Rep. Jim Moran

Could Dirty Money Hurt Jim Moran’s Re-election Prospects?

By ARLnow.com

According to conventional wisdom, Rep. Jim Moran will likely win a comfortable re-election for an eleventh term as congressman for Virginia’s eighth district. But in an anti-incumbent year, any whiff of scandal could prove especially costly.

Enter last month’s guilty plea by former lobbyist Paul Magliocchetti, founder of the now-defunct PMA Group. Magliocchetti pleaded guilty to illegally reimbursing family members and PMA employees for making political contributions.

PMA and its employees funneled at least $150,000 into Moran’s campaign coffers from 1998-2008, according to data compiled by political blogger Ben Tribbett. While the donations were taking place, millions of dollars in defense contracts were awarded to PMA’s clients by Moran and two other Defense Appropriations subcommittee members.

In his 2,200 word post (the first of two parts) Tribbett details PMA’s hiring of former Moran Chief of Staff Melissa Koloszar and the firm’s uncharacteristically generous donation to a state-level candidate: Brian Moran, the congressman’s brother.

Prosecutors concluded that campaigns that received money from PMA employees and Magliocchetti family members did not know it was procured illegally. Still, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-partisan government watchdog, has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for additional information in the case.

Could the PMA affair hurt Moran’s re-election prospects? Obviously it doesn’t help, but at this point it doesn’t seem to be getting much traction. Moran’s Republican challenger, Patrick Murray, has done little to press the issue publicly, above and beyond sending an email calling on Moran to donate the money from PMA to charity.

Nonetheless, additional revelations could cause the slow-simmering affair to heat up as election day approaches.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rain, At Last — After a long dry spell, we’ll get periods rain all day and potentially strong thunderstorms tonight. More from the Capital Weather Gang.

Local Lobbyist Pleads Guilty to Illegal Campaign Contributions — Lobbyist Paul Magliocchetti pleaded guilty Friday to making $386,250 in illegal campaign contributions to members of Congress. Magliocchetti founded the Arlington-based firm The PMA Group, which folded in 2009, several months after being raided by the FBI. One of PMA’s major beneficiaries was Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), who received nearly $1 million from the firm over ten years. More from the Washington Times.

WaPo Profiles Alcova Heights — The Washington Post digs up some of the history of Alcova Heights, which up until the 1920s was a farm.  If you ever wanted to know where the name came from (hint: it’s not very imaginative), read on.

Boccato Gelato Redesigned — The gelato has remained the same, but Clarendon’s Boccato Gelato now has a new interior. More from Clarendon Nights.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

GOPers Line Up to Help Patrick Murray

By ARLnow.com

Even more local, state and national Republican stars are lining up to help congressional candidate Patrick Murray raise money for his campaign to defeat incumbent Jim Moran.

Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain headlined a private fundraiser in Alexandria on Monday.

Next week, on Tuesday night, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) will attend a private fundraiser. Two days later, former Arlington School Board Chairman Dave Foster will be the special guest at a Murray reception at a house in Arlington.

And on Tuesday, Oct. 5, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will attend a breakfast fundraiser for Murray at Army Navy Country Club.

For his part, Moran is bringing in former vice president and climate change activist Al Gore for a fundraiser at a private home in Reston on Sunday.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Library Sets Summer Reading Record — A record 5,305 Arlington students read 24,782 books over the summer as part of the Arlington Public Library’s “Summer of Reading.” More from the Library Blog.

Moran to Hold “Women’s Issues Conference” — Newscaster Maureen Bunyan will join Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) at a conference on women’s issues next Saturday. The conference will feature workshops like “How Health Insurance Reform Will Affect You” and “Car Care 101.” It’s being held at Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Rd) from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sept. 25. Details here.

Bipartisan Letter Urges Arlington to Drop HOT Lane Lawsuit — The pressure continues to build on Arlington to drop its lawsuit against high occupancy toll lanes on I-395. Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell, a Republican, and Senate President Pro-Tempore Chuck Colgan, a Democrat, jointly signed a letter urging the Arlington County Board “to renounce the outrageous claims of conspiracy and racism in its lawsuit against the I-95/I-395 HOT Lanes.” More from the Washington Post.

Flickr pool photo by Alykat

Rep. Moran Returning From Afghanistan

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Jim Moran has just left Afghanistan after leading a congressional delegation to the war-torn region, his spokesperson tells ARLnow.com.

The Alexandria Times reported earlier this week that Moran left for Afghanistan on Sunday. The trip was organized for members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense but was not announced publicly.

The group has at least one additional, undisclosed stop to make before returning to the U.S. by Monday.

In July, Moran voted against supplemental funding for the war in Afghanistan.

“There exists no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan,” he said at the time. “Instead of increasing our troop presence, we should be limiting our mission.”

Moran Secures $1.25 Million for Crystal City Transit Way

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) has secured $1.25 million in funding for a planned transit way that will connect Crystal City and Potomac Yard. The funding comes from the Transportation appropriations bill that passed the House on Thursday.

The five-mile-long Crystal City/Potomac Yard transit way is expected to run from Pentagon City to Alexandria’s Braddock Road Station, with most of the stops concentrated in Crystal City and Potomac Yard.

The project will create a dedicated bus route with stops throughout Crystal City. Eventually, a street car line may be installed in the transit way.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Cicadas Are Back — It’s not the swarm of 2004, but there are a few cicadas around this summer. This one was spotted on a window screen in Pentagon City.

Breast-Feeding Mix-up at Virginia Hospital Center — In January, a newborn went missing in Arlington’s Virginia Hospital Center. The child’s mother eventually found him being breast-fed by another woman — the result of a hospital mix-up. The Washington Post reports that the incident has given rise to questions about the frequency of such incidents and the possibility that the baby could be harmed as a result.

Moran Votes ‘No’ on Afghanistan Funding — Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) voted against a bill to provide an additional $37 billion in funding for the war in Afghanistan. “There exists no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan,” Moran said in a statement. “The mission we set out to accomplish following the attacks on September 11th – the rooting out of al Qaeda in Afghanistan – has largely been achieved, thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of American military and civilian personnel… Instead of increasing our troop presence, we should be limiting our mission in Afghanistan.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Joins Region-Wide HOV Enforcement Effort Today — Today Arlington police will be joining Virginia State Police and other local law enforcement agencies in an effort to crack down on HOV violators. During the morning and evening rush hours, police will step up HOV patrols on I-66, I-395 and other local highways. More from WaPo’s Dr. Gridlock.

Injured Vets Stop at Iwo Jima Memorial on Cross-County Bike Ride — A group of 18 bicyclists, many of them wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stopped in Arlington last night on their way from San Francisco to Virginia Beach. The vets stopped at the Marine Corps Memorial to see the retiring of the colors ceremony. More from the Associated Press.

Moran’s Cash Advantage Over Murray Nearly 20:1 — Talk about an incumbent advantage. In the latest disclosure period, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) reported nearly twenty times as much cash on hand as his Republican challenger, Patrick Murray. Murray has $29,890 to Moran’s $581,829. The Sun Gazette reports that Murray’s congressional campaign also has $35,000 in unpaid debt.

Annual Twilight 5K Returns to Crystal City Saturday — Now in its third year, the Crystal City Twilighter 5K will once again wind its way through the streets of Crystal City as the sun sets Saturday night. The race will get underway around 8:00 p.m. on Crystal Drive between 20th Street and 23rd Street. The Twilighter features medals for the top three finishers in 16 age groups, cash prizes for the top five finishers, and a killer after party. Online registration for the race ends Friday.

Republicans Regrouping After Bruising Eighth District Primary

By ARLnow.com

One month after an otherwise low-key primary ended with a smoldering intra-party controversy over a last-minute mailer, former GOP congressional candidate Matthew Berry is calling on supporters to “move on.”

Speaking at a recent Arlington County Republican Committee meeting, Berry — whose narrow loss to retired Army colonel Patrick Murray surprised some local political watchers — said it’s “very important” for the party to unite with the goal of retaking control of congress. But while he said that Murray “deserves our respect,” Berry stopped short of endorsing Murray or pledging to help his campaign.

Murray, who will face incumbent Rep. Jim Moran in November, seems eager to put the controversy behind him. (For the record, he says he “would very respectfully but strongly disagree” that his campaign’s controversial mailer tried to exploit the fact that Berry is gay.)

Murray met personally with Berry last week in an effort to smooth things over.

“Matthew acknowledges who our adversary is, and our adversary is Jim Moran,” Murray said. “We’re both on the same sheet of music strategically, which is to turn around congress.”

With the primary behind him, Murray says his primary focus is to win over independents and moderate Democrats. Still, he realizes there is some work to be done if he wants Berry supporters to do more than just vote for him.

“I’m sure there were some raw feelings right after the [election], and that’s to be understood,” Murray said. “People pour a lot of energy and emotion into campaigns… and I respect that. I just hope that moving forward we can harness that energy together and move forward against our common adversary.”

Murray will need to raise a lot of money — quickly — in order to be competitive with Moran, who already has $527,348 cash on hand, according to OpenSecrets.org.  That fundraising will be especially hard if the 6,651 Republicans who voted for Berry are reluctant to open their wallets and donate their time to Murray’s campaign.

Murray spent most of the $70,846 he raised during the primary. He had $14,816 in the bank as of May 19. His campaign has raised another $10,975 online since the election, a fraction of Moran’s war chest.

Mike Lane, Murray’s interim campaign manager and the only nominated Republican to win an election in Arlington in a generation, says fundraising will be the campaign’s biggest challenge. Lane says he’s confident that voters will respond to the campaign’s message, which will be heavy on fiscal issues and light on social issues.

“You have to make the case that the incumbent, or the monopoly party, is not getting the job done,” Lane said. “I think it’s going to be an easy case to make. The question is: will we have the resources to reach the number of people that will be able to listen to it.”

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s July — After the hottest June on record in DC, we have finally reached the temperate month of July.

Virginia/WMATA Deal Imminent? — The Metro board of directors is holding an emergency phone meeting this morning to approve a last-minute funding deal with Virginia’s state government. Two weeks ago Gov. Bob McDonnell threatened to withhold $50 million in funding for the agency unless the state could get two seats on the Metro board. More from the Washington Examiner.

Lawmakers Blast Arlington Cemetery Mistakes — At a hearing on mismanagement at Arlington National Cemetery, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) told Army Secretary John McHugh that he was “downright angry” about the mistakes that led to hundreds of misidentified or unmarked graves. “Management ineptitude and neglect has resulted in a web of errors,” Skelton said. “How in the world could this tragedy be allowed to happen?” More from NPR.

State Police Cracking Down for the Fourth — Virginia State Police will step up enforcement this weekend, Dr. Gridlock reports. Officers will be on the lookout for speeders, drunk drivers and people not wearing their seat belts.

Miss Virginia Overcame Speech Impediment — Caitlin Uze, the new Miss Virginia and a Washington-Lee High School grad, still has a bit of a lisp. But as a kid in Arlington’s public schools, her speech impeach impediment was much more noticeable, and it led to her being teased mercilessly by a bully. During her reign as Miss Virginia, Uze will use her experience to encourage kids to build self-confidence. More from the Arlington Connection.

Murray Relishes Moran-Limbaugh Spat — To the delight of underdog Republican challenger Patrick Murray, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has taken aim at his opponent, congressman Jim Moran (D-Va). Limbaugh called Moran a “left-wing hatemonger” after Moran suggested that Limbaugh may be partially responsible for inciting violence against census workers. In an email, Murray’s campaign called Limbaugh’s on-air rant “a huge breakthrough.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fisette Delivers State of the County Address — After delivering the annual State of the County address before a group of business leaders in Crystal City, County Board Chairman Jay Fisette was peppered with pointed questions about some of the county’s costly projects and initiatives. Fisette defended Arlington’s lawsuit against proposed high-occupancy toll lanes, said the $160 million Columbia Pike streetcar plan will not be put to a referendum vote unless necessary to obtain financing, and called BRAC, the federal law that will result in thousands of defense jobs moving out of Arlington, “one of the worst decisions ever.” More from the Sun Gazette.

D.C. Bummed About Poor Ranking in List Topped By Arlington — Yesterday we told you that Parenting Magazine had bestowed the somewhat unscientific title of “Best City for Families” on Arlington. Now one commentator is wondering why the District was so low on the list. NBC Washington’s P.J. Orvetti rightly points out the absurdity of D.C. being ranked third from last in terms of recreation. Orvetti goes on to make the case for D.C. being ranked closer to Arlington, but fails to mention the elephant in the room: that the District’s low-performing schools and high crime rate preclude it from serious consideration on a list of family-friendly cities.

Moran To Hold Federal Jobs Fair Next Week — Rep. Jim Moran will be hosting a federal jobs fair at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria on Monday, June 28. More than a dozen federal agencies are expected to be on-hand for the free event, which is being held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Northside Social Ice Cream Flavors Changing — After a short-lived, Father’s Day-inspired run of key lime and chocolate bacon (yes, bacon), Northside Social is rolling out hazelnut and chocolate espresso ice cream flavors today. A bit heavy for a 90 degree day, but likely delicious nonetheless.

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