Archive for September, 2010
The current edition of the Alexandria Times includes this letter to the editor about last week’s annual Team Englin Community Cookout:
To the Editor:
Del. David Englin (D-45) should teach a class to other politicians and their volunteers.
I am an active registered voter who lives in the Hopkins Tancil public housing development. I attended the annual community cookout that Mr. Englin held on September 16, because I wanted to take part in the dialogue and hear about what he has done for the community in which I live.
I was offered some chili and a drink from a very bubbly gentleman. That was a great start! I cordially asked, “Which one is Englin?” He pointed to an office-casual dressed man, engaging about 10 youths in front of someone’s stoop.
Continue reading ‘“Mr. Englin demonstrated the number one rule: engage the citizens”’
(Note: This first appeared as a column in the Sept. 16 edition of the Alexandria Times.)
Given the increasingly bitter political environment of the past year, it’s refreshing to have a policy debate in Richmond where Republicans and Democrats generally agree: Philosophically, hardly anyone, including me, believes that selling liquor should be a core service of government. However, for 76 years, thanks to choices made by a different generation in the wake of Prohibition, Virginia’s government has been in the liquor business, and business has been good. The stores are clean, safe, and relatively convenient — although not as convenient as liquor sales at every Giant or CVS. Most importantly, even during a recession, Virginia’s state-run liquor stores consistently bring in roughly $250 million per year for education, health care, and other core services.
As critical government reforms go, expanding early childhood education would have a better return-on-investment, and nonpartisan redistricting reform would transform our politics for the better. However, elections have consequences, and Governor Bob McDonnell has decided to make privatizing state-run liquor stores his top reform priority. Therefore, since this is merely a pragmatic challenge and not a philosophical fight, I have tried to keep an open mind and identify what a plan I could support would look like:
First and foremost, the plan must guarantee that the state will continue to bring in at least as much revenue for core services as the current system. The Commonwealth has cut more than $11 billion from core services over the past five years. We’re in such dire financial straits that the General Assembly — against my dissenting vote — tapped into the state employee pension fund for cash to make the budget add up. Therefore, to win my vote, any plan must guarantee at least the same annual revenue in perpetuity that the current system provides.
Continue reading ‘How Gov. McDonnell could win my vote for ABC Privatization’
Thank you to everyone who made yesterday’s annual Team Englin Community Cookout in the Berg — Alexandria’s historic low-income housing neighborhood — such a great success. Despite the rain, we had among our best turnout ever. It was a wonderful opportunity for David and our volunteers to reconnect with friends and neighbors in the Hopkins Court, Tancil Court, Chatham Square, and Tobacco Quay developments and from the surrounding neighborhoods.
“This is the fifth consecutive year we’ve hosted this event, and it continues to be a meaningful opportunity to bring people together, build and strengthen relationships, and try to build bridges so we can help improve quality of life throughout our community,” said David. “I’m incredibly grateful to all of the volunteers and residents who continue to make this event a success each year.”
Hard Times Cafe and Comcast donated the food and drinks. Housing Authority Director Roy Priest, Mayor Bill Euille, and Alexandria Democratic Committee Chair Clark Mercer stooped by to talk with residents. The Northern Virginia Urban League, Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement, and Tenants and Workers United each had representatives there engaged in important community outreach.
Along with a number of local officials, David joined firefighters, law enforcement officers, and other first responders on the steps of the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria today for a ceremony remembering the ninth anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Himself an Air Force officer on duty inside the Pentagon when it was hit, David issued the following statement:
“On this beautiful day, we remember not only the victims from our own community who perished at the Pentagon and those who perished in New York and Pennsylvania, but also our community’s first responders. Within minutes of the attack, firefighters from Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax were on the scene saving lives and pulling people out, honoring us that day — as they do every day — with their courage and professionalism. The freedom we enjoy this weekend to cheer at a child’s soccer game or browse art in Old Town is both a product of and a tribute to the sacrifices of the men and women who keep us safe, whether here at home in our communities or risking their lives in foreign lands.”
The Virginia Department of Transportation recently announced that, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, it has prepared a draft environmental assessment for the I-95 HOV/Bus/HOT Lanes project in Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties and the City of Fredericksburg.
“While the northern portion of this project — the I-95/395 HOT Lanes — that our community so opposes remains on hold pending the outcome of Arlington County’s lawsuit, I urge all concerned citizens to review these environmental documents in preparation for citizen information meetings in the fall,” said David. “I will communicate the details of these meetings as soon as they are announced. Our collective goal should be regional transportation solutions that work without pitting communities against each other and sacrificing people’s health and quality of life. That’s why citizen input is so critical.”
“We are providing public access to this detailed environmental document to allow citizens plenty of time to review it before citizen information meetings are held this fall,” said Sean T. Connaughton, secretary of transportation.
Click here for VDOT’s I-95/395 website.
