June, 2002 - Volume 86, No. 10
June General Meeting
Since this will be the last meeting of the Civic Federation before the summer hiatus, the membership will wrap up a number of issues. Here s our agenda for June:
June General Meeting
New Membership Admissions
Bylaws Amendment
Election of Officers
Resolution Emergency -- Communications Center
Report by Revenues & Expenditure and
Schools Committees on Bond Proposals
Federation to Consider School and County CIP/Bond Proposal Amounts
Every two years, the County Board places before the voters a series of bond proposals for consideration as part of its five year planning process for improvement of capital projects such as libraries, schools, roads and other long- life infrastructure items. This year the County Manager has recommended the County Board adopt a $76 million dollar bond proposal for improvements to County s capital projects. The Schools Superintendent recommended an $85 million bond proposal. Because these amounts are larger than any ever issued in memory and in view of the impact the additional debt load will have on future county budgets, the Federation is planning to review these recommendations at the June meeting. The short time period between the announcement of County Manager s & Superintendent s recommendations and the date when the County Board makes final decisions on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) precludes publishing the recommendations of the Schools and Revenues & Expenditures Committees in this Civic Voice. Those recommendations should be up on our web site on June 2nd.
Committee Reports Deferred to Executive Committee Meeting
Committee Reports, traditionally delivered by Committee Chairs at the June meeting, have been moved to the June meeting of the Executive Committee (date to be announced at the June 4th meeting). The Executive Committee meeting is open to all members.
Annual Elections Slated For June Meeting
As noted in the May Civic Voice, Nancy Graham, Chair of the Nominating Committee (which was elected at the April meeting) reported in with a slate of officer recommendations that the committee will introduce at the June meeting. The Committee s nominations are:
President: Dan Krasnegor
Vice President: Nancy Hunt
Secretary: Tim Wise
Treasurer: Frances Finta
Executive Committee: Robert Atkins, Nancy Graham, Michael Lane, Patrick Smaldore, Randy Swart
The Federation s annual elections will take place at the June 4th meeting and with terms of office to begin (in accordance with the Federation s Bylaws) immediately after the meeting. Additional nominations may be taken from the floor at the June meeting before the election.
Nominating Committee Bylaws Change Under Consideration At June Meeting
As an outcome of its deliberations to develop a slate of candidates, the Nominating Committee also proposed amendment of the Federations bylaws regarding the composition of the Executive Committee. The proposed change was referred to the Bylaws Committee members who disagreed with the amendment as proposed. The Federation s membership will consider the following amendment at the June meeting as noted in the Bylaws Committee s report, quoted below:
In accordance of Article IX -- Amendment of bylaws -- notice is given of a proposed bylaw amendment to be voted on June 4th 2002; specifically to amend Article VI The Executive Committee, Section One by adding the immediate past President to the Executive Committee. Article VI, Section One now reads:
The officers of the Federation and the five elected members of the Executive Committee shall constitute the Executive Committee.
If adopted, the Article VI, Section One will read,
The officers of the Federation, the five elected members of the Executive Committee and the immediate past President shall constitute the Executive Committee.
Note: The amendment was proposed by the Nominating Committee by a vote of 5-1. The Bylaws Committee recommended against adopting the amendment by a vote of 5-1. The matter has been referred back to the general membership for final consideration.
Federation's 911 Scholarship Fund Makes First Awards, Expands Eligibility
At a May 30th meeting in the Central Library, hosted by the Arlington Community Foundation, the first three scholarships of the Civic Federation s 911 Scholarship Fund were presented to three high school seniors, the children of Arlington s Public Safety Personnel. The fund, started by the Federation on December 9, 2001, has rapidly grown from an initial collection of $3,000 to over $105,000, which reflects the high regard our community has for our police, firefighters, sheriff s deputies and 911 dispatcher personnel.
As the fund has grown, the Federation has adjusted its goals and is refining eligibility standards. The Scholarship Committee recently met with the Fire Chief and representatives of the Sheriff and Police Chief to better understand the needs of the children of our 911 heroes. Because of the success of the fund, the Scholarship Committee has suggested eligibility be expanded to include the children of public safety employees who are already enrolled in higher education programs.
The success of the fund is a result of a spirited letter writing campaign headed up by Scholarship Committee Co-Chair Tim Reese and by the efforts of Judy Green, a committee member. With the financial help of Clarendon Dogs and Dogma, the dog goodies bakery, Judy has designed, ordered and sold over $1,600 worth of hats sporting the ACFD or ACPD initials with a handsome-looking puppy amongst the letters. If you would like to buy a hat, contact Judy at 703-528-0522 or via jajgreen@att.net
Additionally, the Grand Reopening of Quinns Antiques Gallery (at 431 North Maple Avenue in Falls Church) raised over $1,100 at an auction held on behalf of the Federation Fund and local volunteer firefighters. If you get a chance, drop by and say, thank you, to Matt Quinn.
Federation To Host Booth at County Fair (Again!) August 15-18
This year the Federation will again host a County Fair booth in August at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center s auditorium. The booth provides an opportunity to tell the public about the Federation and help citizens find out about their own civic associations. Member Organizations are encouraged to drop off newsletters and flyers at the booth for us to give out on your organization s behalf. This year s Federation County Fair coordinator is Pat Smaldore who can be reached at 703-528-3935 or pat+
Draft Resolution on County s Emergency Communications Center
After finishing up work last year on their review of Fire Department staffing issues and in addition to their work on community preparedness, the Public Services Committee has completed a review of issues regarding the Emergency Communications Center (ECC). Here s the text of the resolution drafted by the Public Services Committee that will be considered on June 4th by the membership:
WHEREAS, Arlington County s Emergency Communications Center (ECC) provides for the critical communication needs of both our Police and Fire Departments;
WHEREAS, the events of September 11th have served to underscore the importance of this skilled staff in protecting the community and ensuring that emergency services respond promptly and appropriately to emergency situations while under enormous pressure;
WHEREAS, the need for strong direction, consistency and continuity has never been greater;
WHEREAS, the Emergency Communications Center has just undergone a comprehensive Management Audit;
WHEREAS, emergency communications operations and technology are becoming an increasingly complex area of specialization;
AND WHEREAS, the need for a high level of understanding of the demands of both the Police Department and the Fire Department is critical to the successful use of resources and accumulation of statistics.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Arlington County Civic Federation that the Arlington County government is strongly urged to ensure that the Administrator of the ECC is a permanently assigned career employee, professionally trained in the areas of telecommunications and related technologies and experienced in ECC operations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Arlington County Civic Federation that the Police and Fire Departments are strongly encouraged to deploy from their ranks professionally trained police or firefighters to serve in ECC either on a rotational or permanent basis; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Arlington County Civic Federation strongly supports and encourages the County Government to take all steps necessary and prudent to fully staff the Emergency Communications Center.
Bridge Consideration Delayed
At the request of North Highlands Civic Association, the Federation s deliberations on the proposed bridge over Spout Run will be delayed until after the summer break to give residents more time to consider the issue.
One Final Note From This President...
Well this will be my last Civic Voice Newsletter note to you, the membership. After a relatively busy two years, it s impossible to sign off without saying some serious thank-yous and taking a moment to reflect on the Civic Federation as an organization.
* As far as thank-yous go first and foremost, I d like to thank Randy Swart for turning over a well-run organization with a reputation for fairness and always putting our membership first. Randy has continued to be an active delegate and valued advisor. I hope to be as good a former president as he has been.
To the Executive Committee you have all been great stalwarts working late, always ready to lend a hand and equally honest and fair. That goes as well for our Committee Chairs and their committee members.
Finally, a word of thanks must go to our extra-hard-charging Public Services Committee and to committee leaders Kim Smith, Anne Fisher, Tori Gorman, and Jackie Snelling. You and all your co-workers have accomplished so much these past 24 months!
* Now for the reflective part... I believe the Civic Federation is a truly unique organization in this County (or in the Commonwealth for that matter). I estimated once that when you count the members of our many organizations, we represent a constituency of over 15,000 Arlingtonians. When it comes to sheer size, no other group can compare to the Federation in the strength of our combined voices nor the potential for creating positive change in our County. You only have to look at a couple things we've done to realize that.
- We were the first to really stimulate the momentum of public demand to resolve manning issues at the Fire Department -- and the County was moved to do so.
- Our recommendations on the County budget represent the most in-depth review of the budget by any public group that s not appointed by the County Board.
- The meeting held on May 29th of this year on Community Preparedness materially improved our community s prospects for surviving a major disaster that s quite an achievement.
- The 911 Scholarship Fund, an idea suggested by the Arlington East Falls Church Civic Association, has grown from a very tentative way to say thank you to our public safety employees into a fund over $105,000 in size. This fund will provide a lasting tribute to our 911 heroes.
The best thing about being Civic Federation President over the past 24 months was the satisfaction of being associated with such active, caring, civic minded members. It has been a pleasure to serve you.
Sincerely, Jim Pebley
ACCF Officers
President Jim Pebley 703-525-0766 jim+
Vice President Dan Krasnegor 703-534-4024 dan+
Treasurer Frances Finta 703-528-2882 (no email)
Secretary Tim Wise 703-243-8345 tim+
Executive Committee
Chairman - Dan Krasnegor 703-534-4024 - dan+
Member - Robert Atkins 703-527-8859 - (voice or fax) - (no email)
Member - Mileva Hartman 703-841-9287 - mileva+
Member - Roger Meyer 703-671-3655 roger+
Member - Patrick Smaldore 703-528-3935 - patrick+
Member - Kim Smith -
kim+
ACCF Committee Chairs
Bylaws
Jean Mostrom, Chair 703-532-0452
Scott McGeary, Vice Chair 703-750-4704
Community Relations Jacqueline Mow 703-528-1112
Cultural Affairs
Environmental Affairs
Housing
Legislation
Membership
Frances Finta 703-528-2882 (no email)
Parks & Recreation
Planning & Zoning
William Gearhart 703-522-2276 bill+
Martha Moore 703-527-3782 martha+
Public Services
Anne Fisher
Kim Smith kim+
Revenues and Expenditures
Robert Atkins 703-527-8859 (voice or fax) no email
Schools
Special Events
Transportation (Co-Chairs)
Matt Bonini 703-820-2032 matt +
Jerry Auten 703-536-5365jerry+
Newsletter Editorial Committee
+
News email: - civicvoice Fax: 703-486-0576 +
Web: - www.civfed.org (civfed.com works too)
The paper version of the Civic Voice uses a design by Cheryl Whitehead, who can be reached through email to cwhite229@erols.com. This Web version, using the same text but posted within the style confines of our Web page design, is put up by Randy Swart. If you have comments about either version, please contact the editor, Jim Pebley
This page was last revised on: December 27, 2003.
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Arlington County Civic Federation
