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Vol. 36, No. 10
www.arlingtondemocrats.org
October 2011
How to help win big
Join the
last
minute
push!
See how at
the right
Campaign season is in full swing, and the gods
are with us to make for more comfortable outdoor
weather. Thanks to the 2011 Joint Campaign, volunteer opportunities abound for Arlington Dems.
To sign up for any of these activities or get
answers to any questions you may have, email
[email protected] or call HQ
at 703-528-8588—and be prepared to leave a detailed message.
Messenger Weekend
Starting Oct. 1st til it’s done!
Do you yearn for the old days when the friendly
face of your local paper boy (or girl) delivered your
newspaper to your doorstep? Well, we have the perfect remedy — help distribute the Arlington Democrats’ annual newspaper, the Democratic Messenger, to neighborhoods throughout the county. We
have more than 400 routes to blanket the county
and hit every door.
The Messenger provides information on the 14
candidates on this year’s general election ballot,
includes voting information, and hits at the core of
what’s at stake this election cycle. Every fall, precinct volunteers make this stoop-side paper toss. If
you missed the first weekend, check in at HQ as
there are always a dozen or so routes to do after the
first weekend.
Median Signs
Saturday, October 8th
It’s a dangerous job, but someone’s got to do
it! (And it can actually be quite fun.) If you liked
Double Dare back in the ‘80s and are ready for a
challenge, then placing median signs may be just
the ticket to get your daredevil juices flowing. We
place a max of two signs per candidate in each segment of median strip. That’s the county ordinance.
If you don’t hanker running across traffic lanes,
become a driver for those who do hanker dodging
cars.
Election Day
Tuesday, November 8th
After all the hard work leading up to Election
Day, we need to do our part to make sure that voters actually “touch that screen” for our Democratic
candidates. To help ensure this happens, we need
you to volunteer for at least one of these activities:
•
Hand out sample ballots at your polling place/
Metro stop all day long.
continued on page nine
Monthly meeting shifting date and
site; see DNC chair instead Oct. 5
The October ACDC meeting is not only shifting to another location BUT ALSO TO ANOTHER
DAY. Do NOT go to NRECA this Wednesday! But
do go to the Clarendon Ballroom instead.
The date shift is because ACDC is encouraging everyone to attend a state party event planned
for Arlington that night. Debbie Wasserman Schultz,
the new chair of the Democratic National Committee, will be appearing from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 5 (overlapping our normal meeting
time) at the Clarendon Ballroom.
That is at 3185 Wilson Blvd. near the intersection with 10th Street and Washington Blvd. It’s just
down the street from the Clarendon Metro station
and just across the intersection from that renowned
Democratic hangout, the Silver Diner.
Brian Moran, chairman of the Democratic Party
of Virginia (DPVA) is sponsoring this event so that
more Dems may meet the new national chairman.
It is a state fundraiser with an entry price of $50 for
individuals and $35 for YDs. To attend, go to https:/
/www.vademocrats.org/contribute/DWSNOVA.
Now, the monthly ACDC meeting is being
pushed forward one week to Wednesday, October
12, at 7 p.m. at the Walter Reed Community Center
at 2909 South 16th Street. From South Walter Reed
Drive, turn east on 16th Street and you can’t miss it.
There is parking on the grounds.
This monthly meeting will be devoted entirely
to the upcoming elections.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ
. . . DNC chair
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 2
Report from Chairman Mike Lieberman
Two votes
Two votes in the Virginia Senate. That’s
the only buffer left against full control in Richmond by Republican Bob McDonnell, Ken
Cuccinelli, and their Tea Party friends. And
this year, with three contested Senate contests
here at home, those votes have to come from
Arlington.
We have seen what can happen when
Republicans are allowed to wield power unchecked; indeed, their agenda – driven by
some of their most extreme elements – often
flies directly in the face of the progressive
values we hold dear.
Take, for example, Governor
McDonnell’s TRAP regulations issued this
August, which will severely limit a woman’s
right to reproductive choice. Look at the budget passed by the Republican House of Delegates this year, which would have cut $50
million in critical education funding at a time
when our Virginia schools need reinvestment.
And take a close look at Attorney General
Cuccinelli’s record – filing suit to overturn
health reform, investigating UVA professors
who dare to show scientifically that global
warming is occurring; and issuing an opinion
that Virginia colleges and universities cannot
prohibit discrimination against gay and lesbian students. This Republican agenda has
real impact on real people, and it should serve
as a stark reminder to all of us of what is at
stake.
The Democratic Senate in Richmond is
all that stands in the way of this Republican
agenda becoming law wholesale. And this
year in Arlington, the burden of maintaining
that buffer rests with us. With two open senate races (Ebbin and Favola) and one significantly redistricted incumbent (Howell), our
three Arlington votes may very well decide
control of the Senate for the whole state.
In the 31st Senate District, in particular, Barbara Favola faces a self-funding millionaire
Republican who is expected to mount a challenge in a newly redistricted seat that may
truly put us to the test.
With five weeks left until Election Day,
we need all hands on deck. Whether you en-
Jerry Botland
Computer Consulting
Troubleshoot and resolve computer and
computer related problems.
Perform upgrades, set-up wireless routers and print servers.
Transfer old files, address book and emails
from an old computer to a new one.
Phone: (703) 933-0558 — [email protected]
Published monthly by the
Arlington County Democratic Committee
2009 North 14th Street, Suite #612, Arlington, VA 22201
Tel: (703) 528-8588
Fax: (703) 528-2321
http://www.arlingtondemocrats.org
Chair: Mike Lieberman —(703) 408-3940 (h), [email protected]
Editor-in-Chief: Warren L. Nelson —(703) 243-7867 (h), [email protected]
Deputy Editor: Eric Wiener — (703) 524-6899 (h), [email protected]
Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the ACDC
unless expressly approved by an appropriate Committee Resolution
Copyright ©2011, ACDC, All Rights Reserved
joy phone banking, door knocking, delivering the Messenger, Metro flyering, farmers
market tabling, or just writing a check to support our team, we have opportunities for you
– and we need your help
I urge all of you to go to our web calendar at www.arlingtondemocrats.org, find an
activity, and lend a hand. Great field operations can beat a money dump any day of the
week, and while we may be outspent this year,
I know we will not be outworked.
Two votes is all that stands between us
and Tea Party control of Richmond. This year,
perhaps more than any other, we here in Arlington can and must be the difference.
$4Dems pulling
in big bucks
The Dollars for Democrats campaign has
been another runaway success this year. As
of the end of September, funds were still pouring in and the total had already passed $9,000.
The total cost of the project was a little
over $2,500 for paper, postage and printing.
The low cost is because of all the volunteer
effort. More than a dozen volunteers worked
at home in August hand-addressing 5,066 envelopes. That saved big bucks. The handaddressing also assures that recipients open
the envelopes and not just drop them in the
round file with the junk mail.
Then more than 60 volunteers—a
record—showed up at the September ACDC
meeting and put stamps and return address
labels on those 5,066 envelopes. That also
saved a bundle. (Note: The stamps and labels are all self-adhesive—no licking required.)
The only machine operation was the
stuffing of the solicitation letters and return
envelopes into the mailer and the sealing of
the mailer. (Machine licking only.)
By the time the $4Dems campaign ends
this year, it is likely the Joint Campaign will
net—not gross—$10,000.
But get ready for next year. In a presidential year, ACDC normally tries to post
15,000 to 20,000 $4Dems solicitations. That’s
a lot—especially when you remember Arlington has 90,000 households. It will take a lot
more hands with good handwriting and a lot
more stamp and label appliers.
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 3
Golden Gala:
Eat & talk;
drink & talk;
talk & talk
The final ACDC social event of the campaign season is the Golden Gala, the annual
high fashion cocktail party, though no tuxedos
or evening gowns are required.
There will be lots of wine, beer and
munchables that are now officially termed
“heavy hors d’oeuvres.”
On the other hand, the speeches will be
light. This is the final kick-back-the-heels
event before the two-week drive to Election
Day.
The food is courtesy of ACDC’s own
Kitchen Crew, which has classified the menu
and won’t talk to The Voice about it. But the
Kitchen Crew always comes up a palatepleasing selection of delicious delights and
frequently adds a new and enticing dish at the
Golden Gala.
On the liquid side, the Joint Campaign
has created a new cocktail of classified ingredients to honor the evening’s special guest,
retiring State Senator Mary Margaret
Whipple.
Like Mary Margaret, the concoctors of
this concoction say the drink will be “elegant,
but very strong.”
The Golden Gala will be held at the home
Next Monthly Meeting
All Dems Invited
Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Walter Reed Community Center, 2909 16th Street South
(located two blocks east of Glebe Road and
one block east of Walter Reed Drive)
l
Specia st
n--ju
locatio nth
o
this m
NEW
Just
DAT
this
Almost everything is changed this month! First, we are moving from the first Wednesday to the SECOND Wednesday—
that is October 12. Next, we are moving from NRECA to the
Walter Reed Center. What isn’t changed is the focus on the
elections that will be only 27 days away when we meet. We
hope to have some campaign projects for folks to join in, like
the $4Dems mailing we worked on at the September meeting.
of Nancy and Saul Pilchen at 1412 North
Highland Street in Lyon Village. It is walking distance from the Clarendon Metro station. You cross Wilson Blvd and then walk
one long block up Highland.
The event will be held Saturday, October 22, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
The event is free to Gold Card holders.
For others, general admission is $75 and YDs
are $45.
The Golden Gala is the third Gold Card
social event of each campaign year. The first
event each year is the Chili Cookoff, held on
Labor Day. The second event varies each
campaign year and this year was the September wine tasting.
Bumper Sticker
of the Month
E!!!
mon
Democratic Values in Action
Cereal collection
is really a boon
to many families
Cereal may be part of your normal morning routine, but for many citizens in Arlington cereal is a major staple of their diet—not
only for breakfast, but for the other meals as
well.
The Arlington Food Assistance Center
feeds thousands of Arlingtonians. Boxed cereal is the one item that is not normally donated in bulk, but is asked for over and over
again by families.
Since Arlington Democrats started collecting cereal for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) in 2008, we have donated 536 boxes of cereal. So far this year,
we have contributed 104 boxes of cereal.
Charley Conrad, chairman of Democratic Values in Action (DVA), the non-campaign charitable arm of ACDC, says, “It is
thrilling to pull up to AFAC every month and
hear the dock crew say: ‘Here come the Arlington Democrats.’”
With such a contribution, you are demonstrating our Democratic Values in Action
in a very concrete way. Thank you for your
continued support of our cereal donation program.
th
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 4
Donkey Ears
K-K Dinner
will feature
Freedom Rider
The 18th annual Kennedy-King Dinner,
which will mark the half-century since the
start of the Freedom Rides, is set for Thursday, October 13, at the Alexandria Hilton
Mark Center.
Honoring the legacies of the Reverend
Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert
Kennedy, the annual dinner brings together
Democrats from around the 8th Congressional
District while raising funds for Democratic
candidates.
The 8th District Democratic Committee,
which sponsors the dinner, is chaired by
Arlington’s Margo Horner and the dinner
chairs this year are Charley Conrad and Dan
Steen of Arlington.
This year’s dinner is special as it will celebrate the legacy of the 1961 Freedom Riders, who were key to desegregating interstate
buses in Virginia and the rest of the South.
They also ignited a generation of student activists to engage in the civil rights movement.
In addition to remarks from the dinner’s
honorary chairman, Congressman Jim
Moran, guests will also hear from Congressman Bob Fillner (D-CA), an original freedom
rider, who as a 19-year-old student at Cornell
left school to join the Freedom Rides and was
imprisoned in Mississippi’s notorious Parchment Prison for his work on civil rights.
Tickets begin at $100, with special pricing for seniors and young Democrats. Arlington Democratic Committee Deputy Chair
Maureen Markham is organizing Arlington
tables and can be reached at
[email protected].
For more information, contact Charley
Conrad ([email protected]) or Dan
Steen ([email protected]). You can
also visit the 8th District Democratic Committee website to purchase tickets.
The 8th District encompasses Arlington,
Alexandria, Falls Church and adjoining parts
of Fairfax County.
Listening to the doings
of Arlington’s Dems
as overheard by
Dan Steen and Mädi Green
The left touch: Some Dems have green thumbs to go with their blue proclivities.
The garden developed by Kevin Ceckowski and Robert Christie was named
one of three best in the county last month by the Rock Spring Garden Club. Four
dozen gardens were nominated and a panel of judges from the National Capital
Area Garden Clubs checked them all out last spring before naming the best. The
Ceckowski-Christie garden at 2560 North Vermont Street “tames” two lots with
lots of roses, azaleas and peonies around a southern magnolia and a Norway
maple complete with running water. You can check out the garden if you attend
one of the Democratic fundraisers the two often host. Your next chance is
coming up fast—October 6 for Barbara Favola.
Passages: Soren Henriksen, husband of Pam Henriksen, who keeps all of
ACDC’s contributions straight and staffs HQ two days a week, died peacefully
the morning of Labor Day. He had not been well for some time and was in the
Capital Hospice at the time of his death. He was 95. Ever the loyalist, Pam
made a point of showing up at the Chili Cookoff just hours after Soren’s passing
to be with her Democratic family. Soren was born in New York City but reared
in Chicago. A member of the National Guard, he was called to active duty in the
summer of 1942, serving in the South Pacific until he was wounded in the
summer of 1945. He got his BA and MA in Illinois and then went to work as a
mathematician for the Army Map Service. That is where he met Pam. Soren
retired after 35 years and went on in retirement to produce a dictionary of
geodetic terms.
Class warfare: Elizabeth Warren, the consumer advocate running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Sen. Scott Brown for the US Senate seat in
Massachusetts next year, was queried recently about the GOP argument that
raising taxes on the wealthy is just class warfare. Here’s how she responded:
“There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a
factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to
market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid
to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces
that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would
come and seize everything at your factory—and hire someone to protect against
this—because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it
turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless. Keep a big hunk of it.
But part of the underlying social contract is: you take a hunk of that and pay
forward for the next kid who comes along.”
Home for used goods: Patrick Hynes, spouse of County Board Member Mary
Hynes, retired from the Senate Democratic staff long ago and now pursues his
avocation full time—yard sales! Drive by their house on Highland Avenue in
Lyon Village and three times a year you will see stacks of goods eager to find a
new owner. Mary says the couple built a new home a few years ago partly to
have the room for Patrick to accumulate everything between yard sales.
Passages: John Morgan Browder, who served many years as captain in Arlington
precinct, passed away in September at the age of 84. He often came to headquarters to help out and was described as both a charming gentlemen and a very hard
worker. A retired Army colonel, he was laid to rest in Arlington National
Cemetery with full military honors.
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 5
Softball game gets soggied out
‘Wait’ll next year,’ say sluggers
We are checking our encyclopedia of
incongruous baseball statistics to try to find
out if any postponed MLB game has ever been
postponed a second time—because that’s just
what has happened to the long-awaited Arlington-Alexandria clash on the diamond.
Back in July, the much-vaunted sports
classic was blistered out by the horrors of global warming that threatened to melt some of
the best campaigners in the state while they
pursued athletic greatness.
So, the game was re-scheduled for the
more hospitable month of September. But this
time, the game was soggied out after days and
days of Noah-like downpours left the field
swamp-like and threatened to suck down every outfielder.
A dismayed coach Gabe (Casey
Stengel) Snow said, “I was confident that
weather would not be a problem the second
time around. I guess when I hang up my
cleats, I won’t have a job as a weatherman.”
For the postponed game, cleats would
probably best have been replaced by fins.
Gabe was informed the morning of the
game by the Arlington Parks and Recreation
Department that the field was far too waterlogged to support any athletic event.
The downpours not only canceled the
softball game but also washed out the planned
family picnic accompanying the game, along
with the Moonbounce that might actually have
been a very exciting event for kids who adore
mud. More like a Moonsquish.
The Arlington and Alexandria coaches
put their minds together looking for another
date, but the fall campaign took priority. With
no time available until November, they decided to cancel this year’s baseball classic.
Coach Snow said an ice hockey game
was contemplated as an alternative, but the
teams are looking toward a baseball rematch
sometime in 2012 to get both teams warmed
up for the presidential election.
The cancelation of the 2011 game has
one benefit—it preserves Arlington’s perfect
record against Alexandria of one win and no
losses. It also gives both teams more time in
which to try to come up with names for their
squads.
It also leaves the Nationals unchallenged
in the Washington metropolitan area.
Why wait when you can vote
right now for your choices?
Be the first on your block to vote this year.
Don’t wait for the November crush.
Vote early—if not often.
Yes, remember that in Virginia you do
not have to wait for Election Day to make your
imprint on the ballot. The law only requires
that you plan to be absent from the county for
any part of Election Day to make you eligible
to vote early.
That’s relatively easy when you live in
what is by far the smallest county in the entire country.
Planning to smell the roses in Falls
Church that day? You can vote early. Contemplating a shopping excursion to Seven
Corners? You’re eligible.
The registrar encourages early voting to
reduce the pressure at polling places on Election Day.
You vote on the Third Floor of the
County Building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.
The hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday through November 4. There
is no voting on the Monday before Election
Day.
But there are some evening and Saturday hours:
Thursday, Oct. 27, to 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 29, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 3 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can go now. Early voting began
September 23.
You only need to fill in a brief form and
check a box for why you qualify—for example, absent for personal business or vacation.
Then you will cast your vote on the same
machine used at the polls in November.
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 6
Meet your fellow Dems
Yes, Susan Lechner’s blintzes could
probably win a television quiz show
Thesis I
Long time ACDC member and volunteer Susan Lechner hates change. She has
lived in the same place, worked for the same
employer and worked as a volunteer for the
same party organization for over 40 years.
Thesis II
Susan Lechner is a change agent, and
played a direct role in one of the biggest and
most significant changes in our society.
Can these two theses be reconciled? Let
us consider the evidence in support of each.
When we consider the first argument, there is
much evidence to support it. Susan has been
living here in Arlington since she first moved
here in 1960 with her husband, a military officer assigned to the Pentagon, and would not
think of moving. She has been volunteering
and working at ACDC since 1961, and she
has been one of the producers of “It’s Academic!” the television quiz, show for 49
years.
If you have been living in a cave, “It’s
Academic!” features a contest of local high
school teams competing in answering questions. The show is a local institution, getting
its start in DC 51 years ago and expanding to
Baltimore, Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, and,
this year, Honolulu. Susan started out 49 years
ago as a question writer and has moved up
over the years to producer. Readers can learn
more
about
the
show
at
www.ItsAcademicquizshow.com.
Moreover, Lechner can’t seem to stay
away from ACDC, volunteering for virtually
every Democratic candidate that ran in the
‘60‘s, ‘70’s, ‘80’s and beyond. She’s a fixture. Surely, when considered in this fashion, she does not fit the profile of a change
agent. What evidence supports Thesis II?
Consider what was going on in 1960.
There were two big political issues in 1960.
One was the Kennedy-Nixon election. The
other was the civil rights movement.
Susan grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the World War II era. Bridgeport had
a Socialist mayor, Jasper McLevy, who had
taken over from a very corrupt party machine
back in the Depression, cleaned up the city
LECHNER
. . . It’s Academic
government, and continued to win reelection
until the one year that he cut back on spending so much that the snow did not get plowed.
Her background is in progressive politics.
After leaving the military, Susan’s husband, the late Ira Lechner (who many will remember as a delegate to the State Legislature
for Arlington and parts of Alexandria) became
an attorney in Arlington. She wanted to get
involved in the community, and specifically,
wanted to work for Kennedy in 1960.
She contacted the local Democratic Party
about volunteering, and waited and waited to
hear back. She waited in vain, because the
local Democratic party was not endorsing
Kennedy. It was comprised of Byrd Democrats and firmly in the hands of the Byrd Machine, which would have nothing to do with
Kennedy.
That Byrd Machine had also launched
“Massive Resistance” as a way to thwart court
ordered school integration.
Susan and her husband then embarked
on a two-pronged effort to gain voting rights
for the black community and to reform the
local Democratic Committee. The first matter is not lip service. Arlington County, like
many southern communities, had its own insidious form of voting test, in which a confusing form was required to be completed.
White people would be assisted by the clerks,
and black people would not be assisted by the
clerks. If the form was not completed correctly, that person could not vote. Thus was
the vote suppressed.
The Lechners worked for voting rights
with others in the community and to insure
that Arlington Schools would never be shut
down. A big push on voter registration in
Arlington was undertaken in 1964. Susan cites
major inspiration and contributions from Joe
and Midge Wholey, Lucy Denney, Ed and
Elizabeth Campbell and many others. Ed
and Elizabeth Campbell were major figures
in Arlington history and Elizabeth’s contribution can be seen everyday in the form of Public Television station WETA.
At that time, you had to put your name
on the primary ballot to be elected a precinct
captain and member of the County Democratic
Committee. Susan ran more than once before
she was successful, and Kennedy Democrats
did not oust the Byrd Machine remnants
swiftly. This was the beginning of the ACDC
we know today, and Susan was there right at
the start and should rightly be acknowledged
as a pioneer. But, success at the local level
did not immediately translate into success at
the Congressional level. Joel Broyhill was the
Republican congressman representing Northern Virginia and Arlington until 1974. It took
Joe Fisher, whom Susan remembers as a great
candidate, as well as the post-Watergate disgust with all things Republican—and better
organizing—to beat Broyhill.
Lest we think she spent all of her time
on the barricades, Susan worked as a captain
continued on page ten
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 7
November ballot gains and loses
The rumor has started that somebody is out to get
Delegate Bob Brink since he is the sole candidate for an
Arlington House of Delegates seat to draw an opponent—
and he’s now drawn two of them!
Below is the ballot as it will appear for the November 8 general election this year. It is revised from the
ballot printed here last month. Candidates running against
School Board Member Abby Raphael and Delegate
Patrick Hope have dropped out, leaving them unchallenged for re-election.
But Brink drew another opponent just before the filing deadline. Independent Kathy D. Gillette-Mallard will
now be joining Independent Green Janet Murphy in trying to push Brink over the brink. The betting money still
stands with Brink, but he has a new district that wends
itself far out into the wilds of Fairfax County forcing him
to spend more gasoline money and shoe leather working
new neighborhoods.
The Republican Party is only running candidates in
the three Senate Districts—and none of those candidates
is from Arlington. They are all from Fairfax County.
Democrats now control the State Senate with a bare
Senate, 30th District
22-18 majority. The lieutenant governor, who has the tiebreaking vote in the Senate, is a Republican so the GOP
will control that chamber by picking off two Democratic
seats and producing a 20-20 breakdown in the Senate.
The state GOP is expected to pour money into the
race in the 31st District, which has been vastly redrawn
and now is only 57 percent in Arlington with the rest in
Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
In Arlington, third party candidates and an independent have filed to run in two of the 14 races in the county—
with an Independent Green challenging Delegate Brink,
a Green Party candidate running for County Board and
an independent against Brink. (Note that the Independent Green Party and the Green Party and two entirely
different political entities.)
This means that eight of our 14 candidates are already home free—all four so-called constitutional officers (sheriff, commissioner of revenue, treasurer and
commonwealth’s attorney), all delegate candidates sans
Brink plus School Board candidate Raphael.
The races with challengers are all three Senate seats,
Brink’s delegate seat and the two County Board posts.
Timothy T. C. McGhee (R)
Adam P. Ebbin (D)
Senate, 31st District
Caren D. Merrick (R)
Barbara A. Favola (D)
Senate, 32nd District
Patrick N. Forrest (R)
Janet D. Howell (D), incumbent
House, 45th District
David L. Englin (D), incumbent
House, 47th District
Patrick A. Hope (D), incumbent
House, 48th District
Robert H. Brink (D), incumbent
Janet Murphy (IG)
Kathy D. Gillette-Mallard (I)
House, 49th District
Alfonso H. Lopez (D)
Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo K. Stamos (D)
Sheriff
Elizabeth F. “Beth” Arthur (D),
incumbent
Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid H. Morroy (D), incumbent
Treasurer
Francis X. O’Leary (D), incumbent
County Board (two seats) Mary H. Hynes (D), incumbent
J. Walter Tejada (D), incumbent
Audrey R. Clement (G)
School Board
Abigail J. Raphael, incumbent
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 8
The day was almost too much for the chili
It was hot. It was steamy. The sweat
was pouring off the patrons’ faces. And that
was before anybody even had a bite of chili.
As it did all summer long, the weather
bug bit again on Labor Day, the day of the
Chili Cookoff. The classic Arlington in late
summer combination of high humidity followed by a monsoon created a sauna like atmosphere in the Lyon Park Community Center. When canned heat and chili packing various degrees of hot punch were added to the
mix, even the coolest county politician was
schvitzing like Rodney Dangerfield. We now
know what those promotional campaign hand
fans are for!
One exception was former (and perhaps
future) gubernatorial candidate Terry
McAuliffe, appearing cool and collected while
schmoozing with Delegate Patrick Hope.
Even standing next to open sterno flames, the
man did not break a sweat, the sign of a born
candidate south of Mason-Dixon Line. When
encouraged by Arlington Dems to run in the
2013 governor’s race, he replied, “…thinking about it, thinking about it.…” Non-committal words, but body language signaling that
truly serious consideration was being given.
The weather forced the event to move
indoors. That had the effect of forcing cancelation of the dunk tank, which wasn’t disappointing to many prospective dunkees but
brought sadness to many eager dunkers. One
of those showing disappointment was softball
coach Gabe (Casey Stengel) Snow, who had
planned to use the dunk tank to prospect for
some pitching talent.
Despite the weather, the turnout for the
Chili Cookoff was quite high, and nearly the
full roster of office-holders and candidates
made an appearance at some point.
In addition to McAuliffe, another outof-town guest was Sean Mitchell, who is running against Republican Dick Black, the
Snidely Whiplash of the legislature. Sean
came as a guest of Senator Mary Margaret
Whipple and received a lot of attention and
encouragement in his quest from Arlington
Democrats.
Candidates who had fought the good
fight in the primaries came together at the
Chili Cookoff, some doling chili out and others judging it.
That primary, the upcoming elections,
the heat and the chili itself provided plenty of
fodder for conversation. The event was not
just a successful fundraiser, but a darn good
party party.
Much of the credit for the success of the
Cookoff—with a record number of chilis on
the table—goes to Sarah Eckman, who took
charge of organizing the event this year.
Creating much of the party atmosphere
was the Morroy sisters and their combo.
Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy,
her twin sister and their bass player often play
ACDC events. The sisters have great voices,
individually and in harmony. The bass player
adds oomph to the twin acoustic guitars and
additional harmony. They can cover songs
ranging from the Beatles and Bob Dylan to
“Down on the Corner” by CCR to “And Then
He Kissed Me” by the Shirelles.
A surprise and surprising guest vocalist
was Caroline Raphael, the 12-year-old daughcontinued on next page
And the winners are . . .
Chili Chef Supreme
Chili Para Todo Arlington: Chili for All of Arlington
Re-Elect Walter Tejada for County Board
Chefs: Melissa Bondi and Lee Niederman
(This was actually 4 separate chilis; a spicy
and mild version of a vegetarian chili and a
spicy and mild version of a turkey chili.)
Chili Chef Silver Award (1st Runner-Up)
Abby’s Black Bean Chili
Re-Elect Abby Raphael for Arlington School
Board
Chef: Abby Raphael
The Picasso
Progressive Turkey Chili
Adam Ebbin for Senate
Chef: Lori Swain
Most Gourmet
Mary’s Mild Mannered Chicken Chili
Re-Elect Mary Hynes for County Board
Chef: Mary Hynes
Aged to Perfection
The Treasurer of the Sierra Madre
Frank O’Leary for Treasurer
Chef: Dave Gelman
(Award for a returning entry)
Wild Hot Award
Janet Howell’s Howlin’ Hot Virginia Chili
Sen. Janet Howell
Chef: Donna Grossman
Rookie of the Year
Mr T’s Afternoon Delight Chili
Theo Stamos
Mild Tempered Award
Bob Brink’s West Side Chicago Chili
Bob Brink for Delegate
Chef: James Schroll
Most Ecological
Hope for the Best
Delegate Patrick Hope
Chef: Patrick Hope
Where’s The Beef? Award
Soy Good Chili
Arlington Young Democrats
Chefs: Jamie Lockhart and Brian Alexander
Jack of All Trades (Politician & Chef)
Mary Margaret Whipple
Senate Majority Chili
Chefs: Mary Margaret Whipple and Arlene
Spinelli
Go Meat! Award
Team Englin Progressive Chili
Delegate David Englin
Chef: Jon Alex Golden
Most Valuable Sous-Chef
Chef: Jason Stanford
For Alfonso Lopez’s Fightin’ 49er Chili
Veggie Lovers Award
Taxes Chili
Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy
Chef: Sue Gruskiewicz
The Edison (Most Inventive)
Mike Murtha
Chef for Doc’s Famous Boss Chili and Kate’s
Incredible Shiska-Chili
Colorful Masterpiece
Favola’s Fabulous Chili
Barbara Favola for Senate
Chef: Mike Murtha
What’s in a Name? Award (creative name)
Jail House Chili
Sherriff Beth Arthur
Chef: Beth Arthur
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 9
The day was almost too much for the chili
continued from previous page
ter of School Board Member Abby Raphael,
and, apparently, the reincarnation of Bessie
Smith. She sang “Rolling in the Deep,” by
Adele, one of those neo-soul numbers.
You will find all the award winners from
the chili competition on the preceding page,
with awards handed out like candy from a
busted piñata. But, what of the chili itself?
This reporter is obliged to maintain some level
of objectivity, and must rely upon The Voice’s
new food critic, a most demanding and candid individual dubbed “The Chow Hound.”
“Call me a traditionalist,” he said, “call
me hidebound, call me, of all things, a conservative, but chili should have meat in it.
That’s what chili is. Beef, brisket or ground.
Chicken, maybe. Beans if you insist upon it.
Everything else is a stew.”
Getting up to speed, he said, “I saw a lot
of turkey. Turkey is fit for Thanksgiving and
nothing else. I saw vegetarian chili, which is
a prime example of missing the point entirely.
I saw, greatest of all horrors to this purist, soy
chili. When we are reduced to the point of
eating Soylent Green, I will try soy chili. Until
that time, it is the equivalent of green eggs
and ham to me.”
Then he put the screws on. “There was
a general over reliance on green and red peppers to add spice and kick. It does add kick,
overwhelmingly so, so that the flavor of everything else is lost. Heat and flavor should
come from the spices, not from an overdose
of peppers. Peppers, like vegetables, are secondary, not primary, ingredients. Buy enough
meat or stay home!” He was steaming.
“So you hated it?” we asked.
“No. I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore.
Then I went back and got some more anyway. I really liked Adam Ebbin’s Terlingua
style chili, Patrick Hope’s well seasoned
ground beef with beans—and Fritos, a nice
touch—and even the turkey with white beans
put out by Adam Ebbin. The carrots in Beth
Arthur’s chili also added a nice sweetness
and contrast to the hotter flavors in her chili.
Theo Stamos forked out for beef brisket with
fine results, and her steam tray was empty at
the end of the day.
“After a certain point, the taste buds are
stunned into submission and some chili no
doubt got short shrift as a result. I hesitate to
say whether I regret passing on the ‘Shishka-Chili’ as much as I admire the name. The
best pun and the best graphics award goes to
Frank O’Leary for his awesome movie
poster for the Bogie thriller, ‘ The Treasurer
of Sierra Madre’.”
“So what is your final verdict?” we
asked.
“Utterly appalling!” he replied “and I
can’t wait to go again next year!”
Now, some may say that the Chow
Hound is just another elitist prig. To balance
his view, we have spoken with our “Man on
the Street,” longtime activist Sue Zojac, and
asked for her favorites in the chili competition. She said that she liked Mary Hynes’
chili because it was mild, and she liked Abby
Raphael’s chili because it was vegetarian.
So, there you have the two competing
views, but both agreed that they are looking
forward to next year’s competition.
Here is how we win in November
continued from page one
•
Put up signs at the 52 polling places the
night before the election.
•
Be a circuit rider checking in by car at
polling places on Election Day.
•
Drive voters to the polls.
31st State Senate Race
So, you’ve heard about our competitive
race in the 31st State Senate district and you
want to help? Great! We definitely need you.
We have many options for you to join your
Democratic friends in “doing your part” to
ensure current County Board Member Barbara Favola is elected to the State Senate.
Here are a few of the ways you can help:
•
Knock! Call! Come join! The
usual “knocking doors” and “calling voters”
efforts that we all know and love.
•
Drive! We need some fearless drivers to transport our younger and environmentally-minded canvassers to non-Metro-able
neighborhoods.
•
Cook! Enjoy preparing meals for
large groups? The hotly-contested 31st State
Senate race means flocks of volunteers packing Arlington Dems’ HQ for mid-week phone
banks and deployment sites for weekend and
weekday afternoon canvassing. We need food
to feed for these great volunteers!! Donations
of sustenance tremendously appreciated.
and, finally,
• Preserving Great Data!! You know
how important it is that we use all the valuable voter info being collected – and that
means entering voter contact data. We need
help!! If you are available on weekdays, the
Favola campaign—and the entire Arlington
Democratic community—will benefit. Quick
and accurate entry of canvassing and phone
banking results allows future volunteers to be
armed with the most accurate list of voters
who still need to be identified, persuaded, or
reminded to vote.
Reaching High-Rise Dwellers
In 2007, our most recent comparable
election year, voter turnout in high rise precincts was very low. There are many highrise residential buildings in the 31st Senate
district, so boosting turnout in these high-rise
precincts is especially critical.
You can help boost high-rise turnout in
two ways, by: 1) distributing the Joint Campaign grip card, and in-person absentee vot-
ing information, at the Metro during weekday morning and evening rush hours, starting
October 17th; and 2) if you are a resident of
an inaccessible apartment building, becoming a building captain/ambassador for the
Arlington Democrats.
As a building ambassador, you could do
any number of things that would help raise
awareness about this year’s election with your
apartment neighbors, including: hosting a
voter registration drive or informational event,
posting literature on bulletin boards in common areas, and distributing literature.
Golden Gala
Saturday October 22nd
Our final Gold Card event of the season
is our annual cocktail soiree, the Golden Gala.
You don’t want to miss it. This year’s Gala is
in near Clarendon, at the home of Nancy and
Saul Pilchen, 1412 N. Highland St., from 79 p.m. Entrance is free for Gold Card holders, $75 for General Admission, $45 for Young
Democrats (under 36). You can also be an
event sponsor for $150
You can easily buy your ticket online at
www.arlingtondemocrats.org or just buy it at
the door.
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 10
Dems visiting
with veterans
NUMBER 52 — Arlington has yet another precinct in time for the
November election. This is Precinct Number 52 bearing the name of
Gunston. It is located in south Arlington to the east of Shirley Highway.
Voters in the new precinct will cast their ballots at the Gunston
Community Center at 2700 South Lang Street.
Lechner first fought Byrd
continued from page six
in the Woodlawn and Nottingham precincts.
She helped organize the first Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner back in the 1960’s, as well as
the Annual County Board Auction, and she
wrote skits and songs for Follies style shows
that used to be put on.
Regarding the County Board Auction,
Susan had a vital role in that event as head of
the “Blintz Committee.” Susan perfected the
“cocktail” blintz, a finger friendly form of the
delicious but messy Jewish soul food, and
their presence is still required at this function
each year upon threat of civil disturbance.
When asked for the secret recipe, Susan responds with a firm, “No Dice.”
Susan and her late husband have a son
in Manhattan and a daughter in San Francisco,
and a granddaughter who also works in the
television and movie industry.
She greatly enjoys her work with “It’s
Academic,” but does not limit herself to that.
She has worked for 20 years for the Arling-
ton Free Clinic, taking appointments and referrals. She lauds the Clinic for the great
health care it provides to poor people and
immigrants and is very proud to work there.
Susan recalls the Arlington that she
moved to as very different from today. It had
a lot fewer people. It was primarily suburban. There was no Crystal City. Rosslyn was
a series of one-story pawn shops. A Clarendon
high rise had three stories—and there weren’t
many of them. The Hispanic and Asian communities were almost non-existent. The vestiges of Prohibition were still strong, and restaurants had to fight to get the right to serve
liquor by the drink. And, of course, each and
every public facility was segregated.
Is Susan the stick in the mud of Thesis I,
or the mover and shaker of Thesis II? Her
long tenures at her home, job and volunteer
positions would strongly support Thesis I, but
the end result of her efforts, the integrated and
prosperous Arlington that we live in today,
provides all the proof we need the Thesis II is
correct.
The ACDC/AYD Joint Caucus on Veterans, Military & Foreign Affairs organized a
team of volunteers to visit with World War II
veterans at the DC Veterans’ Hospital July 17.
It is now planning a similar visit, but with
wounded Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans
at the recently combined Walter Reed/
Bethesda National Medical Center. Plans are
being made for a weekend visit in October or
November.
Please email Jonathan
Morgenstein ([email protected]) if
you’d like to give back to those who have
given so much.
Additionally, the Caucus is collecting entertainment items for the wounded veterans.
Please bring DVDs, music CDs, magazines,
books and/or packaged food (cookies, candy,
etc. but ONLY packaged baked goods. They
don’t accept home made baked goods.) to the
October ACDC meeting to donate.
1st Sat. breakfast to
be held first Saturday
The November First Saturday Breakfast
will be held on the First Saturday, just 70 hours
before the polls open for Election Day on the
first Tuesday after the first Monday.
And the November guests can talk in
detail about the campaign as they are candidates Abby Raphael for School Board,
Ingrid Morroy for commissioner of revenue
and Frank O’Leary for treasurer.
A usual, the breakfast will be held at the
Busboys and Poets in Shirlington from 8:30
to 10 a.m. in a room reserved exclusively for
hungry Dems. Please bring cash in order to
avoid fumbling with a stack of credit cards
when it’s time to pay the bill.
Westover plans rally
Westover Precinct co-captains Bob
Orttung and Karl Nelson are inviting any
and all to a late campaign Get Out The Vote
rally in Westover with all the candidates on
the ballot in the precinct this year.
It’s designed as a meet-and-greet with
no political speeches. It’s scheduled to take
place just ahead of the annual Westover Halloween parade.
The rally will be Saturday, October 29,
from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the Westover Market
Beer Garden, 5863 Washington Blvd.
ACDC Voice, October 2011, Page 11
What this year’s Senate races really mean
by Mary Margaret Whipple
State Senator
Democrats control the Senate by a margin of 22-18. Should the Republicans gain
even two seats, they would take control since
a deciding vote on a 20-20 tie would be cast
by Republican Lieutenant Governor Bill
Bolling.
The governor is a Republican. The
House of Delegates has a large Republican
majority.
Only the Democratic Senate provides a
balance to Virginia state government. Only
the Democratic Senate articulates a different
vision for the Commonwealth.
Some examples:
The Republican House voted for a tax
credit scheme that would reimburse corporations for scholarship contributions to private
and parochial schools. By combining state
and federal credits, the corporation’s contribution would be fully reimbursed with taxpayer funds. This version of vouchers was
rejected by the Democrats on the Senate Education and Health Committee.
Multiple mean-spirited anti-immigrant
bills were passed by the House of Delegates.
In the Senate, a special subcommittee considered the bills and Democrats rejected them.
In these cases, had there been a Republican
senate, you can assume that these misguided
House bills would have passed since the Republicans on the committees voted for them.
A clear indication of Democratic priorities came during the budget process. The Senate budget contained $100 million more than
the House budget for K-12 public education.
It had more for higher education at our colleges and universities. It had $114 million
more for health and human services and included more for public safety. Thanks to the
skill and fortitude of our conferees, the Senate position prevailed.
So what is happening in this year’s election contests?
Well, while the Democratic senators and
our caucus have raised more money than our
Republican counterparts, the governor has a
war chest of major proportions, about $3 million. That money is already being thrown into
Senate races around the Commonwealth to
benefit the Republican candidates. The governor has made no secret of the fact that he
and the Republican Party are targeting Democratic senators.
Then this was the redistricting year. Due
to population changes, especially the increase
in population in Northern Virginia, districts
had to change significantly so that even incumbents have to introduce themselves to
many new voters.
The stakes could hardly be higher.
One-party rule in Virginia will have repercussions for the Commonwealth that are
only too clear.
And a Republican takeover of the Virginia Senate could be interpreted as a harbinger of things to come in 2012. So before we
get to the presidential and congressional elections, let’s pay attention to our own election
in Virginia this year!
NEW LINES — In the newly redrawn 31st Senate district, 57 percent of
the population lives in Arlington, but about three-quarters of the land
area falls in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
Calling out all Barbara
Favola precinct volunteers
All precinct captains and volunteers in
the precincts covered by the new 31st Senate
District (map above) are being invited to a
special reception with candidate Barbara
Favola Friday, October 7.
This gathering will give folks a chance
to meet fellow preicnct captains and volunteers from all over the new district that
stretches far out to Loudoun County. It also
gives Barbara a chance to get to know the
many people working the precicnts for her.
The reception is being held from 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. at the home of Paul Ashin, 1302
North Nelson St. in Arlington. The house is
three blocks north of the Virginia Square
Metro station.
Precinct captains are asked to pass word
of the reception on to the volunteers in their
precincts.
This is not a fundraiser. But for those
looking for a Favola fundraiser, a wine and
cheese reception with donations at the door
will be held two days later from 5-7 p.m.,
Sunday, October 9, at 3648 North Monroe
Street in Arlington. RSVP to Abby Raphael
at [email protected].