Dave Marsden for Delegate

Welcome to Virginia's 41st District and my website. I was born in Alexandria and raised in Fairfax in the original Woodburn Elementary School, which was built in the 1890's and converted to a home in 1932. Shortly after I graduated from Woodson High School in 1966 the property was sold for apartments adjacent to Fairfax Hospital.

During college at Randolph-Macon I married my wife Julia who had been in the first graduating class at West Springfield High School. We raised our three sons (Nathan, Stuart and Connor) in Burke and they graduated from Lake Braddock Secondary. Nathan and Stuart went on to Virginia Tech and Connor to the University of Richmond.

I spent 12 years as a probation officer and 17 years as Superintendent of the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center. During that time I represented, as a volunteer, the Virginia Juvenile Justice Association in the General Assembly as President and head of Government Relations. After leaving the Fairfax County Juvenile Court I was appointed Chief Deputy and Acting Director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice under Governors Gilmore and Warner. With these professional experiences, my years on community boards, coaching basketball, football, soccer, and baseball in the Burke area, as well as refereeing youth league and high school basketball, I felt I was ready to run for the House of Delegates as the only member of the body who had previously run a State agency.

Today I work with juvenile courts around the country and certify detention facilities to hold undocumented immigrants for the Federal Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as a consultant with the Development Services Group, Inc.

I work on a part time basis so that I can devote the necessary time to provide you with excellent constituent service and engage with State agencies and other delegates to plan for our future while we ensure our present prosperity and public safety.

Burke Lake Park and the South Run Recreation Center's 2nd Annual Costume Halloween Run

On Saturday October 25th starting at 9:00 AM, Burke Lake Park and the South Run Recreation Center will be holding a run around Burke Lake Park. Adults will walk or run around the lake, and children will walk or run from Shelter A to the dam and back. You must be in costume to participate and reservations are required. To make your reservation please call Laurie Strickland at the South Run Recreation Center at 703-866-0566. For more information please see the following link bl_sr_halloween%20run

Recently the Burke Field of the Fairfax Little League sustained major fire damage resulting in the loss of equipment as well as the field's lighting and scoreboard system. Already a week into the season I am asking you to help out this wonderful organization to make sure these kids have the best possible season. Donations can be made to;

Checks can be made out to Fairfax Little League, and anyone with information about the cause of thr fire is asked to call Fire Marshall Lt. Terry Fayson at (703)246-4708

On June 23rd The Virginia General Assembly convened to deal with one of the most pressing issues facing the Commonwealth today, transportation funding. Virginia continues to be in crisis, and in a few short years we will find ourselves in a maintenance funding only position with no money for new roads, rail, or other projects. We will not even be able to receive our Federal highway dollars as we will not have the required matching funds. There will also be no funds to match federal metro rail dollars. The message from the rest of the State seems to be, "Too bad".

Northern Virginia is the economic engine of Virginia that is the primary source of school funding for the rest of the state. As Virginia depends on our tax dollars for their schools, we depend on their votes to give us the transportation funding that will keep our economy vibrant.

In the Special Session I was asked by Governor Kaine to Co-Patron his legislative package. I believe that this was an excellent option, but knew that it would face stiff opposition from the republican majority in the House. In the spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship I agreed to support the transportation funding package put forth by the Senate instead, but only after the gas tax portion of the Bill was removed. The Governor advised me that supporting the Senate Bill as opposed to his was acceptable because he just wanted to get the job done. Tim Kaine did not care who got the credit.

Senate Bill 6009, which would have provided revenue for a statewide maintenance fix as well as an infusion of money for Northern Virginia regional projects, was defeated, however. All but one republican, Tom Rust of Herndon, voted against this transportation funding measure which ensured its defeat. I am committed to continuing to work with both sides of the aisle on new measures to secure transportation funding that will not only benefit Northern Virginia, but the entire state as well.

While I continue to work with Republicans and Independents from all parts of Virginia on most legislation, they are reluctant to bear any part of our statewide maintenance and construction responsibilities for transportation. This is not just unfortunate, it is wrong!

On August 23rd Delegate Dave Marsden Joined over 15 other volunteers to clean the area around the recently vandalized historic Marshall Family Cemetery next to the 7-11 on Burke Road. The group worked to clear brush, pick up trash, laid down wood chips, and cut down trees to increase visibility over this historic Burke landmark. Read the link to the Burke Connection article.

Governor Tim Kaine has called the General Assembly into Special Session on June 23rd, 2008. He will be introducing a transportation package designed to:

Nobody likes taxes. However, I and my fellow delegates are going to have to make some difficult choices in terms of how to fund transportation. There is an old saying; "The Governor proposes, the General Assembly disposes." I am very proud of Governor Kaine for putting forth a transportation plan for us to begin discussions around. BUT I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU. Read the Governor's plan linked above and tell me how you would structure it to accomplish the goal of getting us out from under traffic congestion. If you don't want us to do anything, I'd like to hear from you as well. It is my judgment that spending cuts would not be sufficient to fund transportation infrastructure improvements, not to mention the serious and significant maintenance deficit we are facing. This does not mean that cuts cannot be part of the solution if we can find responsible ways to do that. Any specific suggestions you have in that regard would be most welcome.

This is how representative democracy works. To represent you, I need to know what you think. I can be reached by email at DelDMarsden@house.state.va.us or by telephone at 703-323-4733.

2008 was my most productive session yet in the General Assembly! Nine pieces of legislation that I introduced are expected to be signed into law by Governor Kaine this Spring prior to the Veto Session on April 23rd. The most significant piece is House Bill 1257, which creates four pilot sites throughout the Commonwealth to provide services to families that will increase the amount of child support that custodial parents will receive from non-custodial parents.

In a budget with a $1.1 billion projected shortfall, the benefits of this pilot program were such that I was able to convince my colleagues in the General Assembly that it was a worthwhile investment. The savings in jail costs as a result of not having to incarcerate non-custodial parents for non-payment, as well as our increased ability to draw down federal funds will lead to a projected net savings of $375,000 per year within four years. If this program is successful, it will significantly decrease our jail overcrowding, engage non-custodial parents with their families to a greater extent, and keep parents out of jail thereby removing the number one risk factor for delinquency for children. These benefits, on top of increased child support for custodial parents, make this one of the most progressive and important initiatives to pass the General Assembly this year.

I would like to acknowledge Director Nick Young of the Virginia Department of Child Support Enforcement for his work in making this legislation possible. For more information on my legislation this year and an update on other measures passed by the General Assembly, please see my 'Legislation' page.

February 27, 2008 Girl Scout Troop 2948 of Burke Virginia's Church of the Nativity tours Richmond with Julia Marsden and visits Virginia's State Capitol, the Valentine Museum, the Governor's Mansion and St. John's Church, where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me liberty or give me Death" speech. A special thanks goes to Bethany Andrews who helped to organize this tour!!!

February 20, 2008 Julia Marsden conducts her Third Annual 41st District Richmond Tour of Virginia's State Capitol, the Valentine Museum and the Governor's Mansion. Anyone interested in next year's tour, please email our office at DelDMarsden@house.state.va.us.

February 1st, 2008 Delegate Marsden featured in Los Angeles Times article on closing the Gun Show Loophole

January 19th, 2008 Delegate Marsden will be conducting his first town hall meeting of the year at the Burke Commons Community Center, 5701 Roberts Parkway, Burke, VA 22015, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm and will be joined by members of Fairfax County's Gang Investigations Unit

January 9th, 2008 General Assembly Session Convenes

November 2007 Voters of the 41st district re-elect Delegate Marsden!!! Although not challenged this year, Delegate Marsden knocks on over 3,500 to continue to hear from his constituents about issues important to them.