwealth’s Attorney Richard Trodden threatened to try the 17-year-old as an adult on three counts of felony murder and three counts of involuntary manslaughter. A guilty plea deal was worked out, and a remorseful Bynum, who faced 45 years, tearfully told Judge Paul Sheridan he accepted 11.5 years in prison.

Such severity in today’s climate is rarer. Molly Newton, a veteran of 23 years as an Arlington prosecutor now in

Continued on Page 7 www.facebook.com/ScoutsBSATroop1996

Heartfelt congratulations to Boy Scout Troop 1996's newest Eagle Scouts, all of whom achieved scouting's highest rank this school year. To earn their Eagle awards, these dedicated scouts participated in outdoor adventure activities and earned skills-based merit badges. Each scout also managed a community service project. Falls Church's Troop 1996 welcomes all area youth interested in outdoor adventure, civic participation, and leadership training. Learn more at www.Troop1996.com and/or reach out to Scoutmaster Wayne Casey at scoutmaster@troop1996.com.

Line Ups Set for F.C. Council & School Board Fall Races

BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

With now less than a week to go before the deadline to appear on the November ballot for City of Falls Church School Board or City Council, it appears that the School Board may have three candidates seeking the three open seats, and the City Council will have four candidates seeking three open seats.

According to City Registar David Bjerke, the four candidates who have qualified to run for City Council are vice mayor Letty Hardi, and first time candidates Tim Stevens, Erin Flynn and Justine Underhill.

For the F.C. School Board Bethany Henderson, incumbent Jeff Anderson and Annie Murphy have submitted their paperwork.

Meanwhile, next Tuesday Democrats will choose their nominees for State Senate to run in November for the 37th District seat between Sen. Chap Petersen and Saddam Salim while the GOP has filed for Kenneth Reid to be its candidate. Democrats will also choose between incumbent Parisa DehghaniTafti and Josh Katcher. Already, according to Bjerke, over 700 have cast their votes in the Democratic primary.

This week, Council candidate Flynn submitted her statement of candidacy to the News-Press , which follows:

Statement of Erin Flynn

I am excited to announce my candidacy for City Council. For those of you who don’t yet know me, I moved to Falls Church a few years ago with my husband Charlie Lord, who grew up here and graduated from the high school 25 years ago, and our son, who went to preschool at Dulin and is finishing his kindergarten year at Mount Daniel. Before that, we regularly spent time in Falls Church visiting my in-laws, who have lived here for more than 35 years.

Falls Church is a special place that enjoys a strong sense of community and small-town feel, successful local businesses and excellent schools, and walkable, tree-lined streets. As a member of the City Council, I will bring an independent and moderate view to issues affecting our City. I will prioritize delivering reliable City services, preserving green spaces, enhancing street safety, protecting the pedestrian experience, addressing traffic congestion and speed, and maintaining dedicated affordable dwelling units.

I have 13 years of federal government experience as an attorney and supervisor, and I’m proud to work with colleagues on cases that secure the guarantees of the Nation’s civil rights laws. I understand the important role local decision makers play in our everyday lives, and I’m confident that I can contribute immediately to the work of the City Council.

Through my job, and by natural inclination, I am committed to listening to the community on issues of importance and weighing competing interests before acting. As a Council Member, I will engage residents and local businesses from the outset of an issue or project, listen and respond to community concerns, take those views into account when making decisions, and strive to take actions that enjoy strong community support, if not consensus. I view it as my charge to represent the interests of City residents and secure the best possible results for our community.