Commentary

The General Assembly has finally adjourned its 2008 session. I am back in Reston most of the year except for a likely special session on transportation this spring and periodic study committee meetings. 

I am back to handling the solid waste at my house (taking out the trash and the recycling), being a landscape gardener (cleaning up the debris from the winter and planting new shrubs), clearing dishes off the dining room table, and talking to friends, neighbors, and constituents. 

Conversations I have in Reston are quite a bit different from the ones I sometimes have in Richmond. In my community there is no debate about climate change; it is recognized as a reality to which we must respond. In the CapitalCity there is a debate as to whether climate change, if there is such a thing, is a phenomenon of nature that is uncontrolled by humans. The idea of recording greenhouse gas emissions for future planning purposes was defeated in the legislature as just another crazy idea of environmentalists and alarmists. Manufacturing interests successfully lobbied against increasing the rate at which the state converts to renewable sources of energy. Their concern is that renewables might be more expensive and increase the cost of production. Not factored into that simplistic equation is the cost of running out of fossil fuels or further reducing air and water quality.

With newspapers reporting daily the skyrocketing rates of foreclosures on home mortgages, there was debate in a House committee on which I serve on a bill the Governor had introduced to give some relief to homeowners as to whether there really was a crisis and shockingly, if so, would foreclosures not simply provide some cheap homes that others could buy!

My neighbors talk to me about their concern in having the gun show loophole closed so that criminals or the mentally ill could not buy guns at shows without a background check. Not only did the legislature not pass such legislation after pleas from parents of students slain at Virginia Tech, but one delegate made a speech on the floor of the House about how he and some other legislators spent the morning at a local firing range. He brought in targets to show members what good marksmen they were! People in my community worry about cruelty to animals, but supporters of cockfighting hired a professional lobbyist to keep their pastime legal.

Reality for some may seem like a pipedream or fantasy to others. Reality to others may be harsher than some would like to admit. Maybe that’s why it is so hard to reach agreement in the legislature. I personally need the reality of home to be able to keep my perspective, remain grounded in my values, and persist in the causes and interests of my constituents.!

Delegate Ken Plum's Weekly "Virginia Report"
on Reston Comcast Channel 28

View Delegate Plum’s Virginia Report online at http://www.rctv28.com/videosVR.htm.

Tune in to Reston Comcast Channel 28 on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. for “Delegate Ken Plum’s Richmond Report.”

Capital Reception

Announcements

Delegate Ken Plum was one of the leaders in the successful campaign to prevent a reduction in public education funding in the state budget. View his speech on education funding at www.kenplum.com. Click on the arrow control under the photo/video, “Delegate Plum addresses education in House session on 2/21/2008.”

The Richmond Times Dispatch included an editorial and an opinion column endorsing legislative proposals of Delegate Ken Plum but not by name. The editorial endorsing his plan for an independent reapportionment commission can be found at www.inrich.com/cva/ric/opinion.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-03-16-0079.html His proposed change in the rules to require recorded votes in subcommittee can be found at www.inrich.com/cva/ric/opinion/commentary.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-03-16-0086.html. The piece was written by Olga Hernandez, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia.

Volunteer to help GRACE with the 2008 Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival scheduled for May 17 and 18. Go to www.restonarts.org to sign up.

Do not flush unused medicines down the toilet – unless directed by the label. This advice applies to both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Throw unwanted medicines in the trash. This action will help to keep them out of rivers and streams. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dontflush for additional steps for disposing of drugs to prevent their misuse or accidental ingestion.
 
Learn about natural resources through a series of hands-on workshops and outings held throughout Northern Virginia from April through June. Events will be held on weekends and evenings and will include: (1) classes about streams, soil, native and invasive plants, history, and eating locally; (2) land-based exploration including walks, hikes, and bike rides; (3) water-based exploration including kayaking, canoeing, and boating; (4) outdoor arts including photography, music, drawing, and journaling. For more information and to register, visit www.exploreyournest.org or contact Joanna Cornell at Joanna@exploreyournest.org or 703.324.1425.

Calendar of Events

The Virginia chapter of the American Planning Association will hold the opening session of its annual meeting today, March 26, at the Reston Town Center. Topic of the conference is “Creating Healthy Communities.” Keynote speakers on the opening day will be Reston founder Robert E. Simon and best-selling author Richard Louv. For information and registration go to www.vaplanning.org.

A Community Meeting has been scheduled on the Fairfax County FY 2009 Advertised Budget for tonight, March 26, 7:00 p.m. at Fox Mill Elementary School, 2601 Viking Drive, Herndon.  For complete budget information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/budget.

The Fairfax County History Commission will hold a community meeting on the proposed countywide Heritage Resources Comprehensive Plan Amendment tonight, March 26, 7:30 p.m. at Frying Pan Park Visitor Center, 2739 West Ox Road, Herndon. For more information on the proposed plan amendment, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703.324.1380, TTY 711. For more information on the Inventory of Historic Sites, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/historic/ihs/.

The Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program will sponsor a secure document shredding and recycling event at the Providence District Environmental Fair on Saturday, March 29, at Fairhill Elementary School, 3001 Chichester Lane, Fairfax, between 9:00 a.m. and noon. Residents may bring up to 5 medium-sized boxes per household to be shredded and recycled at no charge. For complete information on the Providence District Environmental Fair activities and exhibits, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/providence.

The Virginia Festival of the Book sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities will be held in Charlottesville through March 30. For more information, visit www.vabook.org.

The Women’s Center 2008 Annual Leadership Conference, “The Power to Make a Difference,” will take place on Saturday, March 29, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the McLean Hilton located in Tysons Corner. Visit www.thewomenscenter.org for more information.

The Literacy Council will host its second annual Reading: A Family Affair, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church. This is a free event for families, showcasing books and reading through four entertaining venues featuring some of Northern Virginia’s most popular performers. Musicians Rocknoceros and Bill Wellington, magician Joe Romano, storytellers Hazeline Harris, Diane Macklin, and Candace Wolf, and the Kaydee Puppets all will perform. Space is limited at the James Lee Community Center, so please leave baby strollers at home or in the car.

Public hearings on the FY2009 Advertised Budget Plan for Fairfax County will be held in the Board auditorium of the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax on March 31, April 1, and April 2. The public hearings will begin at 7:00 p.m. To sign up as a speaker, the public should call the Clerk to the Board of Supervisors at 703.324.3151, TTY 703.324.3903. The Board Auditorium is accessible to persons with disabilities or access the budget on the Internet at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb. Reference copies of the FY2009 Advertised Budget Plan are available at all County libraries.

Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold a Student Job Fair on Tuesday, April 1, 2:30 to 6:00 p.m. at Dulles Expo Center, Chantilly, Virginia. To participate in the Fair as an employer, email marketing@dullesregionalchamber.org for information.

A statewide strategic summit on Virginia’s workforce development system, “Pathways to Workforce Readiness,” to improve the readiness and competitiveness of Virginia’s workforce at home and around the globe will be held on Tuesday, April 1, Greater Richmond Convention Center, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Visit www.shrmva.org/conferenceworkforcereadiness.htm for more information and registration.

Environment Virginia 2008: CommonWealth: Accelerating Solutions in a Rapidly Changing Virginia will be another groundbreaking event. Delegate Ken Plum will be one of the session moderators. Attend April 1-3 in Lexington, Virginia. Information is available at www.environmentva.org.

The Northern Virginia Urban League's 18th Annual Community Service Scholarship Awards Dinner will be held on Friday, April 4, 6:30 p.m. at the Hilton McLean at Tysons Corner. Visit www.nvul.org for more information.

Reston’s giving Circle of HOPE is hosting an Empty Bowls fundraiser for the benefit of hunger relief on Friday, April 4, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at St. John Neumann Parish. Local artists are donating 500 bowls that are individually designed and created just for the Empty Bowls fundraisers. All proceeds will be donated to Food for Others, the largest distributor of free food which is given directly to people in need in Northern Virginia. For a donation of $20.00, each guest chooses a bowl to use that evening for the meal of soup and bread and gets to take the bowl home as a reminder that there are always Empty Bowls in the world. For tickets or more information please contact Marie Kordes at mzkordes@comcast.net or phone 703.860.2749.

Attend the 20th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 5, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Coordinate with Reston Association for a clean-up site near you by contacting Ha Brock at habrock@reston.org or call 703.435.7986.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation plans to offer advertising space in certain County bus shelters and wishes to receive public comments about this plan at a public meeting on Saturday, April 19 at 10:30 a.m., Fairfax County Government Center, Conference Rooms 2 & 3. Sign up in advance to speak by calling Katharyn Rogers at 703.324.1120, TTY 703.324.1102 or sign up at the beginning of the meeting. For more information about the advertising plan visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot or call 703.324.1100, TTY 703.324.1102.

Attend the Best of Reston Awards Gala and Dinner on April 24. The 2008 Best of Reston Honorees are John Coleman, The JBG Companies, the Volunteer Medical Providers of the Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic, Ruth Overton, The Reston Garden Club, Tetra Partnerships, and VISTA Wealth Strategies & Judy Redpath. The Awards and Gala are produced in partnership by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and Reston Interfaith. Last year’s Best of Reston event raised more than $300,000 for Reston Interfaith. Watch here for details about this important event.

The topic of Fairfax Futures’ 4th annual School Readiness Symposium, to be held on Saturday, April 26 in Fairfax will be “Resilient, Resourceful and Ready: the Importance of Social and Emotional Competence for Young Children.” Dr. Daniel Gartrell will be keynote speaker. For more information go to www.fairfax-futures.org.

The Annual Benefit Concert of the Reston Community Orchestra will be “A Family Evening at the Pops” on Sunday, April 27, 5:30 p.m. in the newly renovated Sunset Hills Montessori School, corner of South Lakes Drive and Ridge Heights Road. RSVP for tickets and table reservations to 703.860.1328 by Thursday, April 24.

The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival sponsored by GRACE is May 17-18. More information is at www.restonarts.org.

Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum | 2073 Cobblestone Lane | Reston | VA | 20191