In response to a question from a citizen at a recent community event, Ray Morrogh gave "an answer with horns" which needs further elaboration. The questioner asked Morrogh, the Democratic candidate for Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney, about the lack of response from his office in the shooting death of Falls Church City resident Steve Cornejo. Morrogh denied the allegation by saying that he had been in recent discussions with The Mayor of Falls Church about the Steve Cornejo case.
Here is context about the "meeting" Morrogh referenced. The Mayor has made numerous requests directed at the Fairfax CAO for information about the Steve Cornejo shooting going back to March 2007 when a Fairfax civil jury returned a wrongful death verdict and then CA Bob Horan said on record that he was "surprised" by the eyewitness testimony at the trial. The CAO has never responded to The Mayor's requests for information. No letter. No call. No email. Aside from the snippy we "don't talk to politicians" comment made by Horan, there has just been stone wall silence from Fairfax. Zippo. Thanks for asking. We are busy at the moment.
Two weeks ago at the Eighth District JJ Dinner, the electeds were being acknowledged. Morrogh was introduced, as was The Mayor. After dinner, The Mayor looked for Morrogh so she could introduce herself. Morrogh did not seek out The Mayor. The Mayor introduced herself, and Morrogh's immediate reaction was anger. Morrogh said: "Is your husband the one who has been calling me a racist?"
Let me pause here for just a moment. Here we are a Democratic Party dinner honoring the life works of civil rights activists Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. The allegation made by Morrogh is false. Morrogh knows nothing about me. Morrogh was undoubtedly tired from his campaign against Republican challenger Patrick McDade and I was tired from working on regional Democratic campaigns. The allegation Morrogh made is serious, very personal, and tells me a lot about him. Morrogh falsely alleging that a fellow Democrat called him a racist is bad. It is worse when the fellow Democrat is a local chair and a member of the Democratic central committee. It is bad in extreme when the false allegation is made in front of other Democrats at a JJ Dinner. It is an entrenched problem when the false allegation is made to my wife while dodging my phone calls.
Anyway.
The conversation between Morrogh and The Mayor continued. In fairness, Morrogh calmed down and briefly discussed his perspective on the Steve Cornejo shooting. I will not go into details on the entire conversation here, except to say Morrogh reiterated he is re-looking at the Steve Cornejo shooting, but would not take any further public action regarding the case until after the election out of concern the case would become too political. It seems to me that a decision to wait until after an election to discuss a prosecutorial decision is itself a political decision (irrespective of election dates, does the CAO have a case against a murderer or not?), but so be it.
For the sake of the Cornejo family, I am glad both Fairfax CA candidates are on record acknowledging the circumstances of Steve Cornejo's death deserve further evaluation, and that both candidates have promised to conduct that evaluation and, whatever their ultimate prosecutorial decision, they have promised to explain their decision to the Cornejo family and to communities of Fairfax and Falls Church.
A simple promise which is welcome but long, long, overdue.
