They just don't get it..

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.