April 23 - 29, 2015
Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
Founded 1991 • Vol. XXV No. 9
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week CBC Hails Success of Youth Civic Initiative
The smashing success of last year’s initiative by the Citizens for a Better City to recruit high school students for appointment to Falls Church City boards, commissions and volunteer organizations was celebrated at its 56th annual meeting Sunday. See page 4
F.C., Vienna Mayors In Solar Challenge
Falls Church Mayor David Tarter and Vienna Mayor Laurie DiRocco have issued a challenge to each other and will join in a friendly competition to see whose community can enroll the greatest number of participants for free home energy checkups and solar PV reviews as part of the Solarize NoVA campaign.
Down to the Wire: F.C. Council Will Raise Tax Rate 1¢ or Cut Schools B ourgeois?
New Savings Lower
Difference to Penny; Final Vote Monday by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
See News Briefs, page 9
David Brooks: The Talented Mr. Rubio Political audiences always like patriotic rhetoric, but as several reporters have noticed, this year’s Republican audiences have a special hunger for it. See page 12
Press Pass With Ben Williams
Jazz bassist Ben Williams, a native Washingtonian, has grown up, and is coming home to show the D.C. region how he’s matured since he released his debut album State of Art in 2011. See page 21
Index
Editorial..................6 Letters..............6, 22 News & Notes.10-11 Comment........12-15 Calendar.........16-17 Food & Dining ......18
Sports .................20 Classified Ads .....24 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........25 Critter Corner.......26
GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL’S Meagan Pierce (front) and Julia Palmer play Madame Jourdain and Nicole, respectively, in the school’s production of Moliere’s “Bourgeois Gentleman,” opening tonight at 7:30 p.m. See Spring Play Preview, page 8. (Photo: Anna Connole)
Another marathon work session of the Falls Church City Council Monday night ended with some verbal fireworks. Vice Mayor David Snyder clashed with Mayor David Tarter over the issue of fully funding the School Board budget request. The Council concluded with two options for next Monday’s final vote on the Fiscal Year 2016 budget, one which comes in with no tax rate increase and $340,000 cut from the School Board request and the other with a one cent tax rate hike and a fully-funded School Board budget request. The $341,000 cut could leave the schools with nine fewer teaching positions than at present. In a rare outburst of emotion and departure from his anti-tax norm, Vice Mayor Snyder said that “if it came down to it, I’d vote the Schools’ request and a one cent rate increase.” Snyder pleaded for more time to close the $340,000 gap through additional dialogue with the Schools before next Monday’s final vote. The $340,000 number is actually equal to less than a penny, 0.9 cents, on the tax rate However, the Schools’ request has been based on what it says is the need to remain competitive for the region’s best teachers and although not a big number compared to the overall size of the budget, it will be critical from the standpoint of meeting that objective. At a work session Tuesday night, the School Board learned that, indeed, a $341,000 cut in its budget would have a dramatic
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