Rep. Jim Moran

Murray Blasts Moran, Setting Up Possible Electoral Rematch

By ARLnow.com

Former Republican congressional candidate Patrick Murray has sent an email to supporters blasting Rep. Jim Moran (D), the man who defeated him in last year’s mid-term election.

On Thursday, Moran started taking heat for comments that he made to a U.S. government-sponsored Arab TV network regarding Americans’ attitudes toward having an African American president. Now Murray is piling on, calling Moran’s comments “wildly inaccurate” and “un-American” in the email reprinted below (after the jump).

Murray, a retired Army colonel who Moran defeated by a 24-point margin, has been lying low since November, but he has maintained his email list and recently set up a new web site. The latest email suggests he may be relishing a rematch against Moran, who he accuses of denigrating his military service.

Reached by phone this afternoon, Murray confirmed that he’s “leaning toward running again.”

“I’ve left the campaign open for a reason,” Murray said. “I’m inclined not to give up after one run, but it’s too early to say.”

“I haven’t ruled anything out for 2012,” Murray added. “I’m committed to this area, I’m committed to the political process, and I’m committed to the Republican party.”

Murray quashed rumors that he may be interested in running for state Sen. Patsy Ticer’s seat this fall.

“It’s too soon after this last campaign, I think,” Murary said, adding that he would support the Republican candidate in the race.

Ticer is widely expected to retire this year. Three Democrats — Del. Adam Ebbin, Arlington School Board Chair Libby Garvey, and Alexandria City Council member Rob Krupicka — have all said they would seek the seat if Ticer declines to run for another term.

See Murray’s email to supporters, after the jump.

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Moran Facing Criticism For Remarks to Arab TV Channel

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) is once again facing scrutiny for something he said.

Moran told Alhurra, U.S. government-sponsored Arab TV network, that Democrats suffered in the 2010 elections because many Americans don’t want a black president.

“In this case a lot of people in this country, I believe, don’t want to be governed by an African American, particularly one who is inclusive, who is liberal, who wants to spend money on everyone and who wants to reach out to include everyone in our society,” Moran told an interviewer, as reported by the Washington Post.

Moran also made reference to “slaveholding states,” which would include his home state of Virginia.

Moran, of course, has a long history of sparking controversy with off-handed remarks. He faced criticism during his reelection campaign this fall when he said that Republican challenger, retired Army Colonel Patrick Murray, has not “served or performed… any kind of public service.”

Moran Co-Sponsors Bill to Ban High-Capacity Ammo Magazines

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Jim Moran (D) was among the gun control advocates expected to join New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D) this afternoon at a news conference introducing a bill that would ban high-capacity ammunition magazines.

McCarthy and Moran are sponsoring the bill in the wake of the shooting in Tucson, Ariz. that left six people dead and 13 wounded, including Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The bill would ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Such magazines were banned from 1994 to 2004, when Congress let the Clinton-era assault weapon ban expire.

Moran’s office issued the following press release today.

U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, will join Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY04) and advocates for reducing gun violence to discuss the formal introduction of – and a plan to advance – legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines such as those used in tragic shootings in Tucson, AZ.

The bill will be formally introduced when the House of Representatives reconvenes later in the evening. The bill brings the nation to the same 10-round-maximum standard used in at least six states today, as well as nationwide for the decade when the previous federal assault weapons ban was in effect. It also closes a gaping loophole in the previous ban in which magazines manufactured before the law went into effect could still be traded by private sellers.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Uncompensated Care Costs Local Hospitals $102 Million — While discussing health care on a local TV interview show earlier this week, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) cited a figure that seemed unbelievable. Moran said that in our congressional district alone, hospitals spend more than $100 million per year paying for those who don’t have insurance or can’t pay the bills. That figure appears to be accurate, says TBD’s Facts Machine.

Lawmakers Outline Priorities — Arlington’s state lawmakers discussed their priorities for the 2011 legislative session earlier this week. Proposals include eliminating the sales tax on food and replacing it with a higher income tax for the wealthy, increasing the state’s low cigarette tax and setting more stringent requirements on petition drives. More from the Sun Gazette.

Leaf Bag Collection Enters Final Week — If you still have bags of leaves lying around, now is the time to get rid of them. Arlington County’s final leaf bag collection will begin Monday. See the collection schedule here.

Non-Stop Bhangra at Artisphere — Organizers describe it as a non-stop party that feels like a scene from a Bollywood movie. San Francisco-based Non-Stop Bhangra will be rocking the house at Artisphere’s Saturday Night Dance Party this weekend. The party starts at 11:01 p.m. and features dance lessons, dance performances, live music sets and “DJs spinning an eclectic mix of bhangra, hip hop, reggae and electronica.” More from Arlington Arts.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Jim Moran Splits With Wife

By ARLnow.com

Recently re-elected Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and his wife of six years, LuAnn Bennett, are calling it quits.

“While our marriage may be ending, our friendship and respect for one another is not,” the couple said in a joint statement announcing the separation. “We will continue to be supportive of one another as we move forward with our lives.”

It was the long-time congressman’s third marriage.

More from the Washington Post.

Rousselot Vies for State Democratic Leadership

By ARLnow.com

Update on 12/5 — Brian Moran won the voting and will be the next chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Peter Rousselot, who wrapped up a four year term as the chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee earlier this year, is hoping that fellow Dems choose him to lead the state Democratic party. Members of the party’s Central Committee will choose the next state party chairman by a vote at a meeting in Newport News on Saturday.

But Rousselot has formidable competition in the form of Brian Moran, brother of Rep. Jim Moran.

Moran, a top lobbyist for the for-profit college industry, is benefiting from his family pedigree, his 13 years in the Virginia House of Delegates and a long list of key endorsements. Rousselot, fighting an uphill battle, cites the work he’s done for the party in Arlington and the full-time commitment he’d be able to give to the job of chair.

“If you elect me as DPVA Chair, I pledge to serve out the entirety of my term, devoting myself full-time to my role until May 2013,” Rousselot said in an email to committee members. Moran, on the other hand, would likely keep his day job.

Rousselot says the party should contest all 140 Virginia Senate and House of Delegates seats, rather than “targeting” a portion of the seats. Moran has a similar message. Both men say the party should develop a stronger communication strategy for statewide races.

Rousselot says he’s confident heading into Saturday’s vote, but is not making any predictions regarding his chances of winning.

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Moran Blasts Federal Pay Freeze

By ARLnow.com

Presiding over a congressional district with one of the highest concentrations of federal workers in the country, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) has consistently been an unabashed supporter of federal employees and federal spending.

It’s little surprise then that Moran is criticizing President Obama’s decision to freeze the salaries of two million federal employees for the next two years.

Moran released the following statement yesterday evening.

This move will only embolden the opponents of civil service, those who got elected claiming the federal government is broken and will now set about trying to break it.

Unilaterally freezing pay for civil servants separate from a comprehensive, deficit reduction package unfairly asks federal employees to carry a burden that should be shared by all. This freeze strikes at the heart of pay parity, penalizing civilian federal employees in the Defense Department, CIA and other agencies who work side-by-side with our active duty service men and women overseas.

A two year freeze also threatens to exacerbate the brain drain from our federal agencies as the baby boomers reach retirement. It flies in the face of the basic fact that federal employees, particularly those in the management sector, are already underpaid when compared to their private sector counterparts.

Morning Poll: TSA Pat-Downs and Body Scans

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Jim Moran couldn’t give a hoot about the controversial “naked” body scans and saucy pat-downs now in place at America’s airports.

The recently re-elected congressman told TBD’s NewsTalk that he supports measures to make air travel safer, even if they’re invasive or embarrassing.

“I could care less whether somebody feels me up or somebody sees what I look like without my clothes… I think it’s something you just have to live with.”

Do you agree?


BRAC Delays Could Keep Thousands of Jobs in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

So much for deadlines.

Sept. 15, 2011 was supposed to be the date by which some 5 million square feet of military-occupied office space in Arlington — 17 percent of the county’s office inventory — would be moved out as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act.

Now, it appears that most of that leased space will still be in use by the military through 2012 and beyond.

A new report by commercial real estate firm Cassidy Turley that examined lease renewals suggests that BRAC relocations are years behind schedule. According to the firm, “[BRAC-related] leases totaling 2.3 million square feet have been extended through 2013 or later.”

And yesterday Rep. Jim Moran threw another wrench in the stalled relocation process. Per a provision Moran inserted into a Defense Department funding bill, the DoD’s Inspector General will be investigating the planned BRAC relocation of 6,400 jobs — many from Arlington — to the Mark Center project in Alexandria.

Moran has been working “to suspend or delay the move into the Mark Center site until the necessary transportation improvements to prevent a traffic nightmare on I-395 are implemented,” according to a statement announcing the investigation.

Such a delay could ease some of the economic pain the county will experience as a result of BRAC job losses.

The Campaign Trail is a Family Affair for Jim Moran

By ARLnow.com

“We’re feeling good,” Rep. Jim Moran said outside the Cora Kelly Recreation Center in Alexandria this afternoon.

The ten-term Democratic congressman was shaking hands with voters as they went to the polls, asking for their support. It was one of the final few stops in his campaign to win an eleventh term.

Moran, who voted in Shirlington, had visited the Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Gunston, Woodlawn, Washington-Lee and Jefferson precincts in Arlington earlier in the day. He was planning to keep going in Mt. Vernon and southeast Fairfax County until polls closed at 7:00 p.m.

Moran admitted to being a bit nervous, as he is on every election day, but said that the busy schedule of stops at polling centers helps to “work off the anxiety.”

A campaign staffer expressed confidence that turnout in Arlington was going their way. They were seeing higher turnout in South Arlington and along the R-B corridor, the staffer said, and lower turnout in the more conservative parts of North Arlington. At the time, no turnout information was readily available for other parts of the district.

Joining Moran at the recreation center were his four children: Jim, Patrick, Mary, and Dorothy. They stood around, speaking to the volunteers outside the center, but mostly let dad chat up the voters.

The show of family solidarity was unsurprising. The congressman’s children have been protective of their 65-year-old father at points during the course of the campaign.

In one ambush-style video posted by the campaign of Republican challenger Patrick Murray (fast forward to 1:20), Mary Moran, who formerly worked for the NFL Players Association, tries to get the cameraman to leave while Rep. Moran fumes in the background, apparently in response to a question.

“Go away, go away, because dad won’t do anything to you… it’s wildly inappropriate for you to do this,” she said, her voice laced with emotion.

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