OPINION: Congratulations Mr. Benton – AND Mayor Baroukh

By STAN FENDLEY

July 23, 2010

This week the Falls Church News-Press printed edition number 1,000.  That is quite a feat.  Those of us involved in the Falls Church Times can tell you that it’s a lot of work to put together even an online publication.  A hard copy newspaper is a much bigger operation, and doing it 1,000 weeks in a row is an accomplishment to be proud of.

In this week’s edition, FCNP publisher Nick Benton includes two lengthy pieces about the paper’s history and his reflections on the meaning of a free press.  First, in a story entitled “1,000 Wednesday Nights at the Mighty News-Press,” Mr. Benton relates how the paper began and who helped him along the way.  It’s an interesting story, particularly in light of the fact that newspaper economics no longer work in many cases, causing paper after paper to shutter in recent years.

Mr. Benton started the paper in 1991.  The headline of his first edition was “Rancorous Public Hearing on School Cuts, Tax Increase” – one he could have re-used this spring.

With obvious delight, Mr. Benton writes that when the printer’s wheels began to turn on that first edition, “I began to bellow above the din of the press, ‘Let every tyrant tremble!  The free press is the voice of the people in defense of liberty and freedom everywhere!’”

And he notes that after staying up all night to finish the first edition, he looked outside to see “that the cherry trees lining N. Virginia Avenue [near his office] had blossomed into their full pink radiance.”

“It was a sign,” he said.

Mr. Benton started the FCNP in a small office behind the Exxon station at Broad and North Virginia.  He planned for the paper to be a monthly or bi-weekly publication, but started the second edition immediately after putting out the first one, giving birth to a weekly.

In Mr. Benton’s editorial this week, “A Celebration of the First Amendment,” he speaks to the importance of a free press and his role in it, mentioning a variety of figures including First Amendment author George Mason, White House correspondent Helen Thomas, and recently fired-and-rehired USDA employee Shirley Sherrod.  He goes on to note a number of public officials who accepted his invitation to sign a congratulatory ad that appears in this week’s FCNP, saying “The elected officials have every reason to affirm these things.”

Mr. Benton goes too far, however, when he reports that newly-elected Mayor Nader Baroukh declined the invitation to sign the ad – and pointedly contrasts him with other public officials who did sign the ad.

According to Benton, Mayor Baroukh’s reason for declining to lend his name to the ad was, “As an elected official I should not be in the business of congratulating the media on what it does or does not do.”

I believe Baroukh is right.

Although Baroukh was quickly criticized by former Mayor Robin Gardner and former Vice Mayor Lindy Hockenberry for not supporting a local business, it is important to remember that the media is not just another business.  Its business is reporting news and opining on it — most importantly, the news of government.  The media influences government action, and unabashedly so.

As a result, the media can be extremely powerful.  The adage, “Don’t pick fights with people who buy ink by the barrel” is a wise reminder that the person who controls public information wields great power.  This is very relevant in Falls Church City, where Mr. Benton is the only person whose words touch every doorstep in town.  By the mere reach of those words, he is arguably the most influential person in Falls Church City.  And the fact that he would report Baroukh’s decision not to lend his name to a congratulatory ad indicates Mr. Benton’s willingness to use his influence.

That the press is powerful is not necessarily a bad thing.  Its power is necessary in order to offset the power of government.  But – and here is the thing — in order for the media and the government to work properly, they cannot become too cozy.  Government officials kowtowing to the press or vice versa could be a disastrous thing for democracy.

In my view, the FCNP’s ad has the feel of kowtowing.  It is one thing for community members to congratulate Mr. Benton, but it is another when a group of public officials, who may at any time receive the sting of his lash, line up to congratulate him.  Frankly, it makes me uncomfortable, and I think Mayor Baroukh was wise to decline the offer.    Yes, it is part of his job to promote local businesses, but a much more important part of his job is maintaining the proper relationship between institutions, particularly those upon which a democratic system depends.

Therefore, I believe two congratulations are in order.  Mr. Benton is to be congratulated for his remarkable run of a 1,000 weeks of newspapers.  And Mayor Baroukh is to be congratulated for his mindfulness of the appropriate line between government and the media.  May they both continue to do their jobs well.

Snyder Voted for Criticized Water Litigation

By STAN FENDLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

May 3, 2010

Although he has been a vocal critic of Falls Church City’s lawsuit against Fairfax County over water services, Councilman David Snyder joined his colleagues in a unanimous vote to initiate the litigation in 2007, he told the Falls Church Times this morning.  Snyder justified his vote for the litigation on the grounds that to have done otherwise would have weakened the City’s litigation position.

Snyder’s vote for the “Water Wars” litigation was disclosed in an article in last week’s Falls Church News Press. The News Press went on to endorse Snyder for reelection.

“When the Council debated whether to sue Fairfax County, I advised heavily against it,” Snyder told the Falls Church Times this morning.  “However, once the majority of Council members decided to vote for it, I voted for it, too, because otherwise it would have weakened the City’s litigation position.”

Snyder says that he attempted to get the lawsuit dropped shortly afterward.

“Within two weeks of the time the City filed the lawsuit, I talked to a representative of Fairfax County who was very angry at the fact that there had been no real effort by the City to resolve the dispute through negotiation,”  Snyder said.  “I then came back to the Council and gave my strong advice that we withdraw the litigation.”

Snyder has publicly criticized the decision to sue Fairfax County.  In a 2009 interview with the Falls Church Times, Snyder said, “The City’s litigation against Fairfax County over the water system is an example of the ineffectiveness of the current leadership.  We used to work matters out with Fairfax, but this tradition was broken by the decision to resort to the lawsuit, which was approved by the Council majority over my objection.”

In the recent candidate debated sponsored by the League of Women Voters and Village Preservation and Improvement Society, Snyder also stated his intent to mend fences with Fairfax County if reelected to another term.

This morning, Snyder elaborated on his vote, saying, “It was extremely difficult to be put in a position where if I voted against the lawsuit, it would have weakened the City’s position,” Snyder said.  “It really would have undercut the effort.”

It is unclear if the City communicated the unanimous vote as way to strengthen its hand.

Falls Church sued the Fairfax County Water Authority in federal court in March 2007, alleging that the City had the exclusive right to deliver water services in certain areas of Fairfax County.  A federal district court dismissed the City’s lawsuit two months later, followed by the City’s appeal, in which the lower court was upheld in spring 2008.

In a reversal of the roles, Fairfax County Water Authority (FCWA) sued Falls Church City in state court in December 2008, alleging that the City was engaging in anti-competitive behavior by blocking a Fairfax customer from hooking up to FCWA’s lines.  The two sides came to an initial settlement earlier this year but continue to squabble over some issues.

Snyder is the longest-serving member of the City Council, having been first elected in 1994.  He is seeking his fifth term in tomorrow’s election.

iPad App Conference Slated for Falls Church Friday, Saturday

By STAN FENDLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

April 13, 2010

Falls Church will be the site of a technology conference Friday and Saturday relating to the creation of applications for the new Apple iPad.  The conference, called iPad DevCamp DC, or iPad DC for short, will include discussions of designing, programming and marketing iPad and iPhone applications.  The event will occur concurrently in Falls Church, San Jose and other locations around the world.

According to organizer Luis de la Rosa of Falls Church-based Happy Apps, an iPhone, iPad and Mac consulting company, the event format will be “unconference” or Barcamp-style, featuring content from the participants themselves.

“We want to learn from each other’s experiences and show the area that there is a thriving iPhone and iPad development community,” said de la Rosa.  “We will have attendees from all over the DC area, and hopefully we will build interest in iPad app development right here in Falls Church.”

De la Rosa noted that this event follows a similar conference held last year.

“We held a successful conference here last August called iPhone DevCamp DC,” he said, “and we are glad to be coming back to Falls Church to discuss the cutting-edge technology involved in developing apps for the iPad.”

Space for the conference will be provided by Viget Labs at 400 South Maple Avenue.

Brian Williams of Viget Labs said, “Any time we get a chance to host well-run events like this, we’re happy to be involved.  I would love to see Falls Church earn a reputation as a tech-friendly city by encouraging more events like iPad DevCamp to take place here. ”

Additional information is available at http://ipaddc.com/, and registration is at http://ipaddc.eventbrite.com/

Falls Church Residents Press Officials on Taxes, Service Cuts

By STAN FENDLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

April 10, 2010

Some 50 Falls Church residents probed City and school officials for 90 minutes Saturday regarding proposed tax increases and service cuts, with little consensus emerging.

At the second budget town hall meeting of the year, City Manager Wyatt Shields led attendees through the additional service cuts that will be required to lower his proposed 20-cent real property tax increase down to 15 cents over the current $1.07 tax per hundred dollars of property value.  Numerous attendees spoke against either a 15 or a 20 cent increase.  A smaller group supported the increase in lieu of cutting additional services.

Attendees pressed Schools Superintendent Lois Berlin on whether the schools had made sufficient cuts.  Schools payment for student testing fees for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examinations was a particular target, with several speakers in favor of charging those fees to the students’ parents.  Berlin responded that the School Board had decided to continue paying the exam fees as a way to encourage more students to take the exams. By paying the fees, the school can require that a student take the exam as a condition for taking the course.  Two school parents pointed out that if the number of students taking the advanced exams were to drop, it would lower George Mason High School’s ranking in the Washington Post Challenge Index, in turn making Falls Church less of a draw for families and thereby lowering property values.

A brief debate occurred between Shields and City Councilman Dan Maller, with Maller saying that approximately $2 million of revenue raised by the tax increase would go to replenish the City’s fund balance.  Maller questioned whether the fund needed to be replenished at this time, although he agreed that it should be restored to a normal level at some point. Shields challenged Maller’s statement, saying that the fund would be replenished out of this year’s taxes, not next year’s. Read more

GMHS Prepares to Be FIRST in Robotics

By STAN FENDLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

April 9, 2010

The George Mason High School Robotics team will travel next week to Atlanta to compete in an international robotics tournament, the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship.

The Mason team qualified for the Atlanta event earlier this spring with a first place finish in the VirginiaFIRST Regional competition, preceded by a second-place finish at the Washington, DC Regional FIRST competition.  The GMHS team also received two “Gracious Professionalism” awards in recognition of their willingness to help other teams work out problems with the programming of the robots.

FIRST, which stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” was started by prolific inventor Dean Kamen, who developed the insulin pump, the Segway personal transporter, the stair-climbing iBOT wheelchair, and numerous other devices.  Kamen founded the organization in 1989 to “inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people.”   According to FIRST’’s background materials, the organization’s methodology is to design “accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering.”

VirginiaFIRST is an affiliate of the national organization whose goal is to “make the FIRST Vision and Mission a reality for every young person in Virginia.”  Read more

Falls Church Parents Push Back on City Council Request for More School Cuts

By STAN FENDLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

April 6, 2010

No sooner had word gotten out that the Falls Church City Council had asked its School Board for additional budget cuts, had parents begun to organize in opposition.

“Here we go again,” announced a parent Facebook page, “over the weekend, City Council asked the School Board to explore the ramifications of making MORE cuts . . . [$] 750,000 to 1.5 million, which would bring us back to Tier 3 and 4 level cuts.  LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD!  Contact City Council today!”

The Facebook page shows an update circulated among parents over the weekend quoting School Board Chairman Ron Peppe’s summary of the City Council’s request.  The Council, Peppe said, asked the School Board “what we would cut to achieve the $750,000 and $1.50 million additional reductions in the requested transfer amount.”

The “Tier 3 an 4 level cuts” referenced in the parent communication refer to an impact analysis of four funding levels prepared by schools superintendent Lois Berlin earlier this year.

In its budget request of last month, the schools had already reduced their previous year budget by more than $2 million.  The City Council, however, asked the School Board last week to seek the additional cuts, with a goal of halving City Manager Wyatt Shield’s proposed $0.20 cent property tax increase.

The parent update circulated this weekend states, “These cuts could include losing an additional instructional day that would be included in next year, losing full-day Kindergarten, losing elementary music, art and foreign language, losing counseling positions at [George Mason High School], losing a first and a fourth grade teacher, and MORE.”

The City Council’s request is reminiscent of a similar effort proposed by Mayor Robin Gardner last year asking the schools to cut an additional $170,000 to plug an unexpected budget shortfall.  Gardner’s proposal, made after the schools had already cut $1 million from the budget, was dropped amidst opposition from parents, teachers and School Board members.

The tussle over the school budget could be a distinguishing factor in the May 2010 City Council election.  One candidate is current School Board Chairman Peppe, who will be expected to fight for school funding.  Others include sitting Council members Hal Lippman and Dave Snyder, who will have the responsibility of balancing the overall City budget.

Council to Discuss Budget Monday with School Board, Planning Commission

By STAN FENDLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

April 4, 2010

The Falls Church City Council will meet Monday in joint session with the City School Board and Planning Commission to discuss fiscal year 2011 budget issues.

First on the agenda will be the City’s Capital Improvements Program, followed by a staff report regarding the potential sale of City-owned property, and finally the schools budget.

The Council then will go into closed session to discuss the sale of City-owned property – most likely the Pendleton House – as a way to reduce an impending tax increase.  City Manager Wyatt Shields recently floated a sale of the Pendleton House as a way to reduce a $0.20 real estate tax increase to perhaps $0.18.

Currently, Falls Church property owners pay $1.07 in property taxes for every $100 of assessed value.   On March 22, the City Council gave preliminary approval to Shield’s proposal to increase the tax rate to $1.27.  Last week, Shields suggested that selling the Pendleton House could lessen the tax increase, resulting in a tax of around $1.25.

The meeting will begin at 7:30pm in the Training Room at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue.

City Council to Vote Monday on Tax Increase, Budget Cuts, Affordable Housing Loan

By STAN FENDLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

March 21, 2010

The Falls Church City Council will vote Monday on preliminary approval of a 20-cent property tax increase, $9 million in budget cuts, including $2 million in school cuts, as well as final approval of a $2 million loan for affordable housing.

The affordable housing project, called “The Wilden,” will come first on the evening’s agenda.  Included will be a Special Exception ordinance allowing residential construction in a commercial area and approval of the $2 million City loan.

A City staff memo describing the details of the project is available at the City website, along with other background materials.

Following recommendations from the Falls Church Planning Commission, conditions will be added to the $2 million City loan for the project, including those relating to the use of proceeds from the potential sale of Winter Hill Apartments, the financing of land acquisition and parking construction on adjacent property at 360 S. Washington Street, and new loan default protections.

Also on the affordable housing agenda will be measures providing a tax exemption for the project and making related zoning code changes.

The staff memo relating to the affordable housing project also details arguments for and against the project made by members of the Falls Church Economic Development Authority and a number of Falls Church residents.

After taking action on the affordable housing project, the Council will take its preliminary vote on a FY2011 budget that cuts spending by almost $9 million and raises the City real estate tax from $1.07 to $1.27 per hundred dollars of value.  Under the proposed measure, the City FY2011 budget will be set at $64 million, as opposed to $73 million in FY2010.  The school operating budget will drop by $2 million, from $36.8 million in FY2010 to $34.8 in FY2011.

The City Council meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue.  The meeting will be showing on local cable television and via the Internet (link available at the City web site.)

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