Margaret Vanderhye
Encyclopedia
Margaret G. "Margi" Vanderhye (born July 29, 1948 in Chicago
) is a McLean, Virginia
community activist and a former delegate
from the 34th district of Virginia
. She was the Democratic
nominee in the 2007 Virginia general election
to fill the seat held by retiring incumbent Republican
Vince Callahan
, defeating Republican businessman Dave Hunt in the general election on November 6, 2007. On November 3, 2009 Vanderhye was narrowly defeated in her reelection bid by Republican Barbara Comstock
.
and a masters degree in economics and international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Early in her career she worked for Brent Scowcroft
at the National Security Council
and did a stint as a research consultant at the Brookings Institution
in Washington, D.C.
. Starting in the 1990s, she began to work as a political appointee in in the area of development and transportation. Virginia Governor
Doug Wilder appointed Vanderhye to the state's Commission on Population Growth and Development and to a four year term (1992–1996) on the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board. During the Wilder administration, she was also the Chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the state's Transportation Coordinating Council. From 1989 to 1991, she was president of the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions.
In 1995, President Bill Clinton
appointed her to the National Capital Planning Commission
where she chaired the Commission's Joint Memorials Task Force which developed a master plan for monuments, memorials, and museums in the national capital area. She also served on the NCPC's Interagency Security Task Force and was the Commission's designated representative to the Transportation Planning Board.
In 2002, Virginia Governor Mark Warner
appointed Vanderhye to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority
. She was reappointed to the Authority by Gov. Tim Kaine
. During her two terms on the NVTA, she helped develop the Authority's "2030 TransAction Plan," a blueprint for regional transportation priorities for the next two decades.
Vanderhye's local activities have focused on children and schools. In 1995, she conceived a cooperative community initiative called "Project Hospitality" to discourage hotels from providing high school students with rooms for after-prom parties. In 1998, the program received an award from the Fairfax County
Board of Supervisors and has been replicated throughout the region. In 2005, she joined the advisory board of Our Military Kids, a non-profit organization that supports school age children of National Guard and Reserve personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Vanderhye has long been active in Democratic Party politics, volunteering on numerous national, state, and local campaigns. She is a 1990 graduate of Leadership Fairfax. She is a graduate of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
at the University of Virginia
.
She is married to Robert A. Vanderhye, an attorney and energy specialist. They have two children.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
) is a McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
community activist and a former delegate
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
from the 34th district of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. She was the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee in the 2007 Virginia general election
Virginia state elections, 2007
Virginia's 2007 state elections were held on November 6, 2007. Voters elected all 100 members of the Virginia House of Delegates to two-year terms ending in 2009, and all 40 members of the Virginia Senate to four-year terms ending in 2011. There were also elections for local offices in most counties...
to fill the seat held by retiring incumbent Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Vince Callahan
Vince Callahan
Vincent F. "Vince" Callahan Jr. is an American politician who served for 40 years as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. From January 1968 to January 2008, he represented the 34th district, which covers McLean, Great Falls, Tysons Corner, and parts of Herndon and Vienna...
, defeating Republican businessman Dave Hunt in the general election on November 6, 2007. On November 3, 2009 Vanderhye was narrowly defeated in her reelection bid by Republican Barbara Comstock
Barbara Comstock
Barbara J. Comstock is an American politician, currently a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates. She first won election to her seat in 2009, defeating Democratic incumbent Margaret Vanderhye...
.
Background
Vanderhye, a longtime resident of McLean, earned her B.A. in political science from Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and a masters degree in economics and international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Early in her career she worked for Brent Scowcroft
Brent Scowcroft
Brent Scowcroft, KBE was the United States National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush and a Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force. He also served as Military Assistant to President Richard Nixon and as Deputy Assistant to the President for National...
at the National Security Council
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
and did a stint as a research consultant at the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Starting in the 1990s, she began to work as a political appointee in in the area of development and transportation. Virginia Governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
Doug Wilder appointed Vanderhye to the state's Commission on Population Growth and Development and to a four year term (1992–1996) on the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board. During the Wilder administration, she was also the Chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the state's Transportation Coordinating Council. From 1989 to 1991, she was president of the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions.
In 1995, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
appointed her to the National Capital Planning Commission
National Capital Planning Commission
The National Capital Planning Commission is a U.S. government agency that provides planning guidance for Washington, D.C. and the surrounding National Capital Region...
where she chaired the Commission's Joint Memorials Task Force which developed a master plan for monuments, memorials, and museums in the national capital area. She also served on the NCPC's Interagency Security Task Force and was the Commission's designated representative to the Transportation Planning Board.
In 2002, Virginia Governor Mark Warner
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving in the United States Senate as the junior senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of...
appointed Vanderhye to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority
Northern Virginia Transportation Authority
The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is a regional governmental unit established to fund regional transportation programs. The NVTA covers Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.The Virginia...
. She was reappointed to the Authority by Gov. Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine
Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine is a Virginia politician. Kaine served as the 70th Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011...
. During her two terms on the NVTA, she helped develop the Authority's "2030 TransAction Plan," a blueprint for regional transportation priorities for the next two decades.
Vanderhye's local activities have focused on children and schools. In 1995, she conceived a cooperative community initiative called "Project Hospitality" to discourage hotels from providing high school students with rooms for after-prom parties. In 1998, the program received an award from the Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
Board of Supervisors and has been replicated throughout the region. In 2005, she joined the advisory board of Our Military Kids, a non-profit organization that supports school age children of National Guard and Reserve personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Vanderhye has long been active in Democratic Party politics, volunteering on numerous national, state, and local campaigns. She is a 1990 graduate of Leadership Fairfax. She is a graduate of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia is an organization which serves the state of Virginia as a political leadership training center.-External links:* *...
at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.
She is married to Robert A. Vanderhye, an attorney and energy specialist. They have two children.
2007 campaign
Vanderhye officially began her campaign for the Virginia House of Delegates on November 14, 2006 with a fundraiser in McLean. Another McLean resident, Richard "Rip" Sullivan, a lawyer with the firm Reed Smith, also sought the Democratic Party nomination for the seat which had been held by Republican Vince Callahan since 1968. In an open primary on June 12, 2007, Vanderhye defeated Sullivan, winning 52% of 3,304 votes cast. The Republican Party nominee for the seat was Dave Hunt, a McLean resident and businessman who previously served as legislative assistant to the retiring incumbent. The Virginia Democratic Party targeted the race as a potential pick-up, based on the trend in the last several elections in which democratic candidates for governor and United States Senate won majorities in the district.2009 campaign
Vanderhye declared her intention to run for reelection and was not opposed in a party primary. The Republican Party nominee for the seat was Barbara Comstock, a McLean resident and political consultant who previously served as Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice. The race was among the most expensive (in terms of money spent) of the Virginia House of Delegates elections in 2009. Vanderhye lost the election.Election results
Official
Articles and other information
- Virginia Public Access Project: Margaret E. Vanderhye
- Vanderhye Legislative Tracking Page at Richmond Sunlight
- Vanderhye Promises 'Real Solutions' - Connection Newspapers
- Raising Kaine Interview
- Green is Good