Commonwealth’s Attorney

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Monday Hopes to Enliven Rosslyn’s Restaurant Scene — Building owner Monday Properties is hoping to bring in some new restaurants to the Rosslyn area and shake off the “stigma” that there’s no nighttime foot traffic in the office-oriented neighborhood. The company just signed two new restaurants — Roti Mediterranean Grill at 1501 Wilson Blvd and Ahra Cafe & Sandwich Bar at 1100 Wilson Blvd. It’s hoping to find more restaurant tenants for its 1501 Wilson property. Ahra Cafe, meanwhile, is replacing three existing businesses, including a beloved coffee shop. [Washington Business Journal]

Stamos Handily Wins Fundraising Crown in Prosecutor Race — Theo Stamos has a nearly 30-to-1 cash advantage over David Deane in the Democratic primary for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Arlington. [Sun Gazette]

Sauca Now Serves Beer, Liquor — Sauca Restaurant (4707 Columbia Pike) has obtained its liquor license and is now serving a selection of beer and fruity cocktails. [Pike Wire]

Best Cellars in Clarendon Closes — Best Cellars in Clarendon opened its doors to customers for the last time yesterday. The wine store closed after being unable to reach new terms for a long-term lease renewal with its landlord, ARLnow.com is told. However, in the store’s window was a more humorous list of explanations for the closing. [Clarendon Culture]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Moran: Arlington an Example for the Nation — Rep. Jim Moran (D) says that Arlington’s transit-oriented growth sets an example for other communities to follow.  For communities currently lacking such infrastructure, Moran says that tax policy can be used to help entice developers to build near transit hubs. [WAMU]

Death Penalty May Be Dividing Line in Race — The death penalty may be a key difference between the two Democrats who are running for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Arlington. “The death penalty doesn’t have a place in a civilized society,” said one candidate, defense attorney David Deane, in a recent appearance. His opponent, Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos, has previously said she supports capital punishment in certain circumstances. [Sun Gazette]

Public Access Idea for Comcast — In response to the news that the county is holding focus groups regarding the upcoming renewal of Comcast’s cable franchise in Arlington, one blogger has floated an idea for a different type of ‘public access’ channel. The idea: allow members of the general public to upload videos to a ‘staging server’ where they would be reviewed, screened for inappropriate content and then broadcast in rotation with other community-generated videos. [Ode Street Tribune]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Has Biggest Income Jump in U.S. — The 2010 Census data is out, and Arlington had the largest jump in median income among municipalities in the United States. Median household income rose by $12,705 between 2000 and 2009. Two other Northern Virginia localities — Alexandria city and Loudoun County — were also among the biggest income gainers. [Bloomberg]

Hispanic Population Falling in Arlington — While the Hispanic population is on the rise in many parts of Virginia, new census data shows that the Hispanic population in Arlington has actually shrunk. The Hispanic population in Arlington fell 11 percent between 2000 and 2009. Arlington’s Asian population, meanwhile, jumped by 21 percent, while the non-Hispanic white population rose by 16 percent. [Washington Post]

Alexandria Happy With HOT Lanes Decision — Alexandria’s mayor says his city “has always and will always be opposed to” High Occupancy Toll lanes. Thus VDOT’s decision to scrap its plan to build HOT lanes on I-395 came as good news for Alexandria. The project was canceled largely thanks to a $1.5 million lawsuit funded by Arlington taxpayers. [Washington Examiner]

Defense Attorney Enters Race to Become Top Prosecutor — Defense attorney David Deane has officially announced his candidacy for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Arlington. Deane will be challenging Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos for the Democratic nomination. Stamos was recently endorsed by the Arlington Coalition of Police and the Falls Church Police Association. The top prosecutor job is being vacated by the retiring Richard Trodden. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Mattron

County Tax Assessor Unveils New Campaign Song

By ARLnow.com

Ingrid Morroy may be best known for being Arlington’s chief tax assessor, but on the campaign trail she’s known as the chief singer-songwriter for county Democrats.

Morroy, the county’s Commissioner of Revenue, often performs songs about political causes and candidates at Arlington County Democratic Committee events.

Together with her sister Judith, Morroy unveiled a new tune over the weekend, in support of Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate Theo Stamos. Stamos is expected to face defense attorney David Deane in the Democratic primary later this year.

Morroy, who’s also up for reelection this year, performed the song at the home of former Falls Church mayor Robin Gardner. The Morroy sisters also perform locally with their band, The Constituents.

Video courtesy of James E. Martin

DEVELOPING: Arlington’s Top Prosecutor Retiring

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney Richard E. Trodden announced his retirement today.

The four-term prosecutor said he will not seek re-election next year. In a statement, Trodden endorsed Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos to be his successor.

“Theo has earned, in her nearly 25 years of experience, the respect of the bench, the defense bar, her colleagues and the citizens of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church,” Trodden said. “She is the right person at the right time.”

Stamos, a Democrat, also has the backing of Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur and Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Ferguson.

“Theo is tough but fair,” said Ferguson. “She’s a compassionate and caring person,” as well as “a great prosecutor and a community leader.”

Stamos says she’s ready for the job.

“I’m passionate about the work our office does and I’m grateful for Dick’s endorsement,” she said. “I’m looking forward to campaigning and to winning the support of the voters of Arlington and Falls Church.”

Photo via Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney