election

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Students Head to White House – Two hundred fifty students from five Arlington elementary schools will be heading to the White House today to participate in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. [Arlington Public Schools]

Student Project Heading to Space Station – A science game invented by a group of Barrett Elementary School students was the winner of a national NASA-run contest and will now be played aboard the International Space Station. [WUSA 9]

Examiner Takes on 31st District Senate Race – On Saturday, the Washington Examiner simultaneously published two very similar articles by the same reporter on the same subject. The articles take a critical look at the financial and backroom political support received by County Board member Barbara Favola in her campaign for the retiring Mary Margaret Whipple’s state Senate seat. In addition to rehashing an article first published by ARLnow.com, the Examiner quotes potential Favola rival Ben Tribbett as saying that unnamed Senate leaders are trying to ruin his technology consulting business to keep him out of the race. [Washington Examiner]

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

More State Senate Endorsements

By ARLnow.com

Libby Garvey and Del. Adam Ebbin, both trailing Rob Krupicka in fundraising, picked up some endorsements yesterday in the Democratic primary battle for the 30th District state Senate seat.

Garvey, Chair of the Arlington County School Board, received the endorsement of Fairfax County School Board member Dan Storck and Fairfax County Mt. Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland.

“Libby Garvey offers a unique combination of vision and a proven track record of getting things done,” Hyland said in a statement. “Libby is exactly the style of leader we need working for us in Richmond.”

Ebbin, meanwhile picked up endorsements from three Arlington County officials: County Board member Jay Fisette, Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy and Treasurer Frank O’Leary.

“When Arlington needed a public defender’s office to ensure the fairness of our judicial system, we turned to Adam Ebbin to help us secure the funding,” Fisette said in a statement. “When we needed him, he delivered, and will continue to do so in the Senate.”

Krupicka, an Alexandria City Councilman, has previously received endorsements from Alexandria officials like Mayor Bill Euille.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Empty Courthouse Office Building for Sale — The big, white Verizon office building at 1320 N. Courthouse Road is actually vacant — and for sale. After nearly 30 years as a tenant, Verizon left its offices in the building. The owner is now seeking interested buyers or joint venture partners. [GlobeSt.com]

Westover to Hold Easter Egg Hunt — Children 9 years old and younger are invited to participate in Westover Village’s Easter egg hunt on Saturday. The event is being held from 10:00 a.m. to noon next to the Westover Library. Admission is free and yes, the Easter Bunny will be there. [VisitWestover.com]

State Senate Candidates Forum — Democratic candidates for the 30th District state Senate seat participated in their first public forum of the campaign. Del. Adam Ebbin, Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka and Arlington School Board member Libby Garvey answered questions about their stance on business issues and other policy matters. [Del Ray Patch]

Candidates Haul in Cash for 30th District State Senate Race

By ARLnow.com

Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka has out-raised his two Democratic opponents in the race for the 30th District state Senate seat.

As of March 31, Krupicka had raised $101,143. That places him well ahead of Del. Adam Ebbin, who has raised $72,989, and Arlington School Board Chair Libby Garvey, who has raised $55,720.

Krupicka’s biggest donor is businessman Robert Henry Duggar, who contributed $5,000 to his campaign. Ebbin’s biggest donor is the pro-immigrant-rights Laborers’ International Union of North America, which also contributed $5,000. Garvey’s biggest donor is the campaign fund of Sen. Patsy Ticer, who is retiring after 16 years of representing the 30th District. Ticer for Virginia Senate has contributed $10,000 to Garvey’s campaign.

On the Republican side, Alexandria businessman Michael Maibach appears to be gearing up for a run (see below). Maibach told us he was thinking about entering the race, but so far hasn’t formally announced his candidacy. Nonetheless, “Mike Maibach for Senate” has $10,000 cash on hand after floating a large campaign loan. Meanwhile, a web site — mikemaibach.com — is currently under construction.

The 30th District currently includes much of South Arlington, as well as most of Alexandria and a portion of Fairfax County, although state legislators are still in the process of drawing new district boundaries. See the fundraising totals for local House of Delegates races on the Blue Virginia blog.

Update at 3:50 p.m. — Maibach says he is no longer planning on running, but notes that he has not made a final decision on the matter.

“As of right now my intention is not to be a candidate,” he told ARLnow.com. “I’m hoping the party will find somebody else.”

Developers Donate to Favola’s Senate Campaign

By ARLnow.com

The list of donors to Arlington County Board member Barbara Favola’s state Senate campaign is raising a few eyebrows among local political watchers.

More than half of the nearly $60,000 raised by Favola has come from local developers, including a whopping $25,000 from John G. Shooshan, chairman of the Arlington-based Shooshan Company. Shooshan has had business before the board recently, related to the company’s massive Founders Square project in Ballston.

Other big contributors to Favola’s campaign include Preston Caruthers, who donated $5,000, Mark Silverwood, who donated $2,000, and Thomas Shooltz, who donated $1,000.

Caruthers, a developer, is supporting Favola, a Democrat, despite the fact that he’s a big contributor to Republican causes. Caruthers is a noted philanthropist and recently gave $100,000 to the Arlington planetarium.

Silverwood is the president of the Silverwood Companies, a Northern Virginia development and property management firm. The company manages several properties in Arlington County, including the Quebec Apartments on Columbia Pike. Shooltz is a part-owner of Ironwood Realty Partners, whose developments include the currently under-construction Garfield Park at Clarendon Village project.

Public records show that Favola received just shy of 100 individual campaign contributions from Jan. 1 to March 31.

County Board members have avoided taking contributions from developers for their board campaigns, to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Favola said that practice does not extend to campaigns for higher office.

“Traditionally County Board members have not asked for contributions [from developers] for their County Board races. I am not running for the County Board, I am running for the state Senate,” she said. “So they’re actually contributing to get me off the County Board.”

“Everything here is reported, there is nothing illegal about what I have received,” Favola continued. “My vote can’t be bought in the state Senate. People are contributing to me because they respect me and have confidence in me. They also have valued my contributions on the County Board.”

Favola is currently the only candidate to formally announce for the 31st District state Senate seat, which is being vacated by the retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple.

Gov. McDonnell Vetoes Redistricting Plan

By ARLnow.com

Virgina Gov. Bob McDonnell vetoed a redistricting plan approved by the General Assembly, adding another layer of drama to the local races for state legislature.

McDonnell, a Republican, said the districts in the Democratic-controlled state Senate’s redistricting plan did not “preserve communities of interest, ensure compact districts and maintain generally equivalent populations in each district.” That, the governor said, is a violation of state and federal law.

This is the first time a Virginia governor has vetoed a redistricting plan since 1981.

Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, meanwhile, is accusing Gov. McDonnell of “playing politics” with his veto. He pledged to approve the exact same redistricting plan again while daring the governor to veto it.

The plan approved by Saslaw and the state Senate would have extended the Arlington-centric 31st District (above) into eastern Fairfax and Loudoun counties. McDonnell’s veto will throw the races for the 30th and 31st state Senate districts into a state of uncertainty — candidates will have no way of knowing the final boundaries of the district they’re running for.

New State Senate Contender?

By ARLnow.com

A source tells us that Jaime Areizaga-Soto, who’s rumored as a potential Democratic candidate for the 31st District state Senate seat, announced to co-workers yesterday that he has decided to enter the race.

Areizaga-Soto is a senior attorney at the U.S. Agency for International Development, a Stanford Law grad, and a senior advisor to Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, the retiring occupant of the 31st District seat. An Arlington resident, Areizaga-Soto is active in the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia, the Arlington County Democratic Committee and the National Puerto Rican Coalition.

Areizaga-Soto is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the JAG Corps of the District of Columbia National Guard. According to this biography, he is fluent in Portuguese, French and Spanish.

If he is indeed running — we have not been able to independently confirm his candidacy — he will face County Board member Barbara Favola in this summer’s Democratic primary. A third potential candidate, political consultant and blogger Ben Tribbett, has also indicated that he may enter the race.

The 31st District was recently redrawn and, pending final approval, will include parts of North Arlington, eastern Fairfax County and eastern Loudoun County.

Photo via Sorensen Institute/University of Virginia

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Wright Gate Reopening — Fort Myer’s Wright Gate, used by local bicyclists and pedestrians, will reopen on Monday. The gate, located at N. Meade Street and Marshall Drive, closed for repairs in March. Starting Monday, it will be open from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. Henry Gate, at Arlington Blvd and Pershing Drive, will revert to its normal hours: 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

State Senate Race Could Get Interesting — Could a well-funded Republican candidate defeat a Democrat this fall in the race for Arlington’s newly-redrawn 31st state Senate district? Sun Gazette Editor Scott McCaffrey thinks so. [Sun Gazette]

Creepy Encounter on Orange Line — A woman says a man pressed up against her in an inappropriate manner on an Orange Line train between Court House and Ballston stations. [Unsuck DC Metro]

Reminder: Crystal City 5K Photo Contest — Snap a few photos at tonight’s Crystal City 5K race and submit them in our Flickr photo contest. See more contest details here.

Green Party Official Plans Run for County Board

By ARLnow.com

A Green Party official is planning on running for a seat on the County Board this fall.

“I do plan to run for County Board as a Green,” said Audrey Clement, a state Green Party officer and a national Green Party committee member. “However, I have not yet set up a campaign committee and filed my paperwork with [State Board of Election]. So I am not officially a candidate [yet].”

Clement’s campaign platform focuses on spending, housing and environmental concerns. On her web site, Clement says she wants to “focus funds on essential community services” like libraries, public safety, schools and the safety net, while “halt[ing] spending on wasteful building projects that we cannot afford” like the Columbia Pike streetcar and the Long Bridge Park aquatic center. She also criticizes the use of county funds for the Artisphere.

Clement says she wants to preserve historic garden apartment complexes in the county and “create and fund a housing authority in Arlington that will help low and moderate income renters and consolidate the county’s housing programs under one umbrella.” She also supports banning non-biodegradable plastic bags in “all supermarkets and chain pharmacies” while banning Styrofoam containers in “all public facilities and fast food outlets”

In 2009, Clement filed a federal lawsuit against the widening of I-66 inside the Beltway. The suit was dismissed, but Clement says she would work to “block any further widening of I-66 highway in Arlington by suing VDOT and seeking the transfer of the $35 million in Federal highway funds to repair Arlington aging bridges and streets.”

Clement will face Democratic incumbents Walter Tejada and Mary Hynes in the fall. She may also have a shot at a third county board seat if Barbara Favola captures the Democratic nomination for the 31st District State Senate seat.

Del. Hope Decides Against State Senate Run

By ARLnow.com

Del. Patrick Hope will seek reelection to the House of Delegates rather than run for state Senate. The freshman Democrat made the announcement early this morning.

“Having stated in the early weeks of March that I would only make a decision after having an opportunity to actually see the newly drawn 31st Senate District lines, I have reluctantly decided, at this time, not to run for the open Senate seat,” Hope said in a statement. “I intend to seek re-election to the House. Running an effective campaign with the geographical diversity of the new district would take me away from spending quality time with my young family.”

“I’m humbled by the literally hundreds of voters living in the new 31st District who pledged support and encouraged me to run, but my first obligation must be to my family,” he continued. “Spending the time it would take to be victorious in a competitive primary and general election is too high a price for me to have to pay; however, I will not rule out a run for higher office at a future date.”

The redrawn 31st state Senate district, if approved by Gov. Bob McDonnell and the U.S. Department of Justice, will extend from North Arlington up into Fairfax and Loudoun counties, with the Potomac River as an eastern border. Currently, County Board member Barbara Favola is the only Democrat to announce her candidacy for the seat, which was vacated by the retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple.

Hope’s decision, however, clears a path for another potential candidate to enter the race. Political consultant and blogger Ben Tribbett, who has been flirting with the idea of running for public office, issued a statement today that stopped short of announcing himself as a candidate, but suggested that he’s at least seriously considering it.

In his first term in office, Patrick Hope has established an outstanding record of progressive activism. I was very much looking forward to being one of Patrick’s strongest supporters if he had decided to seek the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 31st Senate District. I look forward to an opportunity in the future to support Hope for higher office.

Now that Patrick Hope has decided not to seek this Senate nomination, a large number of his supporters and other Virginia Democrats have urged me to run. The voters in this Senate district deserve a strong progressive voice in the Virginia Senate, and they also deserve someone who will address local community concerns in all three counties within this district. If I decide to run, I am confident I will provide them with that voice.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

McDonnell Gets Seat on Metro Board — Gov. Bob McDonnell “scored a major unexpected victory” last night when the state legislature approved a bill that will allow the governor to appoint a representative to the Metro board. The seat will come at the expense of one seat allocated to Northern Virginia jurisdictions. County Board member and Northern Virginia Transportation Commission chairman Jay Fisette blasted the legislature’s decision, saying McDonnell had “circumvented the process.” [Washington Post]

Slug Passenger Says McKinney Was “Angry and Belligerent” — Former Sgt. Maj. of the Army Gene McKinney was in Arlington County District Court Tuesday, accused of intentionally hitting a slug commuter with his Mercedes back in October. The commuter testified that he asked to be let out of the vehicle after McKinney started driving 95 miles per hour on the highway. After being let off in Pentagon City, the commuter said McKinney hit him with his car. [WTOP]

Dems Announce at ACDC Meeting — Three Democrats announced their candidacy for state and local offices at last night’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting. Among those announcing were Walter Tejada, Barbara Favola and Rob Krupicka. [Blue Virginia]

Clarendon Car Dealer On CBS Undercover Report — A Clarendon used car dealership showed up on a CBS Early Show report about recalled cars. According to the report, the dealer did not tell the undercover reporter about a recall for a vehicle they picked out, even when the reporter specifically asked about recalls. [CBS News]

Flickr pool photo by Madame Meow

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