Archive: Government
UPDATED /7: Municipal Election Results
Updated 5/7 An article about the results of yesterday's elections is here. Full results are here. Originally posted 5/1 Municipal Elections in the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and the towns of Clifton, Herndon and Vienna are highlighted in today's Fairfax Extra. Pick up a copy of the print edition inside today's Home section for complete coverage including information on each of the candidates....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 7, 2008; 09:55 AM ET | Comments (0)
UPDATE 5/2: Federal Approval of Dulles Rail Funds Comes With Conditions
Updated 5/2 Further analysis of what yet has to happen to for the project to go forward is in this morning's Metro section. Check it out here. Updated 5/1 Check out this article from today's Metro section for information on what federal transportation officials say has to happen for them to help make the rail extension reality. Updated 4/30 The breaking news is the lead story in this morning's Washington Post. Updated 2/11 Yesterday's Metro section featured this article about those critics of the project who are glad to see it floundering; seeing in the possible demise of Metrorail to Dulles opportunities for other transportation solutions. Updated 2/6 From today's Metro section: A Federal Transit Administration report issued yesterday left unrated the proposed rail line to Dulles International Airport, which supporters viewed as a sign that the $5 billion project might win federal approval. The FTA's annual report assessed various...
By Focus on Fairfax | May 2, 2008; 09:43 AM ET | Comments (5)
UPDATE 4/29: Budget Passes Amidst Criticism From Teachers
Updated 4/29 The Board of Supervisors passed the county budget yesterday amidst criticism from teachers who say they fear that their cost of living salary increase may be reduced. The article is here. Updated 4/22 The Board of Supervisors passed the rate increase yesterday. The news is here. Updated 4/21 The three cent property tax increase isn't going to fix the county's budget problems all by itself according to this analysis in yesterday's Metro section. Originally posted 4/7 According to this story from Sunday's Metro section, the property tax rate in Fairfax County is likely to rise by three cents in response to the county's budget woes and what some members of the Board of Supervisors say is a public demand to maintain services. The final budget for the next fiscal year is scheduled to be adopted April 21....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 29, 2008; 09:23 AM ET | Comments (1)
UPDATE 4/28: Increased Crime Linked to Empty Houses
Updated 4/28 According to this article from yesterday's Washington Post the increasing number of home foreclosures is leading to another problem: crime. Empty houses seem to be drawing criminals, who use them as havens and hideouts and as targets for vandalism. Updated 3/10 It could be characterized as a case of exchanging one suburban blight for another according to this story from yesterday's Metro section as some houses that were once overcrowded illegal boarding houses until the county began more strict enforcement of zoning laws, are now in foreclosure and standing empty and ill-maintained. Updated 8/23 According to this article from this morning's Metro section, county officials say that progress, though slow, is being made with regard to overcrowded houses an other sources of zoning violations. Updated 6/8 The county today announced the first of a series of court cases that they plan to make against homeowners suspected of violations...
By Focus on Fairfax | April 28, 2008; 09:02 AM ET | Email a Comment
Child Support Dodgers Face Monitoring, Not Jail
A bill recently approved by the http://legis.state.va.us/ will place many of those people convicted of failure to pay child support under close supervision of authorities while allowing them to stay out of jail. Officials hope the measure will reduce jail overcrowding. Read about it in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 17, 2008; 09:26 AM ET | Comments (0)
Pay Raises Fall Short, Say County Employees
According to this article from today's Metro section, the merit pay increases that county employees have been receiving are declining. With next year's likely to be "the worst budget in Fairfax County history" according to County Executive Anthony H. Griffin, the situation doesn't seem like it will improve. The workers aren't happy....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 17, 2008; 09:10 AM ET | Comments (0)
County Sets Action Plan Aimed at Ending Homelesness
The Board of Supervisors last week approved an action plan which sets a goal of finding permanent housing for all of the county's estimated nearly 2,000 homeless residents. The Fairfax Extra has the news....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 10, 2008; 01:43 PM ET | Comments (0)
UPDATE 4/1: Affordable Housing Proposal Advances
Updated 4/1 The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed yesterday to explore the possibility of buying foreclosed properties and converting them into affordable housing by selling them at below-market prices to qualified families. The board's chairman, Gerald E. Connolly (D), suggested the idea in his annual State of the County address Friday. Although two Republicans on the board opposed the proposal, Connolly and his seven Democratic colleagues supported it. -- Amy Gardner Total of Homeless Residents Up Slightly Fairfax County and the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax counted a total of 1,835 homeless residents in January, up slightly from 1,813 in 2007. The annual count includes people who live on the street, in shelters or in transitional housing. The number of homeless families was 311, up from 307, according to survey released yesterday. Nearly 60 percent of all homeless people were in families, with 66 percent of adults in...
By Focus on Fairfax | April 1, 2008; 09:52 AM ET | Comments (0)
Needed Work on County Bldgs Running Far Behind
With about 170 government buildings to take care of, Fairfax County has a big maintenance job to do even in the best of times. But with the money in shorter supply, repairs to county facilities are one more thing the county is struggling harder to keep up with. Today's Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 27, 2008; 12:51 PM ET | Comments (0)
UPDATE 3/27: Ruling Against Regional Tranportation Fund Spells Trouble For Belvoir Road Plan
Updated 3/27 According to an article in today's Fairfax Extra, the ruling by Virginia Supreme Court against a regional tax plan to fund transportation improvements, one of the big losers will be the plan to improve roads and ease congestion around the fort. The decision eliminates $12.1 million the state planned to spend on the project. Updated 5/18/07 Responding to an amendment proposed by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), the House of Representatives passed a bill that would require transportation improvements be made before the U.S. Army would be allowed to move 22,000 jobs to Fort Belvoir. The story is here. Originally posted 2/8 Amid concerns about what an influx of 21,00 new personnel at Fort Belvoir could do to complicate traffic and other problems around the Army base, local congressional leaders are asking federal officials delay the base realignment process. They say that the additional time will allow needed preparation...
By Focus on Fairfax | March 27, 2008; 10:15 AM ET | Email a Comment
16% Tax Hike Sought in Fairfax City
From today's Metro section: Fairfax City Manager Robert Sisson has proposed a $128.8 million budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The financial plan includes a 16 percent increase in the real estate tax rate and a 7 percent boost in water and sewer rates. Sisson said the increases are necessary because of the drop in revenue caused by the downturn in the residential real estate market and by the sluggish economy. Spending would rise 3.7 percent over this year's if the City Council approves Sisson's plan. Under the proposal, the real estate tax rate would rise from 72 cents for each $100 of assessed value to 83.5 cents. Ambulance fees would also go up, according to the plan....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 13, 2008; 10:50 AM ET | Comments (0)
Government Center Could Be Named For Davis
With U.S. Rep and former Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Tom Davis set to retire at the end of this year, the current board yesterday began discussing the best way to honor Davis for his years of service. Suggestions included naming the county's main building at the Fairfax County Government Center for him. The details are here....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 11, 2008; 09:56 AM ET | Comments (0)
Property Tax Increase Ahead?
The county's Board of Supervisors agreed yesterday to consider a tax rate increase of three cents to 92 cents per $100 of assessed value as it begins deliberating its spending proposals. Read more in this article from today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 11, 2008; 09:50 AM ET | Comments (0)
UPDATE 3/10: County Budget Woes Appear Worse Than Projected
Updated 3/10 The county's budget, as austere as it is, may still be overly optimistic about the government's spending powers according to this article from yesterday's Metro section. Updated 3/6 A suite of articles in this week's Fairfax Extra takes a detailed look at the county's proposed budget and what the numbers mean. First, this cover story looks at the lean and mean figures that the declining housing market is forcing the county to work with. The print edition of the Extra has a map that corresponds to this text on the decline in property values by area of the county, as well as a helpful primer on the budget and property assessments. Originally posted 2/21 Information for readers who want to follow the county's proposed budget as it makes its way through the process of hearings, modifications and approvals should read this information from today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 10, 2008; 09:19 AM ET | Comments (0)
Municipal Elections Preview
With elections for local officials in Clifton, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Herndon and Vienna set for two months from today, the Metro today section offers this preview of the races here and in neighboring Loudoun and Prince William Counties....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 6, 2008; 09:46 AM ET | Comments (4)
Courthouse Building Opens Monday
The expansion of the Fairfax County courthouse opens on Monday and several of the court's offices and services will move to the new building. Check out this article in today's Fairfax Extra for the details....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 21, 2008; 11:34 AM ET | Comments (0)
Election Officials Request More Voting Machines
Fairfax County election officials are warning that unless the county can acquire more voting machines before November's Presidential election, voters could be facing long lines. General Registrar Jacquelynne C. Harris said that at least 300 optical scanner machines will be needed, but other officials are concerned that the $2.5 million dollar price tag, for a county already on a tight budget, may make the purchase of the new machines problematic. Read the news story in today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 19, 2008; 09:17 AM ET | Comments (1)
Ice Plays Havoc on Springfield Interchange
Icy roads at the Springfield Interchange during Tuesday's evening rush hour led to snarled traffic and accidents like this one on the Franconia road overpass next to Springfield Mall. (JOHN MCDONNELL - THE WASHINGTON POST) Of all the areas where traffic was affected by Tuesday's winter storm, none was more so than the Springfield Interchange where there were numerous accidents and traffic was at a virtual standstill for hours. Read this article from today's Metro section. Were you stuck in the traffic? Share your stories and impressions of the situation. If this problem can be prevented from happening again for half a million dollars, will it be money well spent?...
By Focus on Fairfax | February 14, 2008; 10:36 AM ET | Comments (0)
County Considers Pooling to Pay Retirement Benefits
Facing the prospect of big payouts to future and current retirees, the county government is looking at creating an investment pool with other Virginia local governments to save money. Read the article in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 8, 2008; 12:16 PM ET | Comments (0)
Bill Could Ax Development Proffers, Force Growth Curbs
A bill before the Virginia General Assembly could end the system by which builders offer proffers of cash and land to offset the impact of new developments. Fairfax officials largely have decried the bill, which would replace the proffers with impact fees that would yield much lower value to localities, saying that it could force them to curb rezoning authorizations and greatly slow growth. The news is in this morning's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 4, 2008; 10:06 AM ET | Comments (0)
Congressman Tom Davis Announces Retirement
The announcement from the 12-term Republican, made today, is in this article....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 30, 2008; 02:27 PM ET | Comments (0)
Supervisors Vote for Settlement in Icy Sidewalk Suit
According to this article, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have voted to offer a $100,000 settlement in a suit that asked for more than $300,000 after a man sustained injuries when he fell on an icy sidewalk outside a county court in 2005. Some of the Supervisors, including board Chairman Gerald E. Connolly opposed offering the settlement indicating that according to attorneys, Virginia law protects the county from such suits. Connolly argued that the county was being penalized for trying to remain open in inclement whether and that the government would have had a clearer case if the sidewalk, which had been shoveled and salted, had been left untreated....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 14, 2008; 10:22 AM ET | Comments (2)
UPDATE: Commuters Should Prepare for 'Dynamic Tolling'
Updated 1/10 That's bureacratese for the practice of charging more to use the soon-to-come HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway when traffic is heavier. Read more about how the system will work in today's Fairfax Extra. Updated 9/20 Local drivers offer their opinions about the merits of the new toll lanes and whether they would be likely to use them in this article from today's Fairfax Extra. Originally published 9/10 Getting used to the now-opened Mixing Bowl? Well, there's more. A formal announcement about the construction and operation of the express toll lanes scheduled to begin construction next spring on the Beltway near Tysons Corner is coming today. This article from this morning's paper has the details. And there will be more public money involved in the project, whose price tag is growing. Thoughts?...
By Focus on Fairfax | January 10, 2008; 11:06 AM ET | Comments (1)
UPDATE 12/10: Critics Say Islamic Academy Textbooks Promote Intolerance
Updated 12/10 The latest on the scrutiny the Islamic Saudi Academy is facing is in today's Metro section. Updated 11/16 The latest news is in today's Metro section. Originally posted 10/19 The U.S. State Department is being urged by a federal panel, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, to shut down a Fairfax school that is supported by the government of Saudi Arabia until the school can prove that it is not teaching religious intolerance. The story is on today's front page....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 10, 2008; 10:03 AM ET | Comments (0)
New Supe Wants More Anti-Blight Tools
Jeff C. McKay (D), the newly-elected Lee District representative to the county's Board of Supervisors used his first meeting yesterday to ask the county to find additional ways of combating code violations in some of the county's older neighborhoods. Today's Metro section has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 8, 2008; 04:33 PM ET | Comments (0)
Reston on the Decline?
According to Tom Grubisich, the author of an opinion column from yesterday's Washington Post, the best days of Fairfax County's first planned community may be behind it. What do you think?...
By Focus on Fairfax | January 7, 2008; 11:44 AM ET | Comments (0)
Whats Going Where
Many projects clustered around the Beltway and Dulles International Airport figure into this month's growth information. No map is available online this month, but check out this link to see what is happening in your neighborhood....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 3, 2008; 11:43 AM ET | Comments (0)
Virginia Legislative Preview
Budgetary and immigration issues along with abusive driver fees look to figure prominently in the upcoming legislative session in Richmond according to this article from the cover of today's Fairfax Extra. With the county budget stagnating, Fairfax County legislators will be seeking ways to keep money flowing into the public schools, according to another story. Also, see this list of contact information for local Senators and Delegates....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 3, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
County Officials Sworn In
County elected officials were sworn in at a ceremony yesterday at the County Governement Center. Last evening the county issued this press release: In a ceremony this evening, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County constitutional officers, and the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District directors all took their oath of office in front of several hundred spectators. Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Stanley P. Klein administered the oath of office to Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly and 14 other elected officials, who each swore to support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the commonwealth of Virginia, and to faithfully and impartially discharge all the duties incumbent upon them as officials of Fairfax County. All elected officials will take office on Jan. 1, 2008....
By Focus on Fairfax | December 13, 2007; 10:54 AM ET | Email a Comment
Vienna Officials Consider Alternative to Fireworks
From today's Metro section: Vienna, which had the worst of several fireworks malfunctions in Northern Virginia on July 4, is leaning toward replacing its annual pyrotechnics display with a laser light show, town officials said yesterday. Rockets from a box of Chinese-made mortar tubes launched into the crowd at Waters Field in Vienna, injuring 11 people, two of them seriously. The same type of box also misfired at five other locations in Fairfax County and Fairfax City the same night. County officials reviewed fireworks regulations and decided that the distance from the firing spot to the spectators had to be doubled for such fireworks boxes, which would eliminate them from Waters Field, said Cathy Salgado, the town's parks and recreation director. Vienna was already considering eliminating fireworks after this year's incident, because the mortar boxes could not be sufficiently inspected, Salgado said. At a Town Council work session this week,...
By Focus on Fairfax | December 13, 2007; 10:48 AM ET | Email a Comment
County Faces Budget Crisis
A shortfall of about $220 million faces the Fairfax County government according to this article from the front page of today's Washington Post. The crunch, which stems from the housing slump, could last several years and affect a range of county services and programs. So what gets cut? Let's hear what readers of Focus on Fairfax would do if you had to make the hard choices that face county leaders....
By Focus on Fairfax | December 12, 2007; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
UPDATE 12/03: Tysons Landowners Getting Behind Rail Plan
Updated 12/3 According to this article from Sunday's Metro section, support for rebooting the Tysons rail plan to put the rail line underground appears to be dwindling. Updated 11/29 From yesterday's Metro section: Opponents of an elevated rail line through Tysons Corner have sued the U.S. Department of Transportation, contending that the agency violated federal law by failing to seriously consider the idea of placing the track underground. The Tysons segment is part of the planned 23-mile Metrorail extension from Falls Church to Dulles International Airport, currently under review by DOT to determine whether it qualifies for federal funding. Tysons Tunnel Inc., a McLean-based group of Tysons property owners, civic groups and homeowner associations, filed the suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. It was joined as a plaintiff by Ratner Cos., a firm at Route 7 and Spring Hill Road, adjacent to a portion of the proposed elevated...
By Focus on Fairfax | December 3, 2007; 10:04 AM ET | Comments (4)
County: No Figure for Cost of Services For Illegal Immigrants
Fairfax County officials can't put a dollar amount on the amount of money the local governement spends on services used by illegal immigrants they say, partly because many of those services are "universal access;"required by federal law to be open to anyone, regardless of immigration status.The officials also cite the difficulty of counting how many undocumented immigrants live in here. This is in today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | November 27, 2007; 10:01 AM ET | Comments (2)
UPDATE 10/23: Connolly, Baise on Immigration
Updated 10/23 Candidates for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors spoke about their approach to local enforcement of federal immigration laws in a meeting yesterday with Washington Post reporters and editors . Gerald E. Connolly (D) said that he would not follow Prince Williams County's lead and try to cut off services for illegal immigrants. Gary H. Baise (R) said he would seek participation by county police in a program operated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to help them identify illegal immigrants. Read more about what the candidates said at the meeting here. Originally posted 8/24 Talk Radio host Chris Core yesterday asked his listeners to call Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Gerald E. Connolly's office to ask why Connolly didn't support the type on anti-illegal immigrant actions that neighboring Prince William County is attempting to enforce. Connolly has maintained that it is not...
By Focus on Fairfax | October 23, 2007; 09:35 AM ET | Comments (3)
Foster Care Underfunded
Virginia is one of the majority of U.S. states that is not contributing enough to cover the costs of providing basic care for the foster children in its system according to a University of Maryland study. The Fairfax Extra has the news about what some are calling a "crisis."...
By Focus on Fairfax | October 18, 2007; 11:51 AM ET | Email a Comment
Volunteers (2,200 of Them) Needed For Elections
Northern Virginia's local governments are asking for volunteers to man the polls in the upcoming election on Nov. 6. Read this story in the Fairfax Extra to find how you can help....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 18, 2007; 11:43 AM ET | Email a Comment
County Takes Look at Services It Could Deny Illegals
At the request of Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully), Fairfax County Executive Anthony H. Griffin has ordered staff to examine the services that the county provides to determine which could, under current law, be denied to illegal immigrants. Griffin said that there are no plans to revise the county's current policies and that the examination was for informational purposes only. More on the topic in this story from today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 17, 2007; 10:00 AM ET | Email a Comment
The Connolly Approach
This morning's Metro section offers this look at Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly and his approach to government; how he uses his office to steer policy and achieve his goals. Admirers of the Chairman have some things to say about all that, as do his critics. Feel free to share your view in the comments section....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 15, 2007; 09:58 AM ET | Email a Comment
Police Chiefs Worried About Cuts To Funding
According to this article from today's Metro section, local police chiefs are concerned that state spending cuts will affect public safety efforts. Fairfax County could lose up to $1.5 million....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 5, 2007; 11:06 AM ET | Email a Comment
Kaine Presents Preschool Plan
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine wants to expand state-funded preschool to 17,000 more underprivileged 4-year old Virginians. Last week he presented his plan for how to accomplish that. Read about it here, in the Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 4, 2007; 02:03 PM ET | Email a Comment
New Affordable Housing Requirements Draw Fire
Newly approved requirements that 12% of units in new high-rise housing must be designated for affordable housing if the developer wants to increase density over the current zoning allowances are drawing fire from critics who say the measure goes too far, or alternately not far enough. The Board of Supervisors also increased the amount of money a family could make and still qualify for affordable housing. Read the news in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 4, 2007; 01:46 PM ET | Email a Comment
Six-Figure Salary Households Get Subsidized Housing
According to this article from yesterday's front page, ten percent of the county's subsidized housing is occupied by families who no longer would qualify for assistance if they were just now seeking it. One of the households takes in more than $216,000 a year. County officials say there are no provisions for making renters who once qualified for assistance move on or pay more once there fortunes improve....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 1, 2007; 09:58 AM ET | Comments (1)
Chairman's Race Prompts Question on Position
With the race for the chairmanship of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors heating up, some voices are asking if the time has come to invest the office with real power and to make the board's Chairman an elected chief executive. The details are in this piece from Sunday's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | September 17, 2007; 11:09 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 9/17: Laborers Face First Days Without Herndon Center
Updated 9/17 This article from Saturday's Metro section and this one from Sunday's look at the new realities facing the workers seeking day labor jobs in Herndon now that the town's official workers' center is closed. Updated 9/13 From today's Metro section: After Herndon's hiring center for day laborers closes tomorrow, workers will begin soliciting employers for jobs on the sidewalk near Alabama Drive Park, an activist group announced yesterday. The workers are planning to hold a march at 10 a.m. tomorrow from the center to the park to draw employers' attention to the informal new job site, said Marco Amador, education and outreach coordinator for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. He said workers will begin gathering there Saturday morning. The workers also wanted "to show their disagreement with the closing of the center," Amador said. Town officials voted last week to shut down the center rather than open...
By Focus on Fairfax | September 17, 2007; 09:27 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 9/11: Supervisors Vote For Commercial Tax Increase
Updated 9/11 The Board of Supervisors yesterday voted unanimously for the tax increase, the first step to securing the new funding. The news is in today's Metro section. Originally published 8/8 The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will vote next month on whether to make the county the first Northern Virginia County to take advantage of a provision in the transportation agreement passed in the General Assembly in April and raise taxes on commercial property to fund transportation projects. Today's Metro section has the details....
By Focus on Fairfax | September 11, 2007; 09:17 AM ET | Comments (1)
UPDATE 9/10: Gun Owners' Suit Is Dismissed
From Saturday's Metro section: The Virginia Citizens Defense League's lawsuit against Fairfax County was dismissed yesterday by a judge who ruled that the plaintiff, which was seeking to hold a gun raffle, had sued the wrong defendant. County officials told the gun owners group in May that holding a raffle with guns as prizes constituted illegal gambling. The raffle was intended to raise money to assist two gun shops that New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I) targeted in a lawsuit. So the league sued Fairfax in July, seeking a court's declaration that the raffle did not violate state law. Assistant Fairfax County Attorney Erin C. Ward argued that the county did not write the law and that the commonwealth's attorney, who would decide whether to enforce it, is not a county employee. Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Marcus D. Williams agreed and dismissed the case. Richard E. Gardiner, the league's...
By Focus on Fairfax | September 10, 2007; 09:59 AM ET | Comments (2)
UPDATE 8/16: Herndon Will Operate Day-Labor Center
Updated 8/29 Unable to find a suitable private contractor, town officials say the center will be operated by the town government. The news is here. Updated 8/16 The Herndon town council voted last night to continue the operation of the day-labor center, but not to renew Project Hope and Harmony's operating contract. Now the council will renew the heretofore unsuccessful search for a new operator who will pledge to check workers' immigration status. The story is here. Originally posted 8/15 According to this article, last night's scheduled vote by the Herndon Town Council on the fate of the town's day-labor employment center was postponed after public testimony drove the council's meeting late into the night. The vote is now set for tonight....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 29, 2007; 02:43 PM ET | Email a Comment
Universal PreSchool Debate Heats Up
Gov. Kaine's decision to scale back his promise of state funded universal preschool for Virginia's four-year-olds has educators debating the merits of the idea versus the short-term cost cutting of providing the state dollars only for the neediest children. This article from today's front page takes a look at the issue....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 22, 2007; 10:31 AM ET | Email a Comment
Supervisor Wants Action on Springfield Eyesore
A dilapidated restaurant building in Springfield is being held up by some county officials as an example of the commercial blight that existing ordinances leave them ill-equipped to deal with. The story is in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 16, 2007; 11:49 AM ET | Email a Comment
Electric Commuter Cars in Fairfax's Future?
Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D) is asking transportation officials to study whether a small electric commuter car currently being developed at MIT could help solve local transportation woes. The idea is that the cars would be parked near rail transportation and borrowed and returned by commuters and tourists to get to and from other close-by destinations. Details were in yesterday's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 13, 2007; 10:25 AM ET | Comments (8)
Inmates Tackle Tall Grass Along Braddock Road
Fairfax County has been using the free labor of inmates from the county's detention center to cut the grass along Braddock Road this summer. Considering VDOT's problems keeping up with their regular maintenance recently, the idea seems to be win-win for everyone. This week's Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 10, 2007; 09:57 AM ET | Email a Comment
County Searching For Cemetery Land for Indigent
A longtime search for land in Fairfax County to bury the indigent dead continues. The Fairfax County Cemetery has been closed to new burials since 1993 and the county has been contracting with private burial grounds for most of its needs since then. There may be a solution ahead. Read the story in this week's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 10, 2007; 09:48 AM ET | Email a Comment
Housing Slump Hurts Fairfax Coffers
A potential budget shortfall of $120 million dollars has Fairfax County officials struggling to fund all of its government programs. The poor real estate market is driving down revenue to its lowest point in 15 years and accounts for most of the problem which could particularly affect county school budgets. A news story is in today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 7, 2007; 09:32 AM ET | Comments (4)
Questions About Revitalization in Seven Corners
Critics are questioning the commitment of county officials who say they want to revitalize commercial districts like Seven Corners, pointing to the piecemeal approach in that neighborhood and the lack of planning as examples of that the efforts are half-hearted. The story is here....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 6, 2007; 10:04 AM ET | Email a Comment
Company Cleared in Firings Connected to Iraq Incident
A private Herndon-based security contractor was cleared of wrongdoing yesterday in the firings of two of its employees who had been terminated for failing to immediately report their supervisor -- they waited two days -- to the company after he shot into civilian vehicles in Iraq. Details are here....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 2, 2007; 10:22 AM ET | Email a Comment
Bill on Public Safety Unions Has Local Ramifications
Virginia's prohibition on collective bargaining by public safety workers could be struck down if a bill just passed by the U.S. House of Representatives becomes law. Locally that could mean that the Fairfax County government might have to negotiate pay raises and benefits with police officers and firefighters in a way it never has before. Read the news story in today's Metro section here....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 1, 2007; 10:45 AM ET | Email a Comment
Residents Question Plan For Affordable Apartments
Skepticism from Springfield District residents greeted officials presiding over a meeting held last week about plans to build an affordable apartment complex adjacent to the county Government Center. The planned development is intended to house primarily county workers, but residents expressed concerns that the complex could shelter homeless people or be used for federally subsidized housing. Today's Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | July 26, 2007; 10:48 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 7/26: Charity Blames Connolly, County Staff for Some of Its Many Woes
Updated 7/26 Officials with Western Fairfax Christian Ministries acknowledge they made mistakes leading to the charity's current budgetary problems -- the organization has slashed its spending and laid off three-quarters of its staff -- but say "the biggest mistake we made was in ticking off Gerry Connolly," contending that the organization's struggles were an embarrassment to government officials. The news is in today's Fairfax Extra. Originally posted 5/1 Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, a coalition of churches based in Centreville which works to prevent homelessness, may have to shutter its doors permanently unless it can find emergency funding this week. When the news was unannounced at yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting, Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) expressed anger with county staff for failing to share the information with him in a timely fashion. County officials have said that ending homelessness in the county is one of their top priorities. Today's Metro...
By Focus on Fairfax | July 26, 2007; 10:06 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 7/24/07: Builders Find Loophole On Home Height Restrictions
Updated 7/24/07 According to this article from today's Metro section. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will try to close a loophole that has allowed some builders to construct homes in excess of the county's 35-foot limitation by artificially elevating lots with extra fill dirt. Supervisor Gerald W. Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) said that he has been receiving complaints about the practice from neighborhoods in his district. Updated 8/21/06 This article from this Saturday's Metro section describes how some builders and home buyers are trying to resolve problems with the height of their homes before they can move in. Updated 8/14 An article published in yesterday's Metro section explains how thousands of too tall homes cane to be built in the county. Updated 8/1 This Metro section story reports that the Board of Supervisors decided yesterday that buyers of new homes that are in violation of the height restrictions will have...
By | July 24, 2007; 10:23 AM ET | Comments (11)
Tackling Illegally Placed Trash Bins and Containers
In this file photo from 2004, a storage container called a "POD" sits on Fifer Street in the Mt. Vernon area. (Gerald Martaineau) Don't be surprised if you've got a storage container or dumpster parked on the street to come home and find it gone. The county is launching an effort to combat the illegal practice of parking such behemoths on public property, complete with a 24 hour hotline for neighbors to report violations. Today's Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | July 19, 2007; 10:36 AM ET | Email a Comment
Court Backing Asked on New Taxes for Transportation
The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is asking a judge to quickly rule on the legality of the authority's plan to impose new taxes and fees in January that would help to fund projects like a new interchange on the Fairfax County Parkway. More information is in in this article from Saturday's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | July 16, 2007; 10:32 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 7/16: New Wrinkles in Search for Laborer Center Operator
Updated 7/16 New developments int he search for an operator for the center mean that Reston Interfaith is likely to stay in place for a while, whether town officials like it or not. Read the news here. Originally posted 7/12 Herndon officials say that they may select one of the two applicants to run the town's day laborer employment center as early as Aug. 14. Whichever of the applicants the town chooses, it would be under instructions to check the legal immigration status of all workers that come through its doors. The story is in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | July 16, 2007; 10:18 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 7/12: Mandatory Paper Recycling is Here
Updated 7/12 Did you remember to put out the paper and cardboard this week? The new recycling rules are now in effect and trends in the movement are detailed in this article from the Fairfax Extra. Originally posted 6/27 From today's Metro section: Fairfax County officials announced yesterday that residents, businesses and institutions will be required to recycle cardboard, magazines, office paper, catalogs, cereal boxes, telephone books, envelopes and junk mail beginning July 10. The Board of Supervisors adopted the tougher recycling rules last year. The county's solid-waste management program handles more than 1.5 million tons of municipal solid waste and recyclables annually. It is projected to handle an additional 139,000 to 500,000 tons of waste a year by 2025....
By Focus on Fairfax | July 12, 2007; 01:59 PM ET | Comments (4)
Connolly's Job with Tysons Corporation Provokes Criticism
"Totally inappropriate" is how one of Gerald E. Connolly's fellow Democrats, McLean Citizen's association vice president Susan Turner, describes the Board of Supervisors chairman's work for SAIC, the area's fourth largest employer and major stake holder in decisions affecting land use and transportation issues in Tysons Corner. But Turner and other critics of Connolly's position with the company have not been able to cite any violation of the state's conflict of interest laws and the chairman says he has done everything above board, including recusing himself from votes that directly affect SAIC property. This article from yesterday's front page details Connolly's defense of his "other" job in the face of what some say is at least "a problem of appearances."...
By Focus on Fairfax | July 9, 2007; 10:50 AM ET | Comments (1)
Independence Day Celebrations and Closings
Courtesy of your Fairfax Extra, here are lists of holiday events and closings for next week....
By Focus on Fairfax | June 28, 2007; 12:55 PM ET | Email a Comment
Commission To Outline Future of Local Arts
Kurt Boehm as Icarus and Dwayne Nitz as Lennie in the January 2006 production of "Lift: Icarus & Me" the last production that Fairfax's Theater of the First Amendment has presented. The company's leaders say that the lack of suitable performance space -- an issue that the Commission for the Future of the Arts in Fairfax County hopes to address -- is keeping them off the stage. (Philippe Nobile) Today's Fairfax Extra cover story looks at the Commission for the Future of the Arts in Fairfax County and their task to outline a plan for local leaders to refer to when making decisions that affect arts and cultural groups. Commission leaders say that having a rich arts environment is not just a quality of life issue for Fairfax citizens, but can be a real economic driver as well....
By Focus on Fairfax | June 28, 2007; 12:31 PM ET | Comments (1)
Rail Plan May Quash Potential to Remake Tysons
Critics of the overhead rail plan in Tysons Corner have long said that building the Metrorail extension on elevated tracks may ruin any chance to create a walkable, bikeable downtown for the area. According to this story from today's Metro Section, that's entirely likely since the plan will eliminate any chance of remaking the cloverleaf interchange where routes 7 and 123 come together, effectively dividing Tysons Corner....
By Focus on Fairfax | June 27, 2007; 10:21 AM ET | Comments (3)
Fairfax Board Approves $1 Per Trip for Rising Fuel Costs
From today's Metro section: Starting today, taxicab customers will pay an additional $1 a trip in Fairfax County to help taxi companies bear the rising cost of fuel. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the surcharge yesterday on an emergency basis and made it effective through Aug. 6. The board agreed to hold a public hearing Aug. 6 on whether to extend the surcharge through January. The supervisors enacted the surcharge at the request of Murphy Brothers Inc., owner of Falls Church Yellow Cab and Red Top Cab. -- Amy Gardner...
By Focus on Fairfax | June 19, 2007; 10:22 AM ET | Email a Comment
Supervisors Vote To Fund Metro Extension
The news from today's Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting is here. A rendering from the state of what one of the rail stations at Tysons will look like under the elevated plan. (Courtesy diDomenico and Partners, LLP, New York)...
By Focus on Fairfax | June 18, 2007; 03:05 PM ET | Comments (1)
Primary Election Results
The results of yesterday's primary elections are discussed in this article from this morning's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | June 13, 2007; 10:14 AM ET | Email a Comment
Military Matters Looks at a Farewell for Some Soldiers.
Today's Military Matters column takes us to the scene of a farewell for some local soldiers as they head off to prepare for deployment to Iraq. Also the column offers a preview of a new book about Arlington National Cemetery from National Geographic Books....
By Focus on Fairfax | June 7, 2007; 11:54 AM ET | Email a Comment
Voter's Guide
Find out what you need to know before you head to the polls for Tuesday's primary elections by following these links to articles from today's Fairfax Extra Providence District Democratic Primary Springfield District Republican Primary Virginia Senate, 39th District Democratic Primary Virginia House of Delegates, 34th District Democratic Primary Virginia House of Delegates 40th District, Democratic Primary Also take a look at today's Virginia Notebook column which examines how social issues factor in for candidates for the Virginia Senate....
By Focus on Fairfax | June 7, 2007; 11:21 AM ET | Email a Comment
Springfield GOP Candidates on the Issues
The Republican candidates for the Springfield seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Pat S. Herrity and Stan L. Reid, have similar positions on issues of development but differ on the continued existence of the Fairfax County Development Authority; Herrity likes it, Reid doesn't. Read more on the candidates platforms in this article from yesterday's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | June 4, 2007; 10:24 AM ET | Comments (2)
County's Committment to Affordable Housing
Fairfax County government leaders have long been saying that more needs to be done to provide affordable housing here in one of the nation's wealthiest jurisdictions. To that end, the county will commit $23 million to affordable housing in fiscal 2008 and to provide over the next four years 2,200 new units of affordable housing for families earning no more than $47,250 per year. Today's Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 31, 2007; 12:43 PM ET | Email a Comment
And The Green Grass Grew All Around, All Around
Tall grass in medians and along public roadways in Fairfax County is generating many complaints to county supervisors' offices. But mowing is the responsibility of the Virginia Department of Transportation, not the county. Tall grass, un-mowed on the median strip along Braddock Road blocks a clear view of the west bound traffic wishing to turn left off Braddock Road into a subdivision. (Photo by Richard A. Lipski ) But it's an election year and being seen as responsive is important, so local leaders are adding their voices to the hue and cry. The news from the Post's Metro section is here....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 29, 2007; 10:50 AM ET | Comments (1)
Supervisors Seek End to Loopholes on Home Additions
For years say county officials, builders have been exploiting a loophole in the county code that allows them to build what are essentially new homes on existing foundations and call the projects additions, thus avoiding meeting more stringent health and safety requirements. Now the Board of Supervisors is looking to close the loophole. Read about it here....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 25, 2007; 10:53 AM ET | Comments (5)
County Considers Restrictions On Big-Box Retailers
County government leaders, who have articulated a desire to revitalize an ever-increasingly urban Fairfax, have put restrictions on mammoth one-story stores on the table. The news is in today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 18, 2007; 10:13 AM ET | Email a Comment
Judicial Nominees
Sens. Warner and Webb came up with the names, President Bush gets to pick: Read this article from the Fairfax Extra to see who has been nominated to fill a judge's seat for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 17, 2007; 03:32 PM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 5/17: Judge Dismisses Falls Church's Suit Over Water Service
Updated 5/17 Yesterday's federal court ruling clears the way for the Fairfax Water to sell water to county residents who have traditionally obtained water from the City of Falls Church, according to today's news from the Metro section. Originally posted 3/13 The Fairfax County Water Authority has asked for a dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the City of Falls Church over who has the rights to provide water service to county residents in some neighborhoods adjacent to the city. Read about it in this story from today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 17, 2007; 08:56 AM ET | Comments (1)
County Kept Quiet on Rating For Building Inspections
An independent finding last year that Fairfax County's residential building inspectors were carrying workloads beyond their capacity to adequately do their jobs was not released publicly for 11 months. A front page article on the news is here....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 15, 2007; 10:44 AM ET | Comments (3)
Immigration and Overcrowded Houses
This front page article in yesterday's paper on neighborhood disputes over overcrowded houses in Fairfax County has spawned a spirited discussion with people from Fairfax, the Washington region and elsewhere in the country, joining in by posting comments about the problem. Focus on Fairfax invites readers to continue the discussion here....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 14, 2007; 10:53 AM ET | Comments (9)
School Bond Referendum Set for Nov. 6
A $365.2 million bond measure will be put before voters in the Nov.6 election. The Fairfax County School Board would use the money to build two new schools and renovate and expand others and to expand the county's full-day kindergarten program. The news is in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 10, 2007; 12:11 PM ET | Email a Comment
Dulles International Opens USO Lounge
A new welcome center designed for the 300,000 men and women in uniform who pass annually through Dulles International Airport is finally open. Read about it in today's Military Matters column....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 3, 2007; 11:00 AM ET | Email a Comment
More Than 3,200 New Students Projected From Belvoir Expansion
Fairfax County Public Schools will need to prepare for an influx of 3,200 new students because of the Fort Belvoir BRAC expansion, according to estimates from the U.S. Army. Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) said he expects the U.S. Government to share the costs of new school construction and other expenses associated with the sudden increase in the number of schoolchildren. Read the tale in this Metro news article....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 3, 2007; 10:16 AM ET | Email a Comment
County Budget Set For Approval Next Week
With final approval of the next year's Fairfax County budget scheduled for next week, members of the Board of Supervisors, including Sharon S. Bulova (D-Braddock, who called the budget process "the quietest, least contentious in my 20 years in office," are marveling at the the lack of rancor the procedings engendered. The story is in today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 24, 2007; 09:48 AM ET | Email a Comment
Legislative Action, Inaction: What You Should Know
With the latest General Assembly session in the rear-view mirror, this article has some things you should know about which bills passed and which bills didn't in Richmond. Elsewhere in the Fairfax Extra's government and politics coverage, check out Tim Craig's Virginia Politics column for some thoughts about how the scarlet letter in November's election might be "R."...
By Focus on Fairfax | April 12, 2007; 11:21 AM ET | Email a Comment
Tysons Traffic Unfunded for Upcoming Construction
According to this article from today's Metro section, despite two major construction projects set to begin within a year, state transportation officials have yet to set aside any cash for the management of traffic through Tysons Corner during that time....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 10, 2007; 08:42 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 4/16: More on Retiring Prosecutor
Updated 4/16 The race to see who will be elected to replace retiring Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney, Robert F. Horan is already heating up according to this article in Saturday's paper. More on Horan and his 40-year career was in yesterday's Metro section. Updated 4/10 Horan announced his retirement this morning. Originally posted 4/9 Robert F. Horan, a fixture as Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney for 40 years is considering retirement. According to this article from Saturday's Metro section, he will make his decision by next week....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 9, 2007; 10:25 AM ET | Email a Comment
County Preaches "Green;" Practice is Another Story
The Fairfax County government may find it hard to practice what it preaches with regard to newly announced plans to emphasize environmental stewardship throughout the county. Find out why in this article from today's front page....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 3, 2007; 09:58 AM ET | Email a Comment
Richmond Vote on Builder Fees Set for Wednesday
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's (D) proposal to give local governments greater powers to impose fees on developers to help offset the traffic congestion their projects create, is set to come to a vote before the General Assembly on Wednesday. Supporters of the proposal say that such a measure will be helpful, but critics in the building industry say that they will be forced to pass additional costs along to their customers. The details are in this article from yesterday's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 2, 2007; 10:40 AM ET | Email a Comment
Election Registrar Agress To Stay for More $$$
Jacquelynne C. Harris, Fairfax County's election registrar had announced she would leave, saying that long hours and stresses of her job were not worth her $93,411 annual salary. The Board of Supervisors, with two years of important elections looming, decided this would not be a good time to change horses. TThe Elections Board, with the blessing of the supervisors, offered a boost to $105,000 and Harris will stay. The Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 29, 2007; 11:18 AM ET | Email a Comment
County Prosecutor's Office Woes
Cecilia A. Ruiz, 30, a former administrative aide in the Fairfax County prosecutor's was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison yesterday for erasing an Annandale man's drunk-driving conviction. It's the second bit of embarrassing news for the prosecutor's office this month. Last week an assistant prosecutor was criticized for reducing charges against an accused rapist. The news is here....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 29, 2007; 10:20 AM ET | Email a Comment
Politics: Local Pols Debate Transportation; Other Items
Today's Fairfax Politics column focuses on what's going on behind the scenes and behind closed doors as local leaders discuss transportation issues. Read about it and tell us what you think; what more could leaders at the county and city level of government be doing to help the state fix our transportation woes?...
By Focus on Fairfax | March 22, 2007; 02:47 PM ET | Comments (1)
Cities' Budget Proposal Highlights
Check out this story from the Fairfax Extra to see highlights from the recently issued budget proposals from Falls Church and the City of Fairfax....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 22, 2007; 02:42 PM ET | Email a Comment
Connolly To Outline Environmental Proposals Tonight
In his televised State of the County address at 6:30 p.m. tonight, Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) is set to provide details of an initiative that could put Fairfax at the forefront among U.S. counties who are providing incentives for businesses and private citizens to make environmentally-friendly choices. The details are in this front page article in today's Washington Post....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 15, 2007; 08:47 AM ET | Comments (2)
$124 Million Budget Offered for Fairfax City
From today's Metro section: Fairfax City Manager Robert Sisson has proposed a $124.3 million budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 that includes increases in taxes and fees. Sisson asked the City Council on Tuesday for a 3-cent increase in the city's real estate tax rate, to 74 cents per $100 of assessed value. He also proposed a doubling of the meals tax to 4 percent and a 3 percent increase in water and sewer rates. If approved by the council, the budget would increase spending by 5.1 percent over the current fiscal year. -- Bill Turque...
By Focus on Fairfax | March 15, 2007; 08:35 AM ET | Comments (1)
Supervisors Define, Endorse Transit-Oriented Development
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors yesterday formally approved a policy which will encourage high-density, pedestrian-friendly development within a half mile of transit stations. The news is here....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 13, 2007; 08:46 AM ET | Comments (2)
Tysons Tunnel Pits Chamber Against Chamber
The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce last week sent a letter to Gov. Kaine expressing concern about the support it's sister chamber in McLean is throwing behind the effort to get the Metrorail through Tysons Corner going underground instead of over head. At the the root of the Reston business community's concerns is the danger of higher tolls for those using the Dulles Toll Road should the pursuit of the tunnel option destroy hopes of federal funding assistance for the project. The news story is in this morning's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 12, 2007; 09:41 AM ET | Email a Comment
Veto of Red-Light Cameras Urged
From today's Metro section: The Fairfax County Privacy Council is urging Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) to veto legislation that would allow communities with 10,000 or more residents to install cameras to catch drivers who run red lights. A red light camera in use at Chainbridge Rd and Lee Highway during the 2005 pilot program. (Larry Morris) The red-light camera program would replace an experiment that ended in 2005 in Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Vienna and Virginia Beach and Arlington and Fairfax counties. Safety advocates say red light cameras reduce accidents and aggressive driving, but privacy groups have raised concerns about personal liberties. In an e-mail alert sent to members and supporters yesterday, the Fairfax privacy group said red-light cameras violate the rights of drivers and contribute to rear-end collisions. -- Eric M. Weiss...
By Focus on Fairfax | March 9, 2007; 10:08 AM ET | Comments (2)
Public Appearances Rule Connolly's Schedule
This week's Fairfax politics column takes a look at a recent and fairly typical Saturday for Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, a day packed with 12 hours of public appearances....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 8, 2007; 12:54 PM ET | Email a Comment
Fairfax By The Numbers
Today's Fairfax Extra offers a package of stories based on some numbers that impact county citizens lives, beginning with this look at the spending plan driving the $3.3 billion 2008 budget. The print edition of the Extra also has a map and graph with information about about property assessments. If your curious here is how your bill was calculated and here is information about what to do if you don't agree with it or have other questions. Finally we offer a collection of numbers that reflect things as diverse as the number of library cards issued in the county to the number of dollars collected by the county for massage therapy permits....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 8, 2007; 12:42 PM ET | Email a Comment
Baise Edges Closer to Challenging Connolly
Attorney and former Nixon Administration official Gary H. Baise is edging closer to becoming a Republican candidate in the 2007 race for chairman of the Fairfax County Board. Sources say Baise has commissioned a poll to determine what issues might provide the basis for an effective challenge to incumbent Democrat Gerald E. Connolly. Baise, a Falls Church resident, has been meeting with potential supporters and says he will make a decision most likely within the next 30 days. He declined to discuss the poll: "I wouldn't want to comment at this point." Baise is a litigator for the Washington firm Kilpatrick Stockton, where he specializes in environmental and land use issues. He held a string of top federal jobs in early 1970s, as chief of staff to the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, William D. Ruckelshaus, executive assistant to the acting director of the FBI and acting deputy...
By Bill Turque | March 6, 2007; 10:53 AM ET | Comments (7)
Child Care Subsidy Shortage Brings Tough Choices
More than 10,600 children are on a waiting list for child-care subsidies in Virginia. While they wait for assistance, some families are saying that they need to restructure their lives and job arrangements, and even stop working, to balance the needs of their children. Read about one such family from Reston in this article from today's front page....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 6, 2007; 10:18 AM ET | Email a Comment
Callahan Set To Retire From Va. House
After 40 years in the General Assembly, Fairfax Republican Vincent F. Callahan Jr. said yesterday, "...it is time to move on." Read the news in today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 6, 2007; 10:11 AM ET | Comments (1)
Jet Noise Riles McLean Residents
Members of the McLean Citizen's Association say that noise from planes flying in and out of Reagan National Airport is getting worse and are seeking help from Rep. Frank Wolf (R) and the FAA. Read about it in today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 2, 2007; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
Supervisors' Financial Disclosures Show Differences
As required by law members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors file an annual Statement of Economic Interest. Today's Fairfax Extra reports on what the disclosures reveal....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 1, 2007; 10:58 AM ET | Email a Comment
Supes Line Up to Add Proposals to Budget
Members of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors are lining up with proposed additions to the new budget presented on Monday by County Executive Anthony H. Griffin. Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth (D-Providence) wants $600,000 to improve the county's ability to enforce promises made by developers to limit traffic. In exchange for approval of projects, companies often agree to offer workers parking discounts, encourage car and van pooling, and subsidize Metro or VRE fares, all in the name of what planners call "transportation demand management" (TDM). But Fairfax County has done little to enforce these agreements, which have proliferated in recent years. Smyth said there are currently 140 TDM "proffers," or promises from developers, that need monitoring. She wants $177,638 to fund two positions in the county Department of Transportation for officials to scrutinize and enforce TDM commitments. She also wants spend $250,000 a year for marketing and outreach consultants to help...
By Bill Turque | March 1, 2007; 10:44 AM ET | Comments (1)
Local Governments Don't Want Responsibilities For Roads
According to the news in this morning's Metro section, local governments in Northern Virginia will likely be required to take on some responsibilities for new local roads if they are going to take full advantage of the transportation package that was passed by the General Assembly in Richmond last week....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 28, 2007; 11:01 AM ET | Comments (3)
Kauffman Fumes
Since announcing last month that he would not seek re-election to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, Dana Kauffman's long-simmering frustration with County Executive Anthony H. Griffin and his staff has bubbled to the surface. The ordinarily soft-spoken Kauffman (D-Lee) was visably furious on Monday over the inclusion on the agenda of a $767,000 contract award for the renovation and expansion of the Richard Byrd Community Library in Springfield. Kauffman said he had asked county staff repeatedly in recent weeks whether the architectural and engineering contract would allow for the eventual addition of a second story, but that he got nowhere. When he saw the item on the agenda before the Feb. 26 meeting, he angrily confronted Griffin. The matter was pulled from consideration. "It's one of the reasons there will be a new Lee District supervisor here next year," Kauffman fumed during the meeting. Kauffman is exasperated with what he...
By Bill Turque | February 28, 2007; 10:47 AM ET | Comments (1)
Home Assessments Fall--First Time in Nine Years
This front page article from this morning's Washington Post carries the news that for the first time since 1998, the average home assessment in Fairfax County has fallen. Most residents can expect slightly lower property tax bills than those they received last year. Meanwhile the county government is figuring out how to continue to fund its budget with less money....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 27, 2007; 09:37 AM ET | Comments (1)
County Budget Proposal is for $3.3 Billion
A budget for fiscal year 2008 of $3.3 billion , an increase of 1.34 over the fiscal year 2007 revised budget plan, was proposed to the Board of Supervisors by Anthony H. Griffin, the county executive today. Also today, the county said it began mailing assessments to property owners, and the majority of residential properties decreased or showed no change in value. The overall equalization change for residential property was .33 percent. Commercial properties showed an overall equalization increase of 13.57 percent. Assessments by area showed a range of increases from an average rise in Lorton of 2.59 percent to an average decrease in Fairfax Station of 3.05 percent. Details on the budget and on assessments will appears in tomorrow's editions of The Washington Post and in the March 8 issue of the Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 26, 2007; 12:49 PM ET | Comments (1)
North Hill Compromise to Offer Housing, Trails?
Supervisor Gerald W. Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) said the compromise proposal to redevelop land in the North Hill section of the Route 1 corridor, as a mix of walking trails and affordable housing, would leave no one "completely happy" but would at last solve the dilemma of what to do with the 33 acre parcel which has been vacant since 1981. Read about the history of the land and the feud about what to do with it here, in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 22, 2007; 10:28 AM ET | Email a Comment
Herndon Labor Center Reports First Year Success
The Herndon Official Workers Center reports that nearly 6,000 immigrant laborers were hired for more than 10,000 jobs during the center's first year of operation prompting the director of the nonprofit that operates the center to declare it, "a very successful year." But even as the report was released, town officials were moving forward with finding a new private operator for the center. The news is in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 22, 2007; 10:12 AM ET | Email a Comment
Cell Phone Ban for State's Teen Drivers Likely
According to this article from today's Washington Post, a ban on the use of cell phone by teenage drivers is likely to become a state law now that it has passed the Virginia House of Delegates. What do you think? If driving and using a cell phone is such a distraction, shouldn't an ban for all drivers be enacted? If not, why not? Would such a proposal have been politically dead on arrival? This ban would affect no voters, only those 17 and younger....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 22, 2007; 09:59 AM ET | Email a Comment
Red-Light Cameras In, Touch-Screen Voting Machines Out
According to this article from today's Metro section, thanks to legislation passed by the General Assembly in Richmond, it looks like photo enforcement cameras will soon be making a return to an intersection near you. And in other legislative news, touch-screen voting machines (we hardly knew ye) are going to be phased out in favor of machines, such as optical scanners, that leave paper trails marked with voters' choices....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 21, 2007; 10:19 AM ET | Comments (1)
Kaine Expected to Sign Mount Vernon Whiskey Measure
From today's Metro section: A spokesman for Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said yesterday that the governor is expected to sign into law a measure that would allow the Mount Vernon estate to sell small amounts of George Washington's own brand of rye whiskey. The estate will sell whiskey from the first president's rebuilt distillery, which is scheduled to open to the public next month. Mount Vernon historians have said that after serving two terms as president, Washington was the nation's largest producer of whiskey in 1799, producing 11,000 gallons a year in a state-of-the-art distillery. Archaeologists found the remains of the distillery in 1997, and it has been rebuilt with funding from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America. The distillery will reopen next month with a museum and will serve as part of the American Whiskey Trail, which runs...
By Focus on Fairfax | February 21, 2007; 10:07 AM ET | Email a Comment
Filing Fee Is Hurdle for Young Hopeful
Adam Boltik would like to put his name on the Republican primary ballot for the Springfield District Supervisors' seat. But the College of William and Mary junior says that the $1,180 filing fee to enter the race is beyond his current means and unfair. Read the story here....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 20, 2007; 10:59 AM ET | Email a Comment
Fairfax's Push for Gun Limits Dies in House
From Saturday's Metro section: A bill promoted by Fairfax County to ban the carrying of guns into certain areas of police stations and other law enforcement buildings died in a state House subcommittee yesterday. Fairfax County Police Chief David M. Rohrer pushed for the bill, in part because of the shooting deaths of two officers outside the Sully police station in May. The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), passed the Senate unanimously Feb. 1. But it did not survive yesterday's hearing in a subcommittee of the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety, chaired by Del. Thomas C. Wright Jr. (R-Lunenburg). The panel's other four members also represent primarily rural areas opposed to gun restrictions. Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) expressed frustration with the bill's demise and said it reflects a lack of understanding of the challenges urban counties face with...
By Focus on Fairfax | February 20, 2007; 10:35 AM ET | Comments (1)