Politics

Kanninen Seizes Democratic Endorsement for School Board

18-vote margin of victory in second round of voting.

After two rounds of voting in the Democratic caucus, author Barbara Kanninen seized the Democratic endorsement with a slim 18-vote margin of victory against Nancy Van Doren. A third candidate, Greg Greeley, was knocked out in the first round of voting. That led to an instant runoff in which the second choice of voters were considered. Most of those went to Van Doren, which led to a razor-thin 18-vote margin of victory for Kanninen in the second round of voting.

Marshall to Leave UCM

United Community Ministries Executive Director Shirley Marshall has resigned, according to its board of directors. She will continue to lead and advise the agency for a time to facilitate a smooth transition.

City in Violation of Its Charter

Citizens hampered from accessing departmental rules and regulations.

While Alexandria’s ordinances are enacted in public by the City Council and are readily accessible to the citizenry, usually in the form of “The Code of the City of Alexandria, 1981,” departments and offices across city government also promulgate official rules and regulations, but they are neither publicized nor readily accessible by the citizenry. This directly violates the express wording of the city’s charter.

Fairfax Mayor for a Day

Fairfax City Mayor Scott Silverthorne recently hosted Providence Elementary second-grader Thomas Simione as Mayor for a Day. The son of Cindy and Robert Simione of the Mosby Woods community, Thomas got to visit various City departments to see how they’re run. And during the April 22 City Council meeting, Thomas and Providence kindergartner Abby Killian helped proclaim April as Spring Cleanup Month. Unlike Silverthorne, who was recently re-elected to office, Thomas won the mayor’s role in a raffle.

Del. Filler-Corn Appointed to State Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation

Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41) was appointed to the Virginia Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation in April. This Commission is comprised of members of the General Assembly to promote the Commonwealth’s interest between other states and the federal government. The Commission formulates proposals for cooperation between Virginia and other states as well as formulating proposals concerning interstate contracts and conferences. Additionally, the Commission monitors and makes recommendations concerning federal policies that are of concern to the Commonwealth.

Landfill Decision Deferred to June 17

If approved by Board of Supervisors, Lorton landfill will operate until 2034.

Before a public hearing on May 13 in which over 99 people signed up before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors regarding an application to extend the life of the Lorton landfill until 2034, Frank McDermott, an attorney representing EnviroSolutions, said he had never experienced such nastiness and misrepresentation in a land use case. The EnviroSolutions application to extend operation of their construction landfill until 2034 has led to controversy in the Lorton community and beyond. Despite months of debate, the decision was deferred by the Board of Supervisors to June 17.

Serving Up Controversy Over Food Trucks in Alexandria

Council members indicate they're likely to approve a pilot program at farmers markets.

City Council members are bracing themselves for a massive food fight this Saturday, when elected officials will take up a divisive proposal to allow food trucks in Alexandria.

How Will School Board Candidates Handle Crush of New Students?

What will they do if elected to tackle spike in enrollment?

The three candidates seeking the Democratic endorsement for School Board all say they are opposed to increasing class sizes, and all three say the School Board is probably going to have to consider boundary changes to handle the crush of new students. Beyond that, though, the candidates have a wide array of opinions about how the county schools should handle the enrollment spike.

Two New Members Added to Town Council

Two new residents will join the town council in July.

Jennifer Baker and Stephen Lee Mitchell were voted into their new positions during the town election on May 6 at the community center.

The Fighter

Longtime congressman celebrated by Alexandria Democrats.

During his first run for Congress, then-Mayor Jim Moran assembled a campaign team that was hungry to oust incumbent Republican Stan Parris. Mame Reiley ran the operation, which included a young communications consultant named Joe Trippi. As the race headed toward Election Day, Reiley and Trippi became concerned that Moran's campaign signs kept disappearing from Eisenhower Avenue. So they set up a sting operation with a video camera to catch the culprit, who turned out to be Jim Moran.

Commentary: Yellow Line Petition, Hybrid Tax Refunds and I-495 Changes

Last week, I wrote about the status of some transportation projects in our community. Here are a few more important things.

City Council Approves Spending $8.1 Million

It’s full speed ahead for some major projects in the City of Fairfax. On April 22, the City Council approved spending $8.1 million to develop and improve City-owned downtown properties and to renovate and expand the Police Department’s Firearms Training Center.

City of Fairfax Adopts Budget

Real-estate tax rate is lowered by two cents.

The Fairfax City Council adopted the City’s FY 2014-15 budget last week, lowered the existing real-estate tax rate by two cents and gave raises to the city employees. In a special meeting, last Wednesday, April 30, the Council set City residents’ new real-estate tax rate at $1.04 per $100 assessed value, effective Jan. 1, 2015.

Easing Overcrowded Roadway

A key section of Route 1 is finally getting some relief. Chronic congestion, compounded by the 2005 BRAC decision which brought an influx of nearly 13,000 new military and civilian personnel, plus a brand new hospital that can receive many more new visitors, has made commuting in this part of Fairfax County more difficult.

Fairfax County School Board Addressing Budget Shortfalls

Budget shortfall is $17 million.

The Fairfax County School Board is considering options to close a $17 million shortfall in their 2015 budget. Superintendent Karen Garza presented the board with possible adjustments at a work session on April 28. The school board is set to adopt their final budget on May 22. On April 29, the Board of Supervisors approved the FY 2015 budget, including a school transfer of three percent, short of Garza’s requested 5.7 percent increase.

The Connection