Del. Bulova to serve in Spanberger’s cabinet

Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger has tapped David Bulova of Fairfax as Virginia’s next secretary of natural and historic resources.

Bulova has resigned from his position as the 11th District representative in the Virginia House of Delegates. A special election for the seat vacated by Bulova will take place on Jan. 13.   

The Democrats’ House of Delegates 11th District Committee plans to hold a “firehouse primary” on Dec. 16 to choose a nominee.

Five candidates are running in the primary:

• Gretchen Bulova, the wife of David Bulova and director of the Office of Historic Alexandria;

• So Lim, a member of the Fairfax City Council;

• Vanessa Cárdenas, an activist for progressive causes and executive director of America’s Voice;

• Denver Supinger, the founder and lead principal at Civics Center, a political consulting firm; and

• Douglas Shuster.

All five candidates have agreed to appear at a forum on Dec. 14, 2-4 p.m., at Mackenzie’s Tunes & Tonics, 3950 University Drive, Fairfax.

More than 30 current and former elected leaders have endorsed Gretchen Bulova, including Rep. James Walkinshaw, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeffrey McKay, Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenes, Providence Supervisor Dalia Palchik, Braddock Supervisor-elect Rachna Sizemore Heizer, state Sen. Dave Marsden, state Senate Majority Leader Scott Survell, and Del. Marcus Simon.

David Bulova is the son of Sharon Bulova, the former chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

He is a project manager at WSP USA, an international engineering and environmental consulting firm, where he specializes in water resources policy, Chesapeake Bay restoration, and stormwater issues.

Bulova was elected to the House of Delegates in 2005. The 11th House District includes the City of Fairfax and parts of Fairfax County. He also serves on the Chesapeake Bay Commission, which he has chaired twice, and the State Water Commission. 

Spanberger said Bulova “will bring decades of experience to our efforts to strengthen our commonwealth’s conservation, resilience, and preservation efforts.”

“Preserving and restoring Virginia’s environment is a lifelong passion for me,” Bulova said. “Our governor-elect shares that passion, as evidenced by her work on the House Agriculture Committee, and understands what it takes to safeguard our natural resources for future generations. She also understands that a healthy environment and a strong economy go hand-in-hand.”

As head of the National and Historic Resources department, Bulova will oversee Virginia agencies responsible for conservation and recreation, wildlife resources, environmental quality, historic resources, and marine resources.

In other cabinet appointments, Spanberger named Del. Candi Mundon King of Prince William County as secretary of the commonwealth and former FBI agent Stan Meador as secretary of public safety and homeland security.

Related story: Del. Watts outlines legislative priorities