Summary
Current Position: State Delegate of District 53 since 2014
Affiliation: Democrat
Marcus Simon was first elected Delegate for the 53rd District in 2014. The 53rd District includes the City of Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County.
Delegate Simon is Chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee and is a member of the Courts of Justice, Rules, and General Laws committees. In 2008 Delegate Simon co-founded the Law Firm of Leggett, Simon, Freemyers & Lyon and Ekko Title, a real estate settlement, title and escrow company.
OnAir Post: Marcus Simon
News
This is an important and necessary proposal. We legislators can pass laws to increase voter access & a national-model state level voting rights act, but it’s up to local elections officials to implement them. As Attorney General @jonesjay will make sure they do. https://twitter.com/bluevirginia/status/1372161014872092676
– February 16, 2021
Delays in U.S. census data have disrupted plans to draw new districts for this year’s elections of all 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, raising the possibility that the races will be run under the old political map.
On top of that uncertainty, the General Assembly has passed legislation to move all local and municipal elections to November, which could force more than a dozen cities and more than 100 towns around the state to reschedule council and school board elections that usually take place in May.
The census delay, announced on Friday, makes it virtually impossible to hold to the redistricting schedule outlined in Virginia’s constitution, said Del. Marcus B. Simon (D-Fairfax), who sits on the state’s bipartisan Redistricting Commission.
Simon said lawmakers are just beginning to discuss options. There is precedent for holding elections for three straight years, which happened in the early 1980s when a newly redrawn map was found to be racially gerrymandered. Elections went ahead under the old map, then took place the following year under a corrected map and again, as scheduled, the year after that.
With his proposal to repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law bottled up in committee for the third year in a row, Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, tried unsuccessfully to force his Democratic colleagues to bring it to a floor vote Wednesday.
Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, offered a competing motion to block Carter’s attempt, calling it a highly unusual departure from the House’s normal procedures and leadership structure. “We have a process by which we do business here,” said Simon, who handles rules issues for Democratic leadership as the caucus’s parliamentarian.
Simon’s motion to quash Carter’s attempt passed 83-13, with a dozen other progressive Democrats joining Carter to try to bring the bill to the floor.
Virginia moved another step closer to ending capital punishment on Friday when the state House joined the Senate in voting to abolish the death penalty.
Democrats favoring abolishment said the death penalty is an archaic punishment in an era when many countries have already moved away from the practice, and too costly to implement, given the litigation involved. They also said it has been applied unfairly, with people of color, the mentally ill and the indigent more likely to end up on death row.
“The government should not be in the business of killing human beings. It’s immoral, inhumane,” Democratic Del. Marcus Simon said.
About
Source: Campaign page
Marcus Simon is a lifelong resident of Fairfax County, Virginia where he currently resides with his wife Rachel, and two children, Emily and Zachary.
Childhood: The Simon Family Goes to Washington
Marcus came to Washington in 1970 as an infant, the oldest child of Sam & Susan Simon. Sam was a freshly minted young lawyer who arrived in the Nation’s Capital on a mission to change the world for the better. He went to work with consumer advocate Ralph Nader and his new Public Interest Research Group. Growing up the son of one of the original Nader’s Raiders, Marcus was impressed early in life with the value of public service, and the importance of leaving the world a better place than he found it.
His mother Susan worked as a teacher, a learning disability specialist, and an elementary school counsellor in the Fairfax County Public Schools. The family, which quickly grew to include sister Rachael, lived in homes in Arlington, McLean and Falls Church in the 1970s and 80s. Before graduating from McLean High School in 1988, Marcus attended Longfellow Intermediate and both Kent Gardens and Haycock elementary.
Marcus spent his summers at Kent Gardens Recreation Club, where he was on both the Swim and Dive teams. He played McLean Youth Soccer, Basketball, T-ball and Track. He received his Varsity letter in swimming at McLean High School, where he also wrote many articles for the School paper.
Early Involvement in State & County Government
After returning from four years of College in 1992 with a Bachelor’s degree in Middle East Studies and Journalism from NYU, Marcus went to work for Delegate James M. Scott as his first full time legislative aide. He rented a house in Pimmit Precinct which also served as the unofficial 53rd District local office. Marcus worked on Jim’s 1993 re-election campaign and accompanied him to Richmond for the 1993 and 1994 legislative sessions. In 1995 Marcus went to work for then Providence District Supervisor, and candidate for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Katherine K. Hanley. He moved with Kate to the Government Center after her successful special election campaign, and remained on her staff for the next five years. In the fall of that year he began attending Law School at American University’s Washington College of Law at night.
Military Service
Marcus left the Chairman’s office after graduating law school in 1999 and receiving his Commission as an officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Although he’d volunteered to spend his first year as JAG serving in Korea, his assignment was changed during the final days of his training in Charlottesville, and he was assigned to the Military District of Washington and Ft. Myer, in Arlington. As an Army Captain, Marcus served as a prosecutor where he handled officer misconduct cases and all criminal cases on Ft. Myer, Ft. McNair, and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also served as a part time Special Assistance United States Attorney prosecuting civilians who committed crimes on federal military installations in the Washington area.
Marcus also provided legal support to the Emergency Operations Command Center on Ft. McNair during the days following the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon.
Private Practice
Upon completion of his military commitment, Marcus entered private practice in 2003 working as a Real Estate attorney in downtown McLean. In 2008 Marcus co-founded the Law Firm of Leggett, Simon, Freemyers & Lyon and Ekko Title, a real estate settlement, title and escrow company. Ekko Title now employees over 40 people at its eight locations throughout Northern Virginia from Fredericksburg in the South to Reston and McLean in the North.
Community Involvement
In 2004 he was appointed by Fairfax County Board Chairman Gerry Connolly to the Fairfax County Advisory Social Services Board which he later chaired, and the Fairfax County Industrial Development Authority where he continues to serve as Vice Chair. He currently serves on the Following Boards, Authorities and Commissions.
- Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
- NVAR Standard Forms Committee (from 2005)
- Fairfax County Bipartisan Election Process Improvement Commission
- McLean Planning Committee
- Fairfax County Industrial Development Authority – Vice Chair
- Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission – Dranesville District Representative
- Fairfax County Bar Association
- Virginia State Bar
- Fairfax County Democratic Committee
- Dranesville District Democratic Committee
- Kent Gardens PTA
- Kent Gardens Recreation Club Board of Directors
- Coach – McLean Youth Soccer
Experience
Work Experience
- Real Estate attorney
Leggett, Simon, Freemyers & Lyon PLC
2019 to present - Officer
U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps
2019 to presentAs an Army Captain, Marcus served as a prosecutor where he handled officer misconduct cases and all criminal cases on Ft. Myer, Ft. McNair, and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also served as a part time Special Assistance United States Attorney prosecuting civilians who committed crimes on federal military installations in the Washington area.
Marcus also provided legal support to the Emergency Operations Command Center on Ft. McNair during the days following the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentago
Education
- BA, Middle Eastern studies and journalism
New York University
2019 to 1992 - JD
American University
2019 to 1999
Personal
Birth Year: 1970
Place of Birth: Austin, TX
Gender: Male
Race(s): None Given
Religion: Jewish
Spouse: Rachel Anne Goldstein
Children: Emily and Zachary
Membership & Affiliation: Temple Rodef Shalom
Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce
Northern Virginia Association of Realtors
Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission
Kent Gardens Recreation Club
Awards: Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, Affiliate of the Year (2013)
Contact
Legislative Assistant: Andrea Tetreault
Administrative Assistant During Session: Darcy Mathes
Email:
- Government – DelMSimon@house.virginia.gov
- Government – delegate@simon.net
Offices
Capitol Office
Pocahontas Building
900 E. Main St,
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 698-1053
District Office
P.O. Box 958
Falls Church, VA 22040
Phone: (571) 327-0053
Web
Government Page, Campaign Site, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn
Politics
Source: none
Recent Elections
2019
| Marcus B. Simon (D) | 16,618 | 93.84% |
| Write-In (Write-in) | 1,090 | 6.16% |
| TOTAL | 17,708 |
2017
| Marcus Simon (D) | 19,235 | 75.15% |
| Michael Steven Casey () | 6,362 | 24.85% |
| TOTAL | 25,597 |
2015
| Marcus Simon (D) | 9,731 | 95.4% |
| Write In (Write-in) | 468 | 4.6% |
| TOTAL | 10,199 |
Source: Virginia Legislative Information System
Finances
SIMON, MARCUS B has run in 4 races for public office, winning 3 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $460, 264.
Source: Follow the Money
Committees
Committees
Militia, Police and Public Safety
Science and Technology
Courts of Justice
Subcommittees
Courts of Justice – Subcommittee #3
Appointments
House Courts of Justice
House Militia Police and Public Safety
House Science & Technology
Considers matters relating to technology applications and uses other than those proposed or used to support the operations of the General Assembly, including, but not limited to, matters relating to technology, engineering, or electronic research or development; related policies, standards, measurements, or definitions; or the scientific, technical, or technological requirements of state government, except for those affecting the operations of the General Assembly.
World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission, Virginia
The Commission shall plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I and the 75th anniversary of World War II.
Voting Record
See: Vote Smart
New Legislation
Source: Ballotpedia
Issues
Economy
Legislation for Women,Families, Business
Excerpt: “The obsession of the Republican majority in Richmond with promoting radical right wing social legislation is hurting Virginia’s women, families, and now our reputation as a great place to locate a business.”
Education
Fund Early Childhood Education
Excerpt: “Study after study have shown that access to early childhood education improves outcomes from children. Investments in early childhood education now will result in lower spending on juvenile justice, social welfare, and prisons later.”
Environment
Excerpt: “One of the things that makes Northern Virginia so unique is that even as we’ve become more urban, we continue to value and try to preserve our green spaces. …As your representative I will fully support measures promoting clean air and clean water to protect our quality of life. …A recent government study calculated that for every $1 spent by a polluter to control emissions, Americans receive $30 in benefits ranging from lower health care costs to attracting workers who want to reside where they are employed.”
Infrastructure
Transportation in Falls Church & Fairfax
Excerpt: “Traffic and Gridlock cost Falls Church and Fairfax residents thousands of dollars every year in wasted gas, lost time, day-care late fees, and countless other ways. …As a member of the General Assembly I will work tirelessly to ensure that more of the revenue generated in Falls Church and Fairfax returns to Falls Church and Fairfax as funds for transportation. Too much money is diverted on Roads to Nowhere in rural parts of the state where there is no traffic, while we endure gridlock on Leesburg Pike, Lee Highway and Interstate 66 every evening from 3 in the afternoon until 8 at night.”
Safety
Excerpt: “As your representative in the House of Delegates I will be a strong advocate for common sense measures like universal background checks for all gun purchases, even those of so-called private sellers at gun shows. I support limiting the size of magazines, empowering localities to make their libraries and teen centers gun-free zones, and reintroducing one handgun a month legislation.”
