There is, from time to time, a discussion about moving our Council elections from the Spring to the Fall. Steve Randolph mentions in another thread an article in the WaPo from this weekend that covers this discussion as it is happening right now in Falls Church.
I’m not ready to go to the wall either way but my preference is for Spring elections. As mentioned in the article, I do worry that the local races will get drowned out in the midst of state and national races. I agree that spring elections get the local issues more attention and I think everyone is more educated about the choices since the other races are already settled. On the other hand, having local elections in November might save a few bucks….
December 15, 2009 at 10:54 am
Tonight at Manassas City Hall at 7 pm is a Town Hall meeting with Bob Marshall, Jackson Miller, Chuck Colgan and other state representatives.
The public is invited. Just confirmed this with the clerk’s office.
December 15, 2009 at 3:19 pm
How do voter turnout numbers compare Spring versus Fall? Plus, isn’t Spring every year taken up significantly with budget work?
From my BlackBerry Storm…
December 15, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I would like to go to that Cindy but we already made plans for the Bull Run Festival of Lights this evening.
December 18, 2009 at 11:34 am
Matt, Candy and Hannah from GTS spoke to their legislators about changing the speed limit in their community from 25 mph (not safe for narrow roads and density) to 15 mph:
http://www2.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/manassas/article/residents_bend_legislators_ears/48953/
They are members of the new Neighborhoods Work Group (a result of the Neighborhood Improvement Circles last spring). The group meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7 pm at the Georgetown South Community Center and is open to anyone from any neighborhood in the city who wants to make their neighborhoods better. The January meeting is on Tues, Jan 19 at 7 PM and Mickey Rhoades, the city’s new Housing Manager/Housing Advocate is going to be the guest speaker.
December 18, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Cindy, GTS was one of the first large townhouse
communities built in N. Va. and, unlike later
areas where streets remained private and
under the control of a HOA, GTS streets were
turned over to the Town of Manassas.
The plus for GTS is they don’t have to maintain
the streets – no paving, street cleaning, or snow
removal cost.
The negative is they are public streets. Specific
parking spots can not be assigned and traffic
control issues like speed bumps, traffic signs
and speed limits are under the same rules
as any other public street. Hopefully, the speed
limit can be lowered, but it may take some time due
to state requirements.
(I have a standing offer to sponsor
a motion for the City of Manassas to sell the GTS
streets to them for one dollar. So far, the board
has declined the offer.)
December 18, 2009 at 2:54 pm
FYI – Snow Push Zones were established in GTS after a huge
snow/ice storm ten years ago that created problems when,
because of diagonal parking on both sides of the street,
snow plows had no where to push snow except up behind
vehicles or into just cleaned, after much labor by
citizens, parking spots – neither action was popular to
say the least. Nor was a suggestion to just not plow
in GTS. Hopefully, especially with a prediction of over
a foot of snow, the Snow Push Zones will serve their
purpose tomorrow.