(Basil Mustafa / Fourth Estate)
Representatives hold an open forum for Fairfax residents
BY BASIL MUSTAFA, STAFF WRITER
Democratic state legislators Saddam Salim and Gretchen Bulova held a town hall meeting in Fairfax City Hall on the morning of Feb. 14.
The town hall served as a forum for Salim and Bulova to introduce themselves and their legislative ambitions as elected officials, as well as answer questions from local residents.
Salim is a member of the Virginia State Senate from the 37th district, covering Alleghany, Botetourt and Craig counties. Bulova represents the 11th district, comprising most of Fairfax County and the entirety of the City of Fairfax.
Salim introduced what he believes to be the main issues in the 2026 legislative session, including housing affordability, education and school funding, environmental legislation and the prospect of the Tysons’ casino.
He discussed how the newly elected Democratic governor, speaker of the house and president of the Senate will be assets in passing legislation. He assured the audience that the Democratic party works “for the people and not the donors.”
Delegate Bulova said she feels that she can make an impact with her background in both K-12 and higher education.
Bulova also sits on the finance committee. She said that Virginia has an “archaic” financial structure and that the committee is doing what they can to restructure it.
She furthered that she’s working with other Democrats in the House to get “funding back to Fairfax County” as well as other localities, but that they are “playing the long game” to achieve that goal.
When sharing her legislation, Bulova emphasized that the main focus of her campaign was winning the seat, not necessarily pushing for certain legislation.
A number of Salim’s bills were geared toward artificial intelligence. As the youngest Va. senator, he joked “that it is always up to [him] to explain what AI is” to his colleagues.
Since last summer, Salim has been working on legislation dealing with immigration enforcement . Va. Senate Bill 352 would force immigration officials to remove face coverings and sunglasses without extenuating circumstances. Va. Senate Bill 783 lays out stricter regulations for the state’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
During the forum, Salim addressed the shootings in Minnesota from his perspective as an individual with Bengali roots. He said that before the shootings, people of color felt like they exclusively had a target on their backs. However, the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two white people, had a greater public effect because “the last two shootings — they looked like the rest of you.”
Salim, a George Mason Public Administration alum and Northern Virginia native, won the 2023 general election for Virginia State Senate in a race against Ken Reid.
Bulova won a 2026 firehouse primary after Gov. Abigail Spanberger chose her husband, David Bulova, as her new secretary of natural resources. A firehouse primary is when a party, not state, holds a special election to fill an empty position.
Although the crowd consisted primarily of older residents, eighth grader Evelyn Nazarino found a way to get involved with the state government.
“It’s really fun to learn all the different parts [of the legislative process],” she said as a member of the Senate and House page program. “It’s also really fun to meet all the people and network.”
Rose Lumpkin, Salim’s district director, described town halls as a “great way for people to advocate for things that are important to them and their community … [they are an] outlet for us to hear about what’s important to people who are at a grassroots level.”
In an interview with Fourth Estate, Salim highlighted how his identity as a Muslim and his experience immigrating from Bangladesh plays a part in his experience as a legislator. “You realize you’re one person out of the millions who are against you.”
