Montclair and Manassas Park rated among best places to live according to CNN Money Magazine. Montclair is in that “too be expected” expected; Manassas Park – now doesn’t that just take the biscuit? With their top notch schools most efficient in the region, and “more affordable alternative to neigboring towns…” Makes ya just go “Hmmmmm”
Locals really need close their gaping mouths and walk the walk over at Manassas Park. The Chamber of Commerce has had several events to show off their City Center (low on biz tenants, but it will come with accolades like CNN Money) and Community Center. The last regional robotics competition was held at the Community Center, and they just opened a dog park there. The schools are phenomenal — go visit, seriously. The National Night Out event at Signal Hill Park was attended by thousands in the community. Don’t sit back and go on perceptions. And don’t judge by ‘muting through. My daughter took piano lessons for years from Harriet Riley, one of the top four piano teachers in the region — trained by Virginia Carper — and Ms. Riley happily lived and thrived in Manassas Park until her 90s. Until you really visit there, work there, live there, walk there, you’re not getting it. The ones that continue to bash it, just like the ones that continue to bash certain city neighborhoods, just don’t understand the changes that are happening.
The Manassas Park stuff is interesting. They’ve taken a lot of chances and they’re reaping the results – great reviews as a place to live but substantial fiscal challenges due to their heavy borrowing. I don’t think I would have made the same decisions but their citizens seem to support the actions of the gov’t.
The fact is, the government reflects the people. Manassas has, on balance, elected extremely conservative leadership. That leaderhip is willing to take chances now and again but, on balance, our city’s credo is – less is better.
Think I’m wrong? Consider this: we were able to weather the “great recession” and take almost no money out of our rainy day fund. Trust me – I don’t think that this is a bad thing but I would say that, just as Manassas Park is realizing the results of their actions, so is the City of Manassas.
Good editorial. What needs to be made plain in the M&T and BPOL debate is that it’s simply shifting the burden to landowners – and residential landowners will end up paying the lion’s share. Most localities cannot afford a further 10% cut in their budget in the wake of significant cuts over the past few years, the drop in state funding and the transfer of state programs to localities. It’s easy, at the state level, to balance your budget by making localities pay but we have nowhere else to look but our citizens.
For you ” old timers” who where around when the video for “Back in the high life” by Steve Winwood was shot in town do you rembwr why or any “buzz” it might have created? It was shot in 1986.
August 16, 2011 at 11:19 pm
Montclair and Manassas Park rated among best places to live according to CNN Money Magazine. Montclair is in that “too be expected” expected; Manassas Park – now doesn’t that just take the biscuit? With their top notch schools most efficient in the region, and “more affordable alternative to neigboring towns…” Makes ya just go “Hmmmmm”
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2011/aug/16/3/money-magazine-montclair-manassas-park-among-best–ar-1241914/
August 17, 2011 at 4:54 am
Locals really need close their gaping mouths and walk the walk over at Manassas Park. The Chamber of Commerce has had several events to show off their City Center (low on biz tenants, but it will come with accolades like CNN Money) and Community Center. The last regional robotics competition was held at the Community Center, and they just opened a dog park there. The schools are phenomenal — go visit, seriously. The National Night Out event at Signal Hill Park was attended by thousands in the community. Don’t sit back and go on perceptions. And don’t judge by ‘muting through. My daughter took piano lessons for years from Harriet Riley, one of the top four piano teachers in the region — trained by Virginia Carper — and Ms. Riley happily lived and thrived in Manassas Park until her 90s. Until you really visit there, work there, live there, walk there, you’re not getting it. The ones that continue to bash it, just like the ones that continue to bash certain city neighborhoods, just don’t understand the changes that are happening.
August 17, 2011 at 8:00 am
The Manassas Park stuff is interesting. They’ve taken a lot of chances and they’re reaping the results – great reviews as a place to live but substantial fiscal challenges due to their heavy borrowing. I don’t think I would have made the same decisions but their citizens seem to support the actions of the gov’t.
The fact is, the government reflects the people. Manassas has, on balance, elected extremely conservative leadership. That leaderhip is willing to take chances now and again but, on balance, our city’s credo is – less is better.
Think I’m wrong? Consider this: we were able to weather the “great recession” and take almost no money out of our rainy day fund. Trust me – I don’t think that this is a bad thing but I would say that, just as Manassas Park is realizing the results of their actions, so is the City of Manassas.
August 17, 2011 at 8:15 am
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/be-smart-about-business-tax
A reasoned editorial on reforming the BPOL tax.
August 17, 2011 at 9:47 am
Good editorial. What needs to be made plain in the M&T and BPOL debate is that it’s simply shifting the burden to landowners – and residential landowners will end up paying the lion’s share. Most localities cannot afford a further 10% cut in their budget in the wake of significant cuts over the past few years, the drop in state funding and the transfer of state programs to localities. It’s easy, at the state level, to balance your budget by making localities pay but we have nowhere else to look but our citizens.
August 18, 2011 at 11:43 am
For you ” old timers” who where around when the video for “Back in the high life” by Steve Winwood was shot in town do you rembwr why or any “buzz” it might have created? It was shot in 1986.
August 18, 2011 at 10:13 pm
obama just granted amnesty to untold illegal aliens. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/18/new-dhs-rules-cancel-deportations/ See ya good old US of A. We do not have a President, we have a despot who by-passed the will of Congress and the people, after saying he would not and could not do amnesty on his own.
August 22, 2011 at 4:55 pm
There is a flasher on the loose in the Wellington area of the City.
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2011/aug/22/4/fondling-man-strikes-again-ar-1254881/