by Dick Hall-Sizemore
Steve Descano. Commonwralth’s Attorney, Fairfax. Photo credit: WTOP
The primary opponents of two of Northern Virginia’s “progressive” incumbent commonwealth’s attorneys picked up a key endorsement a few days ago. I would have thought that contributors and commenters on this blog who have been vocal critics of those incumbents would have been rejoicing and highlighting those endorsements.
Perhaps it is the source of the endorsements that has made them hesitant. The source: the much- reviled Washington Post.
The paper’s editorial board has endorsed Ed Nuttall, who is challenging Steve Descano in Fairfax County, and Elizabeth Lancaster over incumbent Buta Biberaj in Loudoun County. The Post did not base its endorsements on a rejection of the overall objectives or philosophy of the incumbents, but says it is “supporting the candidates we believe will act most effectively” in balancing “safety and fairness.”
The paper had words of praise for both incumbents, despite not endorsing them. It noted that Descano “deserves credit for beefing up diversion programs that keep people convicted of certain crimes out of prison, especially drug courts, and ending cash bail. He created a red-flag law team that has taken guns away from hundreds of unstable people. And he’s taking gun crime seriously.” On the negative side, “Mr. Descano’s office has struggled with miscommunication and has blown an unacceptable number of winnable cases. ….The office has also botched multiple sexual assault cases.”
In Loudoun, the Post acknowledged that Biberaj “followed through on promises
Buta Biberaj, Loudon County Commonwealth’s attorney
to reduce excessive criminalization and incarceration… and added dockets for mental health and veterans to address the root causes of crime and put nonviolent offenders into diversionary programs.” However, she “has repeatedly clashed with the Republican sheriff and the Democratic-controlled Board of Supervisors….Her spirit was a strength in private practice and helped her clients. But it has hobbled her in public office, where she has made enemies and struggled to collaborate.” In discussing Biberaj, the editorial board noted the controversial case in which she brought charges against the father of a girl who had been sexually assaulted in a high school bathroom, after the father got into a fight with the school board. In somewhat of a twist, the attorney for the father was Elizabeth Lancaster, who is running against Biberaj and has been endorsed by the Post. After all is considered, the editorial board feels, “In Loudoun, a fresh start would help.”
In the other Commonwealth’s attorney primary race, that for Arlington/Falls
Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Commonwealth’s attorney, Arlington/Falls Church
Church, the Post endorsed the incumbent, Parissa Dehghani-Tafti. It cites the behavioral health docket that “successfully diverts many nonviolent offenders out of the system.” Acknowledging judges’ rejections of many plea agreements negotiated by her office, the editorial points out that she has aggressively pursued prosecution of fentanyl dealers. Finally, the editorial board cites her “willingness to make—and own—difficult choices.”
