VA Senate District Debate Moves to American Legion Post in Vienna
On Thursday, April 20th at 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m., there will be a debate between the Democratic candidates for the 37th Senate District of Virginia. The debate will take place at the American Legion Post 180 in Vienna, Virginia. The candidates will answer pre-selected questions posed by moderator Doug Francis, and field questions from the audience.
The candidates are: Chap Petersen, current 34th District Senator; Erika Yalowitz and Saddam Salim.
F.C. Ranked 2nd in U.S. for ‘Suburb With City-Like Lifestyle’
The City of Falls Church has been named second best in the U.S. for urban lifestyles in a suburban setting by StorageCafe, a national clearing house for rental storage units. The firm ranked the top 20 such candidates, and Falls Church came in second only to Edina, Minnesota.
According to its report on the rankings, StorageCafe said, “Boasting an ideal mix of diverse residential options, a growing business environment, plus lifestyle amenities, Edina, MN, Falls Church, VA and Palo Alto, CA, are the country’s top three suburbs for a city-like lifestyle.”
The report says the following of Falls Church: “With around 15K residents, Falls Church, VA, is one of the smallest suburbs among the top 20 in our ranking, but it still managed to rank second nationally for a city-like environment. Falls Church is in fact packed with great amenities that allow a comfortable lifestyle. The housing inventory is equally divided between single family and multifamily options, adding a strong note of diversity to the local scene. Thanks to its growing appeal, new residential construction is booming in the area. As it turns out, Falls Church ranks fifth for new home supply among the suburbs analyzed, with 60 building permits per 1,000 people in 2022. Housing, however, is certainly not cheap, though the high incomes in Falls Church tend to bridge the affordability gap. The median household income is over $155K – more than double the national average – and the local economic sector counts over 44 businesses per 1,000 residents.”
Funds Raised by Candidates In Local Places Reported
First quarter 2023 fundraising numbers reported by candidates in this year’s elections were made public Tuesday, and for the races on the ballot in Falls Church the totals look like this:
Senate District 37 Democratic primary: Sen. Chap Petersen $158,554 raised and $554,192 on hand; Salim Saddam $87,069 raised and $54,765 on hand; Erica Milena Yalowitz $42,487 raised and $27,336 on hand.
Falls Church/Arlington Commonwealth Attorney: Joshua Katcher $105,526 raised, $84,268 on hand; Parisa Dehghani-Tafti $66,613 raised, $52,909 on hand.
Beyer Honors First-Responders At Arlington Retirement Village
As representatives of Arlington’s police, fire, sheriff and emergency services teams looked on, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., on April 12 inaugurated plaques and a garden in their honor at the half-century-old Arlington retirement community Culpepper Garden.
In a sunny-day ribbon-cutting for its new Gibboney Walk Garden—to be lined with native plants—Beyer joined Culpeper’s board members and county board members Matt de Ferranti and Takis Karantonis as he praised the first-responders on whom senior citizens in particular depend. Beyer recalled being a small boy and tagging along on his father’s rounds as a military police officer. — Charlie Clark
Home & Garden Tour Scored Big Last Weekend
The 2023 Falls Church Home and Garden Tour raised over $35,0090 to support the Falls Church Education Foundation and the Falls Church City Public Schools. Organizers Jeanine Bonds and Cyndi Bohlin reported it drew the largest crowd for the event in its history with over 600 tickets sold.
Former U.S. Rep Moran Announces Consulting Firm
The launch of Moran Global Strategies, led by former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, was announced last week. “Through decades of experience in both the legislative and executive branches of government, and at the local, state, federal, and international levels, our team knows that personal relationships are the key to forging policy results,” the announcement stated.
“By leveraging our far-reaching, well-cultivated connections, institutional knowledge, and policy expertise, the team provides first-class government relations services such as lobbying, strategic consulting, advocacy, and policy development,” the announcement stated.
