State lawmakers punted consideration of a casino in Fairfax County to next year, but that hasn’t stopped some proponents from seeking to assist in the divisive plan to bring the Washington Wizards and Capitals to Northern Virginia, whose odds of a comeback win are looking slim.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who represents Fairfax County’s Richmond Highway corridor, recently pitched the idea of bringing both a casino and the sports arena to Tysons to a representative of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the basketball and hockey teams, the Washington Post reported on Sunday (March 24).
According to the Post, Surovell dropped the idea after Monumental President of External Affairs Monica Dixon “immediately” rejected it, but Christopher Clemente, CEO of the aspiring casino developer Comstock, and Ben Tribbett, a prominent consultant whose clients include Comstock and Surovell, “continued shopping the idea last week.”
The suggestion of combined arena/casino site in Tysons emerged as Monumental’s much-hyped plan to move the teams from D.C. to Alexandria’s Potomac Yard flailed for support. The Virginia General Assembly adjourned on March 9 without including funding for a state authority to finance the $2 billion entertainment district in their budget proposal, and at least one Alexandria City elected official withdrew her endorsement of the project.
Clemente told the Post that a joint development could “enhance financing options for the arena” by using tax revenue generated by the casino to guarantee bonds that would pay for the stadium, but Potomac Yard developer JBG Smith’s CEO, Matt Kelly, noted the deal could be used to evade Virginia’s requirement that casinos get approved by voter referendum.
Like the arena, Fairfax County’s potential casino is envisioned as part of an entertainment district, according to State Sen. Dave Marsden, who sponsored legislation to make the county eligible for a gambling establishment this past session and in 2023.
After vocal opposition from local residents and some officials, though the county board stopped short of taking an official position, a Senate committee voted on Feb. 6 to continue this year’s bill to 2025 to allow for more study and public engagement.
The combined facility proposal appears to be dead on arrival, with Monumental owner Ted Leonsis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin reportedly expressing “disgust” and “no interest,” respectively. But hypothetically, would you support the Wizards and Capitals calling Fairfax County home? Would it alter your stance on a casino?
Heading into this weekend, here are the top stories on Reston Now from this week.
- UPDATE: Death in Town of Herndon ruled a homicide
- Clyde’s in Reston Town Center is closing after 31 years
- UPDATE: More details released on new steak house in Reston
- A new ‘sacred’ roller skate shop is opening in the Town of Herndon
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UPDATED: Fairfax County Board to consider bus service changes for Silver Line extension
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
Voting in the 2022 Reston Association Board of Directors election will run from March 1 through April 1. This week, we will begin posting profiles on each of the candidates. The complete election schedule is available online. All races are uncontested, but a 10-percent quorum must be met.
Featured here is Irwin Flashman, who is running for Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District Director With the exception of minor formatting edits, profiles are published in unedited form. Each candidate had an opportunity to answer the same questions in their own words.
How long have you lived in Reston? What brought you here?
My wife and I moved to Reston in 2009. I had lived in Puerto Rico for forty years and we were looking for a place to live following my retirement. We took several trips to the Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia area. One of my friends mentioned Reston to us. We visited and were attracted by its environment, its lovely treed setting and wooded areas, its trails, lakes and streams. The availability of many facilities in the area and its proximity to Washington, D.C. were clear pluses.
What inspired you to run for the board?
In 2013, the RA Board proposed trading RA land for other land that would be useless to it. I went before the Board and explained in detail my reasons for opposing the proposal. The Board did not change its mind. Since then, I have followed the Board’s and several committees’ activities closely. I served on the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) for 9 years, 6 of them as its Vice Chair. I have also supported candidates running for the Board. This time, some friends urged me to run for the Lake Anne/Tall Oaks seat and thus become a full participant. I agreed that by being on the Board I could do more than by commenting at its meetings for three minutes.
What are three of the biggest concerns you have for Reston and what do you hope to accomplish by being on the board?
The preservation and enhancement of Reston’s environment is paramount, especially in the face of the existential challenge presented by climate change. It is well past time for Reston to take the environment and climate change fully into account as it considers its actions. Additionally, RA needs to minimize its contribution to climate change by becoming energy conservation conscious and avoiding the production of CO2. Among other things, RA can plan to convert its fleet of vehicles to electric vehicles over the next few years. Of course, the preservation of the open space is an essential part of this approach, not only of RA land, but also the land of the two golf courses that have been dedicated as such since the inception of Reston.
Another point of concern is the protection of RA’s interests in the Reston Comprehensive Plan, whose draft revision is currently being finished up and will be placed before the public for comment. Due recognition of RA’s contribution to recreational facilities and amenities, including its trails, should be given in the Plan. New developments already constructed and to be constructed, especially in the TSA, should be encouraged to join RA and participate fully as members. Additionally, the County should provide that some portion of the proffers from developers should be granted to RA for the continued maintenance and creation of adequate facilities which are and will be used by the residents of these new housing units. The growth contemplated for Reston should be accompanied by adequate and timely infrastructure to meet the increasing demands from that growth. At the same time, the characteristics which make Reston Reston should be preserved.
The third issue is the need for greater transparency from the Board. RA is a membership organization. Its obligations are to protect and enhance the value of real property covered under the Deed, as well as to maintain it, the recreational facilities and common areas for the benefit and use primarily of its members, and to promote the peace, health, comfort, safety and general welfare of its members. To do so, the Board needs to have consistent and meaningful two way communication with the RA membership. The Board has done this at a basic level, but on some matters, it has been less than open. It can improve its transparency by keeping the membership timely apprised of not only the good things it does, but also of the issues which arise and present problems.
I want to work with other members of the Board to address these concerns in meaningful ways for the benefit of the membership.
How will your personal or professional experience help you in your role with RA?
During my service on the EAC, it evolved into a group with expertise in many areas. This resulted in the creation of the Reston Association State of the Environment Report (RASER) and the later inclusion in it of an initially separate report on Climate Change. The report examines impacts on Reston, and ways to reduce its contribution to and enhance its resilience to climate change. This experience and knowledge will assist me making things happen regarding the first item of concern noted above. I have over many years closely followed the Board’s and some of the committees’ work and am aware of how things get done or not. I have been on other membership corporation boards. Communication is a basic element of getting things done. I am aware of the importance of good clear communication, not only with Board members, but also with the RA members. I will listen to the members from my district and keep their concerns in mind while looking for solutions to the issues they may bring to the fore.
Photo via Reston Association
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
For much of the last two years I have used this column to laud the steps that were being taken in the Virginia General Assembly with the support of then Governor Ralph Northam to bring Virginia into the modern era. Virginia has a rich history, but one that is also shrouded in controversy. There is a tendency on the part of long-time Virginians to want to focus on the earliest history of the Commonwealth in the new nation with an emphasis on the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, the Declaration of Independence authored by a Virginian, and the Virginia Declaration of Rights that served as a model for the federal Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, the history that surrounded that era is not so glorious. Forgotten until recent times were the indigenous people who were forced out with the settlement of the colony and new state, the horrors of slavery, a Civil War in which the state was a major battleground, and a white supremacist government until recent years.
The shift in attitudes was not confined to Virginia alone as movements such as Black Lives Matter forced us to examine our history and our actions under the laws as they had been written. The success of Democrats at the polls to control both houses of the General Assembly as well as the governorship and lieutenant governor and attorney general’s offices brought about the amazing changes in the laws of Virginia in 2020 and 2021.
Virginia moved into a leadership role in rewriting its election laws to make them among the most progressive in the nation. Early voting was instituted, absentee voting was permitted without the need for an excuse and voting generally was made more accessible. Laws against all forms of discrimination were passed and hate crime laws were strengthened. Common sense gun control laws were passed including my universal background checks bill. Major steps were taken to end the classroom to prison pipeline, and laws that were unevenly applied to racial minorities were repealed or revised. Symbols that represented the oppressive period of our history were removed. Our educational institutions moved to interpret our history more broadly to be inclusive of all persons who lived in the state.
I was feeling good that democracy was expanded, we were becoming more inclusive, our criminal justice system was being reformed, and our communities were becoming safer. And, then there was the election of 2021. Democrats lost the majority in the House of Delegates, and Republicans swept the statewide elections of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
In the current session of the General Assembly bills have been introduced to turn back all the progress that had been made over the last two years. The clock is being turned back to the more conservative Virginia that many of us have been struggling to get past for many years. All the bills are passing in the Republican controlled House of Delegates. Fortunately Democrats have a majority in the State Senate that will be able to defeat these Republican measures, and our progressive measures will remain in place. We must be eternally vigilant to ensure that while progress might be impeded it is not lost.
Heading into this weekend before Valentine’s Day, here are the top stories on Reston Now from this week.
- Clyde’s in Reston Town Center is closing after 31 years
- Fairfax County Board to consider bus service changes for Silver Line extension
- After decades of business, The Bird Feeder appears to have closed
- No injuries reported in Herndon house fire
- WETA to feature Reston in upcoming show
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
For nearly 250 years of Virginia’s history Black people in the state were enslaved. Following emancipation there was a denial of the rights of Black people in the state, and Jim Crow laws curtailed their freedom. The Lost Cause movement after the Civil War sought to obscure the treatment of Black people as slaves and downplay any contributions they made to society. Only in recent years with the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements have Black people started to receive the recognition they deserve in society and in the state legislature.
Each day in the Virginia General Assembly history is being made as a record number of 18 Black members serve in the 100-member House of Delegates and three Black members are in the 40-member Senate. For most of my career as a delegate the number of Black legislators in the General Assembly could be counted on the fingers on one hand. For the first time ever, Black women are in leadership roles with the Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the House Minority Caucus Chair. A small but significant example of the changes being made are the daily speeches in the General Assembly during February about notable Black Virginians who have not received the attention they deserve
President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976 to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Events leading up to the designation of a Black History Month extend back as far as 1926 when the Association for the Study of African American Life and History founded by historian Carter G. Woodson and Minister Jesse E. Moorland started a Negro History Week. The second week of February was chosen as the date to correspond with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
Hopefully the writing and teaching of more complete histories will reduce the need for separate historic celebrations, but there is so much to do in filling in the blanks of histories in the past that left out so much information or distorted it in so many ways. There is a continuing effort on the part of many who see one-sided historical accounts as benefiting the false narrative they continue to present.
There are real concerns that I and others have about what is happening currently in Virginia. As I discussed in a recent column, the Governor’s Executive Order Number One “ending the use of inherently divisive concepts, including critical race theory” has fueled this concern. Adding to the Order, the Governor’s setting up a snitch line for parents and others to report on teachers teaching “divisive concepts” raises further concerns. It’s impossible to teach accurate history without some seeing it as divisive. Hopefully the celebration of Black History Month in the General Assembly will demonstrate that celebrating each other’s successes will not be viewed as divisive but rather as strengthening our common histories and aspirations.
Amid another weekend with COVID-19 abound, here are the top stories on Reston Now this week.
- Design of circuitous crosswalk in Reston raises eyebrows
- Redevelopment of former Fannie Mae property in Reston up for vote
- Hunan East Restaurant in Fox Mill Shopping Center to close
- Herndon teen John Gluck takes his star turn on NBC’s “Ordinary Joe”
- JUST IN: Boston Properties fills vacant office space with eleven leases
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
Many say that I have the best view of the Jefferson-designed State Capitol from the window in my office in the Pocahontas Building where members of the House of Delegates and State Senate have their Richmond offices. It is an awe-inspiring view. This past week workers have been busy dismantling the seating and stand where Governor Youngkin was inaugurated. While the formal structure of the Inaugural has been removed from the outside of the Capitol building, inside the structure of a new government dominated by a new Republican governor and a Republican-majority House of Delegates is quickly taking shape. Campaign rhetoric is being replaced by executive orders and draft legislation. Faces new to Virginia government including the new governor and most of his appointees are moving into their roles in the new administration.
Last week I expressed my concern about Executive Order One and its potential impact on education as it seeks to end “the use of inherently divisive concepts” in schools. My concern has been heightened as the governor has taken a further step in controlling the curriculum of the schools by establishing a “tip line for parents to report to the state any school officials behaving objectionably–including teaching divisive subjects.” On a local radio show the governor said, “We’re asking for folks to send us reports and observations…to help us be aware of their child being denied their rights that parents in Virginia have.” The announcement of the “snitch line” brought a strong reaction from teachers and parents who see this move as adding undue stress to teachers without clear direction.
The Constitution of Virginia puts responsibility for the public school system under the State Board of Education and local school boards. This arrangement has insulated the schools from undue political influence for the most part until the current governor came to realize that running against the schools was attractive to his political base.
Following through on one of his political promises the new governor, acting outside of advice from health experts and demonstrating his willingness to overcome educator objections, lifted the mask mandates that had been put in place as a way to keep the schools open and safe. Most large school divisions ignored his ban on mask mandates, and several districts have asked the courts to decide if the governor has the authority to do what he has done. A decision from the court should be forthcoming in the near future.
In the meantime, on the same radio program the governor justified to the host his ban on local mask mandates by saying that we should “love our neighbor.” I could not agree more with the plea to love our neighbor, but in my mind in a pandemic we should love others as well as ourselves by wearing masks! The governor may have shown his true purpose by expressing to the host that his ban on masks was “moving against the left liberals.” As one who is eternally optimistic, I hope to have a more positive report next week on our getting down to work!
Amid another weekend with COVID-19 abound, here are the top stories on Reston Now this week.
- Police: Prisoner with life sentence confesses to 1987 Herndon murder
- Reston Hospital Center reverses course on vaccine mandate
- Reston Association details technological mishaps that led to $46K in extra costs
- Hunan East Restaurant in Fox Mill Shopping Center to close
- Herndon teen John Gluck takes his star turn on NBC’s “Ordinary Joe”
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
Last week I spoke to the members of the House of Delegates about my concerns of protecting student learning under the new administration in Richmond. The Governor’s first Executive Order raised more questions than answers as to the intent of the order. Entitled “Ending the Use of Inherently Divisive Concepts, Including Critical Race Theory, and Restoring Excellence in K-12 Public Education in the Commonwealth,” its opening page has little with which I would quarrel: “The foundation of our educational system should be built on teaching our students how to think for themselves.”
The following three pages of directives set the administration on an investigation to find Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the curriculum even though it is not taught in the public schools. The 14 directives have the staff looking in every document, every file folder, and seemingly behind every nook and cranny to root out CRT. This wild goose chase called for in Executive Order One to find something that does not exist is akin to the calls for a forensic audit of all election results to support the Big Lie that fraud and corruption in the last presidential election allowed the election to be stolen.
My red warning light goes off with the Executive Order for in Virginia we have gone down such a path in the past much to the embarrassment of the state in the eyes of the Nation. The Lost Cause was an effort on the part of the Southern states to justify the Civil War, glorify the participants, and claim the high ground for it having been fought. All those Civil War monuments that have been removed in the past couple of years for the false narrative they helped to promote were part of the Lost Cause movement.
Virginia’s contribution to the Lost Cause effort to give a different meaning to the causes of the Civil War was the establishment by the General Assembly of a legislative commission to oversee publication of new textbooks on Virginia history and government. The Commission realized many difficulties in trying to have professional historians and teachers cooperate in writing a selective history of the Commonwealth. One legislative member of the Commission explained that “we want to emphasize the greatness of Virginia and take out any reference to poor people.”
One historian wrote that the textbooks “portrayed Virginia’s white leaders in unfailingly flattering lights, its enslaved residents as happy and contented beneficiaries of benign masters who civilized and Christianized them, and its Indians as savage barbarians in some contexts or as primitive simpletons in others.” (Tarter, The Grandees of Government, University of Virginia Press, 2013).
My personal experience with state-written textbooks came in the mid-1960s when as an intern teacher I refused to use the textbook for it left out so much of Virginia history including the slave economy, the resulting Civil War and the Jim Crow era and its consequences. Objections by educators, ridicule in the press, and embarrassment by state officials led to these books being abandoned.
Executive Order One seems obsessed with what it calls “inherently divisive concepts.” Considering history that is truthful in our highs and lows can lead to better understandings and a stronger more inclusive state than can efforts to ignore, white-wash or mislead in our history. We do not want politicians writing our textbooks!
Reston’s Pet of the Week is Sky, a loving and curious pup looking for a new home.
Here’s what his friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue had to say about him:
Meet adorable Sky, one of a litter of five along with siblings Al, Ardi, Siri and Star who have been adopted. Sky had a home too but her people had a complication and wanted her to find her family as soon as possible.. These beautiful little pups are likely a mixture of retriever and shepherd although there may be other breeds in the mix as well. Sky is now in foster care in the greater DC area and doing extremely well- a meet and greet can be easily arranged with approved applicants. She is just 9 to 10 weeks old right now and weighs about 7 or 8 lbs and we think they’ll be in the 55 pound range when grown give or take. All these pups are delightful and will make their adopters terrific companions. Sky is up to date on her shots and dewormings and carries an adoption fee of $389 which includes microchipping.
Are you and Sky a match made in heaven?
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
Before we head off into another weekend with COVID-19 abound, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- Banana Republic in Reston Town Center is closing
- Reston Hospital Center does not back vaccine mandate for staff
- Herndon teen John Gluck takes his star turn on NBC’s “Ordinary Joe”
- County proposes $300,000 to plan the revitalization of Lake Anne
- Taco Bamba is coming to Village Center at Dulles
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your social distancing plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
Photo courtesy of Reston Hospital Center
Reston’s Pet of the Week is Radiant Raj, a beagle ad hound mix who is just eight weeks old.
Here’s what his friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue had to say about him:
I am Radiant Raj and I’m a beagle/hound mix with a little Jack Russell terrier thrown in for good measure. I’m just 8 weeks old and going on 5 lbs! I am a snuggly little guy and love to give kisses and play! I have sister named Navya and brother named Aarav who are both also available in separate listings.
Are you and Radiant Raj the perfect match?
Before we head off into another weekend with COVID-19 abound, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- Taco Bamba is coming to Village Center at Dulles in Herndon
- Noodles restaurant coming to Herndon Centre
- Cybersecurity firm Neovera moves Reston headquarters to RTC West
- Herndon teen John Gluck takes his star turn on NBC’s “Ordinary Joe”
- Nail salon to open in Reston Parkway plaza
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your social distancing plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
Image via Google Maps
