Herndon Hosts MLK Day of Serviceconnectionarchives.com/PDF/2012/011812/Herndon.pdf · 2006 I had no...

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Oak Hill ❖ Herndon

January 18-24, 2012

HerndonHosts MLKDay ofServiceNews, Page 3

Mayoral RaceGets StartedNews, Page 2

Allen DeclaresWar on Unions

News, Page 12

HerndonHosts MLKDay ofService

Ava Zelensky, 9, ties togethera fleece blanket that will go toa child in the hospital during

Volunteer Fairfax’s familyvolunteer day Monday, Jan. 16at the Herndon Senior Center.

Page 9

2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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News

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

Herndon’s current ViceMayor Lisa Merkel hasannounced she will run

for mayor in the town’s upcomingelection. Merkel, who has lived inHerndon since 2002, was electedto her first council term in 2010.

“As Mayor, I will continue to fo-cus on the critical issues I have ad-vocated for as Vice Mayor, issuesthat will move Herndon forward,”she said in a statement Monday.“These include implementing theTown’s Economic Development ini-tiative, planning appropriately forthe diverse needs of both the MetroStation Area and our downtown,while maintaining town servicesand safety in our neighborhoods.”

Merkel was a teacher in FairfaxCounty for eight years and hasserved on several committees re-garding development for DullesRail, as well as being involved earlyon with downtown redevelopment.

Current Mayor SteveDeBenedittis also announcedMonday that he will not seek re-election to a fourth term. He waselected in 2006, and has lived inHerndon since 1968.

“When I first ran for Mayor in2006 I had no political resume. I ranbecause Herndon was facing seri-ous problems and I felt that it wasimportant for citizens to get in-volved in saving the character andfiscal stability of Herndon, where Igrew up and am now raising myown family,” he said. “It is now mytime to move on, and let others workto improve our community.”

The election for mayor and thesix-member council will take placeMay 1. More information is avail-able at www.herndon-va.gov.

MayoralRace GetsStarted

Vice Mayor Lisa Merkelannounced Monday thatshe will run for mayor inthe town’s May 1 election.

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NewsHerndon Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

The Dulles RegionalChamber of Com-merce hosted Metro-

politan Washington Airports Au-thority President Jack Potter attheir newsmaker luncheonWednesday, Jan. 11. Potter, whowas selected as president lastJune, served as Postmaster Gen-eral from June 2001 to Decem-ber 2010.

Potter’s main priority wasproviding an update on the sta-tus of Dulles Metrorail.

“The station at Wiehle Av-enue is taking shape, the planright now is that in 2013 we’llbe able to complete Phase One,”he said. “We’re about 60 per-cent finished in terms of con-struction.”

He also said the tunnelthrough Tysons Corner wascomplete, and they’re ready tostart the next step, which is lay-ing rail through it.

“For Phase Two, we’re in theprocess of preliminary engi-neering, which should be doneat the end of February, whenwe‘ll see what constructioncompanies are interested,” hesaid. “After the project is sub-mitted to MWAA for approval,including cost estimates …Loudoun County and FairfaxCounty will have a 90-day re-view period, where they willdecide to go along with theproject or stop the project.”

Frances Craig, president andCEO of Unanet Technologies,said she was interested inPotter’s presentation becauseshe believes rail is vital to the

area’s future.“If you go to any major city

in the world, Rome, Paris, Lon-don, San Francisco, Los Ange-les, New York, Boston, you canfly in and take rail to the centerof the city,” she said. “That’swhat I want to happen here, sowe’re very supportive.”

Potter also provided a briefupdate on the state of the air-ports, including an expandedinternational arrivals section.He said while airplane revenuesstayed stable in 2011, airlinesare changing the way they dobusiness.

“Airlines have moved from astrategy where they have to bein every market, to wherethey‘re very much focused onprofitability. They‘ve kept atight cap on passenger growth,and we‘re seeing a downsizingof aircraft,” he said. “The bot-tom line is, while the industryhas been stable, it does have itschallenges, and it’s meetingthose challenges by downsizingand for us that’s problematic. Asan airport, we make moneywhen people fly.”

Kirk Forman, chair of theDulles Regional Chamber ofCommerce, said he believesPotter’s experience makes himan ideal person to help com-plete Dulles Metrorail.

“Having managed an organi-zation with more than 500,000employees as Postmaster Gen-eral, his work to enhance theworkplace environment hascontributed to record levels ofsafety and employee satisfac-tion,” he said

More information on thechamber is available atwww.dullesregionalchamber.org.

Jack Potter provides update onDulles Metrorail.

Chamber HostsMWAA President

Jack Potter, president of the Metropolitan WashingtonAirport Authority, speaks to members of the DullesRegional Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, Jan. 11.

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Herndon’s MLK Day of ServiceHundreds gather to serveat Senior Center.

From left,Gillian

TweddleNickson, 9

and IsabellaAcosta, 9,

make afleece dogtoy at theHerndon

SeniorCenter

Monday, Jan.16 as part of

VolunteerFairfax’s

family volun-teer day.

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By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

During the 2010 holiday season,Karen Bender of Herndon felt alittle overwhelmed. Her family cel-ebrates both Christmas and

Hanukah, and she felt like they went throughan entire month of getting presents.

“We felt like it was too much, a whole monthof receiving gifts, and I thought it was impor-tant to show my son that it’s just as important

to give back,” she said. “Wewanted to find opportunitiesthat weren’t just picking uptrash or something like that,but something that would cre-ate a positive feeling when itcomes to giving back.”

Bender and her family de-cided to attend VolunteerFairfax’s Martin Luther King Jr.Day of Service at the HerndonSenior Center last year, andthey returned again this year.

“I found it hard to findevents that the whole family

could participate in, but this is a great one,”she said. “It’s just a great opportunity for chil-dren who constantly receive to feel the need togive back, and have fun doing it.”

MORE THAN 100 VOLUNTEERS came tothe center during the day Monday, choosing tospend their holiday working on various projectsfor people in need. Volunteers made fleece blan-kets and bracelets for children in hospitals, aswell as toys for local rescue shelter dogs.

For Connor Tweddle, 12, making the chewtoys for dogs was just the latest occasion to helpout his favorite cause.

“I love doing things to help dogs all yearround, I even asked for donations to animalshelters for my birthday,” he said. “There’s nosuch thing as a bad dog, people just train and

treat them bad.”His friend Sean Lasik, 12, participated in the event

last year, and said he enjoys any activity to help dogs.“I like helping train dogs to be better to not jump

on people, and making toys for them to play with ispart of that,” he said.

Jacqueline Allen and her husband Hervey ofWoodbridge, came with their group, the Transfigu-ration Christian Fellowship Ministries, based inAshburn. Both are also National Guard members.

“We’re so excited to be a part of something likethis,” Jacqueline Allen said. “We’ve done things likeWalk for the Cure and collecting food for local shel-ters, we’re just grateful for any chance to show ourcommitment to the community around us, not justinside the church.”

The Herndon Senior Center was one of three loca-tions that Volunteer Fairfax had going throughoutthe day. Volunteers also gathered in Alexandria andFairfax, with more than 1,000 participating.

“The Senior Center came to us and volunteeredtheir space, and it’s a great space to host an eventlike this, very versatile,” said Phoebe Bicknell, agencyrelations coordinator for Volunteer Fairfax. “We reachout to local groups and PTAs, and since we had agreat response last year, we’re back. I’ve already seena lot of ‘repeat customers’ from last year.”

MORE INFORMATION on Volunteer Fairfax, whichconnects volunteers from around the county, can befound at www.volunteerfairfax.org.

From left, Jacqueline Allen and her husbandHervey tie together blankets for hospital-ized children Monday, Jan. 16 as part ofVolunteer Fairfax’s family volunteer day

“We’re soexcited tobe a part ofsomethinglike this”

— JacquelineAllen


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OPEN HOUSESSATURDAY/SUNDAY, JANUARY 21 & 22

Call Specific Agents to Confirm Dates & Times.

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By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

Sen. Mark Herring (D-33)and Del. Tom Rust (R-86)hosted a town hall meeting at the Herndon Town

Council chambers Saturday, Jan.14 to speak with constituentsabout the upcoming General As-sembly session.

“You see the governor’s budgetnow, but don’t panic about gettingless money or get excited aboutgetting more money,” Rust said.“The final budget won’t come outuntil the last day or two of the ses-sion, which will be in late March.”

Rust did say he hoped to get oneitem put back in the budget thatwas taken out.

“The governor has taken out ofthe budget, what we call ‘the costto compete,’ which gives extramoney to Northern Virginia, pri-marily for teachers and publicsafety personnel,” he said. “I’mgoing to try and get that money,which is about $33, $34 million,back.”

Herring said the Northern Vir-ginia delegation plans to fight for

News

Legislators Host Town HallSen. Herring andDel. Rust sharesession priorities.

From left, Sen. Mark Herring (D-33) and Del. Tom Rust (R-86) speak to constituents about their priorities for theGeneral Assembly session Saturday, Jan. 14 in Herndon.

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more education dollars in this area.“I was concerned when the governor reached his

budget that a lot of the items reduced the money foreducation, so one of my ini-tiatives will be to try and re-verse those,” Herring said.

Another of his educationplans called for additionalmoney for career and techni-cal schools.

“I’m a big supporter ofhigher education, but collegesand universities are not foreveryone,” he said. “We needto make sure that the kids whoare graduating from highschool and not going on tocollege are fully prepared toenter the workforce in a tradeor other type of vocation.”

Charlie McPherson of Herndon said he was gladto hear both officials speak about the importance ofeducation funding.

“I know it might sound like we’re the spoiled peopleup here in Northern Virginia always asking for moreeducation money, and I know the southern Virginiaeconomies aren’t as well off as we are, but thatdoesn’t mean we should suffer for it,” he said. “Infact, the way we avoid that sort of misfortune is tomake sure we continue to provide a good education,which will continue to attract businesses, which inturn will generate more revenue. It sounds like bothMark and Tom know that, which is good to hear.”

Herring also said he plans to make sure the “statesteps up” when it comes to Metrorail funding.

“The governor’s announcement that he would askfor $150 million toward Phase Two of the project isa welcome first step, but it’s not enough. This is a

project of regional, state andnational significance,” hesaid. “The governor previ-ously said he would ask for$500 million to go to theHampton Roads Bridge tun-nel project to help keep tollsdown. He’s asked for $400million to go to a public-pri-vate partnership on Route 460in Tidewater, also to keep tollsdown to a reasonable level. Ithink if they can find $900million to go to two projectsin Hampton Roads area, Vir-ginia can do more than $150to keep tolls down in North-

ern Virginia, so I’ve asked that the number be $500million.”

HERNDON COUNCILMEMBER Bill Tirrell said heappreciated the legislators’ efforts to keep tolls down.

“I think everyone who uses the toll road appreci-ates that,” he said. “I think all of our legislators havebeen pretty pro-active in encouraging the state along.Congressman [Frank] Wolf (R-10) has been a dynamoin getting money on the Phase One side. We reallyencourage that, because as a toll player, I’m really notlooking forward to some of the estimates out there.”

More information on Herring can be found atwww.markherring.org, and Rust can be found atwww.tomrust.org.

“I was concerned whenthe governor reached hisbudget that a lot of theitems reduced the moneyfor education, so one ofmy initiatives will be totry and reverse those”

— Sen. Mark Herring (D-33)


Opinion

Building on Pro-business CultureNew industry sectorsare critical to FairfaxCounty’s continuedeconomic success.

By Sharon Bulova

Chairman, Board of Supervisors

In the speech I gave Dec. 13 as I wassworn in as chairman of the Board of Su-pervisors, I quoted Albert Einstein, whosaid, “In the middle of difficulty lies op-

portunity.” The continuing economic problemsthat afflict the nation, and the federal budget

cuts that could take effectsoon, provide FairfaxCounty an opportunity tocontinue the significant and

diversified economic development successes ofthe past several years.

Fairfax County is fortunate to be at the door-step of the nation’s capital. Our proximity toWashington has made us a natural base forcompanies that want to do business with thefederal government, and our ability to attractand retain government contractors has been a

critical element in thecounty becoming theeconomic engine of theWashington area as wellas the Commonwealthof Virginia. And, ofcourse, the commercial-ization of governmenttechnology, includingthe Internet, has alsohelped create busi-nesses and jobs in

Fairfax County.We are proud that 66 of the nation’s 100 larg-

est government contractors have a presencein the county, including 22 that are based here.Government contractors employ FairfaxCounty residents and perform some of the mostvital tasks required by the nation.

Of course, no community can sustain itselfover time unless it has a diverse economy.Fairfax County will continue to foster the busi-ness-friendly climate that has attracted somany corporate relocations in the last severalyears, and we will continue to welcome gov-ernment contractors to our community. But,we also will redouble our efforts to attract com-panies from a wide array of appropriate in-dustry sectors to diversify our economic base.

Commentary

The county, working through the EconomicDevelopment Authority, has in recent yearslanded the headquarters of high-profile largeemployers that are helping us diversify oureconomy. Volkswagen Group of America andHilton Worldwide give us important inroads inthe automotive and hospitality industries, forexample. Most recently Bechtel, one of the larg-est engineering and construction companies inthe world, announced it would relocate its glo-bal operations headquarters to Fairfax County.That is the kind of progress that the county canbuild upon for future economic success.

In my inaugural speech, I also referred to abusiness owner who moved his IT firm to thecounty. He told me how much he liked themood here and that he wanted to be in a placewhere people enjoy what they do and are“charged up” about their work and their com-munity. Our corporate leaders, like our resi-dents, appreciate that, during these challeng-ing times, Fairfax County has developed andimproved on our pro-business culture. That willcontinue to be important in these difficult timesas we look for new opportunities to improvethe economic stability of the county in 2012and beyond.

Sharon Bulova chairs the Fairfax County Board ofSupervisors.

Sharon Bulova

Letters to the Editor

Volunteering on MLK DayTalia Schmitt, 16, of Fairfax, helps Tyler Prevett, ofVienna, and his children James, 5, and Jessie, 3,make compost boxes on the campus of George MasonUniversity on Monday morning. Talia was volunteer-ing for Volunteer Fairfax’s third annual Family Volun-teer Day in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Playing by RulesTo the Editor:

Much has been said in recentdays about the Republican Presi-dential primary ballot and thenews that only Mitt Romney andRon Paul have been certified to beplaced on the ballot by the StateBoard of Elections for the March6 primary election.

To understand what happened,the process must first be under-stood. State law is very clear thatto be certified, a candidate mustobtain on petitions the signaturesof 10,000 qualified voters in Vir-ginia with at least 400 in each con-gressional district.

Again, by the law the state po-litical parties are required to ex-amine the submitted petitions,verify that the minimum thresh-old is met and issue certificationsfor those who meet these re-quirements. The process is welldefined in the Code of Virginiaand all of the Republican candi-dates were made aware of theserequirements which, incidentally,have been in place for a numberof years.

The real question now is whydid the results turn out as theydid? Some have suggested thatthe State Board of Elections andRepublican Party manipulatedthings to produce these results.From the understanding which Iobtained from news reports, twocandidates (Romney and Paul)

submitted petitions and met the10,000 valid signatures require-ment and two other candidates(Gingrich and Perry) submittedpetitions but “did not come closeto the 10,000 valid signaturethreshold,” to quote from astatement provided on thewebsite of the Republican Partyof Virginia.

The other three candidates(Bachman, Santorum andHuntsman) did not submit anypetitions and, therefore by de-fault, did not meet the require-ment to be certified. I am confi-dent that the State Board ofElections and the RepublicanParty believe in the “rule of law.”It is my opinion that they did theirvery best to follow the intent andspirit of the law in carrying out theproscribed process.

I believe it is regrettable thatonly two candidates qualified butall of the candidates knew the re-quirements of the law. If peoplehave questions about the fairnessof the situation, I suggest theyimmediately contact their Del-egate and State Senator to initiateamendments to the law (Section24.2-545 of the Code of Virginia).The law specifies the process andif you are not satisfied with theresults of that process, then youshould work to change the law.

Anne DamonFairfax

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6 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2012 Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 18-24, 2012 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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LIVE Music!Every Weekend 9:30pm-1:30am

By David Siegel

The Connection

Youthful dreams and am-bitions while searchingfor love makes for “a per-

fect little winter romantic mu-sical; really an affectionate loveletter to an audience,” saidaward-winning veteran directorTodd Huse of “Rooms, A RockRomance.” The next EldenStreet Players offering is sweetand edgy as it tells “the tale of arelationship of two polar oppo-sites” through music and lyrics.

With a score of rock songs andshow tunes backed by a six-piece band, the musical “is notthe same old rock rhythms usu-ally heard, but a variety of mu-sical styles,” said musical direc-tor Blakeman Brophy. He willdirect the band through theshow’s 90 minutes and a songlist of nearly two dozen songsincluding songs that range fromthe tender to the punk. There iseven one for a Bat Mitzvah en-titled “Scottish-Jewish Prin-cess.”

The story follows a young girlsinger/songwriter, who meetsan equally young but lessdriven, isolated boy rocker. Shewants to get places fast while hehas his share of personal issuesand addictions that can makeartistic success or loving some-one somewhat difficult. Thisleads to a spirited, “push-pull”of a bond, both creatively andromantically. The show’s arc fol-lows the couple through severalyears of travels together fromGlasgow, Scotland to London tothe New York City punk rockscene.

Huse described the show as “agreat little musical that too fewhave yet seen or heard. It is a

rare find... unusual in that it ismostly sung, with less spokendialogue than is often the normfor a musical.” The music andlyrics for “Rooms, A Rock Ro-mance” were written by PaulScott Goodman who collabo-rated with his wife MiriamGoodman in co-writing thebook.

The two-actor show featuresnewcomer Kate Roehr as theyoung woman who feels askewand dreams of “bringing the fu-ture faster.” She doesn’t quiteyet “understand what lifemeans beyond that things arejust not coming fast enough” asshe chases after life full speedaccording to Roehr. But shedoes knows that songs shapeher life.

Michael J. Perez is the malelead. While his character is anedgy rocker he described theshow as “a very down-to-earthmusical” about two people jour-neying toward love and successthrough any number of trials asthey move well beyond just sit-ting in a room feeling alone.

Michael J. Perez (leftwith guitar) and KateRoehr (right).

Where and When“Rooms, A Rock Romance” presented by the Elden Street Players, Indus-

trial Strength Theatre, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon. Performances Jan.27-Feb. 18. Fridays & Saturdays 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m., Sunday,Feb.12 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets $23. 703-481-5930or logon: www.eldentreetplayers.thundertix.com.

A Spirited MusicalElden Street Players present‘Rooms, A Rock Romance.’

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By Jeanne Theismann

The Connection

The Elden Street Playersgarnered 22 nomina-tions as the Washing-ton Area Theatre Com-

munity Honors announced thenominees for the 2012 WATCHAwards Jan. 15 at the BirchmereMusic Hall in Alexandria.

Last year’s production of “Ain’tMisbehavin’” garnered 11 nomina-tions including Outstanding Musi-cal. Outstanding Play nominee “AMid-Summer Night’s Dream”earned seven nods while “ThrillMe” walked away with three and“Frozen” with one nomination.

Richelle “Rikki” Howie, who diddouble duty as director and per-former in “Ain’t Misbehavin,’” wasnominated for Outstanding Direc-tion of a Musical as well as Out-standing Featured Actress in aMusical for her role as CharlayneWoodward. Howie’s co-starsMichelle Harmon and Jade Joneswere also nominated in the Out-standing Featured Actress category.

Adam Downs, one of the finestactors in the region, was nomi-nated as Outstanding Lead Actorin a Play for his role as Ralph in“Frozen.” He was also recognizedin the Outstanding Featured Actorin a Play category for his work in“Noises Off” at The Little Theatre

of Alexandria.Joining Downs as a multiple

WATCH Award-nominee is JaclynYoung, who earned an Outstand-ing Featured Actress in a Play nodfor her role in the ESP productionof “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream,”an Outstanding Featured Actress ina Musical nomination for“Hairspray” at The Little Theatreof Alexandria and OutstandingHair Design in a Musical and Out-standing Makeup Design in a Mu-sical in the Reston CommunityPlayers production of “The DrowsyChaperone.”

Evan Hoffman garnered dualnominations for “A Mid-summerNight’s Dream,” getting nods forOutstanding Direction of Play andOutstanding Set Decoration of aPlay.

Nominees were selected from127 productions that were adjudi-cated at 32 community theatre

Elden Street Players Garner 22WATCH Award Nominations

Community

“Ain’t Misbehavin’”leads with 11 nods.

Chris Prince, Rikki Howie, Jade Jones, Michelle Harmonand Patrick Doneghy in “Ain’t Misbehavin.’”

Co

urtesy pho

to

/ESP

companies. In each of 38 catego-ries, five nominees (more in caseof a tie) were selected based on theaverage scores of eight judges.

Winners will be announced atthe WATCH Awards ceremonyMarch 11 at The Birchmere MusicHall.

❖ Outstanding Direction of a Play - EvanHoffmann - A Midsummer Night’sDream

❖ Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play- Jaclyn Young as “Hermia/Snout/Wall” - A Midsummer Night’s Dream

❖ Outstanding Play - A MidsummerNight’s Dream

❖ Outstanding Set Decoration in a Play -Evan Hoffmann - A MidsummerNight’s Dream

❖ Outstanding Set Painting in a Play -Kate Meier & Karl Meier - AMidsummer Night’s Dream

❖ Outstanding Sound Design in a Play -Ben Allen - A Midsummer Night’sDream

❖ Outstanding Stage CombatChoreography - Katherine Frattini - AMidsummer Night’s Dream

❖ Outstanding Direction of a Musical -Richelle “Rikki” Howie - Ain’tMisbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Featured Actor in aMusical - Patrick Doneghy as “AndreDeShields” - Ain’t Misbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Featured Actor in aMusical - Christopher Prince as “KenPage” - Ain’t Misbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Featured Actress in aMusical - Michelle Harmon as“Armeila McQueen” - Ain’tMisbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Featured Actress in aMusical - Rikki Howie as “CharlayneWoodard” - Ain’t Misbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Featured Actress in aMusical - Jade Jones as “Nell Carter” -Ain’t Misbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Music Direction - J.

Elden Street Players Nominations Michael d’Haviland - Ain’tMisbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Musical - Ain’tMisbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Set Construction in aMusical - James Villarrubia et al -Ain’t Misbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Set Design in a Musical -James Villarrubia - Ain’t Misbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Set Painting in a Musical -Cathy Rieder & James Villarrubia -Ain’t Misbehavin’

❖ Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play -Adam Downs as “Ralph” - Frozen

❖ Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical -Christopher Smith as “Nathan” - ThrillMe

❖ Outstanding Light Design in a Musical- Tom Epps - Thrill Me

❖ Outstanding Set Design in a Musical -Grant Kevin Lane - Thrill Me

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 18International Guitar Night. 8 p.m.

The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 TrapRoad, Vienna. Acoustic guitarists

Adrian Legg, Lulo Reinhardt, MarcoPereira, and Brian Gore. $25. 1-877-965-3872 or www.wolftrap.org.

THURSDAY/JAN. 19Before Reston: Colonial and Early

History of the Reston Area. 7p.m. Reston Community Center-LakeAnne, 1609 Washington Plaza,Reston. Local historian KarenWashburn and Assistant Professor TedMcCord of George Mason Universitywith a discussion of King Charles IIand the Northern Neck proprietarygrants, how they limited settlement incomparison with the rest of ColonialVirginia, and how the land transferredfrom the Culpeper family to theFairfax family. Free. 703-709-7700 [email protected].

Baby Steps Storytime. 10:30 a.m.Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.Interactive storytime. Age 12-23months with adult. 703-689-2700.

One-on-One Computer Tutoring. 2p.m. Oakton Library, 10304Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Learn thebasics of the Internet, Word andExcel. Call for an appointment.Adults. 703-242-4020.

Book Discussion. 7 p.m. OaktonLibrary, 10304 Lynnhaven Place,Oakton. Skeletons of the Feast by

Christopher Bohjalian. Adults. 703-242-4020.

eBook/eReader Instruction. 7:30p.m. Oakton Library, 10304Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Learnabout library eBooks and how toaccess them with your compatibledevice. Call for appointment. Adults.703-242-4020.

Christine Lavin. 8 p.m. Barns at WolfTrap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Folkmusic. $20. www.wolftrap.org.

Country Rocker Rick Caballo. 9:30p.m. Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern, 697Spring St., Herndon.www.jimmystavern.com.

FRIDAY/JAN. 20“Lend Me a Tenor.” 8 p.m. Reston

Community Players, 266 Sunset ParkDrive, Herndon. Tickets $15-$21.703-476-4500 or restonplayers.org.

Red Molly. 8 p.m. Barns at Wolf Trap,1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Folk music.$20. www.wolftrap.org.

SATURDAY/JAN. 21“Lend Me a Tenor.” 8 p.m. Reston

Community Players, 266 Sunset Park

EntertainmentSend announcements to [email protected]. Deadline is Thursday for the following week’s paper. Photos/art-

work encouraged. For additional listings, visit www.connectionnewspapers.com.

Drive, Herndon. Tickets $15-$21.703-476-4500 or restonplayers.org.

Science Spectacular. 11 a.m. RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. A wild andwacky scientist will perform eye-catching experiments. Age 6-12. 703-689-2700.

Reception and Gallery talk. 5-7 p.m.Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE),12001 Market Street, Suite 103,Reston. The 2012 Winter Focusexhibitions features works by SuziFox, Leah Frankel, and David Meyer.Open through Feb. 17. 703-471-9242

or www.restonarts.org.2012 Lunar New Year Blessing

Ceremony. 3:30 p.m. TheWashington DC Chapter of theBuddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, 1516Moorings Drive, Reston. Celebrate theLunar New Year and a red envelopeblessings from Tzu Chi’s founderDharma Master Cheng Yen, andentertainment by the students of theDC Tzu Chi Academy. 703-707-8606.

Tom Chapin. 7:30 p.m. Barns at WolfTrap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna.Singer/songwriter. $22.www.wolftrap.org.

For a free digital subscription toone or all of the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go to www.ConnectionNewspapers.com andclick on:

Complete digital replica of theprint edition, including photosand ads, delivered weekly toyour e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail: [email protected]

Free DigitalSubscriptions


Sports

Janet Hu competes in the 200-free event during Oakton’s victory overChantilly.

Philip Hu took first place in both the 100-back and fly events.

Pho

to

s by K

atie Pierce

Oakton Out-touches Chantilly in Concorde Swim MeetWin and Loss forFlint Hill Swimming.

By Katie Pierce

Special to the Connection

Oakton High School’s varsityswim and dive teams took tothe water against ChantillyHigh School on Friday night,

Jan. 6 at Oak Marr Recreation Center.Oakton’s boys and girls fought to the fin-ish, and held tight to their undefeatedrecord this season. The boys won 160-155,and the girls won 177-135.

Oakton dive had another week of greatperformances, led by Joe LeBerre’s firstplace.

The meet continued with close swimsacross the board. The little victories, such

as Cougar swimmers finishing sixth placerather than seventh, or fourth place ratherthan fifth, were the meet details whichhelped both Oakton teams win.

“It was a really close meet - closer thanwe had anticipated, but we pulled throughin the end,” said Stephanie Hallock, one ofthe Oakton team captains. “If we keep upthe hard work, there’s a definite possibilityof an undefeated season and a shot for thestate title.”

Philip Hu placed first in both of his indi-vidual events - 100-yard butterfly and 100-backstroke. Conor Murphy placed first inthe 50-freestyle and was second in the 100-freestyle. Ryan Santoro finished first in 100-breaststroke and second in 50-freestyle.

Janet Hu placed first in both the 200-freestyle and 100-butterfly. Laura Brantonfinished first in both the 50-freestyle andin 100-freestyle.

OAKTON SWEEPS ROBINSONOakton, in its most recent meet last Fri-

day night, went head to head with RobinsonSecondary for the second time this seasonat Cub Run Recreation Center. Oakton’sboys and girls both had a strong meet, stay-ing undefeated. The boys won 202-113, andthe girls won 192 - 123.

The meet started off with Senior Recog-nition Night. Dr. Banbury, the Oakton HighPrincipal, and Pat Full, Oakton’s AthleticDirectory, were on deck to pay tribute tothe Cougar team’s 20 graduating seniors.

Cheryl Meltz, head dive coach, shared herthoughts on the night.

“We got to pay tribute to our 20 wonder-ful senior swimmers and divers who havedone so much for our team over the last fouryears,” said Meltz. “We will definitely misstheir contributions to the team after theygraduate. We are excited to have both our

boys’ and girls’ teams undefeated going intoour last dual meet. We are hoping to finishup the season undefeated in our last dualmeet next weekend and then look forwardto an amazing championship season.”

Oakton dive had another week of strongperformances off the board, as Joe LeBerretook second for the boys.

Philip Hu placed first in both 200-freestyleand 500-freestyle. Carter Sharer also took firstin two events - 200-individual medley and100-butterfly. Conor Murphy finished first in100-backstroke and second in 50-freestyle.

Janet Hu finished first in 200-individualmedley and 100-freestyle. Julia Capobiancoplaced first in 100-butterfly and 100-back-stroke.

Oakton will return to the pool for the lastmeet of the regular season at 8:30 pm Fri-day, Jan. 20, against Robinson Secondaryat Audrey Moore.

Herndon Connection Sports Editor Rich Sanders

703-224-3031 or [email protected]

By Rich Sanders

The Connection

One year has made a positive dif-ference for the Herndon Highwrestling team. Last winter, the

Hornets had a skeleton line-up with just fivevarsity team members. This season that hasall changed as Herndon has enough person-nel to fill out each weight class in competi-tions. Wins have been hard to come by, butat least Herndon is able to compete at all ofthe weight classes.

“Last season we were forfeiting the restof the weight [divisions],” said veteranHerndon High head coach Mike Gonzales.“This year we have been able to field awhole team. We’ve been placing more wres-tlers at tournaments as well.”

Herndon’s top wrestlers have been GabePike (126 pounds), Jared Nielsen (106),

Bassam Estwani (152), Sean Pike (132),and Andrew Healy (220).

Gabe Pike, a senior, has qualified for thepostseason Northern Region tournament ineach of his previous three years and earneda region place finish last year as a junior.He is currently ranked in the region.

Nielsen, meanwhile, is a returningConcorde District place finisher.

Healy has been a pleasant surprise thisseason and is currently undefeated in thedistrict. He won his weight class at a holi-day tournament and made the finals of an-other tournament.

“Our expectations are for everyone toqualify for the regional tournament and wina match at regionals,” said Gonzales, whoseteam was 1-8 going into this week’s action.“We’ll be in good shape next year as we’reonly losing four varsity starters.”

HERNDON’S lone win thus far came in anon-district home dual match versus FallsChurch High on Dec. 21. The Hornets wonthat day by a score of 48-26. Herndon hadseven pin winners versus the Jaguars. Thosepin wins came from: Alex Palomo (heavy-weight), Healy (220 weight class), KhaledMoustafa (182), William Mejia (152), GabePike (126), Chris Gaffney (112), and YusufAhmed (113).

Other wins by Herndon wrestlers versusFalls Church came from Estwani (160), 7-2decision; and Nielsen (106) by a 6-1 score.

Back on Dec. 10, Herndon, in a tri-meetat Dominion High School (Dulles District)in Sterling, gave the home team Titans agood showing in a 45-36 loss. Pin victoriesfor Herndon against Dominion came fromEstwani (152), Sean Pike (132), Gabe Pike(126), and Dante Walker (120).

Later that day, versus Freedom High, an-

other school from the Dulles District, theHornets lost by a close, 40-39 score.Herndon winners in that dual meet wereHealy (pin at 220), Moustafa (pin at 182),John Shull (pin at 145), Abe Shull (pin at138), Sean Pike (7-1 win at 132), Gabe Pike(pin at 126), and Walker (pin at 120).

Over the winter Christmas break,Herndon competed at the Loudoun HolidayTournament at Stone Bridge High Schoolin Ashburn. Herndon individual championsat the tournament were Healy at 220-divi-sion and Sean Pike at 132 weight class.Moustafa earned a second place finish at182 and Hornet third place finishers wereMac Emery at 190, Gaffney at 120, andYusuf Ahmed at 106. Walker was a fourthplace finisher at 120.

Herndon was scheduled to compete in adistrict tri-meet competition earlier thisweek at Westfield High School on Tuesday,Jan. 17. The Hornets’ next home match willbe next Wednesday, Jan. 25 versus districtopponent Centreville.

Hornets have good showing over break at Loudoun Holiday meet.

Additional Manpower Boosts Herndon High Wrestling


To HighlightyourFaith

Community,Call Karen at703-917-6468

COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIPCOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

Sundays8:30 AM Sanctuary, Traditional Worship Service10:00 AM Garden, Traditional Worship Service11:00 AM Connection, Contemporary Worship Service

other weekly services 5:30 PM Saturdays: Relax & Renew, Casual Worship Service

HerndonUnited Methodist Church

www.HerndonUMC.org

701 Bennett St., Herndon, VA703-707-6271

7:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday school/Music: preschool - grade 210:25 a.m. Sunday school/Music: grades 3 - 1211:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II5:00 p.m. Come Just as You Are Contemporary Service

Nursery care provided at 9:00 and 11:15 services

The Rev. James Papile, RectorThe Rev. Jacqueline Thomson

The Rev. Denise Trogdon703-437-6530

www.stannes-reston.org1700 Wainwright Dr., Reston

ST. ANNE’SEPISCOPALCHURCH • Reston

Progressive & Welcoming

1133 Reston Avenue, Herndon, VA 20170Worship: Sunday, 8:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M.

Sunday School: 9:30 A.M.Rev. Dr. William H. Flammann, Pastor

•Thursday, February 2, 2012 – 7:00 p.m.•Friday, February 3, 2012 – 10:30 a.m.

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Hannah Ticardi dealswith the pressure ofcompetitive soccergames or rigorous

science classes by striking a pose.The 16-year-old Vienna studentusually prefers downward facingdog or cobra.

“It is really important to have astress reliever, and yoga is reallygood for that,” said Ticardi who isan 11th-grade student at JamesMadison High School in Vienna.

Katherine Harris, who has prac-ticed yoga since middle school,agrees. “What I like best aboutyoga is the feeling I have after classwhere I feel like I’m floating,” saidHarris, a high school junior whotakes classes at Sun and MoonYoga Studio in Arlington.

Ticardi and Harris are part of ageneration of children who aregrowing up with yoga, the prac-tice impacting their lives from inutero through high school. Moststudios now offer prenatal classesas well as instruction for toddlers,elementary, middle and highschool students.

“When I visit my prenatal stu-dents in the hospital after theyhave their baby, I can pick up thenewborn child and they almostalways take a deep breath and say‘om,’” joked Luann Fulbright ofDream Yoga Studio and WellnessCenter in McLean.

Aficionados, educators and re-searchers credit the discipline foraddressing issues ranging fromself-control to self-awareness. Astudy conducted by researchers atthe California State University, LosAngeles’ College of Educationshowed that regular yoga practiceboosted students’ self-esteem andimproved their physical health,behavior and academic perfor-mance.

“It is amazing to watch whathappens with these children. Theirfocus and concentration is im-proved,” said Dawn Curtis, ownerof East Meets West Yoga Center inVienna.

Classes are structured to appealto children at each age group. “Forsmaller children, everything isdone on a theme. Sometimesclasses are themed around theholidays or seasons or animals orstories,” said Curtis.

Teachers keep students engagedby using age-appropriate language

and adapting traditional yogaposes for children. “We learn posesthat relate to nature or animals,”said Cynthia Maltenfort, an in-structor at Sun and Moon Yoga inFairfax. “There is a lot of interac-tion and developing a connectionwith themselves and with eachother. We start to address feelingsand emotions.” Many yoga studiosalso host yoga summer camps andyoga birthday parties. There is alsoyoga for families. “Family yogaclasses give parents and childrena chance to be together in a sup-portive, non-threatening, non-hi-erarchal way,” said Fulbright.“They can just interact and enjoyeach other without the parentshaving to discipline. There’s lotsof laughter and lots of fun. Youbuild a stronger, healthier connec-tion with your child.”

SOME LOCAL SCHOOL officialshave embraced yoga for children.Potomac Elementary School stu-dents are offered yoga classes frominstructors at Village Yoga inPotomac.

“I believe that exercise and re-laxation techniques should start ata very early age,” said LindaGoldberg, principal of PotomacElementary School. “Children willenjoy exercise throughout theirlifetime when they experiencepleasurable learning when theyare young.”

“I have some teachers who,when the class is getting too busy,say to the students, ‘Stand up andeverybody take some deepbreaths,’ and they do a yoga posi-tion, sometimes just to calm chil-dren down,” said Marjorie Myers,Ed.D., principal, Francis Scott KeyElementary School in Arlington.“We have an after-school yogaclass that the parents put together,

and there is a family yoga nightwhere parents come in with theirchildren and everybody does yogatogether. One of the pluses is thatthese activities have demystifiedyoga for the children.”

YOGA HAS BEEN criticized forhaving religious overtones. “Weoften ‘om’” at the end of class .…We also say namaste. While thewords aren’t religious, they can beconstrued that way,” said LindaFeldman, director of Budding Yo-gis, a studio that caters solely tochildren. “I tell our teacher train-ees that if they’re in a public schoolscenario or where there are con-cerns over religion, they can use aword other than om or namaste.”

As with any physical activity,injury is possible, but preventable.“Sometimes [children’s] muscleshaven’t yet developed to holdthings where they need to be, sowe have to be strict with them inmaking sure their alignment isproper,” said Margolis.

While many doctors agree thatyoga is a healthy practice, they saythe benefits children get from yogacan also be found just as effectivelyelsewhere. “The good thing is thatthere [are] a variety of cost-effi-cient and simple ways for childrenand teens to relax and unwind,”said Kristin Anderson, M.D.,M.P.H., family and preventivemedicine physician for MolinaHealthcare, Community HealthCare Network clinic in Reston.“Going on walks as a family canalso help everyone get the exer-cise they need as well as spendquality time together while theyde-stress. This can help kids andtheir parents improve posture, re-lieve anxiety, practice deeperbreathing, build lungs and stretchmuscles.”

The Yoga GenerationYoga credited with relieving stress, boosting self-esteemand improving grades in children.

Photo by Jim Vecchione

Yoga students, including Maya Ettleson (center) practicea downward dog tunnel at Budding Yogis studio. Expertssay yoga is good exercise for children.

Your Home…Your Neighborhood…Your Newspaper

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Zone 1 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday 4 p.m.

703-917-6464

Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • LoudounEmploymentEmployment

And a lot of good it’s doing me. I may be ableto do what I want, but I don’t really have a clueas to what it is I want to do – or can do. What Iam referring to, specifically, are the various elec-trical “chargers” we now have in our house: forcell phones (smart and stupid), Bluetooth, Kindle,miscellaneous computers (laptop, tablet), etc.;they’re almost as much of a nuisance as the stinkbugs which every day it seems, still manage tofind ways to get into the house. To me, all thecords look alike and, to compound the problem,most of the devices are plugged into the sameoutlet – for semi-convenience sake. As a result ofthis convergence, determining – without bendingover, which male goes into which female (euph-emistically speaking) is becoming increasinglymore challenging – and frustrating.

Not that we’re splitting the atom here, butmore and more, part of our daily routineinvolves recharging devices and matching upthose same devices with their respectivemale/female counterparts. It’s a process that,though not particularly complicated, is nonethe-less becoming anything but routine. To furthercomplicate this technological two-step (or three-or four-step – for me), is the fact that the cordsare all the same color. In addition to appearingrelatively similar, some even fit multiple devices;although not always recharging as we anticipate,leading to a false sense of power security. “Un-iversal” it’s not. Moreover, since the cords aregenerally confined to one electrical outlet (toavoid multiple-outlet clutter), they’re often tan-gled up in black (their color) and not so easilyretrieved. To find the matching cord and then toextricate it from its electrical connection on thefirst attempt without further ado, is much easiersaid than actually done.

It’s almost as if we need a confined, pantry-like area in-home in which to store and stow allthe chargers; labeled and slotted on specificshelves. Presently, in my home anyway, whenconnecting or disconnecting any of thesedevices/cords, a “tip-toe through the tulips” it’snot; it’s more like a minefield. If an accidentalstep or grab is made, there won’t be any explo-sions or loss of life (for perspective), but there stillmight be some screaming and/or loss of impor-tant assets with significant replacement cost tofollow. Not to mention data lost – potentially,and lifestyle and/or work complications thattogether might cause an emotional upheaval thelikes of which you’ve been anticipating anddreading since this 24/7 accessibility/timelinetook over and made us all victims of our ownelectronic devices. Hal from “2001 SpaceOdyssey” it’s not, but we’re getting there.

I wish I could suggest an alternative or devisesome sort of preemptive pursuit to prevent thisinevitable meltdown of man and/or machinery.However, I know so little – as usual, of what I’mtheorizing that I’m hardly qualified to offer anopinion. In fact, I probably should be disquali-fied. However, given the underlying fact that Iam an actual victim of these circumstances, per-haps I’m able to think outside the box (from themouths of babes, so to speak) and arrive at aSeinfeldian-type of solution similar to Jerry’s riffon parking garages: colors and numbers are tooeasily forgettable, he observed on one episode;maybe identifying the areas with more unforget-table phrases/descriptions like “Your mother’s awhore or your father was an abusive alcoholic”might help weary shoppers locate their vehicles.My suggestion is less perverse and more sensible,actually. Why not color-code the cords to matcha specific device the same way Miss Utility marksrespectively, the “underground facilities: buriedpower, sewer, gas and water” to avoid the inevi-table confusion. And of course, “It’s The Law.Dig with CARE.” Red, blue, yellow, green, etc.would equate with a specific device and its cord.All color coordinated – for dummies, like me.

As I sift through the cords and devices now,trying to patiently find a match; while consider-ing adding new devices – with their charg-ers/cords, as technology imposes its inexorablewill on me – and society, a solution better beforthcoming. Otherwise, I’ll be left powerless –and helpless. Remember, a chain is only as strongas its weakest link.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Left To MyOwn Devices

CHILDCARE

Herndon-area church seeks childcare workers on an as needed basis for week-ly events. Ages normally include infants through 5 years old but can include some older children for certain activi-ties. Background check required. Per-fect for college students. Pay is $10/hour. Submit interest with current references to [email protected].

EducationLOOKING FOR A CHANGE

Do you like to play pool, work out at the gym, have fun?Are you a caring person?Do you enjoy a challenge?Are you a creative problem solver?

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE & HAVE FUN AS AN EDUCATOR/

COUNSELOR IN FAIRFAX & ARLINGTON COUNTY PROGRAMS

F/T opptys including awake overnights, available supporting persons with intel-lectual disabilities and challenging be-haviors. BA pref’d. EOE. Flex hrs, excel benes. $19.10/hr, pd health coverage, 22 days personal lv/yr, annual bonus, tui-tion reimbursement.

Send resume & letter of interest to: Community Systems, Inc., 8136 Old

Keene Mill Road, Suite B-300, Springfield, VA 22152 or email

[email protected]

Nysmith SchoolPreschool - 8th Grade

Now Hiring!

Elementary School Co-Teachers:College Degree Required• Language Arts

Middle School Co-Teachers:College Degree Required• P/T Secondary Science/Math

Send resumes to [email protected] or Fax to: 703-713-3336

RECEPTIONISTF/T Receptionist for Nail Salon in Herndon. Experience preferred

but willing to train. Call 703-505-0708

Sr DB Administrator Instll mgrtns/upgrds/ptchs for Real App/Non-Rl App Clstr; Tst dtbas upgrds. Reqs: Bchlr’s in CS, CIS, Bus Admin & 2 yrs in job or as DBA, Oracl DBA or smlr mngg Oracl dtbses for mssion crtcl IT prjctss. Skls Reqd: Oracl DBA/Real App Clstr, RMAN, Dtagrd, Swtchvr, Failvr. Comcast Cable Commu-nications, LLC, Reston, VA. Resumes to [email protected]

Teacher Career Fair!Childtime is hosting a Career Fair! Join us Thursday, January 26th from 11am – 3pm at 11511 Sunset Hill Road, Reston,

VA 20190. Many positions available! Immediate interviews! Resumes:

[email protected]. Call: 703-796-9663. EOE

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E-mail ad with zone choices to: [email protected] or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

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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 Packet

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ABC LICENSEHop and Wine Beverages, LLC trading as Hop and Wine Beverages, 22714 Glenn Dr, Suite 120, Sterling, VA 20164. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA DE-PARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL for a Wholesale beer, wholesale wine, beer importer instate, wine importer in state, out of bond permit to sell or manu-facture alcoholic beverages. Martin C. Wetten, President.NOTE: Objections to the issu-ance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publish date of the first two required news-paper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

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By Michael Lee Pope

The Connection

Hoping to capitalize on anti-union sentiment in Virginiathis year, Republican GeorgeAllen is giving labor issues a

starring role in his bid to recapture the Sen-ate seat he lost to Jim Webb in 2006. In ameeting with Connection Newspapers re-porters and editors, Allen proposed a se-ries of specific measures to undercut thepower of unions. The agenda would under-cut the power of the National Labor Rela-tions Board, prohibit mandatory laboragreements on federal projects and ensuresecret ballots before a labor union can becreated.

“Unions are a big part of the Democrats’political operation,” said Allen. “There’s nosecret about that.”

Allen says the series of proposals wereinspired by the National Labor RelationsBoard’s lawsuit against airline manufacturerBoeing, which sought to punish the com-pany for locating a new plant in South Caro-lina in retaliation for strikes by unionizedworkers at its existing facility in Washing-ton state. The lawsuit was dropped lastmonth, but Allen and other Republicans arenow hoping to capitalize on the issue onthe campaign trail.

“This is an issue that hits a sweet spot forRepublican voters,” said Kyle Kondik, po-litical analyst with the University of VirginiaCenter for Politics. “So it certainly helps himin the primary against Jamie Radtke. It re-mains to be seen whether it’s something thatwould appeal to voters in the general elec-tion against Tim Kaine.”

ALLEN SAYS the freedom to work is “un-der assault,” and repeatedly used the law-suit against Boeing as a reason for the fed-eral government to take decisive action. ButAllen’s agenda is broader than simply un-dercutting the power of the National LaborRelations Board. He would also like toamend the National Labor Relations Act toprevent workers from being compelled topay union dues or fees to get or keep a job,essentially expanding Virginia’s Right ToWork law nationwide. He would also workto guarantee that workers have the oppor-tunity to cast secret ballots before a unioncan be organized.

“None of George Allen’s proposals wouldhelp workers in Virginia like me in any way,”said Karen Conchar, Fairfax County em-ployee and member of Local 5 Service Em-ployees International Union. “Taking away

rights at the workplace doesn’t help themiddle class put food on the table or paythe mortgage, and it doesn’t help businessescreate good jobs.”

As governor in the 1990s, Allen says hesaw firsthand how the commonwealth’sRight to Work Law helped encourage invest-ment and expansion of business in Virginia.If elected to the Senate, he says, he wantsto advance an agenda to undercut thepower of unions in a way that would helpbusinesses create jobs, save taxpayersmoney and protect the liberty of non-union-ized workers. One of his goals would be torepeal the Davis-Bacon wage laws that hesays diminish competition and inflate coststo taxpayers for construction when the fed-eral government is involved. Ultimately,Allen said, he’s hoping that voters send amandate for action.

“The reality is that it matters who thepresident is,” said Allen. “President Bushdidn’t allow project labor agreements. Thispresident is all for them.”

ONE OF ALLEN’S proposals would haveparticular resonance in Northern Virginia:It would prohibit the federal governmentfrom entering into mandatory project laboragreements, a collective bargaining agree-ment that establishes terms and conditionsfor a specific construction project. These arefrequently large-scale infrastructureprojects, such as bridges or Metro expan-sion to Dulles International Airport. Allensays that taxpayers would get more bangfor their buck if the federal government wasprohibited from engaging in collective bar-gaining on these projects.

“The reason you don’t want to have theseis that they increase the cost of a project,on average by 22 percent,” said Allen. “You

have less competitive bidding.”Union groups dispute this notion, ques-

tioning if taxpayers would really savemoney by hiring low-wage workers. Sup-porters of project labor agreements sayunionized workers are paid more moneybecause they produce better work. As a re-sult, supporters say, they also create infra-structure that is less likely to break downor fail — sometimes with catastrophic con-sequences.

“Sometimes what you see is that withoutproject labor agreements you end up witha more exploitable workforce,” said JulieHunter, spokeswoman for the Virginia AFL-CIO. “These are workers that tend to nothave the same training that the unionworkforce has.”

ALLEN’S OPPONENTS don’t have muchto say about his specific proposals. Cam-paign officials for Jamie Radke, the TeaParty candidate hoping to challenge him inthe Republican primary, declined to respondto multiple requests for an interview. Hercampaign website says she would opposelaws that would require a worker’s secretballot in union elections. The site also saysshe would support Virginia’s Right To WorkLaw and oppose collective bargaining be-tween government entities and public em-ployee organizations and unions.

“The fundamental right to associate withthose we choose assures workers the rightto form labor organizations,” Radke said ina written statement on her campaignwebsite. “However, this fundamental rightof association also guarantees the individualthe right not to associate.”

If he’s successful against Radke, Allen willface former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine —pitting two former governors against each

other in a Senate race. Like Allen, Kaine alsosupports Virginia’s right-to-work law. Whencontacted about Allen’s labor proposals, theKaine campaign issued a statement sayingthat the former Democratic governor up-held the law as governor and will continueto support states’ rights to establish theirown rules on this issue as senator. The cam-paign did not respond to a request to ad-dress Allen’s specific proposals.

“The answer to our economic challengesis not tinkering with workplace rules, asGeorge Allen suggests,” said communica-tions director Brandi Hoffine in a writtenstatement. “The real answer is building ahigh-talent economy by investing in educa-tion and workforce development.”

ALLEN’S SUITE OF PROPOSALS will pittraditional political opponents against eachother, labor unions and their Democraticallies on one side and business leaders andallies in the Republican party on the other.What’s different about this election is therecession, with the unemployment rate inVirginia currently at 6.2 percent. Anotherdifference with this election cycle is thegrowing Occupy movement, which seeks tocast a spotlight on the same wealth inequal-ity that gave rise to the original labor move-ment in the late 19th century. Now, Allensays, it’s time to move away from that modeland adopt a more free-market approach.

For voters in Northern Virginia, the stakesare high.

“This artificially increases the costs andit also ends up with less competition so youend up with a higher cost to the taxpay-ers,” said Allen. “If you look at the Metroextension to Dulles, the ones who will ulti-mately have to pay for these unnecessarilyhigher costs will be the taxpayers.”

Former governor George Allen discusses campaign issues as candidate seeking the Republican nomi-nation for U.S. Senate.

Allen Declares War on UnionsThe County Line

Seeking his oldSenate seat, formergovernor goes on theoffensive againstorganized labor.

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“Unions are a big part of the Democrats’ political operation.There’s no secret about that.”

— George Allen

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