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Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ February 28 - March 6, 2019 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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February 28, 2019Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection Newspaper

Pet Gazette Page 4

Senior Living Page 8

See Not Property, Page 16

Ruling Her DomainCass Princess Royale of Mount Vernon otherwise known as Cassie. She’s a 5 yearold Scottish Terrier. Pet Gazette inside, pages 4-7.

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The Gazette

After several years of con-tentious budget wran-gling, an increase in thetax rate, and negotia-

tions forced to “kick-the-can” onmany funding requests due to fis-cal obstacles in a sluggish localeconomy, the proposed FairfaxCounty FY 2020 Budget still pre-sents its challenges, but the countysupervisors see progress and rea-son for optimism.

“There’s more good news thanbad,” was Supervisor Jeff McKay’s(Lee District) reaction to CountyExecutive Bryan Hill’s presentationto the Board on Tuesday, Feb. 19.

McKay is the chair of the Boardof Supervisors’ budget committee,and while he and other supervi-sors still expressed some concerns,particularly over the additionalmonies required of the county tofund Metro, and the lack of fundsto support much needed transpor-tation and infrastructure improve-ments, the initial draft was gener-ally met with a sense of “havingsomething we can work with.”

McKay, board chair SharonBulova and others thanked Hilland county CFO Joe Mondoro fora proposed budget of $4.4 billionthat fully funds Fairfax CountyPublic Schools, allows for raisesthat help align teachers’ salarieswith neighboring jurisdictions andmodest Market Rate Adjustmentsand longevity increases for countyemployees. The proposal also sup-

ports board priorities such as theDiversion First Program, Gang andOpioid Prevention efforts, EarlyChildhood and Environmental ini-tiatives, and staffing and trainingfor the South County Police Cen-ter and Animal Shelter that thecounty hopes to see operational by2022.

Thanks to an increase in prop-erty values last year, more com-mercial properties added to the taxrolls, and economies and efficien

No Property TaxRate IncreaseCounty executive presentsproposed FY 2020 budget.

County Executive Bryan Hillpresents the proposed FY2020 to the Board of Super-visors on Feb. 19. A seriesof public hearings anddistrict town halls areslated before the budget’smarkup and adoption, withHill urging citizens to learnall the facts on the county’swebsite and get involved.“Your voice matters.”

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2 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ February 28 - March 6, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


See Rising Hope, Page 17

NewsMount Vernon Gazette Editor Steven Mauren

703-778-9415 or [email protected]

Montebello CondominiumUnit Owners Association(MCUOA) of Alexandria re-ceived two top honors,

Community Association of the Year (in thevery large association category) and over-all Communicator of the Year, in theregionwide competition conducted by theWashington Metropolitan Chapter Commu-nity Associations Institute (WMCCAI). Bothawards were presented on Saturday, Feb.23, at WMCCAI’s 2019 Conference & Expoat the Walter E. Washington ConventionCenter, in the District of Columbia.

Other communities honored wereLongfellow Condominium, Washington,D.C. (small association), and ShenandoahHomeowners Association, Lake Frederick,Va., (medium). Park Potomac Master Asso-ciation, Potomac, Md., was cited as Chari-table Community of the Year.

MCUOA board member Doug Kleine ac-cepted the Association of the Year awardon behalf of Montebello. Don Hinman, chairof MCUOA’s communications committee,accepted the Communicator of the Yearhonor. Both men participated with the otherrecipients in a panel discussion of what setsMontebello and other winning communi-ties apart from the crowd.

Entrants in the annual competition sub-mitted applications answering detailedquestions based on best practices estab-lished by the national Community Associa-tions Institute (CAI) and WMCCAI. TheCommunity of the Year application soughtspecifics about adherence to best practicesin areas including financial, staff, and envi-ronmental management; safety and access;and quality of community life.

In his introductory essay, Kleine stated,“Montebello is a community committed to

vision and communication.” He cited aboard retreat that resulted in a new volun-teer grounds committee that protects andbeautifies the condo’s natural woodlands,lawns, and plantings; regular reserve stud-ies that help the association get ahead ofpotential issues and avoid special assess-ments; stable professional management andstaff; and board commitment to continu-ous quality improvement in all areas.Monthly surveys provide resident feedbackon issues under discussion.

For the Communicator of the Yearhonor, Hinman and Kleine highlightedMontebello’s selection of media and plat-forms to reach a diverse population. Theyalso noted the community’s English Lan-guage program for non-English speakingstaff, run by resident volunteers, whichresulted in bringing residents and staffcloser together.

Montebello occupies 37 wooded acres onMount Eagle Drive, overlooking the 5900block of Richmond Highway. The propertyincludes four residential towers and a smallsingle-story residence with four condos, fora total of 1,016 units. A community centercontains offices, meeting rooms, and ameni-ties including indoor and outdoor swim-ming pools, a fitness center, tennis courts,a bowling alley, a convenience store, and afull-service café and bar. A shuttle bus takesresidents to the Huntington Metro stationa quarter-mile away.

In December 2018, MCUOA’s ongoingbeautification work along Route 1 was rec-ognized with a Mary Thonen award pre-sented by the Southeast Fairfax Develop-ment Corporation. In October, MountVernon District Supervisor Dan Storck vis-ited the community to plant a floweringdogwood tree and commemorate residents’donation of 100 trees for the property’slawns and woodlands.

Montebello also received the CommunityAssociation of the Year award fromWMCCAI in 1997.

Receives two awards from the Washington MetropolitanChapter Community Associations Institute.

Montebello Condominiums Honored in Region

The Dominion Brass performed for the firsttime in the Mount Vernon area in a benefitconcert for Rising Hope Mission Church on

Sunday, Feb. 17, at Aldersgate United MethodistChurch in Alexandria.

Co-hosted and organized by Washington FarmUnited Methodist Church, the concert was attendedby nearly 300 friends and neighbors, who gave anextended standing ovation to the musicians and do-nated $9,800 to support Rising Hope’s Capital Cam-paign.

Aldersgate’s Rev. Emily Moore-Diamond welcomedthe crowd and introduced The Dominion Brass con-ductor Steve Kellner. Works of music included Come,Thou Almighty King and a special arrangement ofGabrielli’s Canzon Septimi No. 2 (arr. Steve Kellner).Concertgoers joined in singing along to Kellner’s spe-cial arrangement of Joyful, Joyful, followed by per-

MCUOA Communications Commit-tee chair Don Hinman with aposter display of Montebello’scommunications initiatives.

MCUOA Board and WMCCAI mem-ber Doug Kleine with a posterdisplay of Montebello grounds andamenities shown at the Expo.

Attendees from Montebello who received the awards and participated inWMCCAI’s Expo and education activities. From left are Jaime Barnhart,executive director, WMCCAI; Marco Mendoza, assistant general manager,MCUOA; Don Hinman, chair of MCUOA’s communications committee; JonKandel, treasurer, MCUOA board; Doug Kleine, assistant treasurer,MCUOA board and submitter of Montebello’s winning application; andGeorge Gardner, general manager, MCUOA.

formances by soloists Bryan Bourne on trombone andFred Marcellus on trumpet in Gabriels’ Oboe byMorricone (arr. Ben Roundtree).

Following Rev. Keary Kincannon’s presentation onRising Hope and its many services to those in need,Rev. Christina Hart-Perkins of Washington Farm UMCoffered a prayer before a love offering to supportRising Hope was collected by Washington Farm UMCyouth as The Dominion Brass played 10,000 Rea-sons by Matt Redman (arr. Steve Kellner).Stravinsky’s Berceuse and Finale from “The Firebird”(arr. Bartolotta) rounded out the first half of the pro-gram. Concertgoers were welcomed back from in-termission with “O Praise Him” composed by TheDominion Brass’s own Steve Kellner, followed byTurrin’s Jazzalogue No. 1.

Dominion Brass Concert Benefits Rising Hope

Rev. Keary speaks at the Feb. 17 fundraising concert.


Pet Gazette

Sixteen years ago, a friend who workedat an animal shelter in-vited me to see alitter of puppies brought in by the Sheriff’sOffice, in a puppy mill abuse case. Theywere little Pomeranians – small enough tofit in your hand.

While I had never considered adopting asmall dog, and was caring for Andy, a La-brador in the final stage of his life, I wassmitten with the puppies.

One seemed to have the most energy andambition. The shelter called him “PoohBear.” Having a small dog seemed againstall logic — I loved the great outdoors, do-main of big dogs. Nonetheless, I filled outthe application, and a week or so later,“Pooh Bear” came home.

Somehow, I could not see referring to orcalling “Pooh Bear,” and sought the adviceof my mother, who is an excellentwordsmith. Spontaneously, she suggested“Atlas.” The name fit superbly, and peopleloved it. Literally hundreds of times, peoplehave said “I love that name!” Little did Iknow how much this little dog would liveup to his new identity.

Once, a child asked “Why do you call himAtlas?” Before I could answer he said, “Is itbecause you take him everywhere?” Isnapped my fingers, and replied “Yes, that’sit!”

Since Andy was the first dog Atlas metoutside of the shelter, and Andy had aLabrador’s patience to tolerate a hyperac-tive Pom pup, they bonded quickly. Andytaught Atlas to be confident around otherdogs – even big ones.

The first life event Atlas and I shared wasthe euthanasia of our 13-year-old Andy.While I literally cried a pool of tears, Atlastried to resuscitate the deceased Andy bylicking his eyes. For the next few weeks,Atlas was both a baby dog doing puppythings and an adult grief counselor – at just8-12 weeks old.

Atlas and I spent the next two years liv-ing in Northern Virginia, where I workedwith Atlas every day on his obedience skills,went for long walks and we did outings to-gether. Atlas loved to show off his reper-toire of: sit, stay, down, heel, come, car, up/down stairs, left/right, fetch, etc. com-mands. All of these skills proved invaluablewhen he was off lead, around cars, otherpeople or wildlife. Atlas learned to alwaysstop at curbs, catch Frisbees (which he lovedand did tirelessly!) and be an ambassadorfor shelter animals, wherever he traveled.Atlas even learned to step into his car safetyharness.

When I was at work, Atlas bonded withhis new companion, Zephyr the shelter cat.Yes, companion animals need companionanimals!

A couple of years later, an ad for a moun-tain property caught my eye. The appealswere endless: no crowds, wildlife viewing,easy access to hiking trails, and beautifulscenery. Atlas and I moved to the Blue RidgeMountains where, over the next 10 years,we literally hiked hundreds of miles on theAppalachian Trail, remodeled many homesand visited our new friends.

While a remote, mountain home that isundergoing renovation, full of tools and

sawdust, during a cold, snowy winter canbe a lonely place, I was never alone. I al-ways had company on long treks in themountains, even when we did not see a soulall day. My heart was full.

Atlas also became an integral part of mybudding relationship with my future wife,Trish. Whatever we did, included Atlas.From kayaking the Shenandoah River tomeeting Trish’s relatives in New York CityIrish pubs, Atlas was front and center.

And Atlas filled the hearts of those he met,with good cheer and beaming smiles, too.

Even the sober-sided members of lawenforcement would get a chuckle, when Iexplained that Atlas did not look like a po-lice dog, because “he was working under-cover.”

From Montana’s Glacier National Park, tohiking, camping and train rides in NewHampshire’s White Mountains to countlesstrips all over the country — literally fromMaine’s Moosehead Lake to the Florida Keys— Atlas has been an active participant.

Atlas maintained his enthusiasm for life,despite undergoing four bladder stone sur-geries in 10 years. Little eight pound Atlasshowed more perseverance and stoicismthan anyone I know. He was indeed themighty Atlas.

At age 13, Atlas was diagnosed with leak-ing heart valves. His heart was workingharder, to pump blood, and had enlargedconsiderably — to the size of one’s fist. Hewas carefully followed by cardiologists atVirginia Tech Veterinary Hospital and localveterinarians.

While his eyesight, hearing and mentalfaculties waned, he still loved being withus.

A few weeks ago, at the age of 16, Atlaslost his interest in the dry vegetarian foodhe had been eating all of his life. Since wewere out of town, we switched to cannedvegetarian food, which worked for a day ortwo. He then lost interest in food altogether.We immediately arranged to visit his vet,Dr. Eric Chafetz, at the Vienna Animal Hos-pital.

Atlas’ blood worked revealed diminishedkidney function, and the prognosis was notgood. Essentially, we had done such a goodjob protecting his weakened heart, that thenext thing to fail in an elderly dog, kidneys,had surfaced.

Trish and I quickly took stock of the situ-

full of life and quite alert — our prayershad been answered! We were overjoyed andhopeful for the future. During the next fewdays, we met with Atlas twice a day, to re-assure him and received updates from Dr.Demonico and DVM candidate Erin Struble.The care Atlas received was thoughtful andempathetic. We could not have asked fornicer or more professional care. The VTVHstaff were his saviors.

As the days progressed, however, hestopped eating — a common trait of dogsseparated from their caretakers and famil-iar surroundings, while hospitalized. Wetried everything from baby food to peanutbutter. Our only hope was that upon release,his appetite would resume, once home.

Our second joyous occasion was whenAtlas began eating at home. We felt like wehad, for the time being, solved the puzzleand that he would continue to get better.Sadly, a day later, Atlas would not eat.

For several days, we tried appetite stimu-lants, subcutaneous fluids, different foodsand feeding techniques, etc. all with verylimited, non-sustainable success. It wasobvious that short of hospitalization withmore IV fluids — itself risky for cardiacpatients — Atlas would continue to feelworse and worse. And even if the IV fluidswere successful, we would at best get ashort reprieve — at the expense of an ex-perience Atlas loathed: being separatedfrom his family. At best, we could hope forkeeping our heads above water, but at whatprice?

When a family member has a chronic con-dition, their downfall is always in the imagi-nary future, which is never pressing in thehere and now. Somehow, we will rise andovercome, or if unsuccessful, deal with itrationally and objectively. Then the prob-lem is neatly put out of mind, so as to nottorment us.

The fact is, it is infinitely easier to talkabout euthanasia in the hypothetical, thanto employ it in the here and now. As Andythe Labrador had taught me, there is a fi-nality to death, a point of no return, wherethe connection which took tens of thou-sands of experiences to mature, vanishes inthin air.

But Atlas was very sick. In between car-ing for him, I spent hours in front of thecomputer, searching for anything that mightease Atlas’ malaise, to no avail.

Trish and I steeled ourselves for the in-evitable, holding and comforting Atlas forthe last time, all day on Sunday and Mon-day morning. We carried Atlas for a walk in

the woods. He got to see the deer and birdsand smell the woodsy smells, for the lasttime.

At 1 pm, on Dec. 7, 2015, Atlas receivedan overdose of an anesthesia, and in sec-onds went limp in my arms. The dog whocould always fight one more round, hike20 miles in a day — and appear no worsefor the wear — was gone. Our hearts feelas though they have been ripped out of ourchests, and “devastated” seems far too eu-phemistic.

Dr. Chafetz explained that a dog’s hairgives off a different scent, when he is de-ceased, and that this would be a good wayto let the cats at home know what had hap-pened. Later in the day, the cats carefullyinspected Atlas’ hair, and immediately be-came sullen. They would not eat their din-ner and remained quiet the entire evening.Zephyr, who loved Atlas as much as we, puther paw on me all evening, for comfort.Today, she has not left Atlas’ bed.

For the first half of Atlas’s life, I taughtbaby Atlas about living in the world. Then,Atlas taught me about life. That there is nolimit to the depth of a canine relationship,if one makes the effort. We reaped the richrewards, from the time and care spent withAtlas. Our feelings of loss are in proportionto what we emotionally invested. But wewould do it all again, in an instant.

While Atlas had a family with him, as hewas euthanized, there are literally tens ofthousands of dogs and cats, alone and de-jected in shelters, whose reprieve is a verylonely euthanasia. While we can only carefor one dog at a time, hopefully during At-las’ 16 years, he inspired others to adopt.

We would like to thank all who cared forAtlas with such compassion, empathy andgrace: Dr. Demonico, DVM candidate ErinStruble, Dr. Pickard, Dr. Westfall, Dr. EricChafetz, who, through a lifetime in the vet-erinary field, is as good at empathicallycounseling caretakers as he is caring foranimals, and Dr. Brook — who, when wefirst met on a hiking trail, on her day off —kindly provided advice about Atlas for overan hour. And our neighbors Cathy and Kenwho were so helpful over the years. It isalways nice to have a nurse next door.

And thanks to people like you, who havemet Atlas, and made life for this little guysuch a pleasure.

— Bruce Andrew Peters

The author’s father was transferred to Fort Belvoir,after serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. He haslived in Northern Virginia since 1967.

Goodbye, Dear Atlas

Bruce Andrew Peters with Atlas, onvacation at Glacier National Park.

Zephyr and Atlas

ation, and declared that asmuch joy and happiness asAtlas had brought into ourlives over 16 years, the leastwe could do is try to stabi-lize his condition at the Vir-ginia Tech Veterinary Hos-pital, five hours away. Weleft immediately, at theworst possible time — theafternoon before Thanks-giving.

Atlas was carefully put onIV fluids, gradually increas-ing his dosage ever soslightly over two days. Af-ter one day, Atlas appeared


Pet Gazette

Meet Charlie and Gus McCreaGus – 4 year old yellow Labrador. Gus may be 4 years old

but he still acts like a little puppy. He loves to go for car rides,play with sticks, and playing tug of war with this baby brotherCharlie. Gus was adopted from a co-worker when he was just8 weeks old and has been such a important part of the McCreafamily. Gus is the sweetest dog you will ever meet.

— Tina and Mike McCrea— Tina and Mike McCrea

Charlie – 5 month old black Labrador mix, recently adoptedfrom the Alexandria Animal Welfare League. Charlie is asweet, cuddle-bug of a puppy. He loves to chew on anythinghe can get his mouth on and loves picking on his older brotherGus! Aside from being a little trouble maker, Charlie loves tobe snuggled while watching TV with his mom and dad.

— Tina and Mike McCrea

Fondly RememberedThey are all in heaven, now, but we had a lot of fun while it lasted. Front row, left to right: Solo, Beau, Cassie, Lily, Brooke

and Mia. Back row, left to right: Audra and Junior.— H. Jay Spiegel

MollyMy beloved dog

Molly enjoying her 15thbirthday a few weeksbefore she went “overthe rainbow bridge.”She is held by her dearfriend Rosie Walters.Molly is missed by allher many dog and hu-man friends, especiallyme, Carol Siegel.


Pet Gazette

Parsley and TillyCan you give me some guidance? Guiding Eyes for the Blind canines Parsley and Tilly with 1-year-old Katia on the dock.

— Ann Vernon

CassieI’d like to introduce “Cass Princess Royale of Mount Vernon” otherwise known

as Cassie. She’s a 5 year old Scottish Terrier.— Randy and Thelma Myers

Photo Courtesy of

Randy and Thelma Myers

ShilohShiloh and his best friend and neighbor, Ainsley Estenson, during

a February 2015 snowstorm. They look so isolated and lost in a vastand desolate winter snowscape, but they seem to know they canalways depend upon each other. The glacial setting is my StratfordLanding front yard.

— Leah Dymek

Duke“I am a little confused by this new, mysterious pet. Unlike me, it

leaves the carpet cleaner than how it found it. It moves around thefloor on its own and sometimes gets stuck in corners or under thebed. It’s clearly not as smart as I am. My people sometimes put a treaton its back. I’m really good at grabbing the treat before it has thechance to eat it! This new pet doesn’t stand a chance on my turf.”

– Duke, 5 years old, lab/shepherd mix

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Cocoa the Boss“I want some of your Chinese food and I want it now,” says Co-

coa of the Kingstowne area. Cocoa is a Maltipoo that will eat his ownfood some of the time but gets demanding when the carry out foodshows up at the door.

— Mike Salmon


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Spring Break Vacation? Don’t Forget To Board Your Dog

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Pet Gazette

In Hollin HillsEmi Martin, age 8, and Bobby Martin, age 16. Bobby came

to be with us after he was rescued from a high kill shelter incentral California. He was 7 years old when we brought ourdaughter home as a baby, and he initially barked and lungedat her. Gradually, they became best pals, and now at 16 yearsold he loves her with all his heart. He has lived in California,Nevada and Arizona, and has hiked all over the country, butthese days he lives a quiet retirement, taking daily walks inHollin Hills, snuggling with his sister Emi, and napping.

— Nicole Whiting

BrioBrio, a Sheltie, enjoys his visits to the Rehabilitation Unit

at Mount Vernon Hospital where he has been a certifiedtherapy dog for almost five years. He likes to entertain patientsand staff with his tricks.

— Angelita KablerA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ...

Ella Noelle was a tiny abandoned kitten rescued at the local garden centerHollywood and Vine. She quickly found her new family, as well as the warm andwelcoming lap of Nickolai, a previously adopted street stray. Although she thor-oughly adores her older brother, I could not help noticing the uncanny resemblanceto the Star Wars characters Jabba the Hutt and Princess Leia! (Buster Bob restsin the background on a cushion)

— Leah Dymek


By Marilyn Campbell

Tracy Palmer didn’t see the acci-dent, but she received a franticcall that every parent dreads:her 11-year-old son had been hit

by a car.“We were on vacation visiting my brother

and I’d gone to get coffee and my phonerang,” she said. “Mybrother told that an82-year old womanhit my son while heand a few of his cous-ins were sitting just offthe driveway drawingwith chalk. She neversaw the kids and whenshe hit my son shethought she’d hit aball, so she kept going.Thank God one of theneighbors saw it andstopped her.”

After eight days inthe intensive careunit, Palmer’s son ison the mend, but Palmer who works as anattorney in Arlington, however, is furiousthat the elderly driver was allowed behindthe wheel of a car in the first place.

Monitoring one’s driving abilities is anessential part of our overall healthcare, es-pecially as one ages. “There’s no cutoff agefor when a person should stop driving. Butas we age, our joints can become stiff, ourreflexes slow down and our ability to makesplit-second judgement calls or stop on adime can become impaired,” said DanaKilgore, MSPT. “Our bodies also become

more frail as we age,so the impact of a caraccident would prob-ably do more harm toa 85-year old than a25-year old.”

It is important forseniors and their fami-lies to pay close to at-tention to the warningsigns that it’s time toreduce one’s drivingor stop it all together,says psychologistDonna Goldstein,Psy.D. “If you noticean increased numberscratches or dents on

that mom or dad’s car, especially if they’vealways been a good driver, that could be anindicator,” she said. “Getting traffic tickets,getting lost frequently, running stop signs

or traffic lights, those are all signs that itmight be time to leave the driving to some-one else.”

Accepting the fact that it’s time to stopdriving can be difficult. “A driver’s licenseisn’t just a plastic card with a bad picturethat you keep in your wallet,” said LisaDombo, LPC, Ed.D, a marriage and familytherapist in McLean. “It means freedom andindependence. It’s hard for anyone to wantto give that up. That’s one of the reasonswhy it can be so hard for people to con-vince someone that they need to stop driv-ing.”

That is a lesson that Naomi O’Connerlearned one weekend this winter when shemade plans with friends to take in a de-signer sample sale that was happeningabout two-miles from her house. Her 86-year old mother had agreed to babysit her7 and 9-year old children. But the weathertook a frosty turn and threw her plans intoa tailspin.

“My mom lives a mile away from me andhas always been my most dependable back-up babysitter for weeknights, but when thesnow started falling, I knew that I could notlet her get on the road in that weather,” saidO’Conner who lives in Bethesda. “It was forher safety and everybody else who’d be onroad. Unfortunately, she kept insisting that

Recognizing warning signs thatit might be time to stop driving.Giving Up the Car Keys?

she would be fine and even became a littlepeeved that I was suggesting that she wastoo old. Too keep her off the road, I had toconcoct a story about one of my friendsgetting sick and canceling the plans.”

The thought of suggesting to a loved onethat it’s time to give up their car keys can bedaunting. Dombo says that there are stepsthat one can take to make such a conversa-tion less intimidating. “This is a very sensi-tive issue for many people because it meansdramatic change in lifestyle and having lesscontrol over ourselves,” she said. “It’s im-portant to be respectful and not talk to themlike they are a child. Give specific examplesinstead of making general statements andtry not to have the conversation alone. It’susually more effective to have the conver-sation with a group of family members.”

Demonstrating an understand of the whatreduced driving means is also important,suggests Goldstein. “You must show empa-thy,” she said. “This type of transition canlead to depression for some seniors. Offer-ing alternatives like gift certificates for cabrides or Uber or Lyft can be good. Comingup with a plan to remain socially active andto run errands and get to doctor’s appoint-ments. But this type of life transition is noteasy, but it is possible to live a rich, full lifewithout a car.”

Senior Living

“... a very sensitiveissue for manypeople because itmeans dramaticchange in lifestyleand having less con-trol over ourselves.”

— Lisa Dombo, LPC, Ed.D



Opinion

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A Connection Newspaper

Paul Krizek

Delegate (D-44)

The 2019 General Assembly legisla-tive session concluded last Sunday.While this was a difficult and attimes chaotic session, I am proud

of the work we accomplished. One of the mostimportant discussions this year was nonparti-san redistricting. As a conferee on the Housebill, I was especially proud to be a leader in thepassage of the critical redistricting constitu-tional amendment that guards against partisangerrymandering by establishing an independent

redistricting commission.This compromise was

only possible due to thepower of 49. This power

was granted to us by the voters of the historic2017 election which saw a 15-seat swing inthe General Assembly. These new seats havepaved the way for policy gains we never wouldhave thought were possible. Over the last twoyears, we have been able to increase the felonylarceny threshold to $500, finally enact Med-icaid expansion and this year we were able topass a bill which will be critical to preventingpartisan gerrymandering in the future.

Passing the amendment this year was the firststep in enshrining a fair, transparent and non-partisan redistricting process within the Vir-ginia Constitution. If the bill had not passedthis year, it would have been impossible toenact a constitutional amendment prior to the2021 redistricting process and we would needto wait for the 2031 census to try again. In

order for it to be enacted as a constitutionalamendment before 2021, the amendment mustpass the General Assembly with the exact samelanguage next year and then be put before thevoters of Virginia on the 2020 ballot for ap-proval. As it heads through the approval pro-cess it is critical to examine what differenti-ates this amendment from our current politi-cal redistricting procedure.

The agreed upon amendment is a compro-mise between the Republican bill (DelegateCole) HJ 615 and Democratic bill (SenatorBarker) SJ 306. Each of these bills passed theirrespective chambers as separate bills whichforced these amendments to go into “confer-ence.” Once the bill was sent into conference Iwas assigned as a House conferee to work ona compromise between the two bills. As thelone Democratic representative on the Houseside, I felt it was my duty to ensure that thebill would be fair, transparent and constitutetrue nonpartisan redistricting.

The amendment creates a 16-member redis-tricting commission. The members consist ofeight legislators and eight citizens with a citi-zen serving as the chair of the commission.There will be four legislators picked from eachchamber of the General Assembly with politi-cal party leaders selecting their two represen-tatives. The citizens are appointed by a selec-tion committee consisting of five retired judgesof the circuit court of Virginia. All meetingswill be open to the public and all will requirefull transparency including meeting minutesand any data. Additionally, the language withinthe amendment includes protections for mi-

nority communities. In order for a map to beapproved by the commission, six of the eightlegislators and six of the eight citizens mustvote yes on the map. The General Assemblywill only be able to vote yay or nay to the mapand will be unable to make any amendments.Furthermore, the Governor is excluded entirelyfrom the process.

Now, some might argue that this amendmentdoes not go far enough or that we should notbe giving up our power to draw maps to ourown partisan advantage. However, public ser-vice requires putting the needs of the publicinterest over political games. Our governmentis built upon the idea that representatives areresponsive to their voters. Yet, if politicians areselecting voters that fit their own politicalagenda and disenfranchising others, it distortsthe electoral process and undermines our rep-resentative democracy. It is time to let voterschoose their representatives instead of repre-sentatives choosing their voters.

I want to thank all of the constituents, activ-ists, and advocates that worked tirelessly dur-ing the General Assembly session. Without yoursupport, it would not have been possible forus to pass this critical bill. Going forward, Iam confident that this measure will pass theGeneral Assembly once again in 2020 and thatthe voters of Virginia will approve the mea-sure in November 2020. With the passage ofthis constitutional amendment, new districtlines for Congress, the State Senate and theHouse of Delegates, reflecting the 2020 cen-sus will be drawn in a nonpartisan fashion forthose elections beginning in 2021.

Victory Towards Nonpartisan Redistricting

Commentary

By Scott Surovell

State Senator (D-36)

The 2019 Session is now in the books.Notwithstanding the controversy gen-erated by our statewide officials, it was

one of the most personally successful sessionsin the 10 years I have served in the GeneralAssembly. This column focuses on my personal

legislative agenda.First, Governor Northam

announced a deal to widenI-95 southbound between

VA-123 and the Prince William County Park-way in three years using no taxpayer funds andno penalty payment to Transurban. I have beenurging this solution for three years and it willsave millions of drivers millions of hours permonth when implemented.

Sixteen of my bills are on the Governor’sdesk. The most significant was my bipartisanbill to address Virginia’s coal ash crisis. Thelegislation we ultimate passed will result in a$3 billion plan to cleanup Dominion’s 27 mil-lion cubic yards of coal ash in Virginia in anenvironmentally responsible way and repre-sents the first time Virginia has exceeded EPAstandards on environmental protection.

Late last week, the House of Delegates passedmy legislation giving Fairfax County the abil-ity to pass a $1/mo. utility tax to raise $30million over 20 years to pay for electrical lineundergrounding on U.S. 1 between Woodlawnand Hybla Valley. I also secured Verizon’s com-

mitment to place their wires underground atno cost if a duct bank is constructed largeenough to handle their wires saving millions.Coupled with a $15 million contribution fromVDOT and legislation I passed last sessionmaking two additional funding streams avail-able, there is now no excuse for Fairfax Countyto hold back on placing utilities undergroundon U.S. 1 and I am urging them to take actionimmediately.

My legislation to facilitate a legal pathwayfor undocumented abandoned, abused andneglected immigrant children passed theHouse and Senate nearly unanimously and willhelp thousands of children escape tragic cir-cumstances.

I also passed legislation requiring home-owner and condo association to publish theirbudgets and capital reserve shortfalls, and lim-ited their ability to prohibit homebasedchildcare which is a critical need.

My legislation to create fines for governmentofficials who destroy public records to avoiddisclosing them in citizen requests passed alongwith a remedy to punish local governmentswho violate closed meeting rules while theircounsel is present. Sunshine is the best disin-fectant.

We passed my legislation requiring the Com-monwealth to create model memorandum ofunderstanding for school resource officers tobe templated across the Commonwealth. Vir-ginia leads the nation in student criminal re-ferrals and this will help to stop the School to

Prison Pipeline.Elections for Dumfries Town Council will

now occur in November saving taxpayer dol-lars and increasing voter participation.

I passed legislation allowing restricteddriver’s licenses for out-of-state drug offensesto prevent Virginians from losing their jobspassed, along with better due process for pro-tective order proceedings, streamlining no-default divorce procedures and filing fee waiv-ers for indigent divorcing parties.

My bill to allow parents to recover damagesfor wrongfully killed children who provide fam-ily support passed unanimously, along withlegislation to make it easier for LGBT couplesto become parents through surrogate mothers.

The failure of the House of Delegates to onceagain ratify the Equal Rights Amendment wasa major disappointment to me and 160 mil-lion American women. Also, the hand’s free(texting while driving) bill died in the Houseafter passing the Senate. Governor Northamhas a bill on his desk he could amend to achievethe same result and I am urging him to do so.

My predatory lending reform legislation diedin the Senate even after passing last year 38-2. Loan sharks rejoiced, but I will be back nextyear. I was also disappointed that my bill toclose a wage withholding loophole for childsupport deadbeats failed after passing the Sen-ate and making it on to the House Floor, alongwith my bill to create a temporary driver’s privi-lege card for taxpaying undocumented immi-grants.

16 Bills on the Governor’s Desk

Commentary



See Comedy at LTA, Page 19

Entertainment

By Steve Hibbard

The Little Theatre of Alexandria(LTA) is presenting “You Can’tTake It With You” from nowthrough March 16. Over 80

years old, this off-beat, quirky, PulitzerPrize-winning comedy, written by Moss Hartand George S. Kaufman, follows two fami-lies whose lives are thrown together whentheir children become engaged. This takeon life, family and love reinforces the ideathat you can only live life to the fullest bydoing whatever makes you happy.

Director Stephen Jarrett said his “first jobwas to give audiences a chance to laugh atone of the warmest, funniest plays of theAmerican theater. The second job was totransport the viewers to mid-1930s Man-hattan and an extended family of cheerful,other-directed misfits living a childlike com-munal existence, utterly free from the con-straints of the workaday world of that sur-rounds them,” he said. “Today we might saythey are following their bliss. They are allpassionate hobbyists, and their goal is self-expression, fulfilled through playwriting,painting, ballet, playing the xylophone andthe little fireworks manufactory in the base-ment. The plays will never be produced, theballet will never be performed and thatmatters not. The end is in simply the joy ofdoing of it. It’s a metaphor. We’re in an ur-ban Garden of Eden.”

He continued: “But, of course, there’s aserpent in the form of the staid, posh, joy-less parents of the boy the younger daugh-ter has fallen for. Their presence forces thefamily to see themselves through unsym-pathetic eyes. What we have is a classic di-

chotomy: loose vs. strict; joy vs. duty;Dionysian vs. Apollonian. One more illus-tration of the aphorism that drama is theconflict of two truths.”

He said it’s a big play with 19 charactersand lots of moving parts; some of the chal-lenges were the three acts, multiple cos-tumes for at least half the cast, and its ex-tensive prop list.

“Another very specific challenge is an out-dated cultural attitude about race,” he said.“This attitude could be seen as completelyaffectionate in 1936, but today it seems

paternalistic and patronizing. Workingclosely with our African-American actors,and with the assistance of the entire actingcompany, we have worked hard to amelio-rate the problem. A handful of lines havebeen dropped, and we have adjusted a fewdramatic acting and directing choices.”

Jamie Blake, who is a co-producer alongwith Eileen Doherty, said: “As producer ofany LTA show, we bring the director’s vi-sion to life with the best designers in thearea. This show is no different. We havetalent behind the scenes that equals what

you see on stage from sound, lights, cos-tumes, props, the set, the set decorations,the set builders, the set painter, the specialeffects and least but not least our stagemanagers and assistant stage managers. Ittakes a village and our audiences only seewhat is on stage. We all do it for the love oftheatre and the creativity each of us bringsto the show.”

Ted Culler is playing the role of Paul Sy-camore, the loving husband and devotedfather of two daughters. “He was educatedto be an architect, but left that behind whenhe married into the quirky Vanderhof fam-ily. He is fascinated with and creates withhis sidekick, Mr. DePinna, his own fireworksfor sale and for fabulous Fourth of July dis-plays. He has a live-and-let live personalitywith the belief that people should do what-ever brings them joy,” he said.

Steven Rosenthal is playing the role of Mr.DePinna, who was delivering ice to theVanderhof home years ago and just decidedto stay. “He is a craftsman who helps PaulSycamore in the fireworks that they manu-facture in his cellar. He is also an amateurhistorian who revels in impersonating Ro-man soldiers and in fawning over the Rus-sian aristocracy. Although he is often over-looked by the rest of the family, he is trust-worthy and loyal and always there to helphis adopted family members whenever hecan,” he said.

Melissa Dunlap is playing the roles of GayWellington/Grand Duchess Olga. “GayWellington is an actress that Penny asks tocome read plays. Gay enjoys giggling, ginand singing. She has an interesting visit withPenny and her family,” she said. “The Grand

A Comedy that Stands the Test of Time“You Can’t Take It With You” at Little Theatre of Alexandria.

Jonathan Gruich (Ed), Jerry Hoffman (Mr. Henderson), Ted Culler (PaulSycamore), Amy Griffin (Penny Sycamore) and Raeanna Nicole Larson(Essie) star in LTA’s production of “You Can’t Take It With You.”

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Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOINGArt Exhibit: Ritualisms. Through

March 3, gallery hours at TargetGallery, 105 N. Union St.,Alexandria. New Target GalleryExhibition contemplates theuniversality of rituals. The exhibitionjuxtaposes different artists’interpretations of rituals throughtheir work, daily routines, habits, orpersonal quirks. It also brings inbroader cultural formalities andreligious ceremonies. Visitwww.torpedofactory.org.

“Opposites Attract.” Through March10, at Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery,Torpedo Factory Art Center, Studio29, 105 North Union St., Alexandria.Show featuring everything Quiet andLoud, Large and Small, Smooth andRough, Bright and Dull, Stiff andFlowing, Smiles and Frowns – the listgoes on and the artists had a greattime incorporating this theme intotheir work. Visitwww.Potomacfiberartsgallery.com.

THURSDAY/FEB. 28Ties that Bind Two Historic

Homes. 10 a.m. At HuntleyMeadows, 6918 Harrison Lane,Alexandria. Discover the connectionsbetween two of Northern Virginia’shistoric properties. See the letterfrom Historic Huntley that’s onexhibit at Mount Vernon, anddiscover how slavery links the twohomes. The program includes toursof the slave quarters at MountVernon and Huntley, as well as themansion houses.

This tour for adults begins at 10 a.m. atHistoric Huntley and departs forMount Vernon at 11 a.m. The vanreturns to Historic Huntley at 3 p.m.The cost is $64 per person, whichincludes van transportation andadmission. The trip cancellationdeadline is Feb. 13. Call 703-768-2525 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/historic-huntley.

Preschool Storytime Class: BlackHistory Month. 10:30-11:15 a.m.At the Story Room at Beatley Library,5005 Duke St., Alexandria. Join in astorytime featuring picture booksbased on real people and events inAfrican American history. Ages 3-5with adult Visitwww.alexandria.lib.va.us or call 703-746-1702.

STEM Extravaganza. 6-8 p.m. atGrace Episcopal School, 3601 RussellRoad, Alexandria. Scientists, youngand old, are invited to create, learn

Calendar

Fun Dog Show & St. Patrick’s Day ParadeMore than 2,000 participants will march in the parade, including dog rescue groups, pipe and drum bands, the Notre DameAlumni Band, historical re-enactors, Shriners and Kena cars, and Irish dancers. Parade-goers come early for the Fun Dog Showon Market Square, which benefits the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. More than 30 costumed dogs will compete in arange of categories, including Best Human/Canine Look-Alike, Most Talented and Most St. Paddy’s Spirit. The dogs will thenkick off the parade. The parade starts at King and Alfred streets and ends at Lee and Cameron streets; the Fun Dog Show ison Market Square in front of City Hall at 301 King St. Visitors and residents are invited to don their green and line King Streetto kick off the region’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at the 38th Annual Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade, presented by theBallyshaners, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote and preserve Irish heritage. Saturday, March 2, Fun Dog Showis from 11 a.m.-noon; parade starts at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2 p.m. Visit www.ballyshaners.org for more.


Entertainment

William Connery

Civil WarAuthors Series

In Mosby’s Raids in Civil War North-ern Virginia, William Connerychronicles the successes of CommanderJohn Mosby. Also know as the GrayGhost, he is celebrated most for his raidsthat captured Union General EdwinStoughton in Fairfax and Colonel DanielFrench Dulany in Rose Hill. By 1864, hewas a feared partisan guerrilla in theNorth and a nightmare for Union troopsprotecting Washington City. After thewar, his support for presidential candi-date Ulysses S. Grant forced Mosby toleave his native Virginia for Hong Kongas a U.S. consul. A mentor to youngGeorge S. Patton, Mosby’s military legacyextended to World War II. Thursday,

March 14, 7 p.m. at The Atheneum, 201 Prince St. $15 per lecture or attend all threeevents for $30. NVFAA Members can attend all three events for $15. Visitwww.nvfaa.org or call 703-548-0035.

and innovate with Grace Episcopal attheir first ever STEM Extravaganzadesigned for children ages 3-13. Thisfamily-friendly evening will featurehands-on activities selected by GraceEpiscopal School’s fourth and fifthgraders. All children must beaccompanied by an adult. Visitgraceschoolalex.org for moreinformation and to RSVP, or [email protected] questions.

Film Screening: “Thicker ThanBlood.” 6 p.m. at the Lee Center,1108 Jefferson St. In recognition ofBlack History Month and NationalBlack HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, andto increase awareness about the“Getting to Zero Alexandria”campaign, the City of Alexandria willhost a free screening of “ThickerThan Blood.” Doors will open at 6p.m., and the 80-minute film willstart promptly at 7 p.m. Attendeesare asked to register online. Toregister for the film screening or tolearn more about Getting to ZeroAlexandria or free HIV/STI testingservices, visit alexandriava.gov/Health.

“Soil Tilled by Free Men.” 7-9 p.m.At Mount Vernon GovernmentCenter, 2511 Parkers Lane,Alexandria. Mount Vernon RegionalHistorical Society presents “SoilTilled by Free Men: The Formation ofa Free Black Community in FairfaxCounty.” Historians Susan Hellmanand Maddy McCoy will discuss theirstudy published by the VirginiaHistorical Society about the freeblack community on lands close tothe Mount Estate, prior, during andafter the Civil War. Hellman isdirector of the Carlyle House inAlexandria and McCoy is founder ofthe Slavery Inventory Database, LLC.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/

mountvernon/soil-tilled-free-men-formation-free-black-community-fairfax-county for more.

Tom Teasley and Chao TianPerformance. 7 p.m. At TheAthenaeum, 201 Prince St.,Alexandria. Two local music icons,world percussionist Tom Teasley andChinese dulcimer specialist ChaoTian join forces to showcase tunesfrom their recent collaboration, DongXi. Cost is $15/person. Visitwww.nvfaa.org or call 703-548-0035.

FRIDAY/MARCH 1Metro Red Release Party. 3-10 p.m.

At Port City Brewing Company, 3950Wheeler Ave., Alexandria. Port CityBrewing Company welcomes backMetro Red, a Double Red Ale, as one

of its limited release brands. Thiscrimson colored hop-forward red alewas first brewed by Port City for DCBeer Week in 2015 and has become afan favorite of its beer lineup. Visithttps://www.portcitybrewing.com/events/metro-red-release-party-4/

Mardi Gras in Alexandria. 6-9 p.m.At the Durant Arts Center, 1605Cameron Street, Alexandria. Wearpurple, green and gold whileenjoying the “The Not So ModernJazz Band Quartet (and Friends)” byattending the First Friday: “MardiGras in Alexandria. Make a MardiGras mask or bring your own andplan to participate in the evening’sMardi Gras parade. A “meet andgreet” begins at 6 p.m. with lightrefreshments complements of theOffice of the Arts. Tickets are $9 per


Entertainment

By Hope Nelson

Kids and sushi, lifting a glass toWomen’s History Month, St. Patrick’Day two ways — it’s all here this

month. Get out your calendar and makesome plans for a March filled with foodieevents for all palates.

Celebrate Women in Wine atSonoma Cellar, March 12

In honor of Women’s History Month,Sonoma Cellar is showcasing the best in

California wines owned, influ-enced or made by women.The tasting price gets you aflight of half a dozen wines to

try, compare and contrast. All that tastingmake you hungry? Stick around and havea bite to eat from Sonoma Cellar’s foodmenu too. 207 King St. 6:30-9 p.m. $25.

St. Patrick’s Day Bingo at StompingGround, March 17

The biscuit purveyor’s popular Bingonight is back for another round – and thistime, the restaurant is ready to get into theIrish spirit. Corned beef and charred cab-bage with soda bread are the watchwordsof the night (drinks are available a la carte).Pick up some Bingo cards, sit down to din-ner and hope you get a little luck of theIrish on your side. 2309 Mount Vernon Ave.

6-9 p.m. $25; advance purchase recom-mended.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration atMurphy’s, March 17

Looking for a more “traditional” way tocommemorate the holiday? Murphy’s opensits doors at 9 a.m. to kick off the revelrybright and early.

Live music launches at 10 a.m. and goestill closing time; dancers from the BoyleSchool of Irish Dance will make their waythrough intermittently during the day tokeep everyone in a festive spirit. 713 KingSt., 9 a.m.-2 a.m. No cover charge.

Kids’ Sushi Class at Bon VivantCafé, March 23

Just in time for Washington’s Cherry Blos-som Festival, help the whole family get intoJapanese cuisine. Make it easy for your kidsdevelop a taste for sushi early by teachingthem to make it themselves. Together WeCook is teaming up with Bon Vivant Caféand Farm Market to help children learn howto make miso soup, sushi rice, maki andCalifornia rolls. 2016 Mount Vernon Ave.4-6 p.m. $45. Preregistration atwww.togetherwecookva.com.

Hope Nelson owns and operates the KitchenRecessionista blog, located atwww.kitchenrecessionista.com. Email her at

[email protected].

4 Dates to Circle in March

Appetite


Entertainment

person, children under 5 years old arefree. To purchase your ticket, visitwww.alexandriava.gov/Arts and clickon Durant Arts Center.

Opening Reception: For TheArtist. 7-9 p.m. at Del Ray Artisansgallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave. The“For The Artist” exhibit featuresartworks that Del Ray Artisansmembers have always dreamed ofcreating. The diversity of expressionand creativity in this exhibit isinspiring to artists and artappreciators alike. Two and three-dimensional works, paintings, mixedmedia, and photography are onexhibit. Visit DelRayArtisans.org/exhibits for more.

Messiah Concert. 7:30 p.m. AtBlessed Sacrament Church, 1427 W.Braddock Road, Alexandria. BlessedSacrament Festival Choir andOrchestra will perform the completeHandel’s Messiah. Featured soloistsare Michelle Kunz and Joshua Hong,Washington National Opera, andSally Mouzon and Philip Pickens, SanFrancisco Opera. Soloists aremembers of the Washington NationalOpera and San Francisco Opera.Free-will offering at the door.Contact parish music director JohnMcCrary, 703-998-6100, ext. 103.

MARCH 1-31Art Exhibit: For The Artist. At Del

Ray Artisans gallery, 2704 MountVernon Ave. The “For The Artist”exhibit features artworks that DelRay Artisans members have alwaysdreamed of creating. The diversity ofexpression and creativity in thisexhibit is inspiring to artists and artappreciators alike. Two and three-dimensional works, paintings, mixedmedia, and photography are onexhibit. Visit DelRayArtisans.org/exhibits for more.

SATURDAY/MARCH 2Mt. Jefferson Park Traffic Garden

Workshop. 10:30-12:30 p.m. AtJames M. Duncan Branch Library,2501 Commonwealth Ave.,Alexandria. Fun, creative workshopwhere young participants will havethe opportunity to design their owntransportation network as well asthink about the challenges ofbuilding at the future site. Buddingengineers, planners, and designerswill have the opportunity to lendtheir skills to the Mt. Jefferson ParkTraffic Garden design by creatingengineering drawings and gettingpublic works approvals. Withbuilding permit in hand, children cango to construction and lay out theircreations. Suitable for ages 4-11, butgrown-up designers are invited tojoin, too.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The FunDog Show is from 11 a.m.-noon;parade starts at 12:30 p.m. and ends

at 2 p.m. Parade starts at King andAlfred Streets and ends at Lee andCameron streets; the Fun Dog Showis on Market Square in front of CityHall at 301 King St. Visitors andresidents are invited to don theirgreen and line King Street to kick offthe region’s St. Patrick’s Daycelebrations at the 38th AnnualAlexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade,presented by the Ballyshaners, anonprofit organization that aims topromote and preserve Irish heritage.Visit www.ballyshaners.org for more.

Home with the Herberts. Noon-4p.m. at Carlyle House Historic Park,121 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria. JohnCarlyle’s son-in-law, William Herbert,immigrated to America from Irelandand married Sarah Carlyle. Hebecame an influential merchant,banker, and politician in Alexandria,resigning as Mayor on the eve of theWar of 1812. Step back in time to seewhat life was like in the 19th centuryin Alexandria, and to learn moreabout this part of Carlyle’s family life.Admission is free, but donations arewelcome. Visit www.novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park orcall 703-549-2997.

Locals’ Alley Saturdays. 12:30-2:30p.m. at The Old Town Shop, 105 S.Union St. at King Street. Meet themakers of local goods, featuring:Crum’s Hot Sauce tasting. Call 703-684-4682 or visitwww.TheOldTownShop.com.

Sip Cocoa and Craft Snowflakes. 3-4 p.m. At Huntley Meadows Park,3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria.Snowflakes and hot cocoa are theperfect winter pairing. Let the kidsenjoy these highlights of winter atthe “Snowflakes & Cocoa” program atHuntley Meadows Park. Children age3 to 12 are invited to float into aworld of snowflakes. Throughactivities and stories, they will learnwhy snowflakes are special and maketheir own paper-and-boraxsnowflakes to take home. Hot cocoarounds out the winter experience.Cost is $10 per person. Call 703-768-2525 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley-meadows.

Lettera Amorosa: 17th-CenturyItalian Arias and KeyboardSolos. 6 p.m. At The Athenaeum,201 Prince St., Alexandria. Join 28Chairs for an evening of Baroquechamber music. French star mezzo-soprano Anna Reinhold, twice-Grammy-nominated harpsichordistJory Vinikour, and theorbo playerDeborah Fox will perform a programof 17th-century Italian songs andkeyboard solos, including works byMonteverdi, Cavalli, Frescobaldi,Strozzi, and others. Tickets $35 atwww.eventbrite.com.

SUNDAY/MARCH 3Winter Lecture-Rose Care 101.

1:30-2:30 p.m. at Green Spring

Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road.Lewis Ginter Botanic Gardenhorticulturalist Laurie McMinn willintroduce particants to old familyheirloom roses as well as many newroses that may become favorites.Adults. $10/person. Register onlineat www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes/ using code 402.44A7 orcall Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173.

Concert at St. Luke’s. 5 p.m. At St.Luke’s Episcopal Church, 8009 Ft.Hunt Road, Alexandria. The BeauSoir Ensemble is a Flute, Viola andHarp Trio from the Washington, D.C.,area dedicated to the performance ofstandard and contemporaryrepertoire, spanning a variety ofmusical genres. Followed by areception to meet the performers.Cost: $20 adult; $15 senior; free tostudents 18 and under. Visitwww.saintlukeschurch.net/events.

MARCH 3-MAY 31Kathryn Coneway Exhibit. At

Huntley Meadows Visitor’s Center,3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria.Coneway’s mixed-media art combinescollage and photographic transfers,and it expresses her observations ofnature. A reception will be heldSunday, March 10 from 2-4 p.m.Students from Kathryn Coneway’swinter class at Huntley Meadows willalso display work. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley-meadows.

THURSDAY/MARCH 7Yacht Haven Garden Club

Meeting. 10 a.m. At Mount VernonYacht Club, 4817 Tarpon Lane,Alexandria. The program, PeriodGardens and Landscapes of HistoricProperties, will be presented byAshley Brown, chief architect of theNational Trust for HistoricPreservation. New members arewelcome. Email [email protected].

MARCH 7-23“Beep Beep” at Arts on the

Horizon. At the Lab atConvergence, 1819 N. Quaker Lane,Alexandria. Arts on the Horizon, aninteractive theatre for children ages0-6, will present “Beep Beep,” writtenand directed by Solas Nua ArtisticDirector and frequent AOTHcollaborator, Rex Daugherty. It wascreated specifically for an audience ofchildren ages 2-5 and their families.Show times are March 7, 8, 13,14,15, 19, 20, 21, 22, at 10:30 a.m.;and March 9, 16, 23, at 10 a.m. and11:30 a.m. Tickets are $10 forchildren and adults atwww.artsonthehorizon.org or at thedoor.

Emmy Leaverton (Alice Sycamore) stars in LTA’sproduction of “You Can’t Take It With You.”

From Page 16

Comedy at LTA

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Duchess Olga Katrina fledRussia at the time of the Bol-shevik Revolution. For the pastseveral years she has lived andworked in New York. She isgood friends with Essie’s danceinstructor, Kolenkhov. Shemostly socializes within hercircle of Russian family andfriends but is delighted to beinvited to have dinner withKolenkhov’s friends.”

Mary Elizabeth (Emmy)Leaverton is playing the role ofAlice Sycamore. “Alice is a Sy-camore through and through,whether she’s willing to admitit or not. She is desperately inlove with the boss’s son andwants nothing more than to beaccepted and acknowledged asworthy of his love in return.She never forgets for a momenthow much she loves him, orhow much he loves her. It’s thebattle between the stubborn-ness of her head, the passionof her heart, and the approvalof the Kirby’s that she must

overcome,” she said.Chris Halverson is playing the

role of G-Man #3, whose omi-nous attention is caught by Ed’sprinting hobby. “I came into theproduction only two weeks be-fore opening, so the biggestchallenge was trying to playcatch-up, both as a member ofthe cast as a whole, and inbuilding up my performance tothe same standard of quality asthe rest of the actors, especiallysince rehearsal time that late inthe process has to be dedicatedmuch more to fixing the detailsof already well-establishedwork,” he said.

The Little Theatre of Alexan-dria is presenting “You Can’tTake It With You” from nowthrough March 16. Show timesare Wednesdays through Satur-days at 8 p.m.; and Sundays at3 p.m. Tickets are $21 and $24.The venue is located at 600Wolfe St., Alexandria. Visitwww.thelittletheatre.com orcall the box office at 703-683-0496.


News

From Page 1

No Property Tax Rate Increase and Fully Funded Public Schools

Superintendent of Fairfax CountyPublic Schools Scott Braband saidhe was “delighted” about the levelof collaboration being createdbetween the School Board and thecounty Board of Supervisors, andpleased that the FY 2020 proposedbudget “puts the needs of studentsfirst, the needs of the school sys-tem first.”

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cies instituted by Hill and the county, theproposed budget achieves these fundingobjectives without suggesting an increaseto the residential real estate rate — the mainsource of the county’s revenue.

“This Advertised Budget assumes nochange in the tax rate of $1.15 per $100 ofassessed property value,” said Hill.

Helping things along financially wasVirginia’s economic recovery from the re-cession and from sequestration.

“Our growth has finally picked up,” saidHill, noting a decline in office space vacancyrates, an increase in government contractspending, and employment gains in theWashington Metro region that rose abovehistorical averages in 2018. The county isalso expecting a positive impact from theselection of Northern Virginia as a secondheadquarters for Amazon.

On the other side of the scale, Hill re-minded that “no one yet really knows thetrue effect of the recent partial governmentshutdown.” In addition, the failure of thecurrent General Assembly session to restoretransportation funds to the region haspushed a number of projects further fromtheir anticipated start or completion dates.

Without those funds, work to improvesafety and traffic flow on roads like theFairfax County and Franconia-SpringfieldParkways will no doubt be negatively af-fected, according to Braddock District Su-pervisor John Cook, who added that “citi-

zens need to know the facts, that even with3 percent growth in the county, it’s still astruggle to meet our needs. We need theirhelp.”

Several of the supervisors posed budgetquestions for Hill and Mondoro. The an-swers to their questions will be forthcom-ing at one of the Budget Committee meet-ings, and Hill also noted that the responseswould be made available to the public onthe county’s Management and Budget

website.While there is no assumption of a tax rate

increase, other “non-general fund tax rate”service fees will see slight increases. SewerBase Charges will rise from “$30.38 perquarter, to $32.91, the Sewer AvailabilityCharge (residential) will increase from$8,100 to $8,340 and the Sewer ServiceCharge will rise from $7.00 to $7.28 per1,000 gallons.

After the Budget presentation, Hill, CFOMondoro, and Superintendent of FairfaxCounty Public Schools Scott Brabrand helda joint Q&A with media representatives.

“This is a superintendent’s dream,” saidBrabrand in his remarks, “to be able to workwith a county executive and to have thekind of relationship we are creating be-tween the School Board and the FairfaxCounty Board of Supervisors …. this is theright way to do business.”

To Brabrand, this budget “puts the needsof students first, the needs of the schoolsystem first.” He expressed “delight” thatthe budget is “finishing the work to makeour teachers market competitive … we wantthe best and brightest teachers and supportstaff” so that the system can continue toprovide an outstanding educational expe-rience for the benefit of the entire commu-nity.

Brabrand vowed to continue the FCPS’sfocus on One Fairfax to strive for equity inall aspects of its operation, and to continuecollaborating with the Fairfax County gov-

ernment.Hill ended on a positive note, saying that

while he was disappointed that not all fund-ing requests could be met as “we managewithin our means to meet our 5 percentneeds on 3 percent growth,” many un-funded priorities from past years were fi-nally being addressed. He also urged citi-zens to “get involved. All of the informa-tion is readily available … your voice mat-ters.”

Each district will host at least one budgettown hall — with either Hill or Mondoro orboth in attendance — before the Board ofSupervisors holds public hearings and be-fore the budget goes to “mark-up” on April30, with adoption slated for the board meet-ing on May 7.

Public hearings before the board will beheld on April 9 at 4 p.m. and on April 10and 11 at 1 p.m. All meetings will take placeat the Fairfax County Government Centerin the Board Auditorium. Persons who wishto speak at a public hearing need to sign upwith the Clerk by calling 703-324-3151, orby form at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/speakers-form. Written testimonyfor the record can also be emailed to theClerk’s Office at [email protected]. A 37-page Summary ofthe Budget, a reader-friendly two-pagehighlights document, as well as completeinformation on the budget process, timeline,meetings and more are all available on thecounty’s website, search “budget.”

In the first northern Virginia straw pollof the primary campaign season,Democrats at the Mount Vernon Dis-trict Democratic Committee

(MVDDC) Mardi Gras fundraiser selectedLee District Supervisor Jeff McKay for Boardof Supervisors chair, challenger SteveDescano as Commonwealth’s Attorney,Rodney Lusk as Lee District Supervisor, andKaren Keys-Gamarra, Rachna SizemoreHeizer, and Abrar Omeish for three at-largeseats on the Fairfax County School Board.

A newcomer to the chair’s race, AliciaPlerhoples, came close to McKay’s 95 voteswith 85 votes, while Ryan McElveen had

10 votes, and Tim Chapman had 5. Descanooutperformed current Commonwealth’sAttorney Ray Morrogh by 134 to 60 votes.Lusk won decisively with 67 votes over KellyHebron (38), Larysa Kautz (35), and JamesMigliaccio (22).

In the at-large school board race, incum-bent Keyes-Gamarra had 152 votes.Sizemore Heizer, 116, and Omeish, 100.Incumbent Ilryong Moon, with 91 votes, didnot capture a straw poll seat.

Anyone who bought a ticket to the 11thannual Mardi Gras celebration held Satur-day, Feb. 23, could vote in the straw poll.Each candidate was given a few minutes to

Straw Poll Backs McKay, Descano, and Lusk

Former Mount Vernon DistrictSupervisor Gerry Hyland andcurrent Supervisor Dan Storck.

MVDDC members Maritza Zermenoand Kate Spears.

Rodney Lusk, straw poll winnerfor Lee District supervisor, andhis brother.

School Board candidate AbrarOmesh and Alicia Plerhoples’supporter Camila Alphonso.

Hosted by Mount Vernon District Democratic Committee.

Board of Supervisors Chair candi-date Jeff McKay and School BoardChair Karen Corbett Sanders.

speak before ballots were collected.U.S. Rep. Don Beyer also spoke to the

crowd. For many years the event was heldat his Volvo-Subaru dealership on RichmondHighway, which is undergoing renovations.The attendees enjoyed a Cajun buffet, mu-sic, and dancing.

MVDDC does not endorse primary candi-dates, but will use funds raised at the eventto help elect the winners of local Democraticprimaries. State legislators, who usuallyattend, had to remain overnight in Rich-mond to take a vote on the state budgetSunday morning. None of Mount Vernon’slegislators have primary challengers.

Pho

to

s by M

ary Paden


From Page 3

News

The ensemble’s final piece wasBrian Balmages’ “Ite Missa Est,”which was specially composed forthe group. A spokesperson for theensemble said, “When The Domin-ion Brass commissioned a piecefrom the young American com-poser Brian Balmages, we knew itwould be good, but we had no ideathat he would produce a majorsymphonic work for brass and per-cussion, one that never fails tothrill and move our audiences. Thepowerful musical portrayal of thelife of Christ represents the bestof modern sacred music for brass.”

Kincannon performed with thegroup to read the scripture thatprecedes each of four movements.Notes from the composer suggestthat the final movement “in addi-tion to drawing from themesthroughout the work, makes useof the hymn A Mighty Fortress isOur God. Its powerful endingleaves the listener with a renewedsense of faith, energy, andwellbeing.”

The Dominion Brass is a brassand percussion ensemble made upof professional musicians from theWashington, DC area. Memberscome from the area’s musical or-ganizations, including the Na-tional Symphony Orchestra, thePremiere D.C. Service Bands, andlocal opera and ballet orchestras.

Rising Hope Mission Churchdepends on the generosity ofchurches and community organi-zations to serve the needs of hun-dreds of low-income and homelessfamilies and individuals everyyear:

❖ 175-250 families fed fromtheir food pantry every week —about 10,000 visits annually;

❖ 16,000 hot meals a year fromtheir soup kitchen;

❖ 2,800 hypothermia bed-nightsprovided annually.

Hundreds of individuals takeadvantage of their services as adrop-in center, emergency referraland assistance center, and theirrecovery programs.

The goal of Rising Hope’s$500,000 three-year capital cam-paign is to replace well-usedkitchen equipment, the refrigera-tor and freezer in the food pantry,and the building’s HVAC system,and to purchase a new church vanto transport individuals to and fromRising Hope and other locations.Campaign contributions will alsohelp decrease the building mort-gage and provide additional finan-cial resources for the mission’s pro-grams. To donate to Rising Hope’scapital campaign, call 703-360-1976 or visit risinghopeumc.org/capital-campaign.

Rising Hope


Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Although you can adjust your television set, it’s probably wise to have juiced the battery in your cellular phone. Better still, use your landline – if you have one – thereby prevent-ing a dropped call right in the middle of your interminable hold. Because the call you’re about

going to be made to the correct number or the correct person or at the correct time or even to the correct department.

And should you be lucky enough to reach an actual person with your call, the explanation for your call/the problem you’re attempting to resolve, will no doubt result in a transfer which most likely will not be to the correct number, the correct person, at the correct time or even to the correct department.

Unfortunately, after perusing the govern-ment’s website, you’re just not smart enough to

to call. (Is anyone that smart?) And therefore you are likely going to experience this loop-de-loop – without the upset stomach.

And what makes your attempt even worse? Hanging up, since your call might be “answered in the order in which it was received.”

Now presuming/assuming that a less-than-im-mediate solution will not be at hand, there are a few steps one should take in preparation to not make a bad situation worse:

* Allow for plenty of time. Do not make this call when you’re in a hurry, on break/at lunch or have a limited window of opportunity to complete your task. You will need to be in for the long haul, so to speak.

* Try to make this call when you’re able to sit/stand comfortably – for long periods of time. Moreover, make sure you have the privacy you need so that anything you say will not be heard (or held against you in a court of law) and any movements your body makes will likewise not be seen.

There’s something about being stuck on the phone for long periods of time waiting, waiting, waiting; talking, talking, talking; hoping (you’ll note I didn’t say expecting) to reach the right per-son and/or resolve the problem/get the answer

rarely brings out the best in the person on hold. Quite frankly, it’s been my personal experience that it brings out the worst.

In addition to having the time and the place, one must also have the patience. That patience comes from proper preparation. And by “proper preparation” I mean the creature comforts: food, water and access to a bathroom.

The order really should be reversed with

time and place, and then making the effort to navigate the government’s website looking for the proper person, phone number, department and then in the midst of any success you might have accomplishing this Herculean feat, to have that very personal need interrupt the proceedings

Common sense has to prevail or the conse-quences may be dire; you might have to start your calling process all over again. I wouldn’t wish that on any one.

There is no greater satisfaction than surviving making one of these calls, and having done so because you put all of your adult Boy Scout skills to work. There really should be badge of honor one can earn after completing this dreaded and arduous task.

In fact, there should be some kind of reward. Although I imagine reaching nirvana (not listen-ing to Nirvana) is its own reward.

Nevertheless, having survived the ordeal and endured the suffering for as many minutes as I care not to remember, I can say with absolute certainty, it’s a hell of a feeling. I wish you all well in your next pursuit of truth and justice despite the American Way.

The Following is a Test

Letter

Straw VotePicks LuskTo the Editor:

I live in Lee District and enjoyed the 11thAnnual Mt Vernon Mardi Gras and Demo-cratic Straw Vote on Saturday, Feb. 23. Wehad a great time and saw many neighborsfrom Lee District. We are thankful to havea good selection of people standing as can-didates for public office.

With 41.4 percent of the vote, RodneyLusk won the first 2019 straw vote in FairfaxCounty by earning 67 of the 162 votes cast.

Rodney Lusk shared his experience work-ing in economic development bringing jobsto Fairfax County; he shared his commit-ment to public education and creating ef-fective transportation solutions. He spokeabout his experience representing Lee Dis-trict on the Planning Commission; experi-ence leading projects to increase access forpersons with disabilities, and addressingsignificant human service needs includinghomelessness in Fairfax County.

The Lee District Supervisor represents usand serves over 1,148,000 residents ofFairfax County by working with a board ofpeers. The significant portfolio of needs theyaddress includes public safety; public edu-cation; human services; healthcare; clean,abundant water; affordable housing; eco-nomic development; environmental stew-ardship; libraries, recreation centers andparks; transportation; land use; managingstormwater and preventing soil erosion;safeguarding the interests of governmentemployees and retirees; justice; and taxpolicy. All these priorities and more mustbe continuously addressed with a balancedbudget.

Experience matters especially when theresults of hard work are desirable. Whilerecognizing we still have a lot of work todo, we can see our beloved Fairfax Countyleads the nation in health and wealth amongcommunities with a population of at leastone million persons.

US News & World Report lists FairfaxCounty as the healthiest community in thenation with a million plus residents and wehave the highest median household incomeamong communities with at least one mil-lion people. Of 3,142 counties in our na-tion, Fairfax County is one of only 46 coun-ties earning the highest AAA credit ratingsfrom all three major credit rating agencies.

There is a reason Sharon Bulova, the cur-rent chairman of Fairfax County Board ofSupervisors, and her immediate predeces-sor, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, endorseRodney Lusk for Lee District Supervisor.They both know and have worked withRodney for decades.

There is a reason former Lee District Su-pervisor Dana Kauffman and former Vir-ginia Deputy Secretary of Education DavidTemple endorse Rodney Lusk for Lee Dis-trict Supervisor. They both know and haveworked with Rodney for decades.

I appreciate all the candidates, especiallypersons standing for Lee District Supervisorand believe the choice is clear. Vote June 11.

Will RadleFranconia


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