Reston: Let there be (some) light

So the mighty RA won the battle against all the RVs and boats and trailers and whatnot, and saw that it was Good. Now Reston is turning its attention to the another horrible scourge: the dark.

“People say Reston is dark, which is a good thing in some respects and not in others,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine Hudgins said at the meeting.

Whoa -- too much information! Could someone break this down for me?

“Most lights are currently in the northern end of Reston,” added Milton Matthews, CEO of the Reston Association. “The southern community has very few lights – Glade Drive, for example, is very dark."

Something tells us these folks would probably agree.

Anyhoo! No worries about that, because apparently Reston will soon be bathed by lighting so awesome and powerful, it'll be visible from outer space (or at least Dranesville).

On May 5, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to more than triple the limit of streetlights in the Reston project from 76 to 350.

An original task force was created in 1983, which five years later led to the “Reston Streetlight Demonstration Project,” a pilot program that Hudgins last week said “has probably outlasted its time.” Last Thursday, Hudgins hosted a community meeting on outdoor lighting to gain direction from her constituents for the placement of additional outdoor lighting in Reston, including areas that have developed since the project's implementation in 1988.

Awesome! A community meeting! That'll bring out the reasoned discourse of sensible community members!

“It just isn't true,” boomed Reston resident Chris Walker, a member of the International Dark Sky Association. “Reston has the worst of all possible policies and they are not working,” he said as he stood up at the meeting.

Okay... well, maybe it'll bring up some true believers in the Reston ethos:

“We appreciate the trees and the woods and the spirit of Reston,” answered Sarah Fershee of the Marco Cluster off Glade Drive. “But there is lots of movement at night by people who do not live in our cluster. We are concerned for our safety.”

What? Why worry?

Metro Silver Line: Maybe We Should Keep Clapping, Just In Case

Things are going so awesomely with Metro's Silver Line that Gov. Tim Kaine is coming to Reston today to bask in its reflected, silvery glory.

On Wednesday, June 11, the Dulles Corridor Rail Association (DCRA) will celebrate its 10th anniversary and honor Governor Tim Kaine at a reception hosted by The JPI Companies and the new Westin Reston Heights hotel.

That's right -- the high-density development that's across the freaking highway from the planned Metro station. Assuming it gets built, that is, after some Ron Paul libertarian types brought back to life some inane procedural lawsuit that's been around since roughly 1609, when the Metro tracks were made out of wood and moccasin strings.

A proposed extension of Metrorail to Dulles International Airport, already on precarious footing, was dealt another setback yesterday when the Virginia Supreme Court allowed a lawsuit to go forward challenging plans to use Dulles Toll Road receipts to fund construction.

At issue is whether Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) violated the constitution when he announced plans -- without General Assembly action -- to transfer the state-owned Dulles Toll Road to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which intends to raise tolls and use the proceeds toward the cost of the rail line.

"I would just like for them to take the constitution seriously," said lawyer Patrick M. McSweeney, a former chairman of the state Republican Party, who represented the plaintiffs.

So this dork managed to do what the developers grassroots movement known as Under, Not Over couldn't -- possibly slow this sucker down. But despite losing their deepest pockets, the developer selfless grassroot organizer who bankrolled TysonsTunnel.org to the tune of $3 million, the group is pressing on with its demands that a tunnel plied by glass-bottomed Metro cars be built to preserve Tysons' unspoiled beauty. They recently met for lunch and raised a "couple of thousand dollars" to continue fighting for the cause.

Several tunnel boosters in the room said they would rather see no rail at all than an elevated track through Tysons.

"It will be so unsightly and noisy; it will be such a distraction visually," said Nancy McLeod, a longtime resident of the McLean Hunt neighborhood near Tysons.

Nose, meet face. Have fun cutting yourself off!

Not that it matters. A track fire here, another derailment there, and soon enough Metro won't have enough trains to get out to Arlington, much less the airport.

Some Politics Are Local: You Mean There Was a Primary Yesterday?

We thought that all that "hope" and "change" bidness was over. Actually, judging by the primaries held yesterday, it actually might be, as the incumbents serving Reston and Herndon won handily.

By even wider margins, Reps. James P. Moran Jr. (D) and Frank R. Wolf (R) withstood primary challenges yesterday. In the fall, Wolf will face Democrat Judy M. Feder, who beat back a primary challenge yesterday from Mike R. Turner. Wolf defeated Feder handily in 2006. Moran defeated lawyer Matthew T. Famiglietti in the 8th Congressional District primary and will face Republican Mark W. Ellmore, who beat Amit K. Singh yesterday in a close contest.

Gerald E. Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, also beat former representative Leslie L. Byrne to run for retiring Rep. Tom Davis' seat in the fall.

The Post points out that less than 6 percent of all voters showed up for yesterday's primaries -- a figure that would have been far lower if American Idol was still on the air.

RA declares war on trailers, boats, motor homes and other staples of Americana

For everyone who naively thought it was their God-given right as an American (and a Reston resident, which is the Next Best Thing) to park their 18-wheeler, family motor home, boat trailer or other slice of wheeled, gas-guzzling Americana on the mean streets of Reston (or at least Soapstone Drive), the RA has just one thing to say for you: It's on.

The Reston Association Board of Directors passed a resolution at its May meeting on Thursday, May 22, to send a letter to Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) requesting an establishment of a Large Area Community Parking District (CPD) in Reston.

The district would restrict certain vehicles from parking on public streets in residential areas. The restricted vehicles include boat trailers, boats, motor homes and trailers or semi-trailers — even when attached to a vehicle. Vehicles parked up to 48 hours for the purposes of loading, unloading or preparing for a trip are exempt from the restrictions.

Because what Reston really needs is more signage! Seriously, this will be a relief to folks who live along Soapstone Drive or Ridge Heights Road, whose pristine vistas of the 7-11 and/or the Home Depot have been obscured by such unsightly conveyances. Plus, it's annoying and unsafe for Reston's high percentage of small, fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles and Smart Cars.

Now if we can just get rid of the spastically dancing open house sign, the mean streets of Reston will be safe once more.

Freedom's Just Another Word (For Reston Town Center)

Building on March's awesome anti-war protests held across the street from Reston Town Center (tm) and its global symbol of American hegemony, the imperialistic, warmongering Pizzeria Unos, a national anti-war conference will be held within the confines of a certain planned development bankrolled by a giant petrochemical conglomerate by the name of Gulf Oil. (Hint: Reston).

While attending sessions with titles like “Imperial Crusades: The Corruption of U.S. Foreign Policy,” “Losing Liberty in the War on Terrorism" and "“From Empire and Intervention to Freedom and Republic,” we wonder if the libertarians who are sponsoring the Restoring the Republic conference will ponder the constraints placed upon property holders by homeowner's covenants and a nongovernmental entity that can slap liens on your property if you paint your gate the wrong freaking shade of mauve, or if they'll acknowledge the irony that the wonderful, non-threatening faux-urban landscape peppered with equally non-threatening chain retail that surrounds their conference was bankrolled by the same multinational petrochemical conglomerates that have led the nation on what they see as decades of foreign policy misadventures.

Probably they'll just babble on about Ron Paul instead. Could be worse, though. We'll take an anti-war conference over the convention trade plied by our neighbor to the west.

Redistricting Fever: And hot dogs for the kids!

Now that they've secured the finest legal team that advertises on the back cover of the Yellow Pages, how is FairfaxCAPS, the awesome, pro-school group that's currently suing Fairfax County schools to force it to re-redistrict elementary school students from Oakton, Vienna, Fox Mill and other decent, non-Bratz-intensive places out of South Lakes High School to somewhere where they won't have to sing the Internationale before getting their chocolate ration for the day, going to pay its bills?

Apparently quality Indian cuisine and Christmas ornaments aren't cutting it, because they've come up with some awesome new plans:

We have a booth at Viva Vienna on May 25th & 26th. Our goal is to reach a broader audience and spread the word about our mission.

Awesome! Will they have Stu Gibson in a dunking booth? But wait -- there's more!

Also, FairfaxCAPS is holding a raffle to support FairfaxCAPS advocacy efforts. We are blessed with generous friends who have donated some big ticket items for the raffle. We are asking members of the community to help support FairfaxCAPS by buying and selling tickets. We will sell tickets at Viva Vienna. In total, the prizes are valued at over $4000. Watch for the next email that will be the short list of prizes available. I promised that I would hold the announcement of the GRAND PRIZE. Shhhhhhh!....think sun, sand and water.

What, is it a spot at Langley High School? (Fun fact, by the way: the mascot at Langley, which was never ever ever in danger of being redistricted anywhere, is the Saxons... or should we say, the Anglo-Saxons?)

But we digress. Then there's this assessment of how FairfaxCAPS is doing:

FairfaxCAPS has received great reviews in newspapers and on online blogs for its efforts. We have some awesome goals for the next year.

Awesome? Where on earth would they have gotten that word?

Conceal-carry enthusiasts demonstrate their fundamental belief in gun rights, loaded potato skins

Picture a rocking Saturday night at Champps Americana in Plaza America, with a reasonably priced macrobrew in one hand, a fork groaning under the weight of a fried mozzarella strip in the other, and a handgun in your holster.

The patrons at Champps, an upscale restaurant and bar chain, were eating ribs and drinking beer on a recent Saturday when customer Bruce Jackson stood up and made an announcement: He was armed, and so were dozens of other patrons.

The armed customers stood up in unison, showing off holstered pistols and revolvers. Jackson said a word or two about the rights of gun owners to carry firearms in Virginia, then thanked everyone for their attention and sat down.

And the diners returned to their burgers and Budweisers.

All because of a Virginia law allowing gun owners to carry firearms in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol -- so long as the weapons are displayed openly. The General Assembly passed a law this year allowing gun owners to conceal their guns on their Friendly's runs, but the openly communistic Tim Kaine took time from his busy schedule of canoodling with BFF Margaret Peters to ensure the future of the awesome Silver Line to veto it. But enough of that boring politics stuff! How did fellow Restonians react to the announcement that their fellow patrons were packing heat?

At Champps, several patrons failed to notice that so many customers were armed, even though dozens of gun-toting men and women had walked right past them.

Tomas Nolasco of Reston said he hadn’t noticed the guns and didn’t care as long as they weren’t drinking. (They weren’t.) His wife was a little more concerned.

“There are families in here, children in here,” Cathy Nolasco said. “It bothers me.”

Brendan Fitzgerald of Reston and his friends noticed the guns immediately. They were curious but unconcerned.

“I’m just laughing because it’s totally unnecessary in my opinion,” Fitzgerald said, pointing to one individual who not only was armed but also had several clips of ammunition attached to his belt.

“This is Reston, not Southeast,” said his friend Nathan Dicken.

Just don't tell these folks that.

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Residents vote to preserve the sanctity of Big Gulps

In our tolerant neighbor to the west, Herndon residents re-elected virtually everyone involved in shutting down the day labor center, rewarding the town council for protecting their most precious bodily fluids, the 72-oz. Dr. Pibb Super Big Gulps from the Elden St. 7-11, and solving the nation's immigration problems forever and giving Lou Dobbs valuable talking points for his anti-immigrant screeds, which a grateful nation enjoys nightly.

Herndon voters reaffirmed their support yesterday for a mayor and Town Council that garnered national attention for closing down a job center for day laborers, saying it had become a magnet for illegal immigrants.

Voters reelected Mayor Stephen J. DeBenedittis and most of the incumbents on the six-member council, who were elected in 2006 amid outrage over the taxpayer-subsidized center. Council member J. Harlon Reece, who had initially supported the center and stepped down to challenge DeBenedittis, was succeeded by Richard F. Downer.

"Two years ago, people said that it was a fluke that we got in the way that we did," Vice Mayor Dennis D. Husch said. "This year, we had the exact same results. . . . I'm pleased the previous election was validated."

And how!

Metro's Silver Line: Ask a silly question....

Did the federal government's shocking reversal on Metro's awesome Silver Line last week, after declaring the project all but dead back in January and badmouthing anyone even tangentially involved in backing the project except maybe for Earl, the guy who set up all the traffic cones with little flashing lights on top of them in Tysons, have anything to do with politics?

Yes.

This concludes today's installment of Ask a Silly Question About Metro's Silver Line. Next week, we'll tackle another stumper: If you smell smoke on the Metro, are the tracks on fire?

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Town Elections Show Shocking Diversity of Opinions (About Diversity)

Tuesday's Herndon Town Council elections aren't about such silly concepts as "hope" and "change." They're about preserving unfettered access to Super Big Gulps at the Elden Street 7-11.

Ky Truong looked out the window of the Herndon Shell station he manages at what he calls "a lot of problems": clusters of immigrant day laborers, who he says have been trampling his flower beds and bothering customers since September, when the town shuttered its controversial day-laborer hiring center. Truong wants it reopened.

But on the eve of Tuesday's municipal elections, the chance of that happening looks close to nil. Asked at a recent political forum if they would consider reopening the site if Fairfax County provided funding, 12 of 13 candidates for Town Council said no. The other said "absolutely not."

Yes, two years after the day labor center first started getting the attention of right-wing talk radio, ultimately prompting a vast uprising of irate 7-11 patrons that shuttered it, thereby solving the nation's immigration problems forever and giving some deep thinkers a place to hang their hats, people are still thinking about little else in our accepting neighbor to the west.

But day labor remains a divisive force that could influence the election. Council members who opposed the center boast of fulfilled promises and have raised doubts about challengers' pledges not to reopen it. Challengers talk of "reuniting" the town. Letters to local newspapers and online postings are consumed with the topic. If anything, some observers say, the issue has receded only because three years of debate has drawn deep, indelible battle lines.

All of the sudden, obsessing about indoor tennis courts doesn't seem so stupid after all.

Your RA: As much turnover as an urban fast-food restaurant

When we dug up a yellowing, week-old copy of the freebee newspaper and wrote about the new members of the RA board, little did we know we were just scratching the surface!

The Reston Association's Board of Directors underwent numerous leadership changes last week. Cheryl Beamer, Richard Chew and Timothy McMahon were elected to serve on the Board of Directors April 15; the board appointed new officers April 16; and Jenn Blackwell, who had served as president for three years, resigned from her position as an at-large director April 18.

Robin Smyers, who was the board's vice president and is the district director for Lake Anne and Tall Oaks, was elected president. At-large Director Mark Watts was elected as vice president, South Lakes district Director Kathleen Driscoll McKee was elected secretary and John Higgins was re-elected as treasurer.

Yeah, but other than that, did we miss anything important?

Blackwell, who served on the board for two terms, was selected to serve as the assistant United States attorney for Michigan and is relocating to the Ann Arbor area. "It was the hardest decision I have ever made in my life," Blackwell said. Ever since she was in law school she wanted to work as a criminal prosecutor on behalf of the U.S. government, she said. "When it was offered to me, I really had to wrestle with the decision of leaving Reston," she said.

Smyers said she hopes to get started on a number of projects this year, including deciding whether to move forward on an indoor recreational facility, breaking ground on the nature house and seeking out a potential new headquarters for RA. She also said she hopes to improve communication between the tenants and renters of RA properties rather than communicating only with the owners of the properties.

Oh. We thought the awesome indoor tennis facility, long cited as a key hot-button issue among Reston voters, was a done deal. Go figure: Instead of God and guns, our politicians message us about tennis and taupe.

Meet the New Boss: As Mauve as the Old Boss

Catching up on a few nail-biters in recent weeks:

• In an election almost as exciting as last week's Pennsylvania primary, except that it was conducted by mail and didn't include a debate peppered with questions about loving the flag or has-been comedian Sinbad, Reston residents decided to vote for change... and experience!
  

  Residents voted to re-elect Cheryl Beamer to the Reston Association's Board of Directors as Hunters Woods-Dogwood district director and selected Richard Chew to serve as one of the board's at-large directors, RA announced during the annual member's meeting Tuesday. Beamer defeated John Bowman by 132 votes and Chew received 539 votes more than Barbara Zicari. Beamer and Chew each will serve a three-year term.

  Huzzah! So, what exciting issues will the new/old board tackle? Controlling the growth of RA dues? The ongoing challenge of maintaining meaningful design covenants in an aging community when such modern innovations as aluminum wiring, hollow, uninsulated metal doors and single-pane windows are laughably outdated? Who on the board does -- and doesn't -- wear an RA pin in their lapel?

  Chief Executive Officer Milton Matthews and Blackwell both said they are looking forward to creating an indoor tennis and recreation facility in the next year. Matthews said it is his top priority and he thought an indoor facility would serve residents well during the winter.

  Sorry we asked.
  
  
• The Reston Community Center has a new director, too, with that whole experience/change thing happening to boot.

  Leila Gordon began working at Reston Community Center in 1983, hired to supervise arts education offerings and working part time as a customer service representative. Twenty-five years later, she is running RCC, having been selected as the center’s executive director. Gordon, 53, spent 24 of her 25 years at RCC as the Performing Arts Director. Now she is the center’s third executive director since 2005. She has committed to a five-year contract with the RCC.

  That five-year contract is a good thing, because the RCC is closing its Hunters Woods facility for renovations this summer, and we all know how quickly contractors work! Who wants to guess whether the shiny new indoor tennis facility or the renovated RCC winds up opening first?
  
  
• The Herndon-Reston FISH Bargain Loft has a new manager, Chris Hartmus. We're sure Chris is a decent person, so we just thought we'd throw this in so no one felt left out.
  

Democracy in action

The four candidates for the RA board squared off for the first time earlier this week, and the heated debate was blistering, full of catchy jibes like "Change you can Xerox" and "Yes we can."

Actually, not so much. Instead, folks talked about newcomer nights and indoor tennis facilities.

Four candidates are running for two seats; Cheryl Beamer is running for reelection against John Bowman for the Hunters Woods/Dogwood position and Richard Chew is running against Barbara Zicari for the At-Large seat being vacated by Bill Keefe.

So who's for hope, and who's for change? We're not sure, but there was some interesting discussion about transparency.

Two questions asked at Monday night’s forum for Reston Association (RA) Board candidates related to the board’s work behind closed doors.
Forum moderator Robert Goudie, member of the forum organizer Alliance of Reston Clusters and Homeowners (ARCH), asked when the candidates felt it was appropriate for the board to hold executive sessions.

"It sends the wrong message to the members," said Richard Chew, candidate for an At-large representative. Chew’s opponent Barbara Zicari said she did not think the executive sessions are held with ill intent. All board members are dedicated volunteers and if she is elected she would be "most interested in being honest with people I am representing."

John Bowman, challenger for the Hunters Woods/Dogwood seat, said a specific reason should be given when an executive session is called. He said he understood that certain issues need discussions behind closed doors, but that the directors should also go on record with their opinions about what was discussed when they reassemble for the vote, which has to be conducted in an open session. "We just need to be careful how we send the message," said Bowman.

"The RA shoots itself in the foot when it appears to be hiding something and it isn’t," said Cheryl Beamer, the Hunters Woods/Dogwood incumbent. For example, she said, she could not understand why discussions about RA headquarters do not take place in the open session.

There was also some talk about something having to do with the Nature Center and staffing and... oh, where are the sound bite-worthy jibes?

While the general perception was that RA is performing its job well, the forum suggested communication with members could be improved. Bowman said there is a perception in the community that there is a need for more open governance from RA.

"A casual [RA] member who wants to learn more about how we arrived at a decision will find a daunting challenge" in an attempt to find supporting documents and history of an issue or a decision, said Bowman. He called the lack of readily available supporting documents for members who are not actively involved in the decision-making process "passive disenfranchisement." He said the Association should be proactive in communicating its decisions and intentions to the members.

Robin Smyers, the RA vice president, asked the candidates how they would seek to improve RA’s communications. Bowman said he is a big believer in technology, which could help members find relevant artifact documents for decisions that took place two years ago, or even a month ago.

Is he talking about the Internets? That's pretty cutting edge, especially with the Sprints and the AOLs and whatnot all fleeing. Who's going to help set up that series of tubes for us simple folks so we can read 20-page impact studies from the comfort of our mauve-colored homes?

Anyhoo, two more forums will be held on Wednesday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at RA headquarters at Isaac Newton Square and on Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods.

A Not-So-Super Tuesday in the Works

Four Reston residents will vie for two open seats on the Reston Association board of directors.

Cheryl Beamer, who won in last year’s election to fill the seat left vacant with the death of Barbara Aaron, and John Bowman will vie for the Hunters Woods/Dogwood representative. Barbara Zicari and Richard Chew have announced candidacy for the At-Large seat.

Ballots get mailed out in early March and are due April 4.

Moldgate at Lake Anne: A sordid tale of recriminations, coverups... and Bingo nights

Who knew so much was festering behind the seemingly placid mauve facades of Lake Anne Fellowship Square? Lawsuits, allegations and counter-allegations, stolen newspapers, Bingo nights and... mold. Icky black mold. So says a former employee of the center, who's suing to get his job back.

A lawsuit filed by Oliver Thomas against the Fellowship Square Foundation for reinstatement of employment alleges a deteriorating heating and cooling system in the two Lake Anne Fellowship buildings.

Thomas was hired by the Fellowship Square Foundation as the chief of maintenance for both buildings on April 1, 2003. He was fired in August 2007 in what he believes was retaliation for his vocal concerns about mold and bacteria growing in the building's infrastructure.

Fellowship Square management has since come forward and said that they've tested the air, and it's as fresh and clean as a mauve-colored whistle. In the meantime, local residents are organizing.

Muenzer said the tenants lack any sort of association.

“We have nothing here. We have bingo on Tuesdays,” she said.

Or at least trying to organize:

Thomas and his lawyer, Henry Fitzgerald, have organized an informational meeting for invited residents in the meantime at the Lake Anne Reston Community Center on Friday. In addition to those invitations, Thomas slipped an informational packet on mold that included the article in last week's Times under the door of most of the residents, he said.

That article may not have been read by most of the residents, as The Times received several complaints from Fellowship House residents that the paper was not delivered last week.

Garrett said he was unaware of staff removing the papers, which are normally delivered in a stack to the lobby.

Mary Muenzer, a resident of the Lake Anne Fellowship House, said there have been no copies of The Times in the lobby rack since Wednesday, the day the article was published.

“We have a right to those newspapers,” she said.

As a former president once learned the hard way, it's not about the crime; it's the coverup. And this goes all the way to the top! Or to the county board of supervisors, anyway.

On Sept. 24, Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) entered a board matter titled “Regulating Mold” that asked the Board of Supervisors to ask staff to research existing statutes to determine what legal or oversight options exist to “protect our most vulnerable citizens.”

Hudgins cites a notification about “mold concerns in residential dwellings, notably a senior facility,” for her interest in the matter.

The county investigated, and it turns out there was mold after all. But it's apparently nothing a bottle of Clorox can't take care of!

Fairfax County zoning enforcement inspector Bruce Miller inspected the building after Thomas' complaint shortly after his termination in August.

Though mold and dust were found, it is not a criminal matter, nor is it regulated by the county, said county spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald. The only action the county will take is in the form of a recommendation.

“In cases like this we make recommendations that it be cleaned with a mild bleach solution,” she said.

Great idea! We'll grab the squeegie.

Well hello, Mr. Positive!

Congressman Jim Moran has weighed in on the delicate political calculus holding the fate of Metro's awesome Silver Line in the balance.

"We're not going to get the $900 million in federal funding from this administration," Moran tells WTOP.

Moran blasted the current group at the Federal Transit Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation Tuesday, saying they are in "no mood" to say yes to the proposed 23-mile Metrorail extension.

"No matter how valiant Gov. (Tim) Kaine's efforts are, I think they are going to bounce off tin ears. I think (the administration) has made a decision probably for both political as well as budgetary reasons to reject this," says Moran.

Thanks, Mr. Sunshine! We can't see any political gain that would come from killing public funding for the Metro, so we'll just keep clapping. And besides, if the feds don't pony up the $900 million to scatter approximately 323,000 orange cones topped with flashing yellow lights throughout the Tysons Tegucigalpa area, Kaine has, as they say in the movies, a plan. Just hike tolls on the Toll Road!

Kaine continued his drumbeat that federal partnership is crucial to the success of the proposed rail line. But he appeared to be trying something new: getting commuters to put pressure on the Federal Transit Administration.

"What the federal share enables us to do is to build this and keep the tolls at a manageable level, which is appropriate for the hundreds of thousands who use this as a commuter route," Kaine said on WTOP's "Ask the Governor" program. "If you take the federal money out, my worry is that the tolls would be exorbitant."

Charges on the Dulles Toll Road have risen to 75 cents at the main plaza and 50 cents at the exits, and they are scheduled to rise further under a plan to finance the rail line. The toll road is operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is also managing the rail project. Part of the authority's agreement with Virginia is to pay for much of the rail line with toll increases.

Kaine said that tolls could go still higher if the federal government declines to grant $900 million for the $5 billion project.

Sounds like a lot of quarters.

Of spoiled brats and Bratz

More fallout from the ongoing feud between Christine Arakelian and Stu Gibson: a recall petition is apparently making its way around the less "socioeconomically diverse" corners of the Hunter Mill district. But there's more! The people pushing this recall fed the reporter from the Examiner another unprovable allegation:

This issue is bigger than one aggrieved parent. Gibson is the mastermind behind the controversial Western County redistricting, and has reportedly cut a deal with other Board members to exempt some areas from the controversial redistricting.

Clearly, Stu is a bit of a jackass. And the fact that some schools -- cough cough Langley -- aren't part of the redistricting proposals is a bit fishy. But these people are also so concerned about their property values in such economically challenged areas as Oakton Woods they're willing to grasp at any straw to discredit the redistricting process.

On the other hand, the allegation's been posted on another blog associated with a free right-wing "newspaper" that purposely is only distributed in tonier zip codes than the declasse 20190 and 20191, so it must be true. But the point is moot! All folks have to do is go to the next public meeting and read aloud this post from the ongoing high-minded discussions elsewhere online, and we guarantee every member of the school board will tear up, applaud, and rip up all their evil stupid redistricting proposals forever:

The girls that my daughter plays with in Fox Mill play with Barbie dolls, and are not allowed to play with Bratz. In conversations had with the parents, they all agree that Bratz dolls do not convey a positive message, rather they promote slutty clothing, and skanky behavior -- you don't see "Bling Bling Barbie." In the lower class areas, you predominantly see Bratz. In fact, the girls seem to friggin' worship those ridiculous dolls. You see seven year olds in bootie shorts and midriff exposing shirts. You see little girls in high heels. This may seem laughable, and it MAY BE laughable, but it's a small example of the different mentalities of people in diffent classes (for the most part.) I prefer my child to associate with children whose parents have similar beliefs.

Thank you, Margaret Mead. Ladies and gentlemen, the SLHS Class of 2013:

Here's that post all you Googlers have been waiting for

The Virginia Department of Education has supported a complaint by one-time school board candidate Christine Arakelian ("If I thought Reston was bad, I wouldn't live here") against Hunter Mill School Board member Stu Gibson.

The letter, dated Nov. 27, said that it found Fairfax County Public Schools and Gibson in noncompliance with requirements regarding confidentiality of student records.

The complaints came after Arakelian said Gibson revealed and discussed the school records of her child, a student in Fairfax County Public Schools, during this year's election campaign.

Gibson contends that any information he discussed had previously been disclosed publicly by Arakelian.

The VDOE "is wrong because what [the investigator] found was that I disclosed something from a protected record. All I did was disclose something she put on the Internet,” he said. ...

That Arakelian herself had previously disclosed details of her son's education record is “moot,” Millward found.

Yeah, that probably wasn't the most savvy of excuses for a school official to make. Otherwise, they could just as easily quote something from this site as fact ("They're building a moat around Reston?")

Of course, the election's been over for more than a month now. But for some reason, this whole dispute has been seized upon by opponents of the ongoing South Lakes redistricting brouhaha, presumably as proof that Gibson is evil and hates puppies and wants to personally ensure that their children get beaten up by "socioeconomically diverse" classmates on a daily basis once they're wrenched from their perfect home schools. At least that's the gist of the ongoing online discussions. Today's choice nugget:

That is EXACTLY why I moved out of Reston, where I lived (off of Glade Drive, a mile away from Stonegate) since 1984, to Fox Mill Estates when I bought my home ten years ago.

But you chose to buy a house there. The statistics have not changed much in the twenty three years I have lived in this area. I do have to say that the crime has improved a bit thanks to the influx of businesses. You don't hear of someone getting raped on the paths every week anymore, and I can actually drive through Stonegate without the imminent fear of being shot. Still wouldn't walk through there though.

Agreed! That's why I feel they should reduce the governmnet projects by 50% and relocate the other 50% elsewhere. Reston and Herndon has become the Mecca for lazy, underachieving welfare recipients and illegal aliens. It needs to stop!

We've said it before, we'll say it again: It's all about the band programs.

Stay the course

Hunter Mill incumbents held their seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Fairfax County School Board.

For the supervisors seat, Catherine Hudgins took 57 percent of the vote, followed by Marie Huhtala, who took 23 percent, and Spike Williams, who took 16 percent. Interestingly, nearly 1,000 people, or 4 percent, wrote in another candidate's name on the ballot.

On the school board, incumbent Stuart Gibson beat Christine Arakelian, 61 to 39 percent.

You'll have to follow the link above to see the results of the real nail-biter of this election -- the Soil and Water District results. We can only hope the U.S. Supreme Court won't have to be called in to resolve any mauve-colored hanging chads.

Bored of Supervisors, already...

Three of the four candidates for the Hunter Mill district seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors -- incumbent Cathy Hudgins and two independent challengers, Mike “Spike” Williams and Marie Huhtala -- have actually debated twice in recent weeks. Who knew?

The most recent debate was held in this faraway place called "Vienna," where they also have a preponderance of mauve along the main drag -- yet people there could care less about Reston. Can't they see what unites us is greater than what divides us?

Anyway. The candidates clashed over the proposed Metro Silver Line, which may or may not happen, depending on how loud we clap. Hudgins basically argues that if the project doesn't move forward, the federal gubmint will take the bags of money it's got piled up for the project and take them elsewhere.

Huhtala said she doesn't believe delaying the project would mean losing the federal funds.

“I don't believe that. Are they really going to make Fairfax County wait behind Podunk, Iowa, for our turn?” she said.

They might! We're sure Podunk, Iowa's got at least one farmer willing to extend his hayride service to the local cropdustin' airstrip. But they'll probably lose the money, too, after an extensive debate over whether the wagon should go around or under the grain silo in the middle of town.

In an earlier debate, the challengers both pointed to an earlier development brouhaha involving a proposed development at the corner of Lawyers Road and Reston Parkway. Huhtala wants to bring development to a virtual halt, but Hudgins says that there's still plenty o' room for more awesomely ugly mid-rises along the Toll Road. Much as national politicians will often invoke Lincoln when they're about to take an unpopular stance, she invoked Reston's own Dear Leader:

Hudgins took issue with Huhtala's stance, and pointed to Reston's master plan, as originally envisioned by Robert Simon, which allows for additional development in Reston before a cap is reached.

The Planned Residential Community codes for Reston was recently adjusted when the Board of Supervisors voted to change the factors by which the population is calculated. The change gave Reston additional units that can be built before the density cap is reached.

That vote was opposed by the Reston Association, the Reston Citizens Association and the Alliance of Reston Clusters and Homeowners, a point that the challengers have used as an example of what they said is Hudgins' unwillingness to listen to constituents.

Yeah, but other than that, did anyone object? No wonder Hudgins gets grief even when she's being endorsed. All we can say is that we'll be glad when this election season's over, so we can start paying attention to what's really important: Flag lapels.