Politics

Supervisors Make Predictions for 2014

Q&A with Supervisors Pat Herrity (R- Springfield) and Jeffrey McKay (D-Lee).

Q: What were some successes of 2013? A: Transportation updates. The Fairfax County Parkway will have interstate level traffic in the next 10 years, if not already. We need to work on the long-term solution. I was able to get the Board of Supervisors to pass the requested corridor improvement study. We’ve got the study underway for the Pope’s Head Road interchange on the parkway, and those are both really big things. I also asked the Board to take a look at Braddock Road and changing it into a primary road.

Albo Looks at Year Back, Year Ahead

Q&A with Del. Dave Albo (R-42).

Q: What do you think was a major success of 2013? A: The transportation bill was not only the most important bill of 2013, but the second most important bill we’ve passed in my twenty years in the General Assembly. We found a solution that lets us keep 100 percent of our money.

Herrity’s Top Local Issues for 2014

Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) talks about what he believes will be the top issues this year in Fairfax County:

Delegates Make Predictions for 2014

Q&A with delegates David Bulova (D-37) and Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41).

Q: What were some successes in 2013? A: The big one from last year was transportation, and it would be great to keep that momentum going into 2014. I see 2014 as being a potentially very productive year and a way to differentiate Virginia from the federal government and the gridlock we are seeing up there.

Supervisor Looks at Year Ahead

Q&A with Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock District).

Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, left, thinks that education funding should be a top priority for Virginia legislators this section.

A Year in Review, Things to Look for in 2014

Supervisor John w. Foust (D-Dranesville) reflects on most important events in McLean and Great Falls in 2013 and 2014.

Supervisor John W. Foust (D-Dranesville): *TRANSPORTATION FUNDING PLAN HB2313 - A significant event affecting the community in 2013 was the passage of HB2313 with bi-partisan support. This bill was the first comprehensive transportation plan passed in Virginia in 27 years.

Sen. Favola Shares Legislative Priorities

State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31) highlights the following legislative priority issues: *Safety Net: Retain McDonnell’s $1.6 M for extension of subsidies to foster youth and adopted youth until the age of 21. *Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) --- Index benefits to the COL Adjustment as determined by the Department of Labor (Need Budget Amendment as well). This helps women and children. Families stay an average of 3 years on TANF. The caseload has been decreasing in Virginia and $5M was shifted in the last biennium from TANF block grant dollars to funds General Fund services.

Comstock to Chair House Science And Technology Committee

Delegate Barbara Comstock (R-34) was named Chairwoman of the House Science and Technology Committee by Speaker Bill Howell (R-28). Howell said, "Barbara Comstock is one of the brightest and most energetic lawmakers in the General Assembly. She has worked tirelessly on issues important to Northern Virginia and the entire Commonwealth. For years she has been a leader on issues related to economic development and technology. This experience and knowledge will make her a great Chairwoman."

Streetcar Issue Dominates Political Landscape in Special Election for Arlington Board

Four candidates vying to replace Chris Zimmerman.

Where do they stand on the streetcar? Do they approve of the recent direction of the county government? What kind of accomplishments would they like to make?

Del. Filler-Corn Co-hosts Open Resources Forum

How to provide students new education resources at no charge.

On Dec. 2, Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41) co-hosted a forum with David Anderson, executive director for Higher Education, Association of American Publishers and Nada Dabbagh, professor and director of Division of Learning Technologies, George Mason University to discuss new technologies and affordable options for higher education textbooks. This forum brought together several important stakeholders involved with higher education and the development and usage of textbooks.

What More Could FBI Want?

Virginia leaders tout merits of Springfield site for FBI HQ relocation.

A high-ranking delegation of Virginia politicians gathered in Springfield Tuesday morning in a renewed effort to convince the Federal Bureau of Investigation to relocate its headquarters to a warehouse site in Springfield. The move in the high-stakes, highly competitive regional competition comes after site selection guidelines eliminated almost all other Northern Virginia locations.

John Foust Announces Campaign to Represent Residents of 10th Congressional District

Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville) announced the start of his campaign to represent the residents of Virginia’s tenth congressional district issuing the following press release:

Alexandria Schools See Rising Poverty In the Classroom

City has the highest rates of students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch in region.

In the last decade, the percentage of Alexandria students who live in poverty has grown from 50 percent to 56 percent. That's the largest percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch in the region, according to a recent analysis by the Washington Area Boards of Education.

New Approach to Mental Health

Reforms in wake of tragedy involving state senator's son.

Advocates for mental health services have been calling for improved services and increased funding for years, although the issue has been pushed aside year after year.

Alexandria's Debt Has More Than Doubled Over Last Decade

City officials are on the verge of violating their own debt ceiling.

In the last decade, the city's debt has more than doubled from $200 million to more than $500 million — a burden that is becoming increasingly difficult for the city to manage, especially considering plans for Alexandria to finance the construction of a new Metrorail station at Potomac Yard.

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