SATURDAY, 4/21: Plant a Tree on Arbor Day

Come out on Arbor Day to help our team of citizen volunteers and City staff plant street trees on Saturday April 21 at 8:30 am – noon.   Meet at the corner of N. Oak and N. West (501 N West).  After refreshments and a planting demonstration we’ll split up into teams to plant trees at locations around the City.   Wear boots or heavy shoes, gloves and bring a shovel if you have one – we’ll have extra tools on hand, too.

Please contact Seth Heminway, Volunteer Chair Neighborhood TreeProgram at: heminway.seth@gmail.com (no “g” in the last name) with questions and to let him know if you plan to participate.  See: www.vpis.org/trees for more details.

Also, come celebrate the City’s 117th Arbor Day in Frady Park at 3 PM.

OPINION: Don’t Go There!

By STAN FENDLEY
April 1, 2012

Sometimes, you can do ill while trying to do good.   

Such is the case, in my view, with the Falls Church City Republican Committee’s plan to host a candidate forum featuring the seven men vying for City Council. 

Although not a “debate,” according to the FCCRC, the candidates would take questions from the audience and each other, with the members of the GOP organization in attendance.  The public also would be invited to attend.

So what’s wrong with that?  Nothing, were it hosted by a non-partisan organization.  But the FCCRC is a partisan organization — founded specifically for the purpose of electing Republican candidates. 

I am not opposed to partisan organizations.  I’m a Democrat who has worked in elections since college, and I appreciate that partisan organizations play the role of offering contrasting visions.  But Falls Church City has a tradition of non-partisan elections, which I would like to see continue.  Local issues do not lend themselves to partisan solutions, and adding a partisan element will only make it more difficult to find real solutions. 

Moreover, there is a real risk of emulation on the Democratic side, either at the organizational level or through sub-groups.  When one party acts, the other responds.  It is the nature of politics.  It does not appear that the Falls Church City Democratic Committee plans to host a candidate forum – fortunately.  But that doesn’t mean individual groups of Democrats won’t use the GOP involvement as an excuse to act in a partisan manner.   

This becomes particularly problematic as we prepare to move City Council and School Board elections to November in 2013.  In a single campaign season and on a single ballot, we will have some elections which are non-partisan and others which are partisan.  In a small city in which many of the same people volunteer in both partisan and the non-partisan races, it will be tricky enough to maintain a distinction even if the two party organizations try.  When one of those organizations becomes actively involved in the non-partisan races, all bets are off.    

Last week I spoke with FCCRC chairman Ken Feltman, along with FCCRC member Mark Rhoads, to raise my concerns.  While saying they support the non-partisan nature of the City Council and School Board elections, they feel strongly that having the candidates speak to the FCCRC is an important opportunity for their members to interact with the candidates, and that they are doing a civic service by inviting the public to attend.  They point out that they invited the local Democratic Committee to join them in hosting the event, as well as the League of Women Voters. 

But the fact is, they don’t need to do this event in order to achieve their goals.  The public, including FCCRC’s members, will have plenty of opportunities to see and speak with the candidates at events staged by non-partisan organizations, like Citizens for a Better City, the League of Women Voters, and the Village Preservation and Improvement Society. 

And if this particular group of people insists on hosting a forum, they can always do it separately from the partisan organization.  They don’t need the auspices of the FCCRC to have a conversation with the candidates – they can just reserve a meeting room at the Community Center, or a restaurant, or an apartment complex, and invite anyone interested to come.  It’s an easy thing to do. 

I give the FCCRC credit for trying to do a good thing.  But the fact is they’re trying to do a non-partisan civic activity through a partisan organization.  Invariably, that effort will raise suspicion and provide cover to others who want to make City Council races de facto partisan.  As much as they want to offer the resources of the FCCRC for this purpose, they shouldn’t. 

By definition, partisan organizations are a bad fit for non-partisan elections and simply should not be involved.  In the end, however well intended, it’s not worth the risk of undermining our local non-partisan tradition.

MONDAY, 4/9: Voter Registration Deadline

The deadline for citizens to register for the May 1, 2012 local Municipal General and Special Elections is Monday, April 9.  Registration applications must be postmarked or received by the Office of Voter Registration and Elections (300 Park Ave., Suite 101 East, Falls Church, VA 22046) by that date.  All citizens who will be 18 years old on or before the May 1, 2012 election date are eligible to vote in this election.

The Voter Registration Application is available at www.fallschurchva.gov/vote and in the Office  of Voter Registration and Elections.  For additional information, call the Office of Voter Registration at 703-248-5085.

The May 1 election will be the  first to use the new voting ward configuration.  All voters affected by that change will receive a new voter registration card with the new voting location.  The new cards will be mailed no later than April 16.  Voters may destroy the old voter registration card when they receive the new card.  A map and description of the new voting wards may be viewed at http://bit.ly/GVMcvr.

For Virgnia elections, voter registration and address change information is available at
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/documents/VoterRegistration/sbe_voter_app_DOJ-Printed.pdf.

Mason Cagers Win Regular Season, Host Tourney

BY FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
February 10, 2012

George Mason High School will host the Bull Run District tournament for both the girls and boys basketball teams after the boys team won a decisive one-game playoff last night to clinch the regular season championship.

Playing against William Monroe High School, which had tied GM for the district lead at the end of the regular season, the Mustangs came out on fire.  They held Monroe to five points in the first quarter, led 37-15 at the half and held pace in the  second half to drub their opponent 70-48. 

It is the first time in 11 years the GM boys team has won the regular season in the Bull Run District.

Nate Ogle led the way against William Monroe with 20 points, while Noel Obusan had 14. 

The Girls team captured the BRD regular season title earlier.  Both teams will play their counterparts from Rappahannock High School tonight starting at 6pm at the Mary Ellen Henderson Gymnasium.

Mason Boys Take 3rd in Holiday Basketball Tourney

By STAN FENDLEY
Falls Church Times Staff
December 30, 2011

The George Mason boys varsity basketball team defeated Freedom-South Riding High School 50-37  Thursday night to take 3rd place in the  Joe Cascio Tournament at Falls Church High. 

The Mustangs played a strong defensive game, executing a man-to-man defense with efficiency, while riding the offensive performance of senior Co-Captains Nate Ogle and Phillippe Griffiths.  Ogle, named to the All-Tournament Team at evening’s end, finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Griffiths had 16 points and nine rebounds. 

MEH Robotic Teams Conquer Regional, Move to State Tourney

By STAN FENDLEY
FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF

November 14, 2011

Two teams from Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School have qualified for the Virginia State Championships of the “FIRST” Lego League Robotics Tournament.  The two teams are the “Plantain Pirates” and the “Bacteria Busters,” which qualified by placing among the top four spots at a regional competition at the Smithsonian Institute on Saturday.  

FIRST is an organization whose mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills.  FIRST, which stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, the prolific New Hampshire inventor who has developed products ranging from the insulin pump to  the Segway personal transportation system. Some 250,000 students have participated in the organization’s competitions. Read more

WEDNESDAY, 11/9: Last Day to Order a Pie for Education

The Falls Church Education Foundation has a way to make your holidays easy and delicious! Order a pie from Mom’s Apple Pie Co., and the proceeds will benefit the FCEF and its teacher grants fund.

The mission of the Falls Church Education Foundation is to ensure that our students are prepared to effectively meet the challenges of the 21st century. The Foundation provides all friends of the Falls Church City Public Schools with a means to contribute a legacy of support for the system’s educational excellence.

Information for ordering a pie (apple and more!) is available on this flyer.  Deadline is Monday, November 9, so order yours today!

Video: Lou Olom on FC Schools, Elections, and Development

Long-time City resident and activist Lou Olom recently sat down with Falls Church Times’ Stan Fendley for a taping of the Falls Church Forum program at FCC-TV.  In the interview, Lou talks about City schools, elections, and real estate development.  The interview is 30 minutes long.

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