About Us

Dan Smolen is a nationally-recognized marketing-executive recruiter residing in Stafford County, Virginia.  He has been involved in local politics for several years; his term as Chair of the Stafford County Virginia Democratic Committee ended in 2007.

“I entered the local political arena, not because I am overly-partisan (I am not), but that I felt that through local politics I could help make a positive contribution to this community. Progress around the Fredericksburg Region (through improved transportation systems, continued excellence in the public schools, sustainable communities, open and transparent government, strong economic development) does not come easily. And what makes progress even harder to achieve is that we live in a community mainly served by one large media company (that owns the only daily newspaper and several broadcast radio stations). Important stories don’t get covered well, if at all. New ideas don’t get fostered, or for that matter, challenged. And quite often opposing political views – mainly from moderates or progressives – hardly get any notice. That’s not right.”

Smolen has lived in the Greater Fredericksburg area since 1997. 

Chris Guy is a writer/editor from Fredericksburg, VA. Born in Washington DC and raised in Burke, VA, he attended Barton College (NC) from 1996-2000.

Since early 2007, Chris has covered the political scene from Fredericksburg and the surrounding areas for Virginia’s no.1 progressive blog, RaisingKaine.

Chris and his wife Nancy, a native of Philadelphia, have lived in the Fredericksburg area since 2003.