Last week’s Falls Church News-Press asked Falls Churchians (I am now one on a temporary basis, although I did not participate) to respond to this poll question:
“Should the City of Falls Church defy the governor’s anti-mask mandate?”
The results came out this week. They’re … weird.
You’d think that the responses would be overwhelmingly “damn straight Falls Church should defy the governor’s anti-mask mandate!” given the political composition of the community. And yet, according to what was in the print edition I picked up at Harris Teeter yesterday, 78 percent of respondents said Falls Church should not act defiantly.
Twenty-one percent said the city should defy the governor, while 1 percent was not sure.
Now, this certainly could be a case of people from outside the circulation area logging in and skewing the results. Regardless, it’s certainly a slap in the face to the News-Press position, which seems to be “masks today, masks tomorrow, masks forever!” (Those of you who know your history will get the reference.)
Anyway, strange. As we say in my family, “Don’t ask a question you’re not prepared to get the answer to.” (While I was a mere pre-teen, my sainted mother once asked, “Have you kissed a girl yet?” My smart-aleck retort was, “Wanna know what else I’ve done with a girl?” She wisely retreated into silence 🙂 )
SEE, WE CAN ALL GET ALONG! A couple of days ago I was watching the daily session of the House of Delegates, and before it descended into name-calling among those from the two parties, a nice moment occurred.
A delegate used the first moments of the meeting to introduce a group from CASA, a Latino organization whose members generally support positions in tune with the Democratic side of the aisle, who were visiting and sitting in the gallery.
After a nice round of applause from the delegates, Speaker Todd Gilbert (R) formally welcomed them … in English and in Spanish.
So his Spanish was a little rusty and phonetical. Mine is, too. It was the thought that counts. And it certainly seemed to be appreciated by the visitors, who broke into applause when he did so.
AT LEAST WE WILL HAVE A RACE: We have coverage today that Adam Theo, who as a virtual unknown last year ran for Arlington County Board, is fulfilling his pledge of 2021 and is running again in 2022.
He most likely will be challenging Democratic incumbent Matt de Ferranti, who is expected to make his quest for a second term official next week.
Theo sort of got lost in the shuffle of the 2021 race, which featured two other independents also making kamikaze runs against Democratic incumbent Takis Karantonis. We’ll see if a year of seasoning helps his quest this time around.
One would expect Audrey Clement will make her annual pilgrimage for office, too, and there could be others. Hey, the more, the merrier.
Let’s not get crazy with expecations; de Ferranti is going to win the race no matter who else is on the ballot. But that doesn’t mean other candidates can’t have an impact on community discourse.
MAYBE A RECORD-BREAKER: Next week’s featured property for our Fairfax edition is a new home on Chain Bridge Road in McLean, marketed by the fabulous Fouad Talout and his team from Long & Foster.
At $24 million, it may be the most pricey home we’ve ever featured over the 20+ years we have been doing these weekly home reviews. At least I don’t recall one more expensive.
The amenity that seemed to catch everyone’s attention: The home has a “tailor suite” in the lower level. Perfect for any last-minute sartorial adjustments needed before hosting a swinging soiree or heading out for a night on the town.
— Scott McCaffrey