City of Falls Church Campaign 2008

Nader Baoukh's attempt to distance himself from Pro-Referendum platform backfires

2008-05-04T22:14:00.007-04:00

Nader Baroukh supports the Falls Church Referendum to change the City's Charter. He has been a proponent of the Referendum since he decided to run for office along with the other Pro-Referendum candidates: Ed Hillegass and Margaret Housen.

While Hillegass and Housen have been papering the City with their Pro-Referendum flyers all weekend, which attack everyone from the School Board Chair to the Falls Church Housing Corporation, Nader Baroukh has been busy trying to distance himself from a campaign platform that he now realizes may cost him the election: his stance in support of the Referendum.

I talked to 2 friends yesterday who both told me the same story:
Both of my friends have CBC yard signs and they told me that Nader came to their houses campaigning - he asked them both to vote for him and then only 2 of the CBC candidates. When asked why they should vote for him since he supported the Referendum and they were against it, he told them: "City Charters get changed all the time" (after one friend objected to changing the City's Charter) and "Even if it passes, it will never be enacted" - saying in essence it was ok to vote for him even though they didn't support the referendum, because "it will never be enacted anyway"!

Both friends were turned off and deeply skeptical of Nader's message. One said "If it will never be enacted, then why waste people's time and the taxpayer's money?" The other one said, "I wonder if all the people who actually support the Referendum know this is what Nader Baroukh is saying??"

Voters should be appalled by the dishonesty and manipulation such statements reveal, no matter which side of the Referendum issue they're on. Nader Baroukh should be ashamed of himself... and Voters should beware!

Falls Church Referendum key to Election on Tuesday

2008-05-04T21:55:00.005-04:00

The Falls Church Charter Change Referendum question which will be on the ballot May 6th is turning out to be the key to City election for City Council. All 3 CBC Candidates for City Council OPPOSE the Referendum, and the 3 Opposition candidates SUPPORT it. Nader Baroukh, Margaret Housen and Ed Hillegass all SUPPORT the passage of this very controversial Referendum which would change the City's Charter to restrict economic development in the City. See the Deliberation Falls Church article which just came out yesterday for more information: http://www.citizensovereignty.com/dfcva/2008/05/candidates-a-re.html#more

Confused about the Falls Church Referendum on the May 6 Ballot?

2008-04-30T20:32:00.002-04:00

Confused about the Referendum on the May 6 Ballot?

You’re not alone! Many citizens we’ve talked to feel the same way. They say the language of the Referendum proposal is so confusing, they can’t figure out what it’s asking them!

The Referendum language has drawn criticism from the very beginning… even the State Board of Elections (SBE) initially refused to certify the Referendum for the ballot due to “improper wording” and “confusing language”. Apparently, it was only after the proponents of the Referendum threatened to sue the SBE that they modified the language and cleared it for the May 6 ballot.

Certain candidates who have said they SUPPORT the Referendum, now seem to be distancing themselves from the Referendum. However, candidates Nader Baroukh, Margaret Housen and Ed Hillegass are on record as supporting the Referendum. They are running on a Pro-Referendum platform.

The CBC Candidates: Robin Gardner, Lindy Hockenberry and Lawrence Webb are all AGAINST the Referendum.

It seems that for many voters, this campaign is boiling down to a vote for or against the development direction the City is heading in. But this election is about so much more than that. It is also about the long, proud CBC tradition of service to building a strong community and strong schools vs. the opposition’s record of non-service, “no-shows” and non-support of the schools.

VOTE CBC. VOTE FALLS CHURCH. VOTE NO ON THE REFERENDUM.

Clear Divide Among Council Candidates on Referendum Question

2008-04-24T06:09:00.007-04:00

3 of the 6 Candidates for City Council do NOT support the proposed Charter Change Referendum which will be on the ballot May 6th for City voters. The CBC Candidates: Robin Gardner, Lindy Hockenberry and Lawrence Webb are clearly against the Charter Change Referendum.

Nader Baroukh, Margaret Housen and Ed Hillegass have all declared they support the Charter Change Referendum.

Gardner, Hockenberry and Webb give reasons why they don't support the Charter Change:

"The proposed Referendum would restrict the ability of City Council to seek and approve commercial developments (which ultimately places more of a tax burden on residential homeowners)."
"It's bad government to start changing your City's Charter of Government; it should only be done for very compelling reasons and when there are no other governmental tools available, and that is not the case here."
"The proposed Referendum would create a hostile climate towards developers seeking to build any commercial development in our City - and would actually drive projects away. Again, without the much needed commercial tax base, the tax burden of supporting our schools and city services would fall squarely on the backs of the residential homeowners."

Nader Baroukh finally gave a clear YES answer in support of the controversial Referendum when put on the spot by Mayor Gardner at the Chamber of Commerce's Candidate Debate Tuesday night at the Falls Church Community Center. Baroukh had formerly been vague on the Yes or No question of "Do you support the Referendum?", at both the Chamber debate and the League of Women Voter's Debate last week, by sidestepping actually saying Yes, he supports the referendumb.

Margaret Housen had already declared her support for the Referendum at the LWV Debate. Ed Hillegass, the perennial No-Show Candidate (he did not show up at either the Chamber or LWV Debates), declared his support for the Referendum in flyers which he handed out around town.

Patrice Lepcyzk stated she did NOT support the Referendum, for many of the reasons cited above (bad government, too restricting, would increase taxes, etc), at the LWV Candidate Debate as well.

Council Debate clips on You-Tube!

2008-04-22T19:02:00.005-04:00

Please check out the NEW YOU-TUBE clips of the Candidates for City Council(http://www.youtube.com/dfccva) from the League of Women Voter's Debate last week. The clips were recorded and posted to You Tube by the Deliberation Falls Church organization, another great place to go if you're looking for information: http://www.dfccva.org/. Thanks to DFCCVA for this EXCELLENT opportunity to see the candidates in action (except for the one candidate who did not attend) and hear their positions on important issues such as the Charter Change Referendum!

Candidates who attended the LWV/VPIS Council Debate:
The CBC Candidates: Robin Gardner, Lindy Hockenberry, Lawrence Webb.
The Opposition Candidates: Nader Baroukh, Margaret Housen, Patrice Lepczyk.
No-Show: Ed Hillegass

Ed Hillegass a No-Show at League/VPIS Council Debate

2008-04-17T07:46:00.006-04:00

Ed Hillegass was a no-show at the League of Women Voter/V.P.I.S.' City Council Candidate Debate last night in the Council chambers. The packed house was told just prior to the start of the debate that the League heard from Ed Hillegass yesterday that he would not be attending the debate. No word on why.

Ed Hillegass is apparently taking lessons from his mentor, Sam Mabry, regarding campaign "strategy". (Note to Hillegass: Not showing up at the League of Women Voter's Debate is NOT a great strategy - unless you think the "no-show" label is less harmful to you as a candidate than your possible performance at the debate if you had shown up?? That's what's on everyone's mind...)

At least Ed Hillegass called; Mr. Mabry didn't even make a courtesy phone call to the League when he was a no-show at their Council debate in 2002 (in fact he criticized THEM in the paper that year!).

Well, the public will have another chance to familiarize themselves with Ed Hillegass as a candidate for City Council at the Chamber of Commerce's Council Debate on April 22nd. Let's hope he shows up.

The citizens of Falls Church deserve the opportunity to know who they are being asked to vote for!

Letter to Falls Church - from Sharon Schoeller

2008-04-15T23:39:00.011-04:00

Below is a Letter to the Editor of the Falls Church News-Press from Sharon Schoeller, a long time resident and highly regarded advocate of Falls Church schools. This is a shortened version for the News-Press. Click HERE for the original, full version.

Dear Editor,
As a 29-year resident of Falls Church and a past president of PTAs at every level of our schools, I’m concerned about some of the candidates running for City Council and their “plans” for our City. Our schools are among the best in the nation and we want to keep them that way. To keep our schools competitive, we need funds to support them.
For decades, Falls Church tried with little success to attract significant commercial development. Then a number of expert studies showed that a key factor in attracting business is incorporating high-end, mixed-use development - because new residents in the mix add the buying power needed to draw businesses.
Recent Councils have successfully increased our tax base through mixed-use development, so much so that we will pay lower taxes this coming year, while we fully fund the School Board’s budget request.
New development has replaced blighted sites with high-end buildings, new shops and restaurants (e.g., The Broadway replaced the long abandoned AdCom building and The Spectrum replaced an overgrown lot vacant more than two decades).
Some candidates say the new development “overcrowds” our schools. This is not the case. Buildings such as the Broadway and Byron house very few school children. These kinds of mixed-use projects generate substantial new revenue for the City, and put little load on our schools. They also mean more customers for our local businesses, helping them prosper and generate more sales tax revenue, further enhancing school funding.
Thanks to diligent planning by recent School Boards & Councils, and strong community support for construction of our new middle school and expansion of Mt. Daniel, our schools have ample capacity. As the current School Board chair stated in a letter Feb. 24th, “we can handle the anticipated influx of students in our current buildings and classroom space in the upcoming years.”
I plan to vote for Robin Gardner, Lindy Hockenberry and Lawrence Webb for Council because they support reasonable mixed-use development as part of an overall strategy to attract business, citizens and tax dollars to Falls Church to support our excellent services and schools.

Sharon Schoeller
Falls Church

Information on the proposed REFERENDUM to change the City Charter

2008-04-15T10:36:00.009-04:00

Check out this article by Bob Burnett - he interviews a former Mayor of Seattle for information on referendums in general and specifically on the Charter Change referendum which Falls Church voters will face when they go to the polls on Tuesday, May 6th. Click on the title above, or here: Link

What's the deal with CBC candidates?

2008-04-13T15:15:00.002-04:00

Q: Why do they run a "joint campaign"? Are they all the same?

A: No, they're not all the same. They are independent, non-partisan candidates who came to the CBC Nominating Convention and asked for the CBC endorsement. Once they won the CBC Convention's endorsement, they became the CBC candidates.

Q: Then why run as a team?

A: Because it works! :-) No, seriously, it does work - the experience of campaigning together, working together towards a common goal in the weeks leading up to the election prepares the candidates for the job of serving on council or school board together.

It builds consensus. It builds a team - and many CBC-elected officials credit the arduous task of campaigning together for establishing the teamwork that GETS THINGS DONE once they are in office!

They just don't get it..

2008-04-06T18:00:00.007-04:00

Nader Baroukh, supporter of the Charter Change Referendum and fierce opponent of the City Center, decided to run for Council only after the current Council's unanimous vote to approve the City Center project... and it is clearly his mission to oppose any meaningful mixed-use commercial development.

What Nader Baroukh doesn't get is that the City's current and pending mixed-use projects are actually relieving the tax burden on the homeowners. While our neighboring jurisdictions' tax rates are sky-rocketing, Falls Church is projecting a modest 3 cent increase which, when combined with this year's lower assessments, will actually lower the average Falls Church homeowner's tax bill!

Nader Baroukh has also criticized our City schools, stating "it will be very difficult" for the City to "fund new facilities and staff". Nader Baroukh also said "the City Council needs to have more oversight over the School Board". Doesn't take a rocket scientist to know where he's going with that train of thought. What Nader Baroukh doesn’t get is that our schools are the City’s crown jewel…and the reason we exist.

Supporting our schools has been Job 1 for CBC candidates for almost 50 years, since the inception of the CBC! And, sorry Nader, but nobody does it better!

Nader Baroukh also wrongly states that mixed-use development is a "direct threat to our city schools", which is just plain not true. If he checked the facts on the numbers of new students from already built mixed-use developments in the City, he would know that the Broadway was initially projected to generate 15 new students, and it had 1. And the Byron was projected to have 13.5 new students and it has 6. The anti-development crowd's argument that mixed-use buildings are going to "flood our schools" with new students has been proven wrong over and over. Check your facts, Mr. Baroukh and Mr. Hillegass....

Ed Hillegass handed out a flyer this past weekend which criticizes the schools, the CBC, the Council, the City Attorney, the City Center Plan, and mixed-use development. He also clearly aligns himself with Sam Mabry's controversial charter change referendum and asks people to visit Mabry's website, and to vote FOR the referendum, which would stop the City Council's ability to approve any mixed-use commercial development in the City. However, he gives no indications of how he would fix any of the so-called problems he lists.

Ed Hillegass ad in the News-Press this past week goes even further in his criticisms – he criticizes the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce - calling them a “special interest” group – well, um, yeah, if you consider our Falls Church businesses “special interests". Again, he utterly fails to say how he would fix any of the problems he perceives.

As for the other candidates, Margaret Housen and Patrice Lepcyzk, no one has been able to find them since they filed to run. They haven't been seen at any City events (such as the Affordable Housing seminar, FirstFriday events, etc) or Council meetings, Budget meetings, work sessions, etc - and as far as anyone knows, neither has a website and there's no way to figure out what they stand for. Maybe they will make an appearance at the League of Women Voter's Debate and we can find out more about them then.

In the meantime, check the facts about ALL the candidates. Ask them face-to-face how they would fix the problems they say our City has.

Falls Church & Surrounding Jurisdictions' Proposed Tax Rates for 2008 - THE FACTS

2008-04-02T22:27:00.018-04:00

Fact: The Real Estate tax rate for Falls Church for 2006 and 2007 remained steady at $1.01 - coming in at #5 out of the 11 Northern Virginia jurisdictions tax rate comparison schedule. See table*
Fact: Falls Church's projected Real Estate tax rate for 2008 is $1.04 - - - coming in even lower at #8 on the list of the 11 Northern Virginia jurisdictions. See table**
Fact: While some of Falls Church's neighbors have been hit with 20%+ increases in their Real Estate tax rates for the coming year, most Falls Church homeowners can expect to see LOWER tax bills in 2008 for their homes. Average homeowner's tax bill will decrease by $112.
Fact: Falls Church's ability to lower most homeowner tax bills for '08 is due to increase in new commercial construction/assessments. See http://www.fallschurchva.gov/ article on RE Assessments dated 3-5-08.
So, please. Remember the FACTS when the doomsday naysayers begin their campaign season rhetoric!

Mabry Drops Out of City Council race..

2008-03-21T04:35:00.000-04:00

Just days after gathering signatures from citizens throughout Falls Church in order to have his name placed on the ballot for the City Council race, Sam Mabry asked the City's Registrar of Voters to remove his name from the ballot - citing "family reasons" to those close to him.

However, he reported to the Deliberation Falls Church website (http://www.dfccva.org/) that he withdrew in order to push his Charter Change referendum instead.

The Charter Change referendum seeks to limit commercial development within Falls Church. If passed, it would change the City's Charter to only permit development that falls into a narrowly defined "percentage" system: a development would have to be "no more than 40% residential and 60% commercial" in order to qualify. No special exceptions; no discussion allowed. If it didn't pass the percentage test, it would be a "No Go".

The referendum would effectively hamstring any future City Council from negotiating with commercial developers. It would also do more than that: it could stop any developers out there who may be considering Falls Church, from bringing their projects here in the first place. This type of "government by referenda" is a developer's worst nightmare. None would knowingly walk into such an anti-development climate.

Falls Church has faced this type of assault before: a Charter Change referendum was also on the ballot in 2004 ~ and it was soundly rejected at the polls by a whopping 67% to 33%. One can only hope the voters will again see through the referendum attempt, being sold to them as a "let the people decide" democratic ideal, which is a sham: It's simply bad government.

All things considered, it's probably a good thing for Falls Church that the author of such a bad piece of (attempted) legislation has dropped out.

Washington Post: "Tiny Geo. Mason Stands Tall Among No.Va. Giants"

2008-03-16T15:17:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone saw this great article in Friday's Washington Post about George Mason High School. For anyone who's lived in Falls Church for any length of time - this captures it all! The article is about the GMHS Girls Basketball team and their trip to the Virginia Single A State Championship tournament, but it also nails the essence of living in this 2.2 square mile city... check it out at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/11/AR2008031103003.html?referrer=emailarticle

And even though the Lady Mustangs lost to the eventual State Champs, Floyd County, by a heartbreaking 4 pts. in the state championship semi-final game on Friday, Congratulations go out to the entire team for an OUTSTANDING season! Thanks for a great season, girls!

Awarness Ads In Falls Church News Press

2008-03-13T13:27:00.000-04:00

Today is the official start of the campaign for candidates, Gardner, Hockenberry, and Webb for City council, and Maller, Hyland and Wodiska for School board. The innovative media buy illustrates the fact that we are a united group of individuals. All looking forward to a strong community, and strong schools, while being independent. This group is a can do group. Having moved the city forward after years of bickering and red tape. Robin Gardner said it best on the official campaign web site. http://www.blogger.com/http//www.votefallschurch.org%22We are a community that is moving forward. We recognize that to retain our independence – something our community fought hard for more than fifty years ago – we need to maintain strong schools, an active business community, and a strong, reliable stream of revenue. These key elements in our community allow us to enjoy the things that define who we are: the Farmers Market, the Memorial Day parade, and the Concerts in the Park, to name a few We need to incorporate the feelings of all generations in our community to sustain our “village” – the place we call home."

We can not emphasize enough. The future strength of the city is at stake in this election. Voter turnout is paramount. The results from this election will be felt by everyone in the city. If you would like to help, please go to the web site and find out more.

2008 Vote Falls Church Campaign is up and running in record time.

2008-03-11T08:03:00.000-04:00

The new 2008 Vote Falls Church campaign is up and running in record time. One of the many traits of this group is the ability to get things done. The campaign is no different. This years election is playing out to be one of the most contested in years. There are huge differences between the two groups. So it is critical that the community understands what is at stake. Setting aside what we think we know from what is fact. That is the goal of this blog, to inform you of the facts as we see them and keep you updated on how things are playing out. The official campaign web site is linked on the left side of this page. http://votefallschurch.googlepages.com/home2 teFallsChurch.org Please stay tuned, comment and most importantly, get involved and vote.

Falls Church Real Estate Assessments up 1% overall. Decline in existing Residential Assessments Offset by New Construction..

2008-03-05T18:58:00.000-05:00

Press Release from City of Falls Church, March 5, 2008:
FALLS CHURCH CITY, VA. – The total assessed value of real estate as of Jan. 1, 2008 increased slightly less than 1 percent over 2007. Assessments declined on most existing single family dwellings, townhouses, and condominiums. The value of commercial and new residential construction (primarily condominiums) offset the decline to yield an overall increase in real estate values by 0.8 percent. The City plans to mail assessments for 2008 to property owners by Monday, March 10.

Click here for the full article: http://fallschurchva.gov/government/officeOfCommunications/documents/RealEstateAssessmentsRelease030508.pdf

The Gardner Family

2008-03-05T07:46:00.000-05:00

Mayor Robin Gardner & her family on Graduation Day! From left: Mike, Emma, Robin and David. :-)

As Robin campaigns for re-election, they are her strongest supporters!! If you see the Gardner family around town, be sure to thank them for sharing their mom/wife for the last 8 years with the rest of Falls Church. It takes a family dedication to public service to do what the Gardner's have done for 8 years, and with your vote - for 4 more years!

NEWS FLASH!! Certified Candidates List!

2008-03-04T23:07:00.000-05:00

As of Tuesday, March 4th at 5:00pm, there were 8 certified candidates for Falls Church City Council and 4 certified candidates for Falls Church School Board. A banner crop of candidates by anyone's reckoning, and it may just be a record number of City Council candidates! Your candidates are (in alpha order): (* denotes an incumbent)

Falls Church City Council:

Nader Baroukh
Robin Gardner*
Ed Hillegas
Marlind "Lindy" Hockenberry*
Margaret Housen
Patrice Lepczyzk
Sam Mabry
Lawrence Webb

Falls Church School Board:

Charlotte Hyland
Kim Maller
Kieran Sharpe*
Joan Wodiska*

Kim Maller

2008-03-02T20:25:00.001-05:00

Kim Maller, CBC Candidate for School Board, w/ her 2 daughters. http://www.fallschurchcbc.net/