PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Alexandria, VA Alexandria Permit #482 Gazette Packet Attention Postmaster: Time-sensitive material. Address Service Requested To: 1604 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314 25 Cents Vol. CCXXV, No. 6 Serving Alexandria for over 200 years • A Connection Newspaper February 12, 2009 Republicans Cut 121 Back Fannon And Cefaratti City Jobs? Two emerge to take by Photos Hartmann proposes on Democratic slate reducing services and size of government. of council candidates. Louise Krafft By Michael Lee Pope By Michael Lee Pope Gazette Packet Gazette Packet t’s been nine years since Republicans /Gazette he era of big government at City Ihave fielded a successful candidate for Hall is over, ushered to a close City Council, with Democrats sweep- Tby the global financial crisis and ing two successive city elections. But G.O.P. a weakened Alexandria real-es- voters are hoping this year could be differ- Mason and Clark Bavin join Elizabeth and Page Moon and Andrew tate market. As City Manager Jim Hartmann ent, with two candidates approved by party Palmieri at the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Chairman’s presented his proposed $524.3-million bud- canvass voters this weekend. Republicans gala. Clark Bavin of Video Solutions was honored by outgoing Cham- get for fiscal year 2010, a somber tone fell are ready to challenge ber Chairman Elizabeth Moon for outstanding service to the Cham- over the City Council chamber as the elected Democrats on fiscal dis- ber in 2008. Andrew Palmeiri of Vorys Legal Counsel was also hon- leaders considered the potential conse- cipline and controver- ored for outstanding service to the Chamber in 2008. quences of reducing city services and elimi- sial decisions such as ex- nating 121 positions. Although the vast tending the hours of majority of eliminated jobs are vacant, 30 operation at a West End Chamber Celebrates with Gala current city employees will be laid off un- asphalt plant. less Hartmann can find other positions they According to party are qualified for that remained fully funded. chairman Chris “We will try to match those 30 people to Marston, the Alexandria positions that have not been eliminated,” City Republican Com- said Hartmann, adding this budget is the Phil Cefaratti mittee could still add See Hartmann, Page 4 four more candidates for a full six-member slate before the March 3 filing deadline. Constricting “I would prefer to see a full slate of six candi- And Expanding dates,” said Marston Saturday afternoon shortly before the polls School Board cuts, closed. “When base vot- The evening’s Master of Ceremonies Huey adds to some areas. ers go into the polls and Battle of Washington Gas and his wife Cheryl. Frank Fannon there’s only two Repub- The Chairman’s By Michael Lee Pope lican candidates on the award for Member Gazette Packet ballot, there’s a chance those voters might of the Year award crossover and vote for Democrats. So the for outstanding math works better if we have six candi- service went to ith rising enrollment and dwin- dates.” Donald Simpson Jr. Wdling revenues, the Alexandria Even if Marston is unable to recruit more with Simpson Devel- public school system was forced candidates, he said Republicans are excited opment Corp. Inc. to make some difficult budget decisions over about the two candidates that have already Brison Rohrbach of the last month. Yet Superintendent Morton won a spot on the May ballot. Mortgage Simpson Properties Sherman and School Board members ex- banker Frank Fannon is a fifth-generation Inc. was also pressed confidence that the budget adopted Alexandrian, bearing a well-known name awarded Member of last week accomplished the seemingly dis- and a deep reservoir of long-term relation- the Year for out- parate goals of fiscal conservatism and edu- ships in the city. And Weichert real-estate standing service to cational progressivism. Although the City agent Phil Cefaratti ran an unsuccessful the Chamber in Council asked the school system to cut its campaign for the Republican nomination in 2008. Rohrbach city-funded appropriation by 2 percent, the the special election for the 46th District of Incoming chairman Cathy Puskar greets was not able to School Board unanimously adopted a friends in the ballroom. attend the event. $196.8-million budget that cuts the appro See Republicans, Page 4 See School, Page 4 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ February 12-18, 2009 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ February 12-18, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Editor Steven M. Mauren 703-917-6431 or [email protected] Council Notebook News Backhoe Ready As the largest federal spending legislation in American history makes its way through Congress this week, city officials are fight- ing for their share of the largess. Last week, city officials com- Anthony piled a list of $600 million “shovel ready” projects that qualify Sliwak, a under the federal guidelines for the initiative known in Wash- waiter at the ington as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009. Evening Star The list includes $31 million for fire-fighting equipment, $28.3 Cafe in Del million for school infrastructure projects, $19 million for a new Ray, said that police facility, $3.4 million for new sidewalks and $2.4 million “I he knows he was looking in the budget for the line item for shovels,” joked needs insur- /The Gazette Packet Councilman Justin Wilson, referring to the federal require- ance, but is ment that projects must be fully planned before they can be unable to funded. afford it. “The only time we ever really use shovels is a ribbon cutting,” Rob Wile responded U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8), who appeared before council members Tuesday night to talk about the federal stimu- lus plan. “Nobody uses a shovel. You use a backhoe.” by Photo However the projects are constructed, Moran said he expects the federal government to allocate about $5.5 billion to Virginia. As the House and Senate hammer down the final details of how the stimulus plan will work, the city is aggressively lobbying to Living Without Coverage fund its $600 million wish list. Moran said he expects the city to secure funding for a “disproportionate amount” of the money, An often overlooked group, Northern Virginia although he acknowledged a disagreement with the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee about whether or not the 20-somethings struggle to get health insurance. stimulus package would fund ongoing projects or only new By Rob Wile health coverage as a result of losing their jobs. projects. The Gazette Packet In the pending economic stimulus bill, $87 bil- “For whatever it’s worth, we got into a bit of a shouting match,” lion have been allocated to extend Medicaid said Moran, whose amendment for the plan to fund ongoing or most healthy 20-somethings like Alex- benefits to those who have projects was defeated. “He’s the chairman — I’m not, so I lost.” andria resident Anthony Sliwak, the pros- become unemployed invol- “I haven’t Fpect of facing a serious medical emergency untarily. Nonprofit Creativity might seem remote. For the past four The number of individu- looked into it, months, Sliwak has been waiting tables at the als in their early 20s with- In these troubled economic times, nonprofit organizations are Evening Star Cafe in Delray. Short of burning him- out health insurance, how- finding increasingly creative ways to get through the downturn. but I’m just self while helping prepare the rosemary-braised lamb ever, has always been pro- Take the Alexandria Boys and Girls Club. The organization, which shank, working as a waiter poses little danger to his portionally much higher, is in the midst of updating its 1936 building in the Parker Gray assuming it’s short-term health. according to Paul Fronstin, neighborhood, requested that city officials waive $20,000 worth It may not seem too surprising, then, that Sliwak senior research associate at gonna be too of construction and inspection-related fees. City manager Jim does not have health insurance. “I’m just assuming the EBRI. Hartmann recommended against waiving the fees, expressing [it’s too expensive],” he said. “There’s been no real There are obvious rea- expensive. I a concern that other nonprofit organizations would follow suit. reason for me to go to the hospital, but I know that sons for this, he said. But council members overruled him on a five-to-two vote, waiv- sooner or later, it’s only a matter of time before I break “For them it’s a rational can barely ing $5,000 worth of city fees for the nonprofit. my leg — it’s probably gonna happen tomorrow.” decision — that [if] they’re pay rent.” “We just laid off 30 people earlier tonight,” said Councilman Sliwak is far from alone amongst individuals in not sick, why get the insur- Rob Krupicka, who voted against the motion waiving $5,000 their early 20’s lacking health insurance. According ance?” he said. “If you — Anthony Sliwak, for the Boys and Girls Club. “I think giving money to a nonprofit to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), think about their priorities waiter on the same night as we lay off 30 people is inappropriate.” 35 percent of men and 28.8 percent of women aged — you just got a job, a new 21-24 do not have health insurance — the greatest apartment, you have to pay for a car, student Reconstituting Reconstitution percentage for any age group in the country. The loans — all of a sudden you’re in the real world, national average is about 15 percent.