Column: Budget Plan Invests in Community’s Future
I am honored to present to you my FY 2013 Proposed Operating Budget which is dedicated to the amazing students who attend Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS).
Letter: Fair and Balanced
I want to compliment the Alexandria Gazette Packet for its fair and balanced reporting on the ongoing saga of the Waterfront Plan.
Letter: Appreciative Foundation
The Kelley Cares Foundation would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our friends, relatives, volunteers and sponsors who have continued to support Kelley Cares since our formation six years ago.
Letter: Council Could Have Compromised
Last Saturday, City Council passed the Waterfront Plan and the Rezoning of three waterfront parcels to encourage development.
Letter: Insufficient Evidence
H. Jay Spiegel and Martin Tillett wrote complementary letters on voter photo IDs and voter fraud, published in your Jan. 19 edition. Mr. Spiegel’s citations were nearly perfect examples of the slippery definitions of ‘voter fraud’ cited by Mr. Tillett.
Letter: Inappropriate Recommendation
There they go again. At their December 2011 Council meeting, the MVCCA passed a resolution (by a vote of 14-0, barely 1/4 of the 55 MVCCA member associations) urging the County to amend its laws to make the County, rather than the homeowner, responsible for sewer line repairs under a public street.
Letter: Voter Fraud and Partisan Politics
With each historical effort to protect and extend the right to vote, both political parties have argued that expanding the franchise, whether through federal protections for voting rights or by reducing barriers, would lead to more voter fraud.
Letter: Help Make A Difference
Thank you so much for your recent call to volunteerism in your editorial on Jan. 5. As the new volunteer & community relations coordinator at United Community Ministries (UCM) in Alexandria, your powerful message of volunteerism’s impact rings particularly true for me and my agency.
Letter: Mockery of Government
The Alexandria City Council has voted on and passed the waterfront plan that has been opposed by the majority of the residents this council supposedly represents. Why has this majority body of Democrats even gone through the motions of public hearings and spend unknown amounts of taxpayers’ money while all along they have known how they would vote on the issue.
Letter: No to HOV Ramp
The Virginia Department of Transportation is proposing to remove large numbers of trees, and other vegetation, along I-395, between Seminary Road and Sanger Avenue. The removal is needed, says VDOT, to widen I-395, so that there will be room for ramp from the HOV lanes, going northbound, to connect to Seminary Road.
Letter: Flouting Public Opinion
I would like to thank Councilmember Alicia Hughes for standing by the citizens in Saturday’s waterfront vote, particularly in her remark that she sees her role as an elected representative to implement the public’s wishes on a matter where an informed public has formed a view.
Letter: City Needs Ombudsman
If ever there was a time for Alexandria to have an ombudsman, now is the time with the majority of Alexandria residents lack of trust with our elected officials and department administrators.
Letter: Small Area Plan Disaster
As some of you may know, I voiced an opinion about the proposed Arlandria Re-Development plan that praised the concept, the new tax revenue, the revitalization of the area and the addition of developer funded affordable housing units. As this letter progresses, please keep in mind that as the developer in Arlandria adds affordable units, it is not tearing a single one down.
Letter: Explaining Her No Vote
I voted against the Waterfront Small Area Plan and accompanying text amendment on Saturday. I want to clear up any misunderstanding on why.
Letter: Restore Pregnancy Prevention Funding
At the beginning of the Virginia General Assembly session earlier this month, Gov. Bob McDonnell unveiled his proposed $85 billion budget for the next two fiscal years. Buried way down in the massive document is a cut of $455,000 for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative which serves seven Virginia communities, including Alexandria.