state legislature

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Did Arlington “Fare Well” in General Assembly? — Despite the failure of Arlington’s two top legislative priorities, the Washington Post thinks the county did okay. In related news, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman told the paper that the county will probably not replace the $1 million in tourism funding lost by the expiration of Arlington’s hotel tax surcharge. [Washington Post]

AP Scores Rise in Arlington — Arlington students are taking Advanced Placement exams in record numbers. Meanwhile, the average score on AP exams rose last year. [Sun Gazette]

Local Cyclists, Pedestrians Look to Europe — “Wouldn’t it be great to have the kind of bike facilities that can be found in many parts of Europe right here in the DC area?” asks the CommuterPageBlog. To that end, the Arlington County Bicycle Advisory Committee will be screening a film on Monday that explores the bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Europe. [CommuterPageBlog]

Flickr pool photo by Christaki

Favola: Tourism Funding Still Up in the Air

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Board members are still figuring out what to do now that much of the county’s tourism promotion budget has been effectively slashed by the Virginia General Assembly.

Last week a bill that would have renewed the county’s 0.25 percent tax surcharge on hotel rooms — a tax that had the support of the local hotel industry — failed in the House of Delegates. The defeat was attributed to Republicans retaliating against Arlington’s HOT lanes lawsuit.

The tax surcharge brings in nearly $1 million each year, which is used to promote Arlington’s $1 billion tourism industry. The surcharge will expire at the end of the year.

County board member and possible state Senate candidate Barbara Favola says the board hasn’t decided yet whether it will replace the lost revenue. If it does, the money will have to come from the county’s general budget.

“It doesn’t make much sense to me,” Favola said. “This tax is paid by out-of-state people… If Arlington is going to continue this level of marketing, we’re going to have to raise the tax rate on Virginia residents.”

“It really was extraordinarily irrational,” Favola added, noting that Arlington tourism generates $58 million in annual tax revenue for the state. “I would think that having a dedicated tax… is financially in the state’s best interest.”

The lost tourism revenue will now have to “compete with all other county budget priorities” when Arlington’s FY 2012 budget comes up for adoption in April.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Zpizza Opens in Rosslyn — Office-dwellers in Rosslyn have another lunchtime option. Local pizza chain Zpizza has opened next to the Baja Fresh at 1100 Wilson Boulevard. [TBD]

Alexandria Mayor Endorses Krupicka for State Senate — Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka (D), who’s running for the state Senate seat currently held by the retiring Sen. Patsy Ticer, has received a quick if unsurprising endorsement from Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille. Ticer’s 30th District seat– which encompasses most of Alexandria and South Arlington — is also being sought by Del. Adam Ebbin and Arlington School Board Chair Libby Garvey. [Krupicka for State Senate]

Arlington Dems Meeting Tonight — With about half of the local elected Democratic establishment eying one another’s jobs, tonight’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting could get interesting. To wit, three out of five county board members and four out of four local House of Delegates members have been mentioned as possible candidates for higher political office this year.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Man Killed on Key Bridge Was Arlington Resident — Police say 23-year-old Arlington resident Aliester Elizardo Pineda-Medrano was walking his broken-down moped across the Key Bridge when he was struck and killed by an SUV Sunday night. The man who police say struck Pineda-Medrano and kept going has also been identified. [WUSA 9]

DMV Back Open After Roof Blown Off — A large section of the metal roof atop the DMV building on South Four Mile Run Drive blew off during Friday’s fierce winds. Nonetheless, the DMV opened as usual on Monday. [TBD]

Women of Vision Finalists Named — The Arlington Commission on the Status of Women has unveiled the four nominees for its 2011 ‘Women of Vision’ award. The winner of the award will be announced at a reception on March 10. [Sun Gazette]

ArlingtonSenator.com Registered — State political blogger Ben Tribbett has been mentioned as a possible candidate in the race to replace retiring state Senator Mary Margaret Whipple. The 31-year-old is at least considering a run. Domain records show Tribbett has registered ArlingtonSenator.com. [Network Solutions]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

More Names Mentioned for Senate Seat — Is there a Democrat in Arlington County who’s active in local politics and who’s not thinking about running for the state Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple? Add Alan Howze, former Arlington County Democratic Committee chairman Peter Rousselot, county board member Jay Fisette and Del. Bob Brink to the five names we mentioned as possible candidates on Friday. [Sun Gazette, Washington Post]

Cava Still Hoping for Spring Opening — Construction has yet to begin on the new Cava restaurant on Clarendon Boulevard, but the owner of the upscale Greek restaurant still hopes to open by “late April or early May.” Cava currently has locations in Rockville and on Capitol Hill. [TBD]

Envirocab Still Wants to Expand — The general manager of Arlington-based Envirocab says the company is still hoping to expand. The county board rejected Envirocab’s request to add more cabs to its fleet of 50 hybrids in December. But the company says they don’t “even come close to covering the requests they get each weekend.” [WAMU]

Arlington Science Focus School Profiled — A local TV station takes a look at some of the unique learning methods at Arlington Science Focus school. [WUSA 9]

State Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple Announces Her Retirement

By ARLnow.com

(Possible candidate list updated at 8:10 p.m.) Mary Margaret Whipple, who represents Arlington in the Virginia Senate, announced her retirement today.

Whipple has represented Virginia’s 31st Senate district since 1996. Before being elected to the state Senate, Whipple served on the Arlington School Board, the Arlington County Board and the Metro Transit Board.

News of Whipple’s retirement seemingly came as a surprise to some.

“Wow – another one!” Del. David Englin said on Twitter. “[Sen. Whipple has] been a champion for Arlington, good government, and progress.”

Others had press releases ready for the announcement.

“Senator Mary Margaret Whipple’s retirement from the Virginia Senate will leave behind a void that will be difficult to fill,” said Del. Adam Ebbin, who is running for the state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Patsy Ticer. Ticer announced her retirement last week.

Del. Patrick Hope had more praise for Whipple.

“Today, we honor the service of one of Arlington’s most dedicated and admired public servants,” he said in a statement. “I know I join Arlingtonians in thanking Senator Mary Margaret Whipple for over three decades of hard work, dedication, and service. She will surely be missed but her legacy will be long-lasting, not only to her constituents but to our entire great Commonwealth.”

As state political blogger Ben Tribbett points out on Twitter, Hope is thought to be considering a run for Whipple’s seat. Via an aide, Hope neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.

“Today is Mary Margaret’s day and we should honor her outstanding service,” Hope said.

Other names being floated as possible candidates for the seat are Tribbett, former lieutenant governor candidate Mike Signer, Arlington County Democratic Committee Chair Mike Lieberman and county board member Barbara Favola.

“I applaud Sen. Whipple for her incredible insightful and thoughtful service,” Favola told ARLnow.com. “She has always been a wonderful role model and friend to me.”

“I think this is her day,” Favola said when asked whether she might run for Whipple’s seat. “I suspect over the weekend I’ll think about the next steps.”

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Arlington Well-Represented in New State Progressive Caucus

By ARLnow.com

The newly-minted Progressive Caucus of the Virginia General Assembly includes the entire Arlington delegation to the House of Delegates.

Dels. Bob Brink, Adam Ebbin, David Englin and Patrick Hope are all listed as members of the group.

“Progressive values are Virginia values,” Hope said in a press release announcing the caucus’ formation. “The Progressive Caucus serves to fight for the interests of the average citizen and to educate the public on Progressive issues.”

“While Virginia can be slow to change, we have to keep pace with the times when it comes to issues like stem cell research, global warming and society’s attitudes towards gays and lesbians,” said Ebbin. “As progressives, it is important that we stand together as we work to move Virginia forward.”

“It’s time for progressive legislators to organize and work together to advance the progressive values that we share, so we can keep our Commonwealth moving toward that day when every person – including the poor, the elderly, the week, the dispossessed – has a fair shake and an equal shot at the American dream,” Englin said.

Conspicuously absent from the group is Arlington’s state senator, Mary Margaret Whipple.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

ECC Employees Overworked, Underpaid — Arlington’s emergency communications center is suffering from chronic understaffing and staff high turnover rates. The ECC, which handles 911 calls and police/fire/EMS dispatching, is hoping for a 10 percent boost in funding in this year’s county budget. [TBD]

Abortion Regulations Pass General Assembly — Gov. Bob McDonnell is promising to sign a bill that will impose new regulations on Virginia abortion clinics. The bill, which passed the General Assembly yesterday, would hold abortion clinics to some of the same stringent safety regulations as hospitals. Pro-choice groups are warning that the bill could force many clinics to close. [Washington Post]

Map Puts Arlington at Top of the Healthy Heap — Our congressional district, Virginia’s 8th, is the healthiest in the country, according to the American Human Development Project. As this map interactive shows, our residents are expected to live the longest of any other district in the country.

Hang On to Your Hats — Dangerously high winds are expected this afternoon.

Flickr pool photo by Reid Kasprowicz

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Lee Highway McDonald’s Remains Closed — The McDonald’s at 4834 Lee Highway was still closed yesterday. An electrical fire broke out in the restaurant’s basement Saturday morning.

Arlington’s Most Accident-Prone Intersections — Following up on our Arlington’s Most Dangerous On-Ramps article, TBD has come out with a list of Arlington’s Most Dangerous Intersections, courtesy of data from the police department. The most dangerous intersection? Route 50 and Southbound Washington Boulevard, with 113 accidents. [TBD]

Brink Wins Passage of Inspector General Bill — An anti-fraud bill co-sponsored by Arlington Del. Bob Brink has won final approval in the Virginia legislature. The bill, HB 2076, will establish a statewide Office of Inspector General “to combat fraud, waste, abuse or corruption in state-funded agencies.” It must now be signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell. [Richmond Sunlight]

Cuccinelli Examines Fraud Case Against Donor — A man who gave $55,000 to Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s 2009 campaign may be prosecuted by Cuccinelli for fraud. An investigation by Virginia’s consumer services department determined that the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, which has been accused of diverting money intended for veterans charities, solicited $2 million from Virginians under false pretenses. The head of the group, who donated to Cuccinelli’s campaign, is currently at large. Retiring state Sen. Patsy Ticer sponsored legislation intended to help the group last year, then urged Gov. Bob McDonnell to veto it after she read about the fraud allegations.  [Washington Post]

Courtesy photo

Arlington’s Hotel Tax Bill Fails in House of Delegates

By ARLnow.com

Arlington will have to find another way to fund its tourism promotion efforts.

A bill that would have renewed Arlington’s 0.25 percent hotel tax surcharge failed in the Virginia House of Delegates yesterday. The bill, which was approved by the state Senate, did not get the necessary two-thirds vote to pass.

An earlier House version of the bill failed to get out of committee after it was blocked by Del. Tim Hugo. The Fairfax County Republican cited Arlington’s lawsuit against high occupancy toll lanes on I-395 as his reason for blocking the bill.

We’re awaiting word from the county on how they plan to make up for the loss of nearly $1 million in revenue. Arlington funds its Convention and Visitors Service largely through the revenue generated by the surcharge, which will expire at the end of the year.

Update at 5:15 p.m. — “I’m disappointed that it failed to pass,” said Arlington’s Del. Bob Brink (D), on the phone from Richmond. “[The surcharge] is beneficial to Arlington’s business community as they try to compete against the District and Maryland for tourism and tourism dollars.”

Garvey Announces Run for State Senate

By ARLnow.com

Arlington School Board Chair Libby Garvey made her long-expected run for the state Senate official last night.

Garvey is running for the seat of Sen. Patsy Ticer, who announced her retirement last week.  Two other Democrats, Del. Adam Ebbin and Alexandria Councilman Rob Krupicka, are expected to announce their candidacy soon.

Ticer’s state Senate seat is centered in Alexandria, but includes portions of Arlington and Fairfax.

Garvey said she’s running to help the state “put people and progress before these politics.”

“I’m running for Virginia Senate because it seems to me that we’ve reached a point in Virginia where finding a way forward is almost impossible due to political rhetoric,” Garvey said. “It’s clear that Richmond’s priorities have gotten out-of-sync with the real needs of Virginians, especially those here in Northern Virginia. I’m running because we need to start building a strong future for our children and grandchildren.”

Garvey’s full announcement is after the jump.

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