Murphy vs. Parisot, Double Sequelconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/...Oct 20, 2015 · McLean Connection October 21-27, 2015 3 News 703-778-9414 or [email protected]

McLean Connection ❖ October 21-27, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

Opinio

n, Page 10

❖

Entertainm

ent, Page 2

1 ❖

Spo

rts, Page 19

❖

C

lassifieds, Page 2

2

October 21-27, 2015

Pho

to

by K

en M

oo

re/T

he C

onnectio

n

McLeanMcLeanPage 12

The crowd in the Alden Theatre before thedebate on Oct. 18, featuring the candidatesfor hotly-contested 34th District VirginiaHouse seat — incumbent Kathleen Murphy(D-34) and challenger Craig Parisot (R).

The crowd in the Alden Theatre before thedebate on Oct. 18, featuring the candidatesfor hotly-contested 34th District VirginiaHouse seat — incumbent Kathleen Murphy(D-34) and challenger Craig Parisot (R).

Murphy vs. Parisot,Double Sequel

Murphy vs. Parisot,Double Sequel

News, Page 3

Woman’s Club of McLeanGearing Up for Homes TourNews, Page 11

Meet the Candidates forSupervisors, School BoardNews, Pages 14-16

Woman’s Club of McLeanGearing Up for Homes TourNews, Page 11

Meet the Candidates forSupervisors, School BoardNews, Pages 14-16

2 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ October 21-27, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

McLean Connection ❖ October 21-27, 2015 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsMcLean Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Ken Moore

The Connection

The 34th-District House of Delegates race between KathleenMurphy (D) and Craig Parisot(R) is a rematch of the special

election triggered last November when Bar-bara Comstock (R) was elected to the U.S.Congress.

Murphy received 51.23 percent of thevote, and defeated Parisot who received48.63 percent in the low-turnout specialelection.

Murphy received 6,419 votes to Parisot’s6,093 votes.

“I was elected in January in a special elec-tion on a very cold snowy day,” said Murphyat the Great Falls Grange debate with Parisotin late September. “I was elected on a Tues-day, sworn in on a Thursday, and went towork immediately. My first session in thethe General Assembly, I demonstrated com-mitment to working across party lines, tolistening, to advocating on behalf of thiscommunity. My priorities have been andcontinue to be growing our economy, sup-porting our public schools, addressing ourinfrastructure needs and keeping our fami-lies and children safe.”

She and Parisot debated again at theMcLean Community Center on Sunday, Oct.18, a forum hosted by the McLean CitizensAssociation.

“I am proud and very honored and I cantell you when I took the oath of office itwas overwhelming,” she said. “I take thisvery seriously. I look at this job as a com-mitment to this community to represent youin the strongest way I can.”

Craig Parisot also gave voice to the im-portance of public service.

“It has a long tradition in my family. I havelived my own version of the AmericanDream, starting life with little and buildingsuccessful companies. I’m grateful for theseopportunities that I had, and I want to makesure this and future generations have thesame,” he said. “My entire professional ca-reer has involved identifying trends, deter-mining strategy and devising solutions. Vir-ginia can and should be number one forbusiness, number one for jobs, and numberone for quality of life.”

THE 34TH DISTRICT has a history ofclose elections.

In 2013, Murphy lost to Barbara

Comstock 50.64 percent to 49.21 percent.Murphy received 14,540 votes toComstock’s 14,962.

In 2012, Barack Obama and Mitt Rom-ney literally tied in the district, each receiv-ing 18,688 votes, according to according toVirginia Public Access Project.

The 34th district is made up of 69 per-cent Fairfax County and 31 percentLoudoun County. U.S. Sen. Mark Warnercarried the district by a little more than1,000 votes in 2014. The 34th district is Gov.Terry McAuliffe’s home district, and he car-ried the district over Republican KenCuccinelli 51.86 percent to 42.28 percentin his 2013 race for Governor.

“I’M A BUSINESS LEADER. Having builttwo advanced technology companies inhighly competitive start up environments,I deployed life-saving technologies for oursoldiers and first responders, promotedwomen into key executive leadership roles,and provided salaries and health benefitsfor hundreds of families,” said Parisot. “Ihave first hand experience in big data, cloudcomputing, analytics and cybersecurity, alltechnologies central to the Northern Vir-ginia innovation economy and essential toour future.”

Parisot has received $273,697 in cashcontributions of more than $100 each, and$13,199 in contributions of $100 or less forhis 2015 campaign, according to VirginiaPublic Access Project vpap.org.

Top donors for Parisot in 2015 include$22,500 from T. Christopher Roth ofMcLean; $20,000 from the House Republi-can Campaign Committee; $15,700 fromLorna J. Gladstone of McLean; $12,500

from Dominion Leadership Trust set up byHouse Speaker Bill Howell (R); $10,000from himself; $10,000 from the RepublicanState Leadership Committee (which alsogave $50,000 to Delegate candidate DannyVargas running for the 86 district seat va-cated by Tom Rust).

“ONE OF the things I love the best aboutthis community, is all the people who sithere. We are not all here because we agree,we all sit here because we care,” saidMurphy at the McLean debate Sunday.

“I have been your neighbor for over 25years. I have lived here, worked here, raisedmy children here and my children have at-tended your public schools, our publicschools.”

Murphy has received $304,117 in cashcontributions of more than $100 each, and$42,683 in cash contributions of $100 orless for her 2015 campaign.

Murphy’s top donors in 2015 include$25,000 from Karen Schaufeld, a Leesburgattorney; $18,000 from Suzann W.Matthews of McLean; $12,500 from EdwardHart Rice of Vienna; $10,000 from MuslimLakhani of D.C.

Murphy and Parisot each added just over$100,000 in cash contributions during themonth of September. Murphy showed$233,143 cash on hand, and Parisot had$66,512 cash on hand as of Sept. 30, ac-cording to VPAP.

THE RACE SEEMED FRIENDLY at theGrange even when Parisot said his oppo-nent supports the tolling of I-66 when sec-onds before she said she did not.

Her words:

“Public private partnerships have been theanswer in some instances but not when theyget away from us like they did on theGreenway. The Greenway turned into anightmare for everybody because nobodycould afford it. ... We can’t let that happenagain,” she said. “I know that there is amovement here to repair, rehab I-66. …People sure don’t have another way to go ifyou slam on another $7 toll and no Iwouldn’t support that.”

After Parisot made his claims, Murphysaid, calmly, “I didn’t say that I supportedit. I didn’t come here to slam Craig. He’s anice guy. We’re opponents and we’re notenemies and this should be a friendly de-bate.”

Parisot countered, “I believe this is abso-lutely a friendly debate but we’re here fo-cused on the issues, demonstrating the con-trast between myself and my opponent soyou can be clear that there is a real choice,”he said.

At the McLean debate on Sunday, therewas more edge when the two candidateswere asked what they would do about thegun store located next to Franklin ShermanElementary School property.

“My brother was murdered. ... I don’tthink a gun store has any place next to aschool,” said Murphy. “We’re working ev-ery day trying to move him to another lo-cation so he can move and parents can takea deep breath again.”

PARISOT SAID he would handle the gunstore issue differently.

“The big difference is how do we solveproblems. I do it quietly. I meet withpeople,” he said. “If we are going to dosomething, let’s do something meaningful,let’s not just wave our arms and get every-body all excited.”

Parisot said, “I have three primary goals:Grow and diversify Virginia’s economy, in-vest in education, and reduce commutetimes by alleviating transportation bottle-necks,” he said.

He asked voters to look at his seven stepeconomic growth plan to move NorthernVirginia forward.

“We all know someone who is unem-ployed, underemployed, been struggling tofind work or who has had their privacy com-promised, and that’s why it is imperativewe act now,” he said.

But he has the uphill battle.“I have a deep commitment to this com-

munity and a first hand understanding ofwhat it takes and what the issues are thatare so important to our families and ourbusinesses here in Northern Virginia,”Murphy said.

“I am Kathleen Murphy and I am yourdelegate,” said the incumbent.

34th District hashistory ofclose elections.

Murphy vs. Parisot, Double Sequel

“When I took theoath of office it wasoverwhelming. I lookat this job as acommitment to thiscommunity.”

— Kathleen Murphy (D-34)

“Virginia can andshould be numberone for buisness,number one for jobs,and number one forquality of life.”

— Craig Parisot (R)

Craig Parisot,Republicanchallenger forDelegate in the34th District, atthe Oct. 18debate.

Del. KathleenMurphy (D-34)at the Oct. 18debate inMcLean.

Photos by Ken Moore/The Connection



News

Cardinal Bank hasannounced thatFabiola Tapia has

been promoted to AssistantVice President, Manager ofCardinal Bank’s Greens-boro Banking Office. Tapiawill oversee the businessdevelopment efforts andclient relationship manage-ment in the Tysons Cornermarket. Her office is lo-cated at 8270 GreensboroDrive, McLean. Tapiajoined Cardinal’s retailbanking team in 2013 as afloat branch manager. Shebrings over 16 years of fi-nancial services experienceto her new role at Cardinalwith particular expertise in re-lationship management, clientsatisfaction and community out-reach in the retail branch net-work environment. Prior to join-ing Cardinal, Tapia worked in asimilar position at Wells FargoBank and its predecessor,

Wachovia Bank, advancing topositions of increased respon-sibility. A long-time resident ofNorthern Virginia, Tapia hasactively participated in finan-cial literacy outreach programsto the Hispanic communityover her career.

Fabiola Tapia

Pho

to

by M

atto

x Pho

to

graph

y

Cardinal Bank Names FabiolaTapia Branch Manager ofGreensboro Office

On Saturday, Oct. 10, the president andmembers of the Woman’s Club of McLeanpresented a check for $1,500 to the

McLean Volunteer Fire Department. Station Com-mander Yolanda DeMark received the donation on

McLean Woman’s Club Donates $1,500To McLean Volunteer Fire Department

behalf of the department.The fire station held its annual open house on Sat-

urday to display its equipment, conduct rescue dem-onstrations, provide fire safety information and of-fer fun activities for families.

President JoanMorton, of the

McLean Woman’sClub, presents acheck for $1,500

to YolandaDeMark, CaptainII, commander of

the McLean FireStation. From left:

Woman’s ClubFirst Vice Presi-

dent CeciliaGlembocki, Station

CommanderYolanda DeMark,

Woman’s ClubPresident Joan

Morton andWoman’s Club

members LauraSheridan and

Grace Harkins.

Pho

to

by Firefigh

ter D

ale Sho

rd


PRIORITIES FOR DRANESVILLE SCHOOLS

• Fair share of the budget• Reduce overcrowded classrooms• Retain teachers with competitive pay• Close the $70m budget gap responsibly

“I WILL LISTEN TO YOU, BECAUSE MY KIDS ATTEND FCPS, TOO”

FACEBOOK.com/PeteKurzenhauserSchoolBoardwww.KurzenhauserForSchoolBoard.com

Paid For and Authorized by Friends of Pete Kurzenhauser

MCLEAN, GREAT FALLS, AND HERNDONSCHOOLS DESERVE NEW LEADERSHIP ONTHE FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD.

VOTE FOR

PETE

TUESDAY

NOVEMBER

3RD

News

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

Fairfax County is taking astep forward to reducethe deaths among vic-tims of domestic vio-

lence.According to the police depart-

ment, county domestic violencehotlines receive over 240 callseach month. Of those, victims re-quest 64 family abuse protectiveorders and 13 families are able toescape to an emergency domesticshelter such as Bethany House ofNorthern Virginia. Within amonth, police make around 160arrests for domestic violence-re-lated offenses.

On Oct. 1, Fairfax County PoliceDepartment Chief Edwin Roesslerand Sexual Violence Services di-rector Ina Fernández held a pressconference at the Historic FairfaxCourthouse to announce thelaunch of a new Lethality Assess-ment Program. The announce-ment coincided with October be-ing declared Domestic ViolenceAwareness month.

The model, which originated in

Maryland, calls for more collabo-ration between the police depart-ment and domestic violence ser-vice providers, as well as a screen-ing tool for officers to more quicklyand effectively respond to and re-fer victims to services.

A Fairfax County Domestic Vio-lence Fatality Team found in 2013that domestic violence accountedfor about half of all murders in thecounty.

A response and referral toolwithin the Lethality AssessmentProgram features an 11-question

screening for patrol officers re-sponding to domestic violencecalls. The first three questions are:

1. Has he/she ever used aweapon against you or threatenedyou with a weapon?

2. Has he/she threatened tokill you or your children?

3. Do you think he/shemight try to kill you?

If the victim answers “Yes” toany of the three, or to four of thenext four in the sequence, they’redetermined to be “high risk” ofbeing seriously injured or killed by

their partner and the officer theninitiates a referral process using adomestic violence services hotline-dedicated phone. The victim maychoose to be connected with anadvocate and additional servicessuch as shelter, or not.

Police and service providers arehoping this will empower morepeople in abusive situations to askfor help.

“We’re concerned about unre-ported cases, there’s a lot of trust-building we need to develop,” saidChief Roessler. “We want to helpvictims self-initiate to take a standand get away from violence, wewant people to know they’re notalone.”

“It’s such a tragedy those victimshad not reached out,” said AmyCarlini, a spokesperson for theDepartment of Family Services inFairfax County. “A lot of times themost dangerous thing for a victimis trying to leave a situation.”

All Fairfax County Police patrolofficers received training in theLethality Assessment Program inspring of 2015 and the departmentbegan implementing it in July.Since then, the department re-

ported their findings that:

❖ Over half of the caseswere determined to be high-risk

❖ 33 percent of the high-riskcases involved a firearm

❖ 64 percent of the casesinvolved a history of strangulation

❖ 55 percent of the casesinvolved a history of stalking

Fernández said an internal com-mittee comprised of representa-tives from the police departmentand victims services, office of theCommonwealth’s Attorney, Do-mestic Violence Action Center, of-fice for Women & Domestic andSexual Violence Services, BethanyHouse of Northern Virginia andother organizations will continu-ally review the program and com-plete assessments at the three, six,nine and 12-month marks.

“It’s in the beginning stages,” shesaid, “but we’re hopeful we cancontinue to reevaluate it.”

For more information on Domes-tic Violence Awareness Month ac-tivities, visitw w w. f a i r f a x c o u n t y. g o v /domesticviolence/#Announce-ments.

New domestic violence victims screen-ing tool launches in Fairfax County.‘They’re Not Alone’

Fairfax County Police Department Chief Edwin Roesslerand Sexual Violence Services Director Ina Fernándezannounced the launch of a new Lethality AssessmentProgram.

By Tim

Peterso

n/T

he C

on

nectio

n


To have community events listed in theConnection, send to [email protected]. The deadlinefor submissions is the Friday prior to pub-lication.

THURSDAY/OCT. 22How-To Immigration Seminar.

10:30 a.m.-noon. Moss andCompany, 1750 Tysons Blvd., Suite1500, McLean. Complete yourmarriage petition and adjustment ofstatus application (Green Card)guided by an attorney. Hands-onseminar where you will be guided inbuilding your package and preparingit for filing. Must register to reserve aspot. Limited space. $150. Call 407-342-6605 [email protected] toregister.

SATURDAY/OCT. 24Community Shredding Day. 9 a.m. -

12 p.m. Long and Foster parking lot,1355 Beverly Road, McLean. Here’syour opportunity to clear your officeof dated papers.

Bring your friends as well, if they havepapers that need shredding inpreparation for a move, or just wantto shred old documents to makemore space in an office.

DEADLINE SATURDAY/OCT.31Poetry Contest Fairfax County

Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma ThetaSorority, Inc., Arts and LettersCommittee is sponsoring a poetrycontest for Fairfax County PublicMiddle School students. The poetrytitle is: Silhouette of a Woman: AnInfluential Female in My Life. Thesubmissions will be reviewed forawards of $125 for first place, $75for second place, and $50 for thirdplace. www.fcacdst.org. PoetryContest deadline for submission isOctober 30th. Email entries andinquiries can be sent to:[email protected]. Mailedentries must be postmarked byOctober 30th and sent to: FairfaxCounty Alumnae Chapter - DeltaSigma Theta Sorority, Inc. P.O. Box221224 Chantilly, VA 20153-1224.

TUESDAY/NOV. 10Red Cross Blood Donation. 8:30

a.m. - 2 p.m. Long and FosterRealtors, 1355 Beverly Road,McLean. McLean is holding a blooddrive. Please sign up today atwww.redcrossblood.org and searchby Sponsor Code:LONGANDFOSTERMCLEAN or call 1-800-REDCROSS to schedule yourappointment.

Fire Station Open House. 10 a.m. -4 p.m. Great Falls Volunteer FireStation, 9916 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls. Firefighterdemonstrations, station tours and funinstructional activities will beavailable for children and adultsalike. Come learn about fire safetyand why it’s so important.

ONGOINGThe Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-

Vienna has an urgent need forvolunteer drivers to take area seniorsto medical appointments and otheractivities. Opportunities to volunteerfor other services are also available.No long-term commitment and hoursare flexible to fit your schedule.Visitwww.scov.org or contact theVolunteer Coordinator at 703-281-5086 or email [email protected].

Vienna Toastmasters. 2nd and 4thWednesdays at 7:30 p.m., at theVienna Community Center on the2nd floor room opposite the elevator,120 Cherry St., S.E., Vienna. Afriendly place to get comfortable withpublic speaking and impromptuspeaking for new and experiencedspeakers. Open to the public.

Bulletin Board


See Week, Page 9

PTA ResolutionCalls for GunStore Free Zone

The Franklin Sherman Elemen-tary School (FSES) PTA approveda resolution last week that signalsthe parents’ strong support for agun store free school zone near theMcLean elementary school. Theresolution states that FSES PTAfavors a gun store free school zoneand will support efforts to relocatea gun store that recently openednext to the school of 420 students.

Franklin Sherman PTA parentsbelieve federal and state law al-lowing gun stores near schools,and the Virginia open carry gunlaw, make it more difficult for of-ficials to assess a threat to theschool and deal with it effectively.

NOVA Firearms opened its storeat 1389 Chain Bridge Road onSept. 26. The rear of the gun storeis located approximately 100 feetfrom the school building. The twoproperties are separated by asimple chain link fence.

The arrangement is allowed be-cause the Federal Gun-Free SchoolZones Act permits the sale of fire-arms, ammunition and accesso-ries, as well as, the carrying andtransportation of loaded firearms,on private property that is withina school zone.

The federal statute would allowstate and local government toregulate gun stores, but Virginialaw expressly prohibits local gov-ernment, including Fairfax County,from stopping gun stores fromopening near schools. Virginia lawalso allows the open carry of gunsin public areas.

The resolution reads: the FSESPTA supports a gun store freeschool zone within 1,000 feet ofthe school property and will takenecessary actions to relocate TheGun Store an appropriate distancefrom the school to provide a safelearning environment for students,families, and staff.

RegistrationOpen forMcLeanWinterFestParade

McLean WinterFest parade isscheduled for Sunday, Dec. 6. Toregister to be in the parade, go tothe WinterFest site atwww.mcleanwinterfest.org. It’sfun to relive last year’s parade withthe slideshow of entries whileplanning for WinterFest 2015,

Week


Select yourproducts from

our MobileShowroomand Design

CenterFully Insured &

Class A LicensedEst. 1999

Free Estimates703-999-2928

Celebrating 15 Years in Business!

Visit our website: www.twopoorteachers.com

Bathroom Remodel Special $6,850

TWO POOR TEACHERSKitchen and Bathroom Remodeling

News

More than 300 runnersand walkers of all agesturned out for the

Third Annual Teddy Bear 5K & 1KWalk/Run on Sunday, Sept. 27, tobenefit the Falls Church-McLeanChildren’s Center, a nonprofit,early childhood education pro-gram in which children from low-income, working families build theskills they need to be ready forsuccess in school. Male and femalewinners of the 5K Race were JeffHomens, 26, of Washington, D.C.,with a time of 18:46, and NicoleMancini, 33, of Warrenton, Va.,who came in at 19:55 on the race’snew course through Pimmit Hillsneighborhood. All 5K and 1K run-ners and walkers received a teddybear as they crossed the finish linefrom elected officials Fairfax Su-pervisor John Foust and VirginiaDel. Kathleen Murphy, and offic-ers of the McLean Community

Foundation, a long-time supporterof the Children’s Center.

The event raised $30,000 for theChildren’s Center’s annual fund tokeep the full-time, year-roundeducational program for childrenages 2 thru 5 affordable and ac-cessible to all families. While theirparents work, 73 children eachyear build the language, cognitive,physical, and social-emotionalskills through the Center’s bilin-gual curriculum to avoid a learn-ing gap that otherwise preventschildren from low-income familiesfrom academic success.

Other winning runners in-cluded: 15-17 Division, GinnyBrough, McLean, 26:06; Adults19-39 Division, Erica Losito,McLean, 25:33; 50-59 Division,Ted Poulos, McLean, 19:51; 60-69Division, Jan Bojo, Vienna, 25:51.

Visit www.fcmlcc.org for morephotos and race results.

AnnualTeddy Bear

5K andWalk/Runat Pimmit

Hills.

300 Compete in Third AnnualTeddy Bear 5K & 1K Walk/Run

Pho

to

co

ntributed

Week

From Page 8

McLean’s only community pa-rade.

Again this year, WinterFest willpresent a check to Share ofMcLean, the local organizationthat does so much to help familiesin need. “We’ll be asking paradeobservers and participants to sharetheir good fortune with those whohave fallen on hard times by bring-ing grocery, pharmacy or clothingstore gift cards to the parade forShare volunteers to collect,” saidTrish Butler, chair of the paradesteering committee. “We’ll also belooking for local businesses to be-come sponsors of the parade tohelp underwrite the costs.”

The parade route will be thesame as previous years: Old ChainBridge Road from Fleetwood Roadto Elm Street. The parade routewill be closed 2:15-5:30 p.m. onDec. 6. The only exceptions to theroad closure by the police will be

in the event of emergency.❖ There is still no fee to be an

entry in the parade, but any busi-ness or group wanting to partici-pate must register by Nov. 23.

❖ WinterFest 2015 will havefood trucks again this year in theLangley Shopping Center.

❖ Peggy Fox from WUSA/Chan-nel 9 will call the parade from theFairfax County Showmobile situ-ated in Langley Shopping Center.Pre-parade entertainment will beprovided by local schools and willbe introduced by Bill DuBose.

❖ The pre-parade entertainmentbegins at 2:30 p.m.

❖ The parade will step off at3:30 p.m. sharp.

Individuals, who might like toparticipate in the planning of thisyear’s WinterFest or who would beinterested in volunteering as mar-shals on parade day, should con-tact Trish Butler at 703-917-0611.For more information onWinterFest and this year’s rules, goto www.mcleanwinterfest.org

lostdogandcatrescue.org

lost (adj): 1. unable to findthe way. 2. not appreciatedor understood. 3. no longer

owned or known

AdoptDonate

Volunteer


Opinion

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered

to homes and businesses.Published by

Local Media Connection LLC

1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314

Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go to

connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

Kemal Kurspahic Editor ❖ 703-778-9414

[email protected]

Amna RehmatullaEditorial Assistant

703-778-9410 [email protected]

Ken MooreCommunity Reporter

[email protected]

Jon RoetmanSports Editor ❖ 703-752-4013

[email protected]@jonroetman

ADVERTISING:For advertising information

[email protected]

Trisha HamiltonDisplay Advertising

[email protected]

Andrea SmithClassified Advertising

[email protected]

Debbie FunkNational Sales703-778-9444

[email protected]

David GriffinMarketing Assistant

[email protected]

Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

[email protected]@MaryKimm

Executive Vice PresidentJerry Vernon

[email protected]

Editor in ChiefSteven Mauren

Managing EditorKemal KurspahicPhotography:

Deb Cobb, Craig SterbutzelArt/Design:

Laurence Foong, John HeinlyProduction Manager:

Geovani Flores

Special Assistant to the PublisherJeanne Theismann

[email protected]@TheismannMedia

CIRCULATION: [email protected]

McLean

This week and next week are the lasttwo publication dates before Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Our pagesand website are full of coverage,

letters, candidate questionnaires and photosof the campaign trail in an effort to help vot-ers decide to vote and which candidates hold

views closest to their own.Virtually every state and local office is on

the ballot. Find previous coverage and com-plete coverage on our websitewww.connectionnewspapers.com, click onElections. Because many districts in Virginiaresemble spiky amoebas, it is sometimes diffi-

cult to include every race that might impact atown or community in the print editions.

Please take the time to vote, it matters. InVirginia, key races that have affected policyhave been decided by fractions of one percent.Your vote can make a difference.

We will not be endorsing in any race this year.I’m keeping this short to allow more room

for letters to the editor.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

Find stories, candidate questionnaires,letters and photos.

Election Coverage for an Informed Vote

Editorial

EndorsingIncumbentsTo the Editor:

Why would NOVABizPAC en-dorse the candidate who hasbragged about being in politics herwhole life over the candidate whohas built two startups, is a currentCEO, and is greatly respectedacross Northern Virginia’s businesscommunity? The answer is actu-ally quite simple.

NOVABizPAC likes to retain apositive relationship with all cur-rent lawmakers so that it can moreeasily persuade them in its lobby-ing efforts. That’s why they havea policy to endorse incumbents.NOVABizPAC endorsed Del.Kathleen Murphy not because ofwhat she has done, but because ofthe position she holds - the resultof a close election on a snowy dayin January. Had less than two hun-dred votes swung the other wayin that contest, NOVABizPACwould be supporting delegateCraig Parisot, just as they sup-ported candidate Craig Parisotwhen he and Murphy interviewedfor the endorsement in December.

Nadia AyoubiMcLean

Chronis andParisot Failon McLeanGun StoreTo the Editor:

I had the pleasure to witness de-mocracy in action on Sunday atMcLean Community Center duringa series of debates by our localcandidates for Supervisor, Del-egate, and School Board.One issue that frequently came upin the questions was whether theNorthern Virginia Firearms storeshould be located next to FranklinSherman Elementary, a schoolwhich all three of my children at-tended.

Letters to the Editor

The answers that the candidatesgave on a simple question wereinstructive.Supervisor John Foust and Del-egate Kathleen Murphy directlyanswered that they opposed thelocation of that gun store next toFranklin Sherman and were work-ing to find another location for thestore.

In contrast, while claiming topossess leadership qualities war-ranting your vote, Craig Parisotand Jennifer Chronis decried the“politicizing” of the issue, and thenin discussing what they’d do aboutit “ducked and dodged” likeMohammed Ali at his finest. In-deed, Chronis spent most of heranswer defending the rights of thegun store owners! Instead of dem-onstrating leadership, they were aprofile in cowardice. Why don’tparents and the community havethe right to be upset, and to asktheir leaders to take a stand? Whydidn’t Parisot and Chronis just saythey support the rights of the gunstore owners over the safety of ourchildren, and let voters decide?On this simple issue alone, Parisotand Chronis have clearly demon-strated why they don’t deserveyour vote this fall.

Steven BloomMcLean

CommunityStandardsApply to AllTo the Editor:

I admit it — I was the fool boo-ing Craig Parisot at the recentMcLean Citizens Association(MCA) debate when he talkedabout Medicaid Expansion (he’sagainst), guns (he has an “A” rat-ing from NRA), and I-66 (hewrongly says that DelegateKathleen Murphy is for tolls on I-66; she is emphatically againstthem).

I was merely exercising my 1stAmendment rights to free politi-cal speech. However, as Jeff

Barnett, president of the MCA,gently reminded me, my boos didnot comport with community stan-dards. So, out of respect to Jeff,the MCA and the audience, Iceased my aberrant behavior. Itwas hard and I had to go to a“quiet place” inside my brain whenJennifer Chronis spoke, but I didit.

Contrast my behavior with thatof NOVA Firearms, the gun storelocated less than 100 feet fromFranklin Sherman ElementarySchool on Chain Bridge Road indowntown McLean. Yes, the cur-rent law allows them to be there,but it comes at a great cost to theconcerns of the students, parents,teachers and administration atFranklin Sherman. Is that cus-tomer toting that new gun to hiscar a danger to the school? Is therea risk to our students and staff?Out of respect to the community,NOVA Firearms should move toanother location at least 1,000 feetfrom any schools, churches, syna-gogues, mosques or other placesof worship. Constitutional rightsare one thing, but communitystandards should also be consid-ered when locating gun shops.

Greg BrandonMcLean

KathleenMurphy is onOur SideTo the Editor:

Re-elect Delegate KathleenMurphy so she can go back to theGeneral Assembly and continue topush for common sense gun safetylaws. McLean residents areshocked that the state allows gunstores next to elementary schools.Kathleen Murphy is all too famil-iar with Virginia’s cavalier attitudeabout guns and she is ready towork to reduce gun violence. Shestarted last session by authoring abill that would keep guns out ofthe grips of those convicted of do-mestic abuse – for just two years –

especially important because thebest predictor of future abuse ispast abuse. That bill died in Com-mittee; looks like the majority ismore sympathetic to the gun rightsof violent offenders than to thesafety of victims of domestic vio-lence.

Linda BurchfielMcLean

ChamberEndorsesIncumbentsTo the Editor:

NOVABizPAC declined to inter-view the 34th District’s two can-didates for delegate this year. In-stead, they made it their defaultposition to endorse Del. KathleenMurphy. To understand why, weneed to understand how politicalorganizations like the FairfaxChamber operate. Many of them,including this one, have alongstanding policy to endorse in-cumbents. They do this so they canhave a working relationship withall current lawmakers, regardlessof party. When there is an openseat, however, their endorsementprocess is much more rigorous.Last year, because there was noincumbent running, NOVABizPACinterviewed both Murphy andParisot. Based on that interviewand the experience of the two can-didates, they endorsed CraigParisot. Craig Parisot hasn’tchanged since he received theirendorsement in December. His isstill the best choice for NorthernVirginia’s businesses.

Priscilla M. GriffithMcLean

Re-elect FoustTo the Editor:

We are a mixed marriage (oneDemocrat and one Republican),but we both agree that John Foust

See Letters, Page 21


To highlight your Faith Community, call Karen at 703-778-9422

DAILY EUCHARIST:WeekdaysMonday-Friday, 8:30 AMSaturday, 8:30 AM

SUNDAY LITURGY SCHEDULE:Saturday Vigil: 5:30 PMSunday: 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 AM1:30 PM Spanish Liturgy

5312 North 10th Street,Arlington, Virginia 22205Parish Office: 703-528-6276

PARISH WEBSITE:www.stannchurch.org

All AreWelcome!

News

With the final selection of the tourhomes and the printing this week ofthe tour tickets, the Woman’s Clubof McLean is almost ready for its 49th

annual Holiday Homes Tour in December. Remain-ing tasks are the festive decoration of the homes andthe finalizing of plans for a Homes Tour Boutiquethat will run concurrently. The tour is set for Thurs-day, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The boutique willbe open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The homes are in three neighborhoods of westMcLean: McLean Hundred, two houses in conven-tional architectural styles; in Woodside Estates, ahome with a unique conservative design; and inMillwood, a four-level contemporary home. McLeanHundred and Woodside Estates are just offLewinsville Road. Millwood is located along Swink’sMill Road, between Lewinsville Road and Old Do-minion Drive. Ample street parking is available neareach of the four houses.

The Homes Tour Boutique will take place at His-toric Pleasant Grove Church, a 19th century churchand museum at 8641 Lewinsville Road, close to threeof the houses. The boutique will feature holiday deco-rations and gift items, jewelry, scarves, handbags,treasures from the Claude Moore Farm Gatehouse,home-baked items, drinks and desserts, tour ticketsand a silent auction.

Tickets for the tour will be $25 until the day of thetour, when they will be $30. They are available atMesmeralda’s Gifts of McLean, 1339 Chain BridgeRoad; Karin’s Florist, 527 Maple Ave. East, Vienna;and Great Dogs of Great Falls, 9859 Georgetown Pike.They can also be bought at the boutique and the tourhomes. Admission will not be required for the bou-tique.

All proceeds of the tour and boutique will be do-nated to local charities and nonprofits, such as Share,Inc, Alternative House, the McLean Project for theArts (The Children’s Outreach), Claude Moore Colo-nial Farm, the McLean Volunteer Fire Department,Fisher House and the McLean Symphony, as well as

used for scholarships and education.For more information call 703-556-0197 or visit

www.mcleanwc.org.— Laura Sheridan

McLean Holiday HomesTour tickets now available.

Woman’s Club of McLeanGearing Up for Homes Tour

Four-level contemporary-design home

Historic Pleasant Grove Church

Conventionalmodern-design home

Photos by

Laura Sheridan/

Woman’s Club

Award-WinningAward-

Winning

E-mail [email protected] for more information.

Newspapers & Online703-778-9431

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

SPECIAL CONNECTIONS CALENDARAdvertising Deadlines are the previous Thursday unless noted.

NOVEMBER11/4/2015............................................................Wellbeing11/11/2015.................................................HomeLifeStyle11/18/2015........................A+ Camps & Schools Schools11/19/2015.........Holiday Entertainment & Gift Guide IThanksgiving is November 2611/25/2015............Celebrating Gratitude, Thanksgiving

12 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ October 21-27, 2015 McLean Connection ❖ October 21-27, 2015 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Although the school yearjust started, the application process for the2016-2017 school year

is underway at more than 80 localindependent schools. From openhouses, school tours and applicantinterviews to transcripts, essays andteacher recommendations, the pro-cess can be arduous, say parents,especially with application fees thatcan soar higher than $100 a piece.

Making sure a child’s abilitiesand interests are in line with aschool’s offerings and requirementscan narrow down the list.

“Parents need to be realisticabout their child’s strengths andweaknesses and learning style,”said Mimi Mulligan, assistant headand director of admission and en-rollment management, Norwood

School in Potomac, Md. “Have anopen and honest conversation withschools during the application pro-cess. Schools will tell you whetherthey can or cannot meet any spe-cial needs your child might have.”

ADMISSIONS DIRECTORS saythat practical considerations of allsorts should help parents whittledown their list of schools. “Do theywant a big or small school? Howfar are they willing to travel eachday? Does the school offer aca-demic support if their child needsit? Can they afford they tuition?”asks Mary Herridge, director ofenrollment management, The Ma-deira School in McLean.

Getting to know a school’s cul-ture and paying attention to theschool’s mission can also help fami-lies choose a school.

“School structure, single sex ver-sus co-ed, dress code, religious af-

filiation, teaching pedagogy andparent involvement all influenceschool culture,” said Mulligan.“Each school has a distinct and in-tentional mission statement. Some-times that distinctiveness may besubtle so parents should also lookat school mottos, belief or promisestatements and portraits of agraduate, too.”

An example, says Herridge, is aparent who values being deeplyinvolved in helping a child withtheir homework. “As a school wevalue the student doing their ownhomework, managing their home-work and coming to the teacherand self advocating if they needhelp,” she said. “We encourage pa-rental participation, but in highschool we wouldn’t expect a par-ent to sit and help with every singleaspect of their homework. We canhave that conversation early onand decide that this is not a goodfit.

“If they come to a school with arigorous academic program, are[parents] going to be OK with theirstudent being really challenged inclass and having that reflected ontheir transcripts?” she continued.

“Nowadays, in school literatureand marketing materials, allschools say they’re good at certainthings and offer certain things likesmall class sizes and low studentteacher ratios, but nothing can re-place going and sitting in a class-room and seeing how the teachersteach and how the students reactwith one another,” said Herridge.“Talk to the math teacher. Have aconversation with the coach.”

If a school boasts hands-on learn-ing, are students engaged in ex-periments in a science class or arethey sitting behind desks and look-ing at a chalkboard?

A tour, Herridge said, is crucialfor students and parents. “Whenthey see other students and meetthe teacher they’ll be able to say,‘Yes this is a good place for me,’ or‘… we can take this school off our

list because it doesn’t make sensefor our family.’”

“Most tours will give you an ‘aha’moment that clarifies why inde-pendent education is worth the in-vestment,” added Benita Cathey,director of admissions, Grace Epis-copal School in Alexandria.

Patti Culbreth, head of school,Grace Episcopal School, said, “Alook at the curriculum to includethe ‘specials’ offered will give youan overview of the opportunitiesfor your child.”

Delve deeper than a tour orga-nized by the school, however. “Talkto parents [of students] who al-ready attend the school,” Mulligan.“If you don’t know anyone, ask theadmissions office to provide a fewfamilies you can contact.”

EVEN AFTER A FAMILY has

whittled down their list of potential schools,the road to admission can still be long. Com-petition can be fierce, with many schoolsreceiving 10 applications for every availableslot. Most require not only an application,but test scores, essays, interviews and let-ters of recommendation, a process that canbaffle many parents.

In preparation for the interview, admis-sions officials suggest applicants think abouttheir own interests and attitudes towardacademics.

“It’s a good a idea for a student to reflecton what they love about school, what theylike to do outside of the classroom and howthey see themselves as part of the schoolcommunity,” said Jon Kunz, director ofmiddle and upper school admission, St.Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria.“We don’t approach it is an interview. It’smore of a one-on-one conversation. We wantthem to be themselves and to be comfort-able.”

Students should use specific and concreteexamples to demonstrate passions and tal-ents. “For example, if a student is passion-ate about science they might say, ‘I startedthis project on my own and created thisamazing invention.’ That helps us see theirpassion,” said Linda Stratton director of com-munications, St. Stephen’s & St. AgnesSchool.

“We’re looking for students who are intel-lectually curious and excited about takingadvantage of the opportunities here,” Kunzadded. “We’re looking for students who dem-onstrate a strong sense of character who arerespectful and … who care about the worldaround them.”

Admissions officials also want to evaluatewhether applicants have the potential tomeet the school’s expectations, and scruti-nize scores on tests such as the SSAT (Sec-ondary School Admissions Test) and ISEE(Independent School Entrance Examination)and transcripts, looking for strong and con-sistent academic achievement.

In the face of such a confusing and com-petitive process, many parents have turnedto educational consultants for advice andassistance.

“With the workload that school guidancecounselors now have, there are a lot of fami-lies that are using independent consultantsand that number has increased, and it hasdefinitely increased over the last five or 10years,Ó said Sarah Brachman (, manager of

communications, Independent EducationalConsultants Association.

In fact, Mark Sklarow, the association’schief executive officer, said 5-10 percent offamilies looking for an independent dayschool use an independent educational con-sultant, while 40 percent use one to find aboarding school.

Getting to know the child helps educa-tional consultants identify schools that area good match. “Does the student do betterin a hands-on environment or sitting at deskand the teacher writes on a blackboard?”said Leigh Ann Cahill of Independent SchoolOptions, an educational consulting firm inAlexandria. “We have so many wonderfulschools in the area. We come up with five toseven schools that are the best fit for thefamily.”

AFTER HELPING families decide where toapply, education consultants sit down withfamilies to review test scores, transcripts,teacher evaluations and other applicationrequirements.

“It’s important to have an open and hon-est conversation with the parent,” saidCahill, a former teacher. She stressed thateducational consultants cannot sway admis-sions decisions. Instead, “we look at the ar-eas of strength. Rarely do you have a childwho doesn’t have any areas of strength.”

She stressed that low test scores or blem-ishes on an academic transcript don’t meanautomatic rejection by independent schools.“Maybe the art teacher or science teachersays really great things about the child. Wetry to build a realistic profile of who the childis as a learner and where they have a spark.If you’re a great photographer, let’s link upyour website if you’ve been positing photo-graphs or bring your portfolio.”

The essays are sometimes a bit dauntingfor parent and child, she added. “What dowe say here? What do they mean when theyask this question? We don’t write essays, buttalk through ideas with parents and studentand help them figure out what the admis-sions offices are looking for.”

In the end, everyone’s goal is to find thebest matches for both the students and theschools. “It’s something that the parentsdon’t have any control over,” said Cahill.“One thing we really try hard to work withthe parent is seeing this as a learning ad-venture. … Their child will end up in aschool somewhere.”

Navigating the application andincreasing the chance of gettingan acceptance letter.

Getting In: The Private Schools Admissions Process“Parents need to be realistic about theirchild’s strengths and weaknesses andlearning style.”

— Mimi Mulligan, director of admission and enrollmentmanagement, Norwood School, Potomac, Md.

Independent schools such as St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes in Alexandriarequire an extensive application process aimed at familiarizing theapplicant and the school with one another.

Pho

to

co

urtesy o

f St. Steph

en

’s & St. A

gn

es Scho

ol

Spring Hill Elementary School students are hoping tobe in this “multiple selfie” being taken by fifth gradeteacher Stacey Greene (left) on last week’s Interna-tional Walk to School Day. The students look happy tobe on their way to another great day at school.

Photos by Rania Razek

Celebrating InternationalWalk to School Day

Spring Hill Elementary School students who walk toschool are shown en masse along with some support-ive teachers.


Sharon Bulova (D)IncumbentTown of residence: FairfaxAge: 67Family: Married. Between

my husband and I we have:four adult children and sevengrandchildren.

Education: AAS Degree inBusiness Management fromNorthern VA CommunityCollege, attended businessclasses, UVA evening program,previously held Real Estatelicense

Offices held, dates:Elected Braddock (then calledAnnandale) District Supervisorin 1987. In February 2009elected Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Re-elected in2011.

Occupation and relevant experience: I am a fulltime Chairman. Prior to elected office I held positions inbusiness.

Community involvement: I came to local governmentthrough my work as Civic Association president of KingsPark West. I have been a member of the Annandale Rotary,how serving as an honorary member. I am a founder ofFaith Communities in Action and collaborated on twocommunity history projects: A Look Back at Braddock andthe Asian American History Project.

Website: http://sharonbulova.com/Email address: [email protected] handle: http:twitter.com/sharonbulovaName three favorite endorsements: FEA (Fairfax

Education Association), Fairfax County Chamber ofCommerce, Sierra Club

QUESTIONS:1. What is one issue that defines your call to

serve, why does it matter, and how will you tackleit?

I love local government and feel strongly about commu-nity engagement. In my roles as Braddock Supervisor andnow Chairman I have been committed to making sure ourcommunity is at the table with local government toparticipate in resolving issues and addressing our chal-lenges. A major challenge right now is the sluggish recoverywe are experiencing from the Great Recession. My goal is tostrike the right balance between maintaining taxes that areaffordable to our residents while investing what is neededto ensure a world class school system, safe streets andneighborhoods, compassionate human services, a cleanenvironment and quality of life services like libraries andour fantastic park system.

2. What distinguishes you from youropponent(s) and why should voters choose you?

I have the experience, the commitment and the enthusi-asm to serve as Fairfax County’s chairman. I believe I havethe collaborative skill set needed to lead our Board and ourcommunity on an even, positive course.

3. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the local school system. A significantbudget gap looms for the next budget cycle, bothfor FCPS and Fairfax County. What are the topcounty priorities and how will you assure fundingand manage the budget? What ideas do you havefor increasing revenue? Name two areas/itemsyou would cut or reduce.

Education continues to be my highest priority. It ishowever, not my only priority. It is critical that we continueto be the safest jurisdiction of our size in the U.S. and thatwe maintain the quality of life our residents value. Begin-ning in January our newly elected Board will engage in amulti-year Lines of Business process to examine all of ourservices in order to identify opportunities for efficienciesand savings. We have invited the School Board to partici-pate with us in this process. I am hopeful that, workingtogether, we will find new ways to economize on resourcesand improve on the delivery of services to families andstudents.

4. How many hours a week of outside employ-ment do you anticipate while serving on theBoard of Supervisors?

I am a full time Chairman. I work well over 40 hours perweek plus countless hours of community and regionalactivities.

Glenda Gail‘for Rail’ Parker (I)

Town of residence:Alexandria, FairfaxCounty

Age: 68Family: Three grown

children, four Grand–children

Education: MBAwith a certificate inSoftware EngineeringAdministration

Offices held, dates:Elected to Vice– Chair,Independent Greens ofVirginia (2007 toPresent); elected to COG TPB CAC (2007–2010)

Occupation and relevant experience:Governmental Budget Analyst, Businesswoman

Community involvement: Fairfax Federation CivicAssociation Committee, Public Safety Chair (approxi-mately 2009–2010)

Website: www.GailParker.USEmail address: [email protected] handle: @ggailparkerName three favorite endorsements:

Independent Greens of Virginia

QUESTIONS:1. What is one issue that defines your call

to serve, why does it matter, and how willyou tackle it?

The Independent Green Party Green New Deal willget us on the right track. The Green New Deal meansdouble– digit job growth in Eco jobs for the economy.Solar jobs. Wind jobs. Geothermal jobs. Rail jobs. TheGreen New Deal means Bike share for Fairfax County.Bikes, like rail, increase the value of our homes,businesses, and communities. The Green New Dealwill bring Electronic VRE signs for commuters. TheGreen New Deal means New Tracks, More Trains,More often to More Places. The Green New Deal issolar panels, and geothermal heating and cooling forevery public building. Renewable energy makesmoney for taxpayers.

2. What distinguishes you from youropponent(s) and why should voters chooseyou?

My advocacy for Rail and renewable energy.Investments in Green Energy make money. The solarage is here and we want on–board! It is past time tobring the Green Revolution to Fairfax County.

3. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the local school system. A signifi-cant budget gap looms for the next budgetcycle, both for FCPS and Fairfax County.What are the top county priorities and howwill you assure funding and manage thebudget? What ideas do you have for increas-ing revenue? Name two areas/items youwould cut or reduce.

The infrastructure budget has too many subsidiesto big oil, big asphalt, big auto, fossil fuels. Giving ahalf a trillion dollars in taxpayer subsidies annuallyworldwide to big oil is fiscal lunacy. Cut andreprioritize the infrastructure budget to invest in freesolar energy and geothermal energy. Work harmoni-ously with the School Board to place money where itwill do the most good, fund education costs andteacher salaries rather than administration costs.Build Rail: Rail will grow revenues by growing theeconomy. Rail increases the value of our homes,businesses and communities. Every $1 invested inRail returns $20 to the community!

4. How many hours a week of outsideemployment do you anticipate while servingon the Board of Supervisors?

The new salary voted by the Board will allow me todevote full time to BOS duties.

Arthur Purves (R)Town of residence: ViennaAge: 66Family: Married 42 years, two children, seven

grandchildrenEducation: BA, MS, MBA University of PennsylvaniaOffices held, dates: N/AOccupation and relevant experience: Computer

ProgrammerCommunity involvement: -President, Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance since

1996-Member, Fairfax County Meals Tax Task Force (2014)-Member, Hunter Mill Citizen Budget Committee

(2013)-Treasurer, Fairfax Committee 100-Member Fairfax Branch, NAACP-Past member of three Fairfax County Public Schools

advisory committees-Scoutmaster

Website: votepurves.orgEmail address: [email protected] handle: agpurvesName three favorite endorsements: Del. Tim Hugo and Loudoun Supervisor

Eugene Delgaudio

QUESTIONS:1. What is one issue that defines your call to serve, why does it

matter, and how will you tackle it?Only 59% of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) seniors are prepared for college,

and the percent prepared varies from 75% for Langley High School to 20% for Leeand Mt. Vernon High Schools. In a quarter of a century FCPS has made no progress inclosing the minority student achievement gap: only 35% of Hispanic and 20% ofAfrican-American FCPS seniors are prepared for college. Even if you don’t go tocollege, being prepared for college makes you better qualified for a good job. Thesolution is better instruction in the basics; not more money. As county chairman Iwould hold the school board accountable for achievement when the school boardmakes its annual $2B budget request.

2. What distinguishes you from your opponent(s) and why shouldvoters choose you?

The incumbent chairman:For 16 years has raised real estate taxes three times faster than household income,

which is unaffordable, especially for seniors;Does not hold the schools accountable for achievement;Is indifferent to the disproportionate incarceration of Hispanics and African-

Americans in the county jail;Sat silent for 17 months while the police department refused to disclose the details

of the shooting of an unarmed civilian by a police officer on August 29, 2013;Neglected maintenance of the now unsafe and unreliable Metrorail system to build

the Silver Line;Since 2000 cut staffing of libraries and parks by 112 positions while adding 145

clerks to handle public assistance applications, for a total of 354 public assistancepositions.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics job growth in Fairfax County was closeto last of the 342 largest U.S. counties last year. I will grow jobs by cutting taxes;using the chairman’s pulpit to advocate for higher achievement, including Hispanicand African-American achievement, through better curricula; being transparent; andmaking Metrorail repairs my highest transportation priority.

3. More than half of the county budget is devoted to the local schoolsystem. A significant budget gap looms for the next budget cycle, bothfor FCPS and Fairfax County. What are the top county priorities andhow will you assure funding and manage the budget? What ideas do youhave for increasing revenue? Name two areas/items you would cut orreduce.

For FY2017 the county and schools want to increase spending by $240M whilerevenues are projected to increase only $20M without a real estate tax hike. Thispredicament demonstrates the need for new leadership. Seventy percent of thespending increase is for raises (3.5% for county and 4% for school employees),Cadillac health plans, and pensions with retirement at 55. My opponent would raisereal estate taxes 9%, pushing the typical homeowner’s real estate tax from $5,700 to$6,200. She raised real estate taxes 8% last year. For 16 years the supervisors havebeen increasing taxes three times faster than household income. Since 2000, whileschool enrollment has increased 22%, the school budget increased 100%. County andschool spending for health and pension benefits increased $700M since 2000; that is$400M more than needed to keep up with inflation, population, and enrollment. For16 years the average annual raise for 30,000 county and school employees has been4%. To pay for these raises and benefits, the supervisors have been increasing realestate taxes three times faster than household income. The revenue from the tax hikeswas not enough to pay for the raises and benefits, so park and library staffing was cutand class sizes increased. And now teachers and police cannot afford the $6,000 realestate taxes that were increased to pay for their own raises and benefits. To makeFairfax County affordable again, we need to cut taxes by reducing benefits and givingsmaller raises, as is the case with private-sector employees.

4. How many hours a week of outside employment do you anticipatewhile serving on the Board of Supervisors?

I can retire and be a full-time chairman.

Candidates for Chairman of the Board of SupervisorsElection ‘15

The Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is the only at-large member of the nine-member board. Every resident is represented by the Chairman and their district supervisor. Question-naires are also available on our website, www.connectionnewspapers.com.


Jennifer Chronis (R)Town of residence: Great FallsAge: 48Family: Husband: Brian Dickson; Stepson:

Riley Dickson, Stepdaughter: Jordan PrincipeEducation: BS, Commerce, University of

VirginiaOffices held, dates: N/AOccupation and relevant experience:

Vice President, IBM; Lieutenant Colonel(Retired), US Army; Board of Directors,Armed Forces Communications & ElectronicsAssociation, Washington DC Chapter;Information Technology Fellow, AmericanCouncil for Technology-Industry AdvisoryCouncil

Community involvement: NorthernVirginia Literacy Council Volunteer Tutor

Website: JenniferChronis.comEmail address: [email protected] handle: @JenniferChronisName three favorite endorsements:

Congressman Frank Wolf, Congressman TomDavis, Congresswoman Barbara Comstock

QUESTIONS1. What is one issue that defines your

call to serve, why does it matter, andhow will you tackle it?

Public service is central to my life. I served myCountry and my community as a US Army officerfor 21 years. As Supervisor, I look forward tocontinuing my life of service. Our greatestchallenge in Fairfax County is the need forstronger fiscal management and prioritization ofour County’s resources. With property taxincreases of nearly 17% in the last three yearsalone, over $200M in projected 2017 deficits($100M in FCPS), and an economy that saw only.4% job growth in 2014, we face seriouschallenges to sustain our quality of life. OurBoard needs strong leaders with businessexperience who can make tough decisions abouthow to prioritize spending while also growingour economy. I have both the military leadershipand business experience to bring people togetherto address these challenges, and to hold theCounty and Board accountable for executing onactions and programs that deliver tangibleresults.

2. What distinguishes you from youropponent(s) and why should voterschoose you?

I am a military leader who knows how tomake tough decisions, put the needs of othersbefore my own, and get things done. I am also abusiness executive who understands theimportance of achieving financial targets anddelivering value for every tax dollar. I will bringa fresh perspective to the Board and a business-minded approach to solving our greatestchallenges and ensuring that we deliver measur-able results for taxpayers. Unlike my opponent, Iwould not have voted for tax increases amount-ing to 17% over the last three years while alsounderfunding our schools by $100 million. And Iwould not have voted to increase my own pay by

27%, when we arekeeping our teachers’salaries practically flat.This is not what Ilearned as leadershipin my military andbusiness career and Iwill make betterdecisions forDranesville residents.

3. More than halfof the county budget is devoted to thelocal school system. A significant budgetgap looms for the next budget cycle,both for FCPS and Fairfax County. Whatare the top county priorities and howwill you assure funding and manage thebudget? What ideas do you have forincreasing revenue? Name two areas/items you would cut or reduce.

My top priority is to ensure that our schoolsremain the best in the country. I will workclosely with the School Board to focus resourceson students and teachers first. We need toreduce administrative costs and invest more inour teachers, as many of our best teachers aredeparting Fairfax for neighboring school systemsthat offer higher salaries.

My second priority is to strengthen theCounty’s fiscal and economic health. The Boardhas continuously raised property taxes, tocompensate for weakness in our commercialproperty market. We must fill the 19 millionsquare feet of empty office space in the Countyto grow our commercial tax revenue and relievethe tax burden on homeowners. We must makethe County more business-friendly by streamlin-ing our permitting and regulatory processes andpartnering with our EDA to attract new indus-tries like cybersecurity, healthcare, and IT to theCounty.

Finally, I will apply commercial best practicesto county spending. We must consider imple-mentation of shared services for administrativefunctions like HR, IT, finance, accounting, andcontracting between the County and FCPS.Secondly, we must closely examine our pensionsystem for new employees to determine the mostfinancially viable system for the future. Weshould also consider eliminating duplicativefunctions; for example, Fairfax County is theonly county in Virginia to operate a ConsumerAffairs division, which largely replicates whatthe State Agency does. Responsibly managingthe County’s resources is a critical responsibilityfor our Board of Supervisors. Doing so moreeffectively requires fundamental changes to theway the County manages its budget. I wouldimplement outcome-based program reviewsevery two years for all county programs.

4.How many hours a week of outsideemployment do you anticipate whileserving on the Board of Supervisors?

I will be a full-time Supervisor. I will devoteall of my talents to the residents of Dranesville.

John Foust (D)IncumbentTown of residence: McLeanAge: 64Family: Married to Dr. Marilyn

Jerome Foust. We have two sons,Matthew and Patrick

Education: BA in Economics (Univ.of Pittsburgh); Master’s degree inBusiness Administration (W.Va. Collegeof Graduate Studies); Law degree(George Washington Univ.)

Offices held, dates: DranesvilleDistrict Supervisor, January 2008 to Present.

Occupation and relevant experience:Current: full-time County Supervisor. Prior: 30years in private law practice and 8 years asinvestment analyst with large public utility.

Community involvement: Current: CountySupervisor since 2008 working 60 to 80 hoursper week to represent my community. Prior:McLean Citizens Association (President); FairfaxCounty Environmental Quality Advisory Council(Legislative Committee Chair); Fairfax CountyMedical Care for Children Partnership AdvisoryCouncil (Advocacy Committee Chair); CubMaster of Cub Scout Pack 1134 (4 years);Chairman of the Change District of the BoyScouts of America (3 years); McLean PlanningCommittee (President); Member of two CitizenAdvisory Committees to the Fairfax CountySchool Board; Youth Soccer Coach; TimberlySouth Homeowners Association Board Member.

Website: www.foustforsupervisor.comEmail address: [email protected] handle: @johnfoustvaName three favorite endorsements:

Fairfax Education Association (“TeacherEndorsed”); Fairfax County Chamber ofCommerce’s NOVABIZPAC; Fairfax CountyProfessional Firefighters and Paramedics.

QUESTIONS:1. What is one issue that defines your


Our most important obligation is to provideour youth with a first class education. They willbe competing in a 21st Century knowledge-basedeconomy where the quality and extent of theireducation will be key to their success. Greatschools also matter because a great schoolsystem supports property values for all residentsand because good employers prefer to locatenear great schools. I have been endorsed by 10members of the School Board and the FairfaxEducation Association (“Teacher Endorsed”)because I am an effective advocate for ourschools and because I work cooperatively withboth the School Board and our teachers. Iincreased school funding by $240 million peryear since taking office. I will continue to fightfor adequate school funding, teacher pay raises,and I will continue to work with the SchoolBoard to help address the many challenges ourschools face.


I am the only candidate with an extensiverecord as a civic leader before my election to theBoard of Supervisors. I also have 8 very produc-tive years of experience on the Board, where Ihave demonstrated that I listen to my constitu-ents, provide leadership on the issues that affect

their lives, and deliver greatresults for them. I have atrack record of working tostrengthen, diversify andgrow our local economy;fund essential services in afiscally responsible manner;support our schools; and,deliver real transportationsolutions like Dulles Rail andRoute 7 widening. Thiselection should not be about

partisan agendas and political ambitions. Itshould be about who has the best record servingour community. Fairfax County and the FairfaxCounty Public Schools face serious challenges.We need proven leaders who listen to theirconstituents and deliver results for them. I haveproven that I am that leader.

3. More than half of the county budgetis devoted to the local school system. Asignificant budget gap looms for the nextbudget cycle, both for FCPS and FairfaxCounty. What are the top county priori-ties and how will you assure funding andmanage the budget? What ideas do youhave for increasing revenue? Name twoareas/items you would cut or reduce.

Budgets should reflect a community’s priori-ties. Education funding has been thecommunity’s, and our Board’s, number onefunding priority — 53% of the County’s budgetfunds our schools.

During my 8 years in office, I have handledthe significant fiscal challenges caused by aterrible recession as well as significant state andfederal budget cuts. As Chairman of the Board’sAudit Committee and Vice-chairman of theBoard’s Budget Committee, I have saved usmillions in spending and made government moreefficient and accountable to taxpayers. I kept thetax burden on homeowners affordable whileprotecting the County’s Triple A bond rating andensuring that critical programs and services, likeeducation and public safety, are funded.

I am Chairman of the Board’s EconomicAdvisory Commission. To increase Countyrevenues, I am working with the County’spartners in the business community, civicleaders, academia, non-profits and regionalpartners to implement the County’s strategicplan for economic success. As a Board, we arealso working to generate more revenue for theCounty by advocating for the County’s fair sharefrom the state.

Regarding possible cuts, since the recession in2008, the Board of Supervisors has cut manycosts and increased efficiencies in countygovernment. The School Board has done thesame for the schools. Going forward, our bestopportunities for significant additional costsavings will require both Boards workingtogether to consolidate support functions foundin both county and school departments. I havespecific proposals to consolidate and cut costs bysharing systems for Human Services, computeroperations and IT support, social work, mentalhealth services, building maintenance, capitalprojects and transportation services.

4. How many hours a week of outsideemployment do you anticipate whileserving on the Board of Supervisors?

None.

Election ‘15

Candidates for Dranesville District Supervisor

Election Day is Nov. 3, and on that day,virtually every state and local office is onthe ballot. In-person absentee voting is un-derway. Virginia Law allows voters to ab-sentee vote if they could be “working andcommuting for 11 or more hours between6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day.” You’reallowed to count your worst possible com-mute in estimating how many hours youmight be working and commuting on Elec-tion Day.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, polls are openfrom 6 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Each voter in Fairfax County can makechoices in one State Senate district, oneHouse of Delegates district, Clerk of theCourt, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sheriff,Chairman of the Board of Supervisors,District member of the Board of Supervi-sors, three members of the School BoardAt Large, one District member of theSchool Board, Soil and Water Conserva-tion Board (vote for 3), School Bond for$310 million, Public Safety Bond for $151million. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/upcoming.htm

Election Day Nov. 3

Virginia law requires all voters to provide an acceptable form of photo identi-fication at the polls. Voters arriving to the polls without photo ID will be al-lowed to vote a provisional ballot and will have until noon on the Friday afterthe election to deliver a copy of identification to their locality’s electoral boardin order for their provisional ballot to be counted.

Virginia’s photo ID requirements also apply to absentee voters who vote in-person in all elections.

Voter Identification


Town of residence: AnnandaleAge: 25Education: MPA

from George MasonUniversity

Occupation andrelevant experi-ence: FormerCampaign FinanceAnalyst at FEC,Former AcademicAdvisor/Assistant In-structor at NorthernVirginia CommunityCollege

Community in-volvement: Co–organize youth basketball league,Assist in developing tutoring programs at localmosques

Website: www.fatehforschoolboard.comEmail address: [email protected] handle: Fateh4sbName favorite endorsements: Fairfax Edu-

cation AssociationQUESTIONS:1. What is one issue that defines your

call to serve, why does it matter, and howwill you tackle it?

The achievement gap. Our minority and eco-nomically disadvantaged students continuallyscore 20-30 points below their peers on standard-ized tests. The dropout rate among economicallydisadvantaged students has nearly doubled in thelast four years. First, standardized test scoresshould not be the main indicator of studentprogress or potential. Second, rather than havingteachers teach to the tests, it is important for theSchool Board to give teachers the freedom to iden-tify their students’ strengths and interests. Finally,we must get parents involved, and to place respon-sibility on the students to succeed as well.

2. Why should voters choose you?The qualities that separate me most from the

other candidates for School Board include the per-spective I bring as a member of some of theCounty’s many underrepresented communities (in-cluding the Somali and Muslim communities), asa former Fairfax County Public Schools student,and also as a former advisor to countless area stu-dents at Northern Virginia Community College.

3. How will you address the growing eco-nomic divide in county schools?

Many parents in Fairfax County must work mul-tiple jobs, and are not able to provide the fullsupport needed by their children, such as attend-ing school meetings and checking their children’swork. It is critical for us to get parents as involvedas we can, in part by meeting them on their termsand as much as possible. I will ensure that I ameasily accessible to the entire community. Havingworked with my local mosque to develop a tutor-ing program for our County’s youth, many peoplewithin our community are willing to donate theirtime and efforts to help both academically, and indeveloping them as professionals.

Increased funding is necessary to meet the needsof an ever-expanding student body.

4. How to address the achievement gap?To begin addressing the issue in earnest, the

School Board first needs compassionate represen-tatives willing to understand and serve the needsof the full range of County students with new en-ergy and ability.

5. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the school system with a bud-get gap looming, both for FCPS and FairfaxCounty. What steps would you take tomanage the gap? What are the top priori-ties and what could be cut?

Board members must also better engage theirfellow elected officials to seek additional funding.The majority of the Board of Supervisors wants tofully fund our schools, but the dollars simply arenot coming in from Richmond. We need to workwith state representatives to bring back our taxdollars. We must work first and foremost to pro-vide additional funding. We must get both Boardson the same page, and put education–– in otherwords, our children–– first in Fairfax County.

Election ‘15

School Board Candidates At-LargeOmar Fateh

Town of residence: FairfaxAge: 36Family: Husband,

Charlie (Oaktongraduate ’97); Ryan(4th grade), Keri(2nd grade), Ethan( K i n d e r g a r t e n ) ,Vader (rescue puppy)

Education: B.Ain Economics; Uni-versity of Virginia,Masters in PhysicalTherapy; Universityof North Carolina,Chapel Hill

Occupation and relevant experience:Physical Therapist (Senior Therapist – mentor andleader role)

Community involvement: Volunteer inchildren’s elementary school, local homeless shel-ter, church, and with meals and holiday giftsthrough Our Daily Bread, volunteer with kid’ssports and activities, Manna Meal coordinator, PTAmember

Website: jeanetteforschoolboard.comEmail address:

[email protected] three favorite endorsements: Class

Size Counts, Former Congressman Tom Davis,Congresswoman Barbara Comstock



Responsibility to the community defines my callto serve. That responsibility comes with engagingthe community members, being fiscally responsibleand setting clear priorities. Authentic engagementincludes holding office hours and citizen town hallsthroughout the year, not just showing up to ribboncuttings and planned events. Our community de-serves more transparency with FCPS’ $2.7 billionoperating fund. I will prioritize reducing large classsizes, not with one-time fixes the way my oppo-nents have, but with long-term planning. I willprioritize competitive teacher salaries. Our teach-ers’ salaries have fallen behind compared tosurrounding counties. Instead of making it a realpriority, the Board raised their own salary by 60%.

2. What distinguishes you from youropponents, why should voters choose you?

My opponents either do not have children orhave not had children in FCPS for a long time. Asthe mother of children in graduating classes of2023, 2025, 2027, I bring a unique insight into ourschool system. I bring an Economics degree whenwe face a shortfall of over $70 million for FY17 dueto failing to enact budgeting best practices.


Part of the growing divide comes from paralleldecisions made by the Board of Supervisors. It isimperative to have a new School Board that canbuild trust with the Board of Supervisors. With abetter relationship, the two Boards can work to-gether for our community and all of our children.

4. How to address the achievement gap?Under current leadership, the achievement gap

continues to be substantial. We cannot keep elect-ing the same people and expect a different result.We need to provide a rigorous curriculum to allstudents and allocate resources for objective gains.We need to work with the community to providewraparound services and empower parents to helptheir children at home.

5. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the school system with a bud-get gap looming, both for FCPS and FairfaxCounty. What are the top priorities andwhat could be cut?

FCPS’ projected shortfall is 2.5% of the operat-ing budget. The current School Board took fiveyears to hire an auditor general and has refused todo a line of business review. My top priority is toensure clear metrics and objectivity so we base cutson educational impact and effectiveness, not onbias and popularity. We also need to look at FCPS’contract procurement practices. I will bring lead-ership to the Board so we cut waste andinefficiency, not proven programs.

Jeanette HoughTown of residence: FairfaxAge: 31Family: My fam-

ily is originally fromEgypt and my won-derful husband,Thierry, is from Haiti.We have been mar-ried for 7 years andwe have a two chil-dren, Thomas is 2 �and Mary is 8months.

Education: I holda B.A. in Sociologyfrom George MasonUniversity

Occupation and relevant experience: Iwork at the Refugee Processing Center as a contrac-tor for the Department of State. Since starting there8 years ago, I have been known as a solution-driven, out-of-the box thinker with creativesolutions. In addition to my analytical skills, I bringa parent’s perspective to the board. As a mom oftwo future FCPS students, my priority is ensuringthe best education for children in FCPS.

Community involvement: I participate inlocal volunteer opportunities though my church, Ispent time on the ground in New Orleans afterHurricane Katrina assisting in disaster relief effortsand I spent time helping at an orphanage in myhusband’s hometown of Port-au-Prince, Haiti afterthe devastating earthquake in 2010.

Website: www.ManarForFairfax.comEmail address: [email protected] handle: @Manar4FFXName favorite endorsements: I have am

officially endorsed by the GOP and Arab Commu-nity Radio.



As a first generation American, I cherish theimportance of a government that listens to itspeople. I feel called to serve in my local govern-ment because the current school board isunresponsive to its constituents. I plan on involv-ing the community in all board-related mattersthrough regular town halls, PTA meetings, settingspecial time aside to meet with teachers and mak-ing myself readily available to the residents ofFairfax County via office hours, email and phone.

2. Why should voters choose you?The incumbent at-large candidates either have

children that have already graduated from FCPS ordo not have children at all, the only way they taketheir decisions home with them is in their pockets.As a mom of two future FCPS students, my prior-ity is ensuring the highest quality education forFCPS students so that our children have the bestopportunities to thrive and be successful. I under-stand the frustration parents have with class sizedisparity, the need for more rigor in the classroomand the need for parents of this next generation tobe respected and recognized as the primary edu-cators of their children … that is a perspectiveneeded on the school board and it is one that theincumbents cannot offer.


It is important to keep rigor, class size disparityand staffing formulas at the heart of the conversa-tion with the community. Working together, wecan create solutions that address our county’s chal-lenges and needs. It is the responsibility of FCPSto educate all students in the county and shapethem into productive members of the community.

4. How to address the achievement gap?Coming from an immigrant family and working

daily to bring refugees to the U.S., I understandwhat education means for those seeking a betterfuture for themselves and their families in the U.S.I am very concerned that the needle hasn’t movedon closing the minority achievement gap in years,despite $65 million being poured into projects tar-geting the issue. The current board continuallychanges the name of these projects (Excel, PSI, Mo-mentum, etc), making it nearly impossible to

Manar Jean-JacquesINCUMBENTTown of residence: McLeanAge: 29Family: MarriedEducation: M.A.

in International Af-fairs, ColumbiaUniversity; B.A. inAnthropology andEast Asian Studies,The University of Vir-ginia

Offices held,dates: School BoardMember, At-large,January 2012-Present

Occupation and relevant experience: As-sistant Director, John L. Thornton China Center,The Brookings Institution

Website: www.ryanforschoolboard.comEmail address: [email protected] handle: @RyanLMcElveenName three endorsements: Fairfax County

Federation of Teachers, Fairfax Education Associa-tion, Fairfax County Democratic Committee



I will remain a voice for the voiceless who don’tknow how to best resolve their concerns with theschool system. One of my first actions on the Boardwas to push for the creation of a system to allowcommunity members to submit YouTube video tes-timonies to be shown at our meetings. We becamethe first public Board in the country to implementthis kind of feedback mechanism. I will continueengaging with the community in a transparentmanner and with an open mind while working toimprove our communications.


I have a track record of bringing significant andpositive change to the school system in a shortamount of time. I have focused on three major ini-tiatives — improving school food (including thecreation of a fresh food pilot kitchen and the sys-tem-wide study of our Food and Nutrition Servicesprogram), the internationalization working group(to help guide our work on implementing worldlanguages and study-abroad opportunities), andthe alumni networking action group (which hashelped us map a path to create an FCPS alumniassociation). In my next term, I hope to see all ofthese efforts through to implementation.


FCPS is a tale of two counties, and this unques-tionably has emerged as one of our biggestchallenges. In Fairfax, more than half of our el-ementary schools sit above the socio-economictipping point, proving that Fairfax has moved be-yond localized poverty. To address this divide, theSchool Board must maintain its long-standing prac-tice of targeting these communities withneeds-based funding. Co-location of school andhuman services facilities, as has been piloted inMount Vernon, is another way to tackle this com-munity issue without spending significantadditional county resources.

4. How to address the achievement gap?Our Board has remained steadfast in our support

of needy students and those who speak other lan-guages at home by directing budget resources tothese at-risk populations. We have made expand-ing early childhood opportunities one of ourpriorities, because we know that investments in theeducation of students at an early age pay dividendslater in their educational careers (thus saving oursystem money). We must continue working withthe county to creatively fund and house these pro-grams.

5. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the local school system with asignificant budget gap looming, both forFCPS and Fairfax County. What stepswould you take to manage the gap and to

Ryan McElveen

See QUESTIONNAIRES, Next Page See QUESTIONNAIRES, Next Page


Election ‘15

School Board Candidates At-LargeINCUMBENTTown of resi-

dence: FairfaxAge: 58Family: Father of

2 FCPS graduatesE d u c a t i o n :

Harvard, B.A.; Will-iam and Mary LawSchool, J.D.

Offices held,dates: At-LargeSchool Board Mem-ber, 07/1995-12/1995 & 2004-present; Braddock District SchoolBoard Member 1996-1999; At-Large PlanningCommissioner 2000-2003.

Occupation and relevant experience: At-torney since 1984; Member, Board of Directors,American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, 2000-2010; Member, Board of Directors, MontessoriSchool of Northern Virginia, 1994-1995

Community involvement: Youth soccercoaching, Fairfax-Falls Church Regional Council ofthe United Way, Police Chief’s Diversity Council.

Website: www.moon4schools.comEmail address: [email protected] handle: @Moon4SchoolsName three favorite endorsements: My

family, Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, andDemocratic Party



We should prepare our students for global com-petition. They will not only lead our country in thefuture, but must be able to compete with the stu-dents from the other nations. I want Fairfax Countyto be the best place to live, work, and raise chil-dren. We need good teachers and must supportthem. We should challenge our students to do theirbest, meet their individual needs, and provide themwith a broad curriculum, including in STEM andforeign language education.

2. What distinguishes you from youropponents; why should voters choose you?

Experience and unique perspectives. I haveserved on the school board for 16 years, including3 years as chairman and 2 years as vice chairman,and also chaired budget, governance, personnel,and policy committees. Furthermore, I bringunique perspectives as an immigrant grown up inpoverty, an English language learner, an attorney,and a small business owner.


All students should have resources per theirneeds. We should work more closely with the par-ents to help their children succeed. For the parentswith language, cultural, or employment barriers,we should reach out to them more proactively. Allstudents should have adequate access to digitaldevices and internet capability. We must also workwith the County Board of Supervisors and PlanningCommission on housing issues not to concentratehigh poverty students on certain areas.

4. How to address the achievement gap?Adequate resources, closer work with families,

and high expectations for all students are needed.I support needs-based staffing. Resources shouldfollow students’ needs whether in opportunities,special education, or learning English as a secondlanguage. We need to equip, train, and educateparents to help their children succeed. Also, every-one should have high expectations for all students.We should expand early childhood education op-portunities, working with the County, State, privatesector, and community organizations.

5. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the school system with a signifi-cant budget gap looming, both for FCPSand Fairfax County. What steps would youtake to manage the gap and to fund theneeds of the school system? What are thetop priorities and what could be cut?

A community consensus on the school fundinglevel should be built. I support the superintendent’swork with the budget task force to gather commu-

Ilryong MoonTown of resi-

dence: Alexandria(Fairfax County)

Age: Over 21Family: Luther,

husband; Children –Syreeta, Seneca andStefanie

E d u c a t i o n :Johnson C. SmithUniversity, Charlotte,NC; NOVA Commu-nity College; andGeorge Mason Uni-versity, Fairfax, VA.

Offices held, dates: No elected office heldOccupation and relevant experience:

Fairfax County Public Schools – Family Engage-ment Representative; African Heritage EarlyLiteracy Project Leader. Co-founder South CountyYouth Network a 501(c)(3) non-profit organiza-tion. Member, Lt. Governor’s CommonwealthCouncil for Childhood Success

Community involvement: Northern VA Dis-trict PTA Director; Member, VA State PTA Board;Member, Chairman Bulova’s Ad Hoc Police ReviewCommittee; Coordinator, West Potomac-MountVernon School-Community Coalition

Website: www.burnette4schoolboard.comEmail address: [email protected] handle:Name three favorite endorsements: Dr.

Larry Bussey; The Faith Community; and MattiePalmore, Community Activist



My desire to have equitable education for allstudents drives me to run, along with charactereducation in all school pyramids.


Voters should choose me because I am embed-ded in the school system as an employee; familyoriented and believe that students and families shouldnot be judged by their geographical location.


First, we need to address the increase in fami-lies placing their children in private schools orhomeschooling; second, the economic divide is adirect correlation of the type of businesses in acommunity, i.e., fast food establishments vs. For-tune 500; and, third – work on changing themindset of judging others by zip codes.

4. How will you address the achievementgap?

The achievement gap should not exist. The his-tory of public education clearly shows that thatpublic education was not designed for people ofcolor. The achievement gap came on the scenewhen schools were integrated. I can only addressthe problem when all stakeholders understand whythe problem exists.

5. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the local school system with asignificant budget gap looming, both forFCPS and Fairfax County. What stepswould you take to manage the gap and tofund the needs of the school system? Whatare the top priorities and what could becut?

FCPS and the BOS must work together to de-velop strategies to bring more businesses into thearea and reduce the reliance on real estate taxes.Teachers know where cuts can be made and thatis the group that I would begin my inquiries.

6. What value does FCPS add for taxpay-ers who do not have children in theschools?

A school system with a stellar reputation issought by businesses and former school graduatesto return and give back to the community. Taxpay-ers want to see “more bang for their bucks.” Electme to the school board and you’ll see the plan inaction!

Burnette G. Scarboro

INCUMBENTTown of Resi-

dence: ChantillyAge: 61Family: Wife, Dr.

Patricia Velkoff;Daughters Catherine(South Lakes H.S.2007), Elizabeth(Chantilly H.S. 2009)

Offices held,dates: At-Largemember of the Fairfax County School Board, Janu-ary 2012 to present. Have served as Vice Chairmanof the Board, Chairman and Vice Chairman of theBudget Committee.

Occupation and relevant experience: Se-nior Software Architect at Integrity One Partners,Reston VA; previously with Lockheed Martin andIBM in Manassas, VA. M.A., Computer Science,Indiana University; M. Music, Conducting, IndianaUniversity; B. Music, Composition, University ofCincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Community involvement: PTSA President,Chantilly H.S.; PTA Treasurer, Chantilly H.S.,Rocky Run M.S., Poplar Tree E.S.; Treasurer, Pleas-ant Valley Preschool, Girl Scout Troup 2829.Volunteer, stage manager and occasional humanprop, Fairfax Ballet.

Website: http://www.tv4sb.orgEmail address: [email protected] handle: @TedVelkoffName three favorite endorsements: Su-

pervisor John Foust, Senator Chap Petersen,Delegate Ken Plum.



Eliminate high stakes testing and replace withauthentic assessments. We must the restore joy ofteaching and learning that comes from projects,inquiry and communication. Recently inauguratedPortrait of a Graduate defines success not in termsof what students know, but what they can do withwhat they know.

2. What distinguishes you from youropponents and why should voters chooseyou?

I am proud of the work accomplished by theboard of which I have been a member for the pastfour years. We hired a visionary and transforma-tional leader in Dr. Karen Garza. We mademuch-needed changes to student discipline prac-tices; solved the high school start time problem;and instituted full-day instruction in elementaryschools on Mondays. My opponents have seldom,if ever, attended school board meetings or worksessions, and appear to have been motivated solelyby disagreement with one action of the board lastMay. I have been an effective member of the schoolboard by building relationships and brokeringagreements on potentially contentious policy deci-sions.


We need to expand innovative programs inschools throughout the county, especially those ineconomically challenged communities. We mustinsist on rigorous instruction for all children in allschools, whether wealthy or poor, gifted or disad-vantaged. I am deeply opposed to the punitiveaccountability measures imposed by the state andfederal government, which are counterproductive.I am just as deeply committed to the principle thatwe in FCPS must do everything we can to meet theneeds of all children.

4. How to address the achievement gap?The most important thing we can do is to achieve

universal pre-school in Fairfax County. Nobel Prizeeconomist James Heckman has demonstrated thathigh quality pre-school yields a 7 to 1 return oninvestment in less remediation and discipline issuesover the career of a student.

5. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the school system with a signifi-cant budget gap looming, both for FCPS

Theodore J. “Ted”Velkoff

Manar Jean-Jacquesevaluate the effectiveness of the programs. I wouldbegin addressing the achievement gap by engagingteachers in the conversation and seeking their ex-pertise.

5. More than half of the county budget isdevoted to the local school system with asignificant budget gap looming, both forFCPS and Fairfax County. What stepswould you take to manage the gap and tofund the needs of the school system? Whatare the top priorities and what could becut?

If elected, I would like to put a motion before theboard to vote on giving back the 60% raise theyvoted themselves in the midst of this budget gap.I would also like to look at outsourcing FCPS jobsthat do not directly impact the education of chil-dren inside the classroom. Outsourcing givesbusinesses in the community an opportunity tothrive and frees up money that we would have beenpaying into pensions to now be redirected back intothe classroom.

Ryan McElveenfund the needs of the school system? Whatare the top priorities and what could becut?

FCPS cannot remain the system it is today atcurrent levels of funding, and we won’t realize thatwe’ve hit the breaking point until it’s too late. It iswell past time to diversify local revenue streams.

Beyond Fairfax, the School Board must take ad-vocacy to the next level by coalition building withsimilar, like-minded districts and umbrella organi-zations throughout the state to push for a changeto our state funding mechanisms. Additionally,both Boards need to continue exploring legal re-course to obtain the education funding guaranteedby the Virginia constitution.

Ilryong Moonnity input. Both the School Board and the Board ofSupervisors need to know where the communitystands. We should also review our programs, prac-tices, and operations to find savings. My prioritiesare to increase teacher salaries, lower class sizes,and challenge all students to do their best and pre-pare them for the postsecondary education andemployment.

Ted Velkoffand Fairfax County. What are the top pri-orities and what could be cut?

Because Virginia’s antiquated form of govern-ment concentrates power in Richmond andmarginalizes Fairfax County, the Board of Super-visors and School Board are pitted against eachother by design. The Supervisors control schoolrevenue; the School Board controls school spend-ing. The County Executive proposes arevenue-based budget; the Superintendent pro-poses a needs-based budget.

The County Executive has told FCPS to “livewithin its means.” In accordance with that budgetguidance, the Superintendent will have to cut$72M from the operating budget. The SchoolBoard has closed similar gaps by increasing classsize and limiting employee compensation. Thisyear I will not support a budget that is balanced onthe backs of our employees.

Questionnaires have been edited forlength. Full questionnaires are available atwww.ConnectionNewspapers.com click onElections.

Neither Peter Marchetti nor RobertCopeland, both candidates for FairfaxCounty School Board At Large, returnedtheir questionnaires for publication.

Questionnaires Continued from

Previous Page and This Page


Janie StraussIncumbentTown of residence: McLeanAge: 68Family: Mother of 4 FCPS graduates,

grandmother of 2 current FCPS stu-dents, mother-in-law of an FCPS teacher

Education: BA (GWU), Master ofArts in Teaching (Harvard)

Offices held, dates: School Boardmember At- Large, 1991-1993,Dranesville representative, 1996 topresent Occupation and relevantexperience: former elementary teacher, PTApresident, president of the FCCPTA, board chair,The Country Day School, board chair, TheCappies (a high school theater and journalismprogram)

Community involvement: McLean Projectfor the Arts, Healthy Families Fairfax

Website: www.janiestrauss.comEmail address: [email protected] handle:Name three favorite endorsements:

Democratic Party, Fairfax Education Association,Fairfax County Federations of Teachers 10



Our investment and oversight of our publicschools is critical to the future success of ourchildren our county, our state and indeed, ournation. With the challenges facing the nextgeneration — from global instability and anintegrated global economy to climate change andenergy sustainability — our children’s educationis more important than ever. We must keep ourhighly regarded public schools strong. We mustimprove teacher pay, reduce class size, closeachievement gaps, and emphasize high-levelthinking, literacy and communication skills. Wemust maintain our rigorous programs for ALLstudents in the STEM fields, the arts, humanitiesand athletics. While we must continuouslyevaluate programs shedding what is no longerneeded or effective, we must understand how toprepare our children for their future. Theirsuccess will come not from what they know butwhat they can do with what they know.


I have spent 40 years in the field of education.I understand teaching and learning, the use newresearch, budget prioritization, and the changesneeded to prepare our children for success in ahigh tech globalized world.

3. How will youaddress the growingeconomic divide incounty schools?

All schools regardless ofthe socio economic back-ground of the surroundingcommunity must have theneeded resources to sustainhigh standards, employexcellent teachers and offer

all students a rigorous well rounded, richcurriculum. We must also urge the Board ofSupervisors to avoid as much as possible,housing patterns that tend to over- concentratehigh poverty in certain regions.

4. How will you address the achieve-ment gap?

Our schools must provide the expectation andneeded resources for all children to succeed. Wemust continue weighted staffing formulas,provide targeted help to teachers, and insure allstudents are taught a rigorous well rounded richcurriculum. We must expand community-wideinitiatives such as Communities at Hope inHerndon and Opportunity Neighborhoods in Mt.Vernon and Reston and continue the county/schools coordination of social services thatprovides wrap around help for families.

5. More than half of the county budgetis devoted to the local school systemwith a significant budget gap looming,both for FCPS and Fairfax County. Whatsteps would you take to manage the gapand to fund the needs of the schoolsystem? What are the top priorities andwhat could be cut?

The priorities must be improving teachersalaries, lowering class size in non-Title 1schools and maintaining our rigorous wellrounded programs for all students. We mustwork collaboratively with the Board of Supervi-sors to understand total county needs, listencarefully to citizen input and continuously lookfor efficiencies and cost savings. I agree withSupervisor John Foust that school needs must beconsidered at the very beginning of budgetplanning rather than toward the end in March/April when adjustments are limited and difficult.

6. What value does FCPS add fortaxpayers who do not have children inthe schools?

Good schools sustain property values, attractbusinesses and jobs to the county which canincrease the percent of commercial real estateand decrease the county’s reliance on residentialreal estate for county revenues.

Pete KurzenhauserTown of residence: Great FallsAge: 58Family: Pete and his wife have lived in

Great Falls for 20+ years. Their childrenattend Langley HS.

Education: U.S. Naval Academy ’79 (mechanical engineering). US Naval AviationSchool, 1980-81. Numerous continuingengineering education and professionaleducation courses and seminars.

Offices held, dates: No previouselected offices

Occupation and relevant experience:Several decades of managing programs andworking with budgets in Dept. of Defense, USIntelligence Community, and corporations.

Community involvement: Youth sportscoach, Boy Scout Troop 673, Great Falls CitizensAssn., McLean Citizens Assn., Great FallsFreedom Memorial, FCPS parent volunteer,Haddad Youth Ballet, Great Falls Volunteer Fireand Rescue.

Website: http://kurzenhauserforschoolboard.nationbuilder.com

Email address:[email protected]

Twitter handle: NoneName three favorite endorsements:

Class Size Counts; Steve Stuban, chair of the taskforce to revise the FCPS Student Rights &Responsibilities; supported by CongresswomanBarbara Comstock and retired CongressmanFrank Wolf.



I decided to run for the school board because Ihave children in school and have seen trendsover the past 10 years that threaten the qualityof education delivered by FCPS. Those includevery large class sizes and excessive teacherturnover due to low pay and working conditions.I also was inspired by my AP Chemistry and APPhysics teacher at Fort Hunt High School, here inFairfax County, 40 years ago. Like ColonelJacoboski, I spent several decades serving ournation in the military and intelligence commu-nity. I now want to continue serving our republicin a different but equally important way — byensuring that our public schools continue toprepare students for not just college, but alsotheir adult lives and the responsibilities ofcitizenship.

2. What distinguishes you from youropponent(s) and why should voterschoose you? I will ensure that all students inthe Dranesville District get their fair andequitable share of FCPS resources. For over 20years, the incumbent has voted for budgets thatshort-change the bulk of the students in ourdistrict, despite being a member and chairman ofthe audit or budget committees for nearly allthat time. We have ended up with the largest

class sizes in the county.She started as an at-largeSchool Board member inthe 1990s, and she nevermade the transition torepresenting the peopleof this district. Incontrast, I have workedwith corporate andfederal agency financialand budget documentsfor decades, and I

understand that getting a fair allocation of thebudget requires fighting for it. I will have nodifficulty parsing FCPS financial reports andbudget documents quickly and asking incisivequestions. That’s what this district, and theSchool Board, needs.

3. How will you address the growingeconomic divide in county schools? Theeconomic differences across the county areoutside the control of FCPS. The county andstate must improve economic growth and makeFairfax more attractive to businesses. FCPS cancontribute by delivering well-educated and well-trained graduates to those businesses.

4. How will you address the achieve-ment gap? Despite decades of our best effortsand large expenses, gaps between low-SES andhigh-SES students stubbornly persist. Unfortu-nately, most critical factors that influenceachievement lie outside the school house.Schools will continue to engage parents as muchas possible and provide extra services to studentsin need, but wisdom indicates that fixing theroot causes of low achievement goes beyond thescope and charter of FCPS. These problems mustbe tackled by county and state polices andprograms.

5. More than half of the county budgetis devoted to the local school systemwith a significant budget gap looming,both for FCPS and Fairfax County. Whatsteps would you take to manage the gapand to fund the needs of the schoolsystem? What are the top priorities andwhat could be cut? This needs much moreresponse than the 500 word limit set for thisquestionnaire. However, we should first start byusing the $158M surplus cash in the operatingbudget carried forward from previous years. Thiscan fund several years of “budget gaps” beforewe need to take actual cuts in expenses, and willgive more time for economic recovery andbusiness growth, which are absolutely necessaryfor long term budget stability.

6. What value does FCPS add fortaxpayers who do not have children inthe schools? More than half the taxes collectedin the county go to FCPS. However, a reputationfor excellent schools significantly increasesproperty values. FCPS provides an increase invalue in return for those taxes.

School Board Candidates for Dranesville DistrictElection ‘15

Virginia law requires all voters to providean acceptable form of photo identificationat the polls. Voters arriving to the polls with-out photo ID will be allowed to vote a pro-visional ballot and will have until noon onthe Friday after the election to deliver a copyof identification to their locality’s electoralboard in order for their provisional ballotto be counted.

Virginia’s photo ID requirements also ap-ply to absentee voters who vote in-personin all elections.

Here are the “acceptable” forms of iden-tification: Valid Virginia Driver’s License orIdentification Card; Valid Virginia DMV is-sued Veteran’s ID card; Valid United States

Passport; Other government-issued photoidentification cards (must be issued by U.S.Government, the Commonwealth of Vir-ginia, or a political subdivision of the Com-monwealth; Valid college or university stu-dent photo identification card, must be froman institution of higher education locatedin Virginia; Employee identification cardcontaining a photograph of the voter andissued by an employer of the voter in theordinary course of the employer’s business;Virginia Voter Photo ID Card obtainedthrough any local general registrar’s office.“Valid” is defined as a genuine document,bearing the photograph of the voter, and isnot expired for more than 12 months.

Any registered voter may apply for a freeVirginia Voter Photo Identification from anygeneral registrar’s office in the Common-wealth. Voters applying for the VirginiaVoter Photo ID Card will have to completethe Virginia Voter Photo Identification CardApplication, have their picture taken, andsign the digital signature pad.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, polls are openfrom 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. You can check yourregistration status online by going towww.sbe.virginia.gov.

Each voter in Fairfax County can makechoices in one State Senate district, oneHouse of Delegates district, Clerk of theCourt, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sheriff,

Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Dis-trict member of the Board of Supervisors,three members of the School Board AtLarge, one District member of the SchoolBoard, Soil and Water Conservation Board(vote for 3), School Bond for $310 million,Public Safety Bond for $151 million.

For More Election InformationFairfax County Board of Elections,703-222-0776,http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/

upcoming.htm12000 Government Center Parkway,

Fairfax, Suite 232, Fairfax, 22035;email [email protected]

Voting Requirements and Information


Sports

Great Falls CourageBlue Team WinsVirginia BeachTournament

The undefeated Great Falls Courage Blue soccer team keeps thestreak alive by winning the Vir-

ginia Beach FC U12 girls tournamentover Columbus Day weekend. The girlswent 3-0 in bracket play, outscoring theiropponents by 11 goals.They defeated Central Virginia Unitedfrom Lynchburg, Va., in the champion-ship game (2-1). The team is coachedby Rado Pletka and assisted by CourtneyKim.

From left, front row: CaitlynShumadine, Avery Perez,Gianna Russo, MayaKanaan, ElizabethRothenberger, AllieWakeman, Olivia Walke,Isabelle Brittin. Back row:Zoe Malekzadeh, AlexaGianoplus, Casey Kerrigan,Lynley Birchard, TheresaRyan, Lexie Perez, CoachCourtney Kim. (Not picturedCoach Rado Pletka)

Pho

to

co

ntributed

The McLean volleyball team hadits five-match win streaksnapped on Oct. 19, losing toSouth Lakes 3-0 (25-20, 25-23,

25-23) in Reston.The Highlanders won 11 of their last 12,

but Monday’s loss dropped their record to18-5 overall and 3-1 in Conference 6.

Sophomore outside hitter MadisonMcArthur led McLean with 12 kills. Seniormiddle blocker Karen Shedlock had threekills, and sophomore outside hitter Leona

McLean Volleyball Falls to South LakesNg and senior middle blocker JosephineOakley each had two.

The Highlanders will return to actionWednesday, Oct. 21 when McLean hostsdefending state runner-up Madison at 7:15p.m.

McLean sophomore outside hitter Madison McArthurhad 12 kills against South Lakes on Oct. 19.

Senior setter Autumn Brenner and the McLean volley-ball team are off to a 3-1 start in Conference 6 play.

Pho

to

s by C

raig Sterbutzel/T

he C

on

nectio

n

Langley FieldHockey EarnsRegional Berth

The Langley field hockey team beatSouth Lakes 4-0 on Monday in theopening round of the Conference 6tournament, earning a regional tour-nament berth. The Saxons will com-pete in the conference semifinals onWednesday, Oct. 21.

McLean FieldHockey BeatsYorktown

The McLean field hockey team se-cured a regional tournament berthwith a 5-2 win over Yorktown on Mon-day in the opening round of the Con-ference 6 tournament. The Highland-ers will compete in the conferencesemifinals on Wednesday.

Herndon FieldHockey Falls toWestfield

The Westfield and Herndon fieldhockey teams entertained those in at-tendance Friday night for a makeupgame originally scheduled for Oct. 2.Westfield was clad with white jerseysand pink writing as part of CancerAwareness Night. Mackenzie Karl’sgoal in the second half provided theonly goal of the game and Westfieldheld on to win 1-0 against visitingHerndon. Westfield improved to 14-2and Herndon fell to 12-4. The Con-ference 5 tournament started Tuesday,after The Connection’s deadline. TheVHSL State Finals will be held in Vir-ginia Beach at the National TrainingCenter, Nov. 13-14.

— Will Palenscar

Sports Roundups


Send announcements to [email protected]. Deadline isFriday for the following week’s paper.Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOING WEDNESDAYAND SATURDAYWeekly Storytime. 11 a.m. Barnes &

Noble, 7851 L Tysons Corner Center,McLean. Themes and Titles vary.Free admission.

ONGOINGThe 53rd Annual James A. Bland

Contest. Through Monday, Feb. 15.Vienna Assembly of God Church, 100Ayr Hill Avenue, Vienna. Sponsoredby the Vienna Host Lions Club, thecontest will include school age(elementary and high school)vocalists and instrumentalists whowill each present a song or piece ofno more than eight minutes and willbe judged by local experts in theirfield. Cash prizes will be awarded to1st and 2nd place winners in eachcategory. Contest will be onSaturday, Feb. 20, at 1 p.m.Information and an application canbe obtained by contacting Lion SusanStiles at [email protected] or703-938-1142. The deadline forapplications is Monday, Feb. 15.

ONGOINGTwo Simultaneous One Man

Shows. Through Saturday, Nov. 14.10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Frame Factory,212 Dominion Road NE, Vienna.Figurative artists David Cochran’sand Joseph Sheppard Rogers’ workwill be on display.

THURSDAY/OCT. 22Haunted Gingerbread Houses

Workshop. 6:30-8 p.m. McLeanCommunity Center, 1234 InglesideAvenue, McLean. Tickets: $35-$45.

Halloween Bunco Night Benefit. 7-9 p.m. The Vienna Art Center, 115Pleasant Street NW, Vienna. Games,food and wine, and art works. Comein costume, if you like. Space islimited and a $20 donation reservesyour seat. http://viennaartssociety.org/events-exhibitions/.

Classic Books Discussion Group. 1p.m. Patrick Henry Library, 101Maple Avenue East, Vienna. Joinwriter/scholar Amanda Holmes Duffyfor a discussion of The Legend ofSleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.Adults and teens.

Alka Dhillon. 7 p.m. Barnes & Noble,7851 L Tysons Corner Center,McLean. Local Businesswoman andauthor Alka Dhillon will sign copiesof her book The Om Factor: AWoman’s Spiritual Guide toLeadership. Free admission.

FRIDAY/OCT. 23Playdate Cafe. 10 a.m. Great Falls

Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls. Toys and playspace forchildren. Coffee and conversation forgrownups. Ages birth-5.

McLean Art Society Meeting. 10a.m.-noon. McLean CommunityCenter, 1234 Ingleside Ave. JanPonder, landscape artist will give ademonstration of the use ofencaustics, a burn in technique withhot wax. 703-790-0123.

SATURDAY/OCT. 24Great Falls Farmers Market, 9 a.m.

- 1 p.m. Great Falls Village Centre.778 Walker Road. Great Falls.www.greatfallsfarmersmarket.org

Roald Dahl Double Feature. 2 & 7p.m. Marshall High School, 7731Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. GeorgeC. Marshall’s drama department willopen the 2015-2016 Season with aRoald Dahl Double Feature including“The Twits” and “Danny, the

maintaining, customizing and codingdrones. All levels welcome. Ages 8and up.

FRIDAY/OCT. 30Ellis Paul. 7:30 p.m. Jammin Java, 227

Maple Ave. E, Vienna. Ellis’ songshave been featured on Hollywoodsoundtracks in films such as: “Me,Myself and Irene,” “Shallow Hal” and“Hall Pass,” as well as TV shows anddocumentary films. He has performedon stages at the Newport FolkFestival, Carnegie Hall, and clubs,coffeehouses all over the world. $20-22. All ages. www.jamminjava.com.

”Persuasion” Book Launch. 5-9p.m. Barnes and Noble TysonsCorner, 7851 L. Tysons CornerCenter, McLean. Award-winning YAauthor and teen literacy advocateMartina Boone is coming to celebratethe release of her new book. Q and A,costume contests, crafts and booksigning.

Book Fair. 5-9 p.m. Barnes & Noble,7851 L Tysons Corner Center,McLean. Join as they welcome theLiteracy Council of Northern Virginiato the store for a book fair. ThisHalloween themed book fair willfeature interactive story buildingsessions, a costume contest foryounger children and another one forteens, storytimes, crafts and variousother activities. Free admission.

Family Game Time. 3:30 p.m. GreatFalls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls. Drop-in and playassorted board games. All skill levelsand ages welcome.

FRIDAY/OCT. 302015 Arts Awards. Noon-2 p.m.

Fairview Park Marriott, 3111Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church.Jim Vance of NBC 4 will emcee theevent honoring four awardees, EarleC. Williams, Rebecca Kamen, ViennaJammers, Richard Hausler. GreatFalls sculptor Jonathan Fisherdesigned custom awards,commissioned by the Arts Council.For tickets and information, http://artsfairfax.org/artsawards.

SATURDAY/OCT. 31”The Man Who Laughs.” 2 p.m. The

Alden, McLean Community Center,1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. Basedon a Victor Hugo novel, this sad,horrific and swashbuckling film is agreat way to start off Halloweencelebrations. $12, $8.www.aldentheatre.org.

Calendar

Halloween CalendarHalloween events in the area

THURSDAY/OCT. 22Haunted Gingerbread Houses Workshop. 6:30-8 p.m. McLean

Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean. Tickets: $35-$45.Halloween Bunco Night Benefit. 7-9 p.m. The Vienna Art Center, 115

Pleasant Street NW, Vienna. Games, food and wine, and art works. Comein costume, if you like. Space is limited and a $20 donation reserves yourseat. http://viennaartssociety.org/events-exhibitions/.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/OCT. 24-NOV. 1Reston Zoo’s Zooboo. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Reston Zoo, 1228 Hunter Mill

Road, Vienna. Designed for a younger audience, Zoo Boo offers four daysof scare-free fun. Join the safe zoo neighborhood of Halloweenentertainment, with kid-friendly fun around every corner.

SUNDAY/OCT. 25Trunk or Treat. 11 a.m. Great Falls United Methodist Church, 10100

Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Community event. Children 5th grade andunder. Free. [email protected].

WEDNESDAY/OCT. 2869th Annual Vienna Halloween Parade. 7 p.m. Maple Avenue, Vienna.

With the theme of “Celebrating 125 Years of the Town of Vienna” come incostume to celebrate Halloween. Visit www.viennava.gov.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/OCT. 30-31Water Pumpkin Patch. Friday, 5-7 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tysons

YWCA, 8101 Wolftrap Road, Vienna. Come ready to have fun, swim in thepool with the pumpkins and pick one to go. $6 per person, $20 per [email protected].

stories, rhymes, songs and activitiesfor you and your child. 12-23 monthswith caregiver.

WEDNESDAY/OCT. 2869th Annual Vienna Halloween

Parade. 7 p.m. Maple Avenue,Vienna. With the theme of“Celebrating 125 Years of the Townof Vienna” come in costume tocelebrate Halloween. Visitwww.viennava.gov.

Great Falls Historical SocietyPhoto Review & HistoryGathering, 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.Great Falls Library Meeting Room.Review archive of digitized photos togather history and local memories.All are welcome. www.gfhs.org

Pokemon League. 4:30 p.m. GreatFalls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls. Drop-in and playPokemon with your friends.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY/OCT. 29-31”The Cherry Orchard.” Thursday-

Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m.Madeira Chapel Auditorium, 8328Georgetown Pike, McLean. AntonChekhov’s play on the rich tapestry ofhuman emotion, ambition and desirein a small-town Russian communitycoming to grips with the reality ofchanging times. $5, $10. Purchasetickets at https://www.madeira.org/arts/performing-arts/drama-theatre/buy-tickets/.

THURSDAY/OCT. 29Reading Buddies. 4:30 p.m. Great

Falls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls. Teen Volunteersavailable to read to or with beginningreaders. Ages 3-9.

Da Vinci Drone Coders Network.6:30 p.m. Learn about building,

Champion of the World.” Tickets $5-$15. http://statesmentheatre.org.703-714-5400.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/OCT. 24-25Autumn Harvest Show. 10 a.m. - 4

p.m. Colvin Run Mill, 10017 ColvinRun Road, Great Falls. In time for thefestivities ahead, potters offertabletop items fit to grace aThanksgiving table or haunt aHalloween spread. Credit card, cash,checks accepted.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/OCT. 24-NOV. 1Reston Zoo’s Zooboo. 10 a.m. - 4

p.m. Reston Zoo, 1228 Hunter MillRoad, Vienna. Designed for ayounger audience, Zoo Boo offersfour days of scare-free fun. Join theirsafe zoo neighborhood of Halloweenentertainment, with kid-friendly funaround every corner.

SATURDAY/OCT. 24D.C.’s Dancy Stars Gala. 6 p.m.-12

a.m. Hyatt Regency, Tyson’s Corner,7901 Tysons One Place Tysons. The2nd annual charity ballroom dancingcompetition launched by Fred AstaireDance Studio-Fairfax’s owners andgala co-chairs, Jim David and MariaCoakley David will bring togethersome of D.C.’s hottest celebritynames and notable regional dancersto compete for the 2015 DC MirrorBall Championship trophy and$10,000 for the charity of theirchoice. Chelsie Hightower from ABC’s“Dancing with the Stars,” LamontEaster from “House of Cards” andShane Lewis from “Naked andAfraid,” will be some of the celebrityjudges who will crown the winningcouple. Dress black tie.www.dcsdancingstarsgala.com.

Candlelight Tour of HistoricCemetery. 6 p.m. Tour starts at 7p.m. Church of the Brethren, 10025Courthouse Road, Oakton. Localhistorian Jim Lewis will discuss thehistory of the cemetery, which datesto the Civil War, and will detail thelives of some of those interred there.Cemetery is located at 2845 ChainBridge Road, Vienna. Donation of$10. www.flinthillcemetery.org.

Biscuit. 2 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 7851 LTysons Corner Center, McLean.Biscuit comes to Barnes & Noble atTysons Corner! Join for a specialstorytime and a chance to meet thisbeloved classic character. Freeadmission.

SUNDAY/OCT. 25Stand-up Comedy. 3 p.m. Oakton

High School, 2900 Sutton Road,Vienna. An afternoon of side-splittingstand-up comedy with world-classperformer, Mack Dryden. For ticketsvisit http://scov.org/fundraiser orcall SCOV 703-281-0538 - $25 inadvance; $30 at the door.

Concerts at the Alden. 3 p.m.McLean Community Center, 1234Ingleside Avenue, McLean. Free.

Trunk or Treat. 11 a.m. Great FallsUnited Methodist Church, 10100Georgetown Pike, Great Falls.Community event. Children 5thgrade and under. [email protected].

MONDAY/OCT. 26Spanish Chat. 1 p.m. Great Falls

Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls. Drop in conversationwith native Spanish speaker.

Tiny Tots. 10:30 a.m. Dolley MadisonLibrary, 1244 Oak Ridge Avenue,McLean. Story time featuring stories,rhymes and songs. Ages 13 - 23months with adult.

Small Wonders. 10:30 a.m. PatrickHenry Library, 101 Maple AvenueEast, Vienna. An early literacyenhanced story time, featuring

Martina Boone celebrates the release ofher latest book “Persuasion” at Barnesand Noble in Tysons Corner Center onFriday, Oct. 30.

Judy Gold and Bruce Vilanch perform atThe Alden, McLean Community Center,1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, on Saturday,Nov. 7. The comedians pair up for separatestand-up sets united by their gay, Jewishidentities and raunchy, sidesplitting obser-vations. Mature audiences.


should be re-elected supervisor.A supervisor should focus on thecommunity he serves, listen to hisconstituents, and support the de-cisions that best promote the edu-cation, safety, and communal en-vironment of Dranesville Districtand Fairfax County. John does ex-actly that. He knows the commu-nity, he listens to us, he works hardfor us—and gets results. JohnFoust is the superior candidate andshould be re-elected.

Caroline and Ed PickensMcLean

Leading the Wayon EducationTo the Editor:

John Foust is a strong candidatefor Dranesville Supervisor, as hehas repeatedly demonstratedwhile serving in this position. Hehas a record of balancing eightstraight county budgets. Foust hasshown his strong support for fullfunding of county schools. Morethan any supervisor, he is leadingthe way on education. It is notsurprising that he has indicated hisendorsement by Pat Hynes, Chairof the School Board, 10 Membersof the Board, and the teachers’union.

Foust’s record is solid. He hasearned my vote. His opponent,who did not even show up at arecent “Meet and Greet” at theMcLean Community Center, seems

to be uninterested in the race or isnot prepared to stand up againsta formidable incumbent. I will sup-port and vote for Supervisor JohnFoust.

Vicki PortneyMcLean

Foust Deliversfor DranesvilleTo the Editor:

I find much of the campaign lit-erature that comes to my mail boxthis time before an election to beimmediate waste can material. Iwas surprised recently to get amailer entitled “Meet a GoodNeighbor” from Supervisor JohnFoust. The piece included no at-tacks on his opponent or unsub-stantiated guarantees of tax sav-ings or uncovering wasteful pro-grams. Instead it contained a listof 40 projects that SupervisorFoust implemented over his pasttwo terms in office. This includednumerous projects which haveimproved traffic flow, trails, side-walks, and turf fields. However,also included were major projectssuch as: Widening Route 7 westof Tysons, funding for Metro Sil-ver Line, major expansion ofSpring Hill Rec Center, a new FireStations in Great Falls andHerndon.

This level of accomplishments isquite impressive. I recommend thatvoters check out Supervisor Foust’sweb site: FoustforSupervisor.com,to learn more about his record. I

Opinion

To the Editor:The editorial (“Closer Look at

School Spending,” The Connec-tion, Oct. 14-20, 2015) cites adraft report from the VirginiaJoint Legislative Audit and Re-view Commission (JLARC) tosay that Fairfax County PublicSchools (FCPS) reduced spend-ing by 6.5 percent between2009 and 2014.

It turns out that 2009 was theend of the decade-long housingbubble, during which the realestate tax paid by the typicalFairfax County homeowner in-creased 100 percent, from$2,400 to $4,800.

Between the start of the hous-ing bubble in 2000 and 2016,while FCPS enrollment in-creased 22 percent, FCPSspending increased 100 per-cent. Even after adjusting forinflation, FCPS spending in-creased 38 percent. FCPS staffincreased 27 percent.

FCPS has c la imed thatsince 2008 its budget wascut by $500M and 2,000 po-sitions. In fact, its budgetincreased by $350M and1,000 positions.

The JLARC report notes an in-crease in health insurancespending. It could have in-cluded pensions, too. Since2000, FCPS and Fairfax Countyspending for pensions and“Cadillac” health plans in-creased by $700M. If thatspending had increased at thesame rate as enrollment and

inflation, the increase wouldhave been $400M less.

The editorial notes the in-creasing number of FCPS stu-dents living in poverty. How-ever FCPS has failed over thelast 30 years to raise minority(Hispanic and African-Ameri-can) achievement. Children inpoverty are not getting edu-cated, and a disproportionatenumber of them end up in jail.The problem is not the childrenor their families but the FCPSK-3 curriculum. The minoritystudent achievement gap evi-dent in 12th grade is evident infourth grade. By fourth grade,children should have masteredreading and arithmetic. FCPSfails in both because it does notuse phonics-based reading in-struction and has inadequatedrill in arithmetic. In additionit bores children with socialstudies. Virginia, U.S., andworld history instructionshould begin in Kindergarteninstead of waiting until fourthgrade. Younger children enjoylearning history.

Higher achievement resultingfrom better curricula would re-duce disciplinary and specialeducation costs and save FCPSand the taxpayers tens and per-haps hundreds of millions ofdollars.

Arthur PurvesRepublican Candidate forChairman, Fairfax County

Board of Supervisors

Deeper Look at School SpendingFrom Page 10 know his opponent who has no

experience in Fairfax County pub-lic affairs can’t come close tomatching Foust’s record.

Supervisor Foust has deliveredand should be re-elected Nov. 3.

Susan SachsMclean

‘The BestSupervisor WeHave Ever Had’To the Editor:

The forum held at the McLeanCommunity Center on Wednesday,Oct. 14 and hosted by the Leagueof Women Voters was superblymoderated and very informative.Participant debates were aroundissues thus providing attendeeswith a comparison from which tochoose.

John Foust was asked manyquestions on a broad range of sub-jects. He responded without hesi-tation and gave in depth answers.He knows the Dranesville Districtand he knows Fairfax County. Myown contacts with his office haveconsistently been met with veryprofessional handling of the issuein a timely manner.As a 43 year resident of McLean Isay without reservation that JohnFoust is the best supervisor wehave ever had. He will continueto get my vote.

Joyce SchumanMcLean

Letters to the Editor

By State Sen. David Marsden (D-37)

Del. David Bulova (D-37)

Having both been raised here in Northern Virginia, we have seen first-handhow the chronic congestion problemson I-66 have affected our economy and

quality of life. Like most people in our area, this ispersonal. Traffic on I-66 has stolen countless hoursthat could have been spent with family or at work.That is why we were proud to support the bipartisantransportation package passed by the Virginia Gen-eral Assembly in 2013 that is now generating bil-lions for infrastructure improvements in our region.However, the way revenue is generated does matter,which is why we feel compelled to express our cur-rent opposition to the Virginia Department ofTransportation’s plan to toll I-66 inside the Beltway.

While legitimate concern has been raised with re-gard to the cost to commuters, there is a much deeperprincipal at stake. No one likes the idea of tolls. Butlike water and sewer service, there should at least

be a strong link between who pays and the servicesdelivered. The idea of tolling I-66 inside the Beltwaywithout a solid plan for creating new infrastructurethat directly benefits the toll payers simply fails tomeet this basic test. Likewise, we are concerned thatthis project violates the concept of first do-no-harm.A recent study by Fairfax County found that whilethose using parallel roads won’t be affected in thedirection of rush hour traffic, those who go the op-posite direction will see significant increases in traf-fic. Even if this can be absorbed in the short-term,we have serious doubts about whether this is sus-tainable in the long-term. The days of one-way rushhour traffic are quickly going the way of the dino-saur as areas like Tysons, Herndon, Chantilly, Reston,and Centreville continue to develop. VDOT’s actionsmean that those who are using these local roads willsee their commutes lengthened. This will includeneighborhoods both inside and outside of theBeltway.

We applaud VDOT for coming up with some prom-ising and creative solutions — including the activetraffic management system recently implementedoutside of the Beltway. But the current plan to toll I-66 inside the Beltway without increased capacity isthe wrong way to go. It is a matter of principal.

Opposition to I-66 tollsinside the Beltway.

We Can Do Better


Quality Tree Service& Landscaping

Reasonable prices. Licensed & insured.

24 Hour EmergencyTree Service

25 years of experience – Free estimates 703-868-5358

Summer Cleanup...Tree removal, topping & pruning,shrubbery trimming, mulching,leaf removal, planting, hauling,gutter cleaning, retaining walls,

drainage problems, etc.

TREE SERVICE TREE SERVICE

Zone 6 Ad Deadline:

Monday Noon

703-778-9411

Zone 6: • Arlington • Great Falls

• McLean • Vienna/Oakton

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

GUTTER CLEANINGGutters and Downspouts Cleaned

Small Repairs • Gutter Guards

PINNACLE SERVICESlic/ins 703-802-0483 free est.email [email protected]: lawnsandgutters.comFriendly Service with a Friendly Price!

GUTTER GUTTER

General RemodelingResidential & Commercial

Specializing in:Kitchen/Bathroom/Basement RemodelingPlumbing • Electrical • Custom Carpentry

Doors Windows • Hardwood FloorsCrown Molding • House Cleaning

Interior/Exterior Painting • Brick/Stone WorkCeramic Tile • Decks, Fences, Patios

HOA Maintenance, Granite Counter TopsRealtors Work and Much More

Hand and HandHandyman

Licensed and Insured Serving Northern Virginia

703-296-6409

HANDYMAN HANDYMAN

A&S Landscaping

703-863-7465LICENSED

Serving All of N. Virginia

• All Concrete work• Retaining Walls • Patios• Decks • Porches (incl. screened) • Erosion & Grading Solutions• French Drains • Sump Pumps• Driveway Asphalt Sealing

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

R.N. CONTRACTORS, INC.Remodeling Homes, Flooring,Kitchen & Bath, Windows,Siding, Roofing, Additions &Patios, Custom Deck, Painting

We Accept All Major Credit CardsLicensed, Insured, Bonded • Free Estimates • Class A Lic

Phone: 703-887-3827 Fax: 703-830-3849E-mail: [email protected]

www.rncontractors.com

Remodeling Bathrooms, Kitchens & Basements

Picture PerfectPicture Perfect

Exterior & Interior Repair, Painting, Carpentry,Wood Rot, Drywall, All Flooring, Decks

Licensed – Bonded – Insured“If it can be done, we can do it”

http://www.pphionline.com/

•FREE Estimates•FAST & Reliable Service

•EASY To schedule•NO $$$ DOWN!

Handyman Services Available

(703) 590-3187(703) 590-3187

R&N Carpentry

✦BASEMENTS ✦BATHS ✦KITCHENSForeclosure specialist/Power washing

✦Exterior Wood Rot More!Deck & Fence repair, Screen Porches

No jobs too large or smallFree est. 37 yrs exp. Licensed, Insured

703-987-5096

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

JUAN’S LANDSCAPING Since 1987

Res./Com. • Free Estimates

• CELL 703-732-7175

• COMPLETE TREE SERVICE • MASONRY • LEAF REMOVAL• GUTTER • CHIMNEY CLEANING • HAULING • POWER WASHING• HANDYMAN • PAINTING • TRASH REMOVAL • DRYWAL

LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING

J.E.S. ServicesYour neighborhood company since 1987

703-912-6886

Landscaping & Construction

All work Guaranteed

• Planting & Landscaping Design• Drainage & Water Problems• Concrete Driveways, Replacement or New• Patios and Walks • Masonry Work or Dry Laid• Paver, Flagstone, Brick, any style you choose• Retaining walls of all types

Free Estimates - Fully Licensed & Insured

LAWN SERVICE LAWN SERVICE

Alfredo’s Construction Company, Inc.

www.alfredosconstructioncompany.com

Phone:

VA: (703) 698-0060 • MD: (301) 316-1603

•Concrete Driveways•Patios •Sidewalks

•Stone •Brick

MASONRY MASONRY

Custom Masonry703-768-3900

www.custommasonry.infoPatios, Walkways, Stoops, Steps, DrivewaysRepairs & New Installs•All Work Guranteed

BRICK AND STONE

New Installations & RepairsStone - Flagstone - Brick - Concrete

Potomac Masonry703-498-8526

FREE ESTIMATES!!Lic. & Ins

potomac-masonry.com

GOLDY BRICKCONSTRUCTION

Walkways, Patios, Driveways,Flagstone, ConcreteFREE ESTIMATES

Licensed, Insured, Bonded

703-250-6231

PAVING PAVING

TREE SERVICE TREE SERVICE

LANDSCAPING

Bathrooms, Kitchens,Flooring, complete

remodeling.703-863-7465

A&S CONSTRUCTION

PAVING

Joseph Sealcoating

FreeEstimates!

703-494-5443

40 YearsExperience!

PAVINGSpecialist

HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS:

JK Enterprise Landscape Supply, LLC is one of the largest producers of mulch and

soil products in Northern Virginia. We make it, sell it and distribute it! JK is

looking for experienced Heavy Equipment Operators to work in our

northern Virginia locations. Must have experience operating wheel loader, track loader, excavator, grinding and chipping

equipment.

Make $55,000 to $70,000 a year, depending on experience level.

We offer full time, year-round employment, competitive pay, health and

dental insurance, life insurance, paid leave, 401(k) and profit sharing.

Email resume to [email protected]. No phone calls please.

EmploymentEmployment

Educational InternshipsUnusual opportunity to learn manyaspects of the newspaper business.Internships available in reporting,photography, research, graphics.Opportunities for students, and foradults considering change of career.Unpaid. E-mail [email protected]


Latinos como tú sirviendo a nuestra comunidad

703-444-7804www.VAGoldBuyers.com

21580Atlantic Blvd.

#120Sterling,VA 20166

• We are Local• We Buy Gold, Silver and Diamonds• Over 40,000 Satisfied Customers• We are Licensed and Specialize in State Sales

Not Ready to Sell? Please call us for our Lending Options!

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

Zone 6 Ad Deadline:

Monday Noon

703-778-9411

Zone 6: • Arlington • Great Falls

• McLean • Vienna/OaktonClassifiedClassified

FREE BOOK: Selling Goods due to

downsizing/estate settlement.Only 80 available.

Contact MaxSold Downsizing/Estate Services:202-350-9388, [email protected] or

MaxSold.com/book by Nov.15

16 RE Services 16 RE Services


21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements


21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

We pay top $ for STERLING, MEN'S WATCHES,

JEWELRY, COSTUME JEWELRY, FURNITURE, PAINTINGS AND CLOCKS.

Schefer Antiques703-241-0790

[email protected]

26 Antiques 26 Antiques

JENNIFER SMITH ❖ Serving the Area Since 1995

➣ Speed Up SlowComputers

➣ Virus Removal

➣ Computer Setup➣ Help with Windows 8

571-265-2038

HDICOMPUTER SOLUTIONS

[email protected]

101 Computers 101 Computers

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

I’m Fine UntilI’m Not

I title this column within the context ofyours truly waiting for the results from my mostrecent diagnostic scan, a PET Scan in fact, ascan which offers more detail and clarity thanthe usual and customary CT Scan – withoutcontrast (for those of you in the diagnosticloop) – that I have scheduled every threemonths going on nearly seven years now. I’mnot stressing about it particularly, even thougha post-scan (Wednesday appointment)/pre-weekend e-mail notification providing theresults (especially the good kind) might havede-bumped the weekend road, but we’vebeen down this dusty trail before so we (TeamLourie) will manage. Ergo the title.

My philosophy with respect to life in gen-eral and being a cancer patient in specific hasbeen: “It’s nothing until it’s something.” And ifa follow-up explanation has been required, I’veusually added something like: “It will be badenough when it’s actually bad, so I don’t seethe need to make it bad when so far as weknow, it might be good.” (Sounds like a mne-monic device trying to explain the differencebetween its and it’s.) And continuing to berelatively/comparatively (speaking of grammati-cal/word usage; both apply here, I think)asymptomatic has certainly been a good/make-that-great thing; nevertheless, I can’t help butremember that my original emergency roomvisit on January 1st, 2009 was precipitated bypain in my rib cage which had migrated fromright to left and the associated shortness ofbreath. Three days later however, after beingprescribed six pills to be taken over three days– for a possible pneumonia, my symptoms dis-appeared and remained so until I began che-motherapy a week after my diagnosis was con-firmed on February 27th by my new bestfriend, my oncologist. That’s when the funreally began: side effects of chemotherapy. Butthat’s a whole ’nother series of stories, past andpresumably future.

And since there’s no guaranteeing one’sfuture, all I can do, especially as a non-smallcell lung cancer patient originally characterizedas “terminal,” with late/the latest stage – stageIV – is to minimize the complications I cancontrol: diet, exercise, nutrition and stress, andaccept the ones I can’t. Stress is our four-letterword and maybe even a killer, too. And itserves no real purpose other than to createpain and suffering, when the complete oppo-site is what’s needed and much preferred.Fortunately, my personality enables me to livelife – emotionally – as if I’m not living on theprecipice and about to be robbed of a reasona-bly normal senior circuit, given the fact thatboth my parents lived beyond their mid-eight-ies. (My limited knowledge and presumption ofsuch lineage-related subjects was that as theson, I would likely have the same or better lifeexpectancy.) Being told instead, at age 54 anda half, that I had “13 months to two years tolive” was disappointing to say the least anddownright dehumanizing to say the most.

It certainly becomes a not-merry-go-roundexistence on your date of diagnosis/prognosisand for the seconds, minutes, hours, days,weeks, months and even years ahead (if you’relucky?); but eventually one, at least this one,finds a level on which one can live, love andlaugh and not be constantly overwhelmed byless-than-ideal medical circumstances. Am Ipretending? Am I presuming? Am I hoping andpraying? Am I fighting back my internaldemons? Am I compartmentalizing? Yes! Yes!Yes! Yes! and Yes! Every chance I get. But as thedoctor treating Capt. Augustus McRae in MilesCity, near the end of part three of “LonesomeDove” advised Gus to let the doctor amputatehis remaining leg, Gus replied: “Sawbones, youcan’t have that other leg. Now how would Ikick a pig?” To which the doctor responded: “Iassure, sir, the alternative is gloomy.”

Well, I don’t want to be a gloomy Gus –which Augustus wasn’t, any more that I want tobe a dismal Jimmy, which I rarely am.However, this cancer diagnosis presents allsorts of challenges – some I can overcome,some I can’t. Most of all though, I’m trying tostay in the present, and deal with my futureone day/result at a time.

CLASSIFIEDDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6.....Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4.....Tues @ noonE-mail ad with zone choices to:

[email protected]

or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

EMPLOYMENTDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6.....Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4.....Tues @ noonE-mail ad with zone choices to:

[email protected]

or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

ZONESZone 1: The Reston Connection The Oak Hill/

Herndon ConnectionZone 2: The Springfield Connection The Burke Connection The Fairfax Connection The Fairfax Station/Clifton/

Lorton ConnectionZone 3: The Alexandria

Gazette PacketThe Mount Vernon Gazette

Zone 4: Centre View North Centre View SouthZone 5: The Potomac AlmanacZone 6: The Arlington Connection

The Vienna/OaktonConnection

The McLean ConnectionThe Great Falls Connection

Newspapers & Online

HOW TO SUBMIT ADS TO

EmploymentEmployment

Café Supervisor (FT)Barnes & Noble College creates welcoming, in-store

cafes, serving high-quality coffee, beverages and

food, where students can meet, relax, read and study.

As a Supervisor, you will have oversight responsibility

for Baristas within the café and ensure all daily

operations are consistent with Barnes and Noble

College Café culture, superior customer-service, food

safety and cleanliness standards.

Flexibility in scheduling is necessary.

Salary Commensurate w/ Exp.

770033--992222--22884411 oorr

ssmm665555@@bbnnccoo ll ll eeggee..ccoomm

PEDIATRIC RN/LPNOur busy happy stimulating pediatric practice in Alexandria and Fairfax has

an opening for a PT position with some travel between offices. Ideal for nurses

returning to the workforce. Competitive salary with benefits. Orientation provid-

ed. Fax resume to 703-914-5494 or email to [email protected].

PROGRAM MANAGERThirty year old Education Foundation

representing $29.4 billion/yr. paper/packaging industry seeks

experienced project mngr. to manage and execute programs, e-newsletter,

meetings/events and contact business, engineering, and technical students on

industry career opportunities upon graduation. Strong writing/communica-tion skills. Reports directly to president.

Self starter experienced in either program mgmt., meeting mgmt., assn/corp mgmt., publications or education. Telecommute

/flex full time 40/hrs. week. Great commute reduction opportunity for

Mclean, Great Falls, Tysons, Reston area resident. Salary $65,000- $72,000/ year, depending on experience, plus benefits.

Send brief letter & resume to [email protected] and visit

www.careersincorrugated.org for more.

Sr. Programmer (McLean, VA) Dvlp & maintain in-house dvlpd comp

applics & prgms for email mktg web applic. Monitor in-house servers. Opti-

mize complex dbase queries & stored pro-cedures involving billion+ rows of data.

Prgm & modify existing s/ware to correct complex errors. Works as 1 of 2 sole

gatekeeper authorized to analyze s/ware, perform security checks, & publish new

versions of s/ware to live severs. Fix complex browser rltd issues via prgm

code. Research & ensure our s/ware GUI functions w/latest & upcoming beta

browser updates. Ensure browser updates are compatible w/Sencha ExtJS 4.2.1

Research & update complex source code to ExtJS 4.2.1 to fix bugs in (Sencha)

product. Monitor security & vulnerability prgmg issues. A/B split sending back-end, functionality, GUI, process & monitoring. Create, update & monitor A/B split send-ing process. Utilize knowl of Java, Java-script, extJS, MySQL, ColdFusion. Req: Bachelor's deg in Comp Sci or Info Tech.

Working knowl of Java, Javascript, extJS, MySQL, ColdFusion. Resume to:

Critical Impact Software, Inc., Attn: Dave King, CEO, 7921 Jones Branch Dr,

Ste 230, McLean, VA 22102


Documents

Murphy vs. Parisot, Double Sequelconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/...Oct 20, 2015 · McLean Connection October 21-27, 2015 3 News 703-778-9414 or [email protected]