Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Second in a series on campaign spending in November 2011 races affecting McLean
McLean is divided into two Virginia Senate districts and both races this past November cost more than $1 million each. The 31st District race between Democrat Barbara Favola and Republican Caren Merrick and the 32nd District race pitting incumbent Democrat Janet Howell against Republican challenger Patrick Forest were among about 15 Senate races that broke the $1 million mark, according to the nonpartisan and nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. The all-out partisan war between state Republicans and Democrats for control of the Senate drove up the cost of the races, VPAP said. There were 10 million-dollar Senate races in 2007, the last time all 40 seats were on the ballot, VPAP reported. The election resulted in an evenly split …
Friday, November 25, 2011
WaPo: MWAA reviewing legality of appointment.
Republican Caren Merrick, the McLean businesswoman who ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate this year, has been appointed to the Metropolitian Washington Airport Authority. Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the appointment of Merrick and Todd Stottlemyer of Oak Hill to the authority on Wednesday. The move is in line with McDonnell's long-term approach to having more say on regional transit boards, and follows successful legislation spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., to expand the MWAA board from 13 to 17 members, according to the Washington Post. The MWAA board opposed Wolf's effort and is reviewing the legality of the governor's appointments, the Post reports. The authority oversees Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington…
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Arlington Board member will serve through December.
Arlington County Board Member Barbara Favola earned her promotion Tuesday. Favola won a hard-fought election battle against Republican Caren Merrick by a healthy margin to represent an area that includes parts of Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties in the state Senate. Favola received 58 percent of the vote, compared to Merrick’s 42 percent, according to unofficial results. “We delivered a message that a lot of people embraced,” Favola told an energized crowd at the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s victory celebration. “People understood that their rights were on the line.” Favola’s fight with Merrick came on the heels of a bitter and expensive primary battle that was decided in August. Since then, she and her team knocked on 51…
Arlington County voters will determine several contested races -- and perhaps the future of the state General Assembly.
Arlington County voters today will help decide several contested state and local races -- and perhaps control of the Virginia General Assembly for at least the next two years. At the forefront is Arlington County Board Member Barbara Favola, who survived a bitter and expensive state Senate primary battle in order to face the well-funded Republican Caren Merrick, a McLean businesswoman. The winner will succeed retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell has been campaigning off and on in Northern Virginia for months, trying to amplify any patches of red in this typically blue portion of the state. He helped Merrick raise money early on and took the guest spot at a recent Arlington fundraiser for Republican Patrick …
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Favola and Merrick Appear at Falls Church synagogue.
The differences between 31st District Senate candidates Democrat Barbara Favola and Republican Caren Merrick became clearer Sunday as they discussed issues ranging from background checks for gun ownership to new regulations for abortion clinics at an appearance at Temple Rodef Shalom The candidates are competing for the open seat in the dramatically reconfigured 31st Senate District, which stretches from National Airport north to Loudoun County. Most of the district and the voters are in Arlington County. Election day is Nov. 8. Favola, an Arlington resident, has served on the Arlington Board for 14 years. She told the Jewish Community Relations Council on Sunday that she looked forward to her son's graduation from George Mason in June. …
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Five things to know about what's going on in and around Arlington.
1. The Arlington Gay & Lesbian Alliance reminds us that today is National Coming Out Day. Here's a story of one man reflecting on why an apology was part of his coming out (with a shout-out to the #CountMeOut campaign). Do you have a coming out story to share? We'd love to hear it in the comments section below. 2. Switching gears, the National Rifle Association has released its grades for Northern Virginia candidates. McLean Patch has the run-down for those campaigning in Fairfax County, but we share a few of those -- like the 31st Senate District. Republican Caren Merrick got an A-, and Democrat Barbara Favola earned an F. 3. The Arlington Public Library is asking for your vision on shaping the institution in the coming years. Three …
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday night fundraiser draws long list of Democratic elected officials and activists
Democratic state Senate candidate Barbara Favola accused her opponent of running a “stealth campaign” and avoiding questions on tough issues at a fundraiser Tuesday night in the Ashton Heights community. Favola didn’t mention McLean Republican Caren Merrick by name, but she did criticize mail pieces circulating in the district on Merrick’s behalf for not identifying the candidate as a Republican except in the fine print. “She is a very conservative Republican. She is not a moderate Republican. She is a Tea Party Republican,” Favola said. Favola, an Arlington County Board member, accused Merrick of refusing to give a direct answer on raising taxes, either to invest in education or transportation. She also said Merrick would not directly …
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Stark differences emerge between the two women seeking to represent portions of Arlington and McLean in the state Senate.
Barbara Favola showed she still had plenty of fight in her Tuesday night despite a tough-as-nails primary battle that lasted into late August. The Arlington County Board member met McLean businesswoman Caren Merrick head-on in the Washington-Lee High School auditorium. The two were among a slate of area legislative candidates asked to participate in a forum hosted by the Arlington County Civic Federation, the unofficial kick-off to general election season. Both women came across as polished as they laid out their respective platforms in opening and closing statements. Both seem like they would be strong standard-bearers for their respective political party. The winner will be the one best able to mobilize the most voters in a redrawn …
Jason Spencer
1:53 pm on Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Fixed. Thank you. more ›