Archive for August, 2005
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters has named David as their choice to represent the 45th District in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Lisa Guthrie, Executive Director of the VALCV, said in reference to the VALCV endorsed candidates, “These candidates have provided thoughtful responses and demonstrate a wholehearted commitment to conservation in the commonwealth.”
VALCV made endorsements in only 25 of the 100 House of Delegates seats this year, so David is particularly proud to have earned their support. The endorsement process included a review of David’s public record, his responses to a written questionnaire, and participation in a personal interview. VALCV endorsed 20 Democrats, 1 Independent, and 4 Republicans.
Many thanks to our Vote Strong volunteers for another great Tuesday night making phone calls and writing letters to reach out to voters in Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax. This evening’s crew made hundreds of phone calls for our David as well as Dave Marsden, who’s running for delegate in the 41st district. They also wrote letters and post cards to help re-elect Del. Brian Moran and to elect Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine the next governor of Virginia.
Meanwhile, David spent yet another hot, sweaty evening out knocking on doors and talking with voters, sharing his message and listening to their thoughts and concerns.
“It’s invigorating to spend a few hours burning through shoe leather to connect with people in the district and then to come home to a house full of volunteers doing their part for victory in November,” said David. 
“I’ll never be able to thank our volunteers enough for their commitment and energy.”
Join us next Tuesday for another Volunteer Night! Also, beginning Sept. 14, mark Wednesday’s on your calendars as Alexandria Hyundai on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray opens its doors to Team Englin for phone banking beginning at 6:30 p.m. Let Mel know when you’ll be joining us: volunteer@davidenglin.org or 703-549-3203.
The current edition of the Alexandria Gazette Packet includes this letter to the editor in which David voices his support for permanently closing the Mirant power plant on the Alexandria water front:
More Still To Be Done
To The Editor:
Now that Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality has officially verified what we Alexandrians have known for years — that Mirant Corporation’s Potomac River Generation Station is poisoning us with toxic emissions — we need to make sure this coal-fired dinosaur stays closed for good. Mirant officials have called the forced closure of the plant “temporary” while they develop a strategy to meet air quality standards. Considering the magnitude of the problem (sulfur dioxide emissions alone are more than 13 times the danger level), the location of the plan among our densely populated residential neighborhoods, and the plant’s abysmal record of resistance and delay, that’s not good enough.
As the parent of a young child whose lungs are developing in the shadow of Mirant’s poison, I consider the plant to be a direct threat to my family’s health and safety. Our community owes a debt of gratitude to volunteer activists like Elizabeth Chimento, Poul Hertel, Ernie Lehmann, Mary Harris, and dozens of other Alexandrians who have fought to bring a dangerous situation to light and to shut down the plant. However, the ultimate duty to ensure the health and safety of the air we breathe falls on our government’s shoulders and not on the shoulders of neighborhood volunteers. While City Council has done everything in its power to force Mirant to close — and deserves our gratitude for it — state and federal authorities have largely failed us.
If I am elected in November to succeed Del. Marian Van Landingham, I will fight in the General Assembly to enact a strong and meaningful Clean Smokestacks Act, along the lines of the law passed in North Carolina in 2002, requiring all coal-fired plants in Virginia to severely reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and other pollutants. Moreover, we need to strengthen the ability of local governments to shut down power plants and other industrial facilities whose emissions threaten our health and safety. We will all breathe a little easier when we no longer have to worry about plants like Mirant poisoning our air and water and threatening our future.
David Englin
Candidate for Delegate, 45th District
During the “Rock” part of Team Englin’s second successful “Knock and Rock” event today, Democracy for Virginia announced that they are adding David to their list of officially endorsed candidates. Maura Keaney, executive director of Democracy for Virginia’s political action committee, announced the endorsement to a crowd of volunteers and supporters, many of whom braved the heat and the humidity and spent the afternoon knocking on doors in the 45th 
district to share David’s strong progressive message with voters.
According to Keaney, Democracy for Virginia generally endorses Democrats facing difficult races and avoids endorsing in heavily Democratic districts. However, they decided to endorse David 
despite the 45th district’s strong Democratic performance because he is proud to stand up for progressive values, he is working hard to build the Democratic grassroots, and, true to the vision David outlined during the Primary, his grassroots army of volunteers is reaching well beyond the 45th district to help elect other Democrats and change the balance of power in Richmond.
“It’s an honor to have earned Democracy for Virginia’s endorsement,” said David. “I share their devotion to bringing new people into the democratic process and empowering them to make a difference. With their support, an 
d together with our growing army of grassroots volunteers, we will continue to fight for sensible, progressive policies that will strengthen our communities, defend our values, and invest in our future. Thank you to everyone who joined us today knocking on doors in the heat. You give me great hope for the future of our commonwealth.”
After a long, hard day of knocking on doors, David and volunteers enjoyed food, drink, and camaraderie, accompanied by the musical stylings of Del Ray’s own Carbon Copy, whose members are all either students at or recent graduates of T.C. Williams High School. Mayor Bill Euille, Councilwoman Joyce Woodson, and Susan Kellom, chairwoman of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, also stopped by to show their support, and a fun time was had by all well into the evening.
Team Englin enjoyed another successful Volunter Night tonight making hundreds calls to 45th district voters for David and also to 32nd district voters in support of David Poisson, who’s running to unseat one of the most extreme right-wing members of the General Assembly.
While a house full of volunteers shared David’s strong progressive message with voters, David and Shayna helped host a Young Professionals fundraiser in Arlington for Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate for attorney general of Virginia.
“Creigh will be the kind of attorney general who will stand up for the people and not for narrow extremists interests,” said David. “We can count on him to use the power of the attorney general’s office for the good of all Virginians. That’s why the hard grassroots work we’re doing here in the 45th district is so important to help us find every possible vote not only for me, but for Creigh and the entire statewide ticket. I can’t thank our volunteers enough for their ongoing commitment to that fight.”
When David and Shayna returned home to Campaign Central, the late shift of volunteers surprised David with a cake for his 31st birthday, which was yesterday.
Be sure to join us this Saturday at 2 p.m. for our second Knock and Rock! After knocking on doors and reaching out to voters, we’ll return to Campaign Central for great food and great music from Del Ray’s own Carbon Copy. Let Mel know you’re coming at 703-549-3203 or volunteer@davidenglin.org.
