Thursday, January 10, 2013
Chap Petersen sounds off on McDonnell's new proposal to fund transportation projects.
Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) called Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposal to eliminate the gas tax and fund state transportation projects by increasing the sales tax nonsensical in a blog post Wednesday. McDonnell's plan calls for the elimination of the 17.5 cents per gallon gas tax and an increase of the sales tax from 5 percent to 5.8 for more than $600 million in more transportation funds. Read more about the proposal here. If it passes, Virginia would be the first state to fund transportation projects this way. Petersen said: "The [Governor's] justification is that the gas tax at a fixed rate brings in less money in our hybrid age. But that hardly seems like a reason to jettison it. (And no other state has). Indeed, eliminating our traditional…
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Legislators to meet with constituents Thursday before the Jan. 9 start of next General Assembly.
State Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34th) and Del. Jim LeMunyon (R-67th) are holding a town hall meeting Thursday to speak with their constituents' before the start of the 2013 General Assembly session in Richmond. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Sully Government Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. The event is free and open to the public and no RSVP is required. "...before I go to Richmond, I want to hear about what issues are important to you," LeMunyon wrote on his website in a message about the meeting. LeMunyon, elected in 2009, serves on the following committees: Counties, Cities and Towns, Education and General Laws. So far LeMunyon prefiled HJ565, a resolution that makes application to the U.S. Congress to …
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Money went to Final Salute, St. Jude.
The Fastest Bartender Contest held it's last qualifying round Monday night at PJ Skidoos in Fairfax City. Competitors raced to pour their best for a chance at bartender fame and to raise money for charity. This latest Fastest event raised $200 to members for the GMU fraternity TKE to go towards St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It also raised $1,000 for Final Salute, a charity which provides housing for homeless female veterans and their children. The Northern Virginia finals are Sunday at Mister Days in Arlington, Va. The competition has been around for 30 years and covers regions in eight different states year-round. Bartenders can enter for a $30 fee and a chance to win the title of Fastest Bartender and a first place prize of $1,…
Monday, May 21, 2012
Petersen announced on his blog last week that he would not run in 2013.
State Sen. Chap Petersen has announced that he is not running for governor in 2013, as many have speculated in recent months. "I did not deny the inquiries, because I was seriously considering it," Petersen wrote on his blog, OxRoadSouth, last week. Petersen cited obligations to his family, his law practice and constituents in the newly designed 34th district as the reason he decided not to run. The 34th District consists of portions of Centreville, Vienna, Oakton, Annandale, Burke, Fairfax Station and Fairfax City. "To run for public office, a lot of pieces must be in place: family, financial, professional and spiritual. A candidate must also have a vision which is congruent with the moment. Timing is everything," Petersen wrote. "…
Friday, April 20, 2012
Tell us: Should state law be able to retroactively override private agreements?
The Virginia Senate rejected an appeal to override Gov. Bob McDonnell's veto of what's known as the solar freedom bill Wednesday, disappointing state Sen. Chap Petersen, who sponsored the legislation. "This is a common sense bill that would have brought high-paying, high-technology jobs across Virginia while protecting individual property rights within HOAs," Petersen wrote in a statement. "While the Governor continues to protect big coal and provide subsidies for mountaintop mining, Virginia tax payers are losing out on thousands of Federal tax credits from clean, efficient solar energy." The bill (HB 627), which passed the Senate on a 31-8 vote during the legislative session, attempted to invalidate any community associations' provisions…
Friday, March 30, 2012
Poll: Would you vote for Chap Petersen?
State Senator Chap Petersen, who represents the 34th district, will likely run for governor in 2013, the Washington Post reported Friday. Ben Tribbett, who writes the Not Larry Sabato blog and has been connected to Petersen's campaign for over a decade, told the Post that the only reason Petersen would not run is if Senator Mark Warner decided to campaign for the seat. If Petersen decided to run, his Republican opponent in the general election would be attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, or Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. The 34th district consists of parts of Centreville, Vienna, Oakton, Annandale, Burke, Fairfax Station and Fairfax City. Petersen won a landslide victory over his opponent, Gerarda Culipher, in the newly-configured district last …
Monday, March 5, 2012
Tell us: Were riot police, SWAT teams necessary for safety around Richmond or was it an overreaction?
At Monday's Virginia Senate session, Sens. Janet Howell (D-32nd) and Chap Petersen (D-34th) denounced the use of riot police, SWAT teams carrying automatic weapons, police dogs and helicopters in response to what they called peaceful protests in Capitol Square. Protest groups have gathered several times at the square this session in the wake of legislation aimed at limiting abortion rights. On Saturday, 31 protesters were arrested — mostly for trespassing or unlawful assembly — on the state capitol steps following a women's rights rally. Prior to some of the arrests, protesters were monitored by a fully armored police SWAT team carrying automatic weapons, riot police, and police dogs, the senators said. "They were chanting, 'Tell me what …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Sen. Chap Petersen speaks out against change he says would hurt Fairfax, other localities
Candidates running for office in Fairfax City and County will continue to appear without a party affiliation next to their names on local ballots. Virginia's senate voted 25-14 against a bill by Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) that would have required candidates nominated by a party to identify with that party on Election Day ballots. Virginia law enforces ballot party tags for candidates running only in statewide, federal or General Assembly races. The Fairfax County School Board, by law, must be a non-partisan race, Ballots for local races — including those for Fairfax City Council and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors — are party-free. "Non-partisan elections are part of their culture and the citizens like it that way. There …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Check back throughout the night for the latest election return data.
UPDATE (9:39 p.m.): Petersen and Bulova thank supporters for their help in what they consider a win for Democrats in Fairfax City. "It's fair to say that we're in good shape," Petersen announced to the campaign crowd gathered at Old Fire Station 3 in Fairfax City Tuesday night. Bulova agreed, adding that he and his volunteers have worked hard not just for this election, but for the future of democracy in Fairfax. (9:36 p.m.): Petersen wins Fairfax City with 3,022 votes in the city's seven precincts to Culipher's 1,587. There are still 30 Fairfax County precincts to go. (9:34 p.m.): Bulova wins Fairfax City with 2,818 votes in the city's seven precincts to Schoeneman's 1,780. There are still 10 Fairfax County precincts to go. See below …
Monday, September 26, 2011
Candidates for the 34th District Senate seat answer resident questions at Vienna debate
The Silver Line was one issue on which Incumbent State Sen. Chap Petersen (D) and Republican challenger Gerarda Culipher couldn't agree Thursday night, in one of the first debates of the 34th District Senate race. The debate at Vienna's American Legion gave the more than 60 residents that filled the hall an early glimpse of the candidates' positions on roads, businesses, jobs and taxes. Culipher said she'd would work to triple the number of parking spaces allocated for stations on Silver Line, which would make Metro a more accessible option for commuters from Chantilly and Centreville, she said. "Inadequate Metro parking is the single reason people do not use it," Culipher said. "I hear [that] time and again from the voters." In regards to…
Pete Kirby
10:08 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
So the power of Virginia's legislators in southern parts of the state prevented anyone from Northern Virginia from devising an idea of any sort to address our woefully undersupported transportation needs? I do understand that Northern Virginia representatives have limited numbers to push a change, but when was the last time they tried? When we send our representatives to Richmond, should we have … more ›