Avenging Archangel

Finnish Independence Day 2009

2009-12-06T00:01:00.001-05:00

Finland declared independence from Russia on December 6, 1917. Finland had been a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire since 1809. With the provisional government in Petrograd overthrown by Lenin and his Bolsheviks in October, the Finns weren't going to stick around any longer.

The video below has the playing of Maamme (Our Land), Finland's national anthem. You see in the picture the Finnish flag plus two candles in the window. The significance is that during the final years of Russian rule, many young Finnish men were going to other countries for military service, wanting the training to one day drive the Russians out of Suomi (Finnish for "Finland"). Finns willing to open their homes to any such men in transit would place two candles in the window to signal that they were welcome there.

2010 World Cup Draw

2009-12-04T23:00:00.002-05:00

Earlier today the draw for the 2010 World Cup Finals was held. Matches begin June 11 in South Africa, with soccer's World Cup being the most watched sporting event in the world. 32 teams were in the field: 31 had qualified through regional matches, plus the host team (South Africa) always gets a berth. For the first round, the 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four teams each. The basic rules of the draw:

1. The 32 teams were divided into 4 pots, based on seed, host status, and geography.

2. One team was drawn from each pot for each group.

3. In turn, a number was drawn for which numerical slot in the group the team was to get.

4. To prevent "continental clashes" in the first round, two teams from the same continent couldn't be put in the same group through the first three pots. (The fourth pot was made up of unseeded European teams.) For practical purposes, that meant in drawing from the third pot, Group A (which had host South Africa) had to get one of the three unseeded South American teams (Uruguay) rather than one of the five African teams.

The draw itself didn't produce the anticipated "Group Of Death":

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France.

Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece.

Group C: England, USA, Algeria, and Slovenia.

Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, and Ghana.

Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon.

Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia.

Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, and Portugal.

Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile.

I watched the draw on ESPN2. Some observations:

1. Pandemonium broke out in the television studio when the USA was drawn to be the second team into seeded England's Group C. Like the cheer after a made penalty kick, things erupted again when the USA drew "C2". That means we play the bloody limeys in our opener (June 12 in Rustenburg).

Anticipation then turned to who would join us in Group C. The next draw was Algeria, a side that barely qualified. Finally there was Slovenia. While Slovenia is the smallest country population-wise in the World Cup Finals, the Slovenians did eliminate the Russians.

Overall, a pretty good group for the USA.

2. Consensus was that the toughest group is Group G. Both Brazil and Portugal are soccer superpowers, while the Ivory Coast was one of two African countries (along with Nigeria) to go undefeated in qualifying.

North Korea need not unpack their bags, as they won't be in South Africa long.

3. Going in, most believed the draw rules benefited host South Africa. Alas, they drew both Mexico and 2006 World Cup semifinalist France into their Group A.

TPPC December 3, 2009

2009-12-03T16:05:00.002-05:00

The Transportation, Parking, and Pedestrian Committee (TPPC) of Virginia Beach's Resort Advisory Commission (RAC) met this morning. It was the delayed November meeting, as the normal November date would have fallen on Thanksgiving morning.

Barry Frankenfield gave an update on the Laskin Gateway Project. The sticking point is the configuration of 32nd Street. One of the consultants (Kimley-Horn) is working on a hybrid of the first two options. That hybrid is slated to be presented to the Laskin Citizens Advisory Committee at it's December 10 meeting. On the one hand, land takings are trying to be avoided; on the other hand, such would require some serious engineering of the curve swinging 32nd Street over to Laskin Road.

Speaking of Traffic Engineering, the TPPC was briefed on the Pedestrian Signs installed on Pacific Avenue. (Similar signs are on Shore Drive.) Through a Federal grant, signage was purchased for 7 intersections along Pacific to alert drivers of crossing pedestrians. The signs are topped with solar-powered lights that can be turned on at given times to enhance the effect. Data from automobile/pedestrian accidents on Pacific was used to determine which intersections, though other locations were disqualified because encroaching buildings wouldn't have permitted enough sunlight to reach the solar units.

Concern was expressed by some over the appearance of the units, whose poles and light units don't meet the design recommendations for Resort Area signage. Traffic Engineering retorted that you wouldn't want them to blend in too well, as that would defeat the purpose. In the end, it looks like the wooden poles and light units might be painted gray.

Intriguing fact: for all the media about people being hit by cars on Shore Drive, there are actually more such accidents on Pacific Avenue.

Finally, while everyone seems to agree that the long term goal should be to replace the existing light units on the Boardwalk with LED units, Budget constraints will probably prevent any such work in FY 2011.

Wally Erb, Light Rail, and Race

2009-12-03T15:41:00.004-05:00

Nothing like a trip back through the microfiche. Wally Erb is heading up the VBTA front group trying to petition a light rail referendum question onto the ballot. I have a good memory for detail, and recalled an article from the 1999 light rail campaign, Sure enough, I found this doozy of a quote from Erb in the October 22, 1999 edition of The Virginian-Pravda:

"There's going to be all sorts of people. There's going to be people who are coughing and not everybody is earning $45,000, $50,000 in a business suit and has a laptop computer. You're going to have some people who are bag ladies. That goes along with it. I'm not saying that it's wrong, but people who ride it have to be aware that they're going to meet a lot of people that they didn't meet before and that they're going to have to tolerate a lot of things that they wouldn't normally have to tolerate or even thought of."

In short, Erb fears light rail means having to tolerate people other than middle class Whites. While Erb goes on to deny any racial implications, no rational person can read them out of that. After all, the ridership of Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) is about 80% minority. When you realize that, reread Erb's quote and see how racially loaded it is.

Still, you have the right to sign one of Erb's ballot petitions. The volunteers will stand out: they'll be the ones wearing the white sheets and hoods.

In addition, at the September, 2005 monthly breakfast of the Tidewater Libertarian Party (TLP), Wally Erb and Robert Dean identified themselves as members of the radical John Burch Society.

You may want to stay clear of those guys.

"The Miss Of The Century"

2009-12-03T15:35:00.003-05:00

It's only 2009, but this blown play by English soccer player Rocky Baptiste has already been dubbed "The Miss Of The Century". Baptiste takes a pass, gets past the goalie...only to have the ball squirm loose on him and hit the outer side of the goal.

I played a couple years of soccer myself in high school: Midfielder later converted to Center Forward. As a Center Forward, you dreamed of having scoring opportunities like this. That Baptiste blew this one is inexcusable!

You Like Rosemary By A 2:1 Margin

2009-12-01T22:00:00.002-05:00

By a 2:1 margin you like Rosemary Wilson's chances against Jeff McWaters in Saturday's "firehouse primary" for the Republican nomination in the 8th Senate District special election.

Anyone who knows me knows I wouldn't vote for Rosemary if she was running unopposed. However, I think McWaters may have sunk his own chances when he came out for universal health care. (Then, I live in the 7th, so I can deal with Frank Wagner.)

The new poll question comes out of tonight's Public Hearing on the draft Comprehensive Plan: what should Virginia Beach do - if anything - south of the Green Line? Many grassroots activists want to maintain the status quo. The City had the Urban Land Institute do the Pungo Village Plan as a means to cluster suburban services at a single point in the south - at Pungo. In addition, Councilman Bill DeSteph has argued that the Green Line is a barrier to the natural progression of the City.

Happy Thanksgiving, Turkeys!

2009-11-25T20:51:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday the Chesapeake City Council passed 8-0 a Resolution asking for a light rail extension study for their study. The Virginian-Pravda has the story here: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/chesapeake-seeks-study-joining-lightrail-line

There's the obvious story here: yet another city in the region jumps on board the train. 5 of the 7 cities are in some state of light rail planning or (in Norfolk) construction.

However, let me point out the more obscure story here. Many VBTAers (lef by Reid Greenmun) want Virginia Beach and Chesapeake to form their own separate Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The idea is to spilt the two cities off from Hampton Roads to form a separate region. (Virginia Beach alone doesn't meet the population threshold.) There they would build their "suburban utopia". Therefore, a light rail extension in Chesapeake is as much a threat to the VBTA's crack pipe dream as the Virginia Beach extension itself.

On a few different levels, way to go Chesapeake!

Phone Fun

2009-11-24T09:35:00.002-05:00

One of my Facebook Friends posted this one, and it's quite amusing.

Dial the Nestle Crunch Hotline at (800) 295-0051. When it asks you to choose English or Spanish, doing nothing...and hear what happens after about 10 seconds. Press "4" from there and enjoy.

December Newtown SGA Meeting Schedule

2009-11-23T21:17:00.002-05:00

The schedule has been set for the next round of public meetings on the Newtown Strategic Growth Area (SGA). The initial meetings were in October. This time, the consultant will be back with some concepts (based on the October input) to get public comment on.

1. Wednesday, December 16
LandMark Design Group
One Columbus, 11th Floor.

2. Thursday, December 17
Kempsville Baptist
5204 Princess Anne Road

Both meetings will run from 6 P.M. until 8 P.M.

Kurbaan

2009-11-23T20:51:00.003-05:00

As a rule I don't post trailers from currently running movies, as I don't want to be accused of acting in self-interest. However, this afternoon I watched a movie that most of you probably had no intention of seeing, Kurbaan. It's an Indian-made film which has at it's center an Islamic terrorist cell.

A young female Indian psychology professor who teaches in New York goes home for a semester to be with her father, who is recovering from a stroke. At the school where she's temporarily teaching in India, she meets a new young male faculty member. He aggressively pursues her, and she falls in love with him. Her father first hesitates at them marrying: they're a Hindu family, while he's Muslim. They get married, and he returns to New York with her.

After awhile there, she learns he's part of an Islamic terrorist cell. (Most members live in the same cul-de-sac.) He had known she was going back to New York and had a U.S. passport, making it easier for him to enter the country. She becomes their prisoner as they go to carry out their strikes. First they bomb a plane taking an UN delegation to Iraq. In the movie's climatic scene, they try to carry out virtually simultaneous bombings throughout Manhattan's subway system.

The film is multilingual (including English), and subtitled in English. Given some of the cheesy American-made stuff in the wake of 9/11, I had to love this Indian film.

An Idea Walking To The Bus Stop

2009-11-23T20:42:00.002-05:00

Okay, it's a well-worn talking point to go on about how the policies advocated by the Virginia Beach Taxpayers Alliance (VBTA) would backfire royally on the very taxpayers the VBTA pretends to represent.

However, an idea hit me walking to the bus stop today: could some area college student model the impact of their policies to meet one of their school requirements? Look at Virginia Beach, make monstrous cuts to the City Budget, withdraw the Beach from all regional agencies and organizations, stop using public funds to stimulate economic activity, etc. What would the result actually look like?

The gist of my idea is to try to provide the impact in a format that policy novices can grasp.

Start Planning Now

2009-11-20T20:01:00.002-05:00

65% agreed that Hampton Roads should begin designing a series of dikes and levees with the sea's level expected to rise., with 35% opposed.

The new poll question: who will win the Republican nomination for the 8th Senate District special election?

TRAC November 18, 2009

2009-11-19T20:02:00.002-05:00

The Transit Riders Advisory Committee (TRAC) of Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) met Wednesday evening at HRT Headquarters in Hampton.

At their previous meeting, TRAC had approved their new committee guidelines, which include holding TRAC members to HRT's Sexual Harassment Policy. Copies of the policy were distributed to TRAC members. Offense Number One are "Unwelcome sexual advances". That led TRAC Chairman Henry Ryto to turn to Staff Liaison Tamara Poulson and ask, "How do you know it's an unwelcome sexual advance until she says 'No?"

Carlos Gonzalez of the TPO came to speak to TRAC. Gonzalez is handling community input for the TPO, and addressed members on what the TPO does. There was some support for TRAC trying to acquire a seat on the TPO's coming citizen advisory committee, but that wouldn't be until at least 2011 at this point.

Procedural changes were discussed with members. TRAC review will now be included in map, schedule, and board changes. In addition, incident reports will be differently coded. Finally, the reports members file prior to meetings were renamed.

TRAC hammered out the verbiage for insider cards to go on HRT buses. The insider cards will advertise TRAC, seeking to recruit more members.

Finally, HRT's response to the weather caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida was discussed. HRT had already launched a procedural review in the wake of the storm, with TRAC members having some ideas.

My Good Samaritan

2009-11-19T19:13:00.004-05:00

With yesterday's TPO meeting adjourning about 12:06 yesterday, I knew I had closely missed the previous Outbound Greenbrier 15, with the next Outbound 15 through the area being the one from Robert Hall at 12:18. I hurried towards a courtesy stop on Military Highway.

As I made the final yards at a quick pace, a car exiting the adjacent strip mall beeped it's horn at me. I thought it had to be someone who had just left the TPO meeting, recognized me, and was coming out from one of the drive-thrus of the two fast food restaurants there. I went to see who it was.

The lady was a complete stranger. She had seen me hurrying along, and offered me a ride to my next destination. I told her all she needed to do was get me to the next marked bus stop, but she insisted on taking me all the way. I was going to Norfolk's Janaf branch library, wanting to get in an Internet session before heading on to Hampton. (The Regional Building, Janaf, and the MAX bus to Hampton are all on Route 15.)

She took me there. Arriving, I thanked her and pulled out my wallet to give her some gas money. She told me, "That's not necessary, it's the holidays." I picked up my bag, got out, and walked into the library.

As depraved as today's society is, it's always wonderful to run into people like that.

TPO November 18, 2009

2009-11-19T18:46:00.005-05:00

Hampton Roads' Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) met on Wednesday for it's November meeting. There was one speaker under Public Comment: a bicyclist pushing bike paths. The consent agenda was unanimously passed.

Aubrey Layne, the recently-appointed member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), addressed the TPO. He expressed his thoughts on transportation and offered to work with the TPO where possible.

Mayor Joe Frank of Newport News has been Chairman of the TPO Committee, the body responsible for drawing up reforms of the TPO. All of it's work is done but for one point: fixing the public input process. Staff is sorting through a huge amount of citizen submissions on the subject. With that, Frank moved that the TPO Committee be dissolved, with Staff finishing work on public input. It passed unanimously.

The matter of setting up a citizens transportation advisory committee was covered. The committee is authorized to have a maximum membership of 30, and required to be geographically diverse. An initial group of 20 is scheduled to be voted on next month. Once any complaints about the composition of the committee are received, the final 10 members will be named to try to balance. Senator Yvonne Miller spoke up about the need for women and minorities to be represented.

The ongoing effort to prioritize the region's projects continues. The TPO voted to continue the work based on the interim criteria. What you didn't learn from Debbie Messina's utterly misleading story in today's paper was that the run of projects was only a test bed of less than 25% of the region's proposed projects, the criteria may be tweaked as the additional projects are loaded in, and the TPO was very specific that they were not endorsing the initial set of rankings.

Finally, the TPO voted to issue a RFP to hire a consultant on High Speed Rail. The naming of a High Speed Rail Task Force will now be delayed until the consultant is hired, allowing the consultant to input on the process.

Invictus

2009-11-17T12:15:00.002-05:00

On my day off yesterday, I went to MacArthur Center to see 2012. It was pretty good.

However, what really got my attention was one of the trailers shown before the main feature: Invictus. Starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and having Clint Eastwood as Director, Invictus is based on the true story of how President Mandela wanted to unify South Africa by winning the rugby World Cup. Conventional wisdom was that it was impossible.

Well, Morgan Freeman has played the President of the United States (Deep Impact), not to mention God Himself (Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty), so Nelson Mandela isn't a stretch.

Spinning Their Wheels

2009-11-13T19:15:00.003-05:00

The rain of the past few days has flooded the street that provides the lone entrance into our apartment complex (and the complex behind us). The water is up over the curb and covers the sidewalks.

Accordingly, a 4x4 trying to come in here this evening attempted to come over the curb and cut across the grounds, only to get stuck on the curb.

A second 4x4 tried coming across the grounds from the other direction to push him off, only to have it's wheels sink in the mud.

I'm now going outside to watch more of this.

Update: I went outside to view and see if I could help. Sure enough, I was asked if I had a shovel. (Yes, I do.)

The first vehicle was a blue Ford Bronco. It had come over the curb, only to get stuck in the mud just over the sidewalk. That area had been underwater most of the day. It was in deep.

The second vehicle was a white Chevrolet TrailBlazer. It had come over to push the Bronco out, but only had conventional two wheel rear drive. I advised them to push the TrailBlazer out backwards, but the driver wanted to go forward and make a sharp 90 degree left turn at the same time. (No way he was going to get sufficient traction that way.)

Finally, a late model Ford F250 pickup arrived to get the first vehicle out:

Attempt 1 - Chained the Bronco at the front and tried to pull it out. Not only went nowhere, but nearly got the F250 stuck.

Attempt 2 - With the TrailerBlazer driver still wanting to go forward with the turn, the F250 tried to push him forward. Didn't work.

Attempt 3 - The F250 managed to pull the Bronco with the chain backwards into the street. Hurrah!

Some self-important driver nearly plowed into both vehicles, then sped off beeping at them.

Attempt 4 - The F250 driver saw the same thing I had earlier: the TrailBlazer needed to go out backwards. With the chain, he got him out.

The funniest part: some guy with a compact car tried to drive across the lawn and slip out right through where the Bronco had got stuck! We yelled at him to stay out. Sure enough, he got stuck trying to get back to the parking lot.

Pushing Through To 15th Street And Back

2009-11-12T18:23:00.005-05:00

In looking forward to today's scheduled TDCHR meeting, the big concern was that there was also a Virginia Municipal League meeting slated. How many Commissioners would be gone? With an eminent domain hearing for Norfolk light rail, quorum was needed. What no one could have known then was that we'd be hit with the remnants of Hurricane Ida. With the New Starts Committee meeting scheduled for Noon, followed by TDCHR at 1:30, I called HRT to be sure things were still on before venturing out into this weather. What a fixture I've become: Staff recognized my voice on the phone. Yes, things were still rolling.

I went to the bus stop to catch Route 20 in. The good news is that we have a shelter for the Inbound 20; the bad news is that it's on low-lying ground. While it gave me protection from the storm, I was standing in about a half-inch of water. At least it was a very good bus: Bus 1806, out of the former Navy tour fleet. It has high-backed cushioned seats, overhead racks, etc. With the horrible weather, few passengers on this trip: only 5 of us going into Military Circle, then 6 leaving. Before departing the Military Circle Transfer Center, the Operator announced our weather detour: break route by going north on Ballentine, then west on Princess Anne Road, finally taking Church Street north to the temporary transfer center at 18th Street and Church Street. (The approach roads to the Cedar Grove Transfer Center were flooded, forcing it's closure.) Anyone who wanted to divert due to the detour was given a chance to disembark at Military Circle.

Arriving at 18th & Church, there was a long queue of buses lined up on 18th. The problem was that most had their destination signs off, and the Operators were huddling under the overhang of the union hall roof. Thus, neither did passengers know if their buses were there nor could they board to get out of the weather. Finally, the western portion of the walk to 15th Street meant going through water that at places was 5-6 inches deep.

Arriving at HRT's Southside administrative offices at 1500 Monticello Avenue, a couple employees recognized me. As I started to take my rain gear off, a Jason's Deli delivery driver entered with the food for the New Starts meeting. Since I was early (gave myself a cushion with the weather) and knew where the conference room was, I offered to escort him upstairs. Getting there, we learned the New Starts meeting had been cancelled. (That's plenty of food for nothing....) Present were Senior Vice President for Development Jayne Whitney and TDCHR Secretary Luis Ramos. I reported to Whitney on the trip in, while Ramos told me the only reason the TDCHR meeting was still on was the advertised eminent domain hearing. I engaged in chat with Staff while trying to dry out. At 11:40 the TDCHR meeting was finally cancelled. Ramos started calling Commissioners while Whitney told me to grab some food before taking the bus home. Before leaving, I asked if they had the packets for the since-cancelled TDCHR meeting. I know they're fact-filled, and figured I could work a blog post out of the information. Alas, the packets were at HRT Headquarters in Hampton and now not being transported over.

It was back through the water to 18th & Church. This time it didn't seem as bad, having done it before. Turning onto 18th Street, I could see the bus destinations signs were now on. Up close, I found that the Operators were onboard to allow passengers out of the weather. (Did Jayne speak to someone in Operations?) In addition, a HRT employee was now directing traffic to help handle that many buses on the narrow street.

As I walked up 18th, someone recognized me and asked, "Is the 20 down there?" No, it wasn't. We went to huddle under the union hall roof, with the 20 arriving within two minutes. The detour was now off, and we went south on Church, then east on Virginia Beach Boulevard to resume the normal route. At Tidewater Drive the Operator had to slip the bus between two stalled cars. Surprisingly, the amount of water at the bottom of the railroad underpass was negligible. (Nice going, Norfolk Public Works!) Finally, the lady sitting across from me was going to work. When I later heard that bus service would end today after 5, I immediately wondered how she was going to get home tonight.

For those of you wondering, the November TDCHR meeting is now cancelled and will not be rescheduled. The next meeting will be December 10 in Norfolk. Originally slated for Hampton, it will now be in Norfolk due to the light rail eminent domain hearing being pushed back to that date.

Overall, better than I had expected from HRT Operations in this weather. Note that the earlier problems at 18th & Church were being taken care of as I made my trip home.

Why this post? First, I'm sure there will be plenty of weather stories, so I shared mine. Second, it's probably the first online account of how the weather affected HRT. Third, last Christmas I noted how I won't let things get to me to make public duties. Wanted you to know I'm keeping my vow.

88% Will Ride Higher Speed Rail

2009-11-10T09:54:00.002-05:00

88% of those who voted said they'd ride Higher Speed Rail from Norfolk if built, while 12% wouldn't.

The new poll question: should Hampton Roads begin planning a system of dikes and levees? In his most recent State of the Region Report, Dr. Koch stated that Hampton Roads should begin planning a system of dikes and levees to deal with an anticipated rise in water levels from the Atlantic Ocean. Do you agree?

Citizens Rapid Transit

2009-11-10T09:46:00.002-05:00

Citizens Rapid Transit (CRT) was the predecessor of Pentran, which merged with Tidewater Regional Transit (TRT) to become Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) on October 1, 1999.

Well, someone has put up a website devoted to a historical look at CRT. The site includes some photos and a few stories. It's at: http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/crt.html

Yes, I Was Quieter Than Expected This Week

2009-11-07T07:45:00.002-05:00

Yes, I was busy as usual. However, the big post I had been planning after November 3 was a first look at the 2010 Virginia Beach City Council races.

The catch is that one of the seats up is Ron Villanueva's At-Large seat. Until we know whether he's a Delegate-elect or still a City Councilman, it obviously can't be written.

Once the close call for the 21st District House of Delegates seat is settled, watch for it.

City Budget Public Meeting

2009-11-07T06:43:00.002-05:00

On Thursday evening there was the second of four public meetings on the City Budget. 58 residents attended the session at Princess Anne High School.

Upon arrival participants were given documents with the evening's agenda, germane facts and figures, plus a survey. The meeting was called to order by City Manager Jim Spore, followed by presentations by Catheryn Whitesell (Director of Management Services), Councilman Jim Wood, and Vice Mayor Louis Jones. Afterwards, residents broke up into groups to discuss three questions.

The group questions were as follows:

1. In this recession, what should the City by doing and not doing?

2. What, if any, revenue sources should be considered to close the funding gap?

3. What other budget ideas should be considered?

There was a City employee recording all input.

Personally, I found the questions on the written survey even more interesting. Would you accept a Property Tax rate hike that was revenue neutral? What areas should be off-the-table for cuts? Other comments? However, the big question was where we were given 15 specific spending areas and asked if we were willing to pay more, the same, or less for them? The 15 areas: Fire, Police, EMS, Schools, Recreation Centers, Parks and Open Space, Museums/Cultural Activities, Public Health, Roadway Construction, Libraries, Economic Development Initiatives, Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, Garbage Collection, Social Services - help to low income families, and Mass Transit (bus service).

For those on the fringe right who love calling me names ("liberal", "tax-and-spend", "socialist", etc), I cut in 8 of the 15 areas, holding in 4 others. (In contrast, a Department of Human Services employee sitting across from me cut nowhere while increasing spending in several categories.)

After the groups sessions were over, participants were asked to turn in their surveys and dismissed.

For others who want to sound off, there are future opportunities:

1. There are two remaining such meetings this Fall: November 18 at Green Run High School, and December 3 at Kellam High School. Residents should preregister through the Department of Management Services.

2. The FY 2011 Budget Hearings will be on April 22 and 27, with the locations to be determined.

3. Council is slated to adopt a Budget for FY 2011 on May 11.

The Presentation of the FY 2011 Budget to City Council will be on March 23. However, the public may not address the Budget on Presentation Night.

There were several notable personalities present. In addition to Councilmen Wood and Jones, Councilmen Davis, DeSteph, and Dyer also came. Beth Allen of the VBTA, author of their hatchet pieces on Town Center and the light rail Community Advisory Committee, walked over and introduced herself. Yes, Bob (Anti-Everything) O'Connor came. 3 members of the 2009 CCO Board of Directors participated, as well as 2 nominees for the 2010 Board. Finally, I spotted a Republican former Legislative Aide and a ranking VBPD Officer.

Once the public meetings are over, all input will be compiled and posted on the City's website.

RAC November 5, 2009

2009-11-07T05:42:00.003-05:00

On Thursday afternoon Virginia Beach's Resort Advisory Commission (RAC) held it's November meeting.

Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Director Jim Ricketts gave a preliminary summary of the 2009 season. For the year to date, occupancy is down 1.03%, led by a huge drop in the Northampton Boulevard Corridor. September occupancy was up 4.7% over a year ago, so we may be turning the corner. The per capita income of our visitors continues to increase.

Captain Tony Zucaro, commander of VBPD's 2nd Precinct, covered Resort Area policing. Arrests were down in 2009. The only major problem 2nd Precinct had to deal with was the Peppermint Beach Club, which recently surrendered it's ABC license. There are over 130 establishments with ABC licenses at the Oceanfront, and VBPD is working with them to improve dealing with habitual problem children.

Probably the biggest news of the day was that a Resolution reported out of the GREEN Committee was passed unanimously by the full RAC. The Resolution advocates that Virginia Beach study offshore wind as an alternative energy source, including it's potential impact on government facilities. (Yes, the word "radar" came up.)

The amusing item of the day was The Hippo, a proposed inflatable large water slide that would be placed on the beach. There are a number of issues. First, while only 4-5 feet high most of it's length, the tower would be 36 feet high. That makes placement a problem. Both Staff sketches involve putting it in front of a public park, either at 17th Street or 24th Street. That would prevent it from blocking the views from hotel rooms or condos. Second, is the possible proliferation of such ventures. As a rule, the City of Virginia Beach does not allow businesses other than beach umbrella and chair rentals onto the beach itself. Would it be opening a Pandora's Box? Third, given the capital outlay for purchasing the slide ($80,000), the usual matrix wouldn't be observed. Rather than having an one year pilot program before granting a franchise, a five year franchise would be granted off the bat. The RAC's Resort Investment Committee (RIC) endorsed on Wednesday, with the full RAC endorsing to study it at Thursday's meeting, with Commissioners Henry Ryto and Art Webb abstaining.

You've Read The Comp Plan

2009-10-31T21:28:00.002-04:00

60% of voters have read Virginia Beach's draft Comprehensive Plan, 35% hadn't, while 3% planned to.

The new question is on the big story of the week: Higher Speed Rail. If built, would you ride it?

"Trailblazers, Triumphs, and Tributes"

2009-10-31T20:26:00.007-04:00

That was the theme for the annual Freedom Fund Banquet of the Virginia Beach Chapter of the NAACP, held Friday evening at the Westin at Town Center. Over 200 people were in attendance for an enjoyable evening with a good meal.

The Banquet opened with the signing of Lift Every Voice And Sing, which has been called "The Black National Anthem". The Mistress of Ceremonies was Benita Adams of WVEC-TV. Mayor Will Sessoms and his wife attended, with the Mayor reading the Proclamation making October 30, 2009 "NAACP Freedom Fund Day".

The Awards were given out by Georgia Allen, who has been President of the Virginia Beach Chapter since 2000. The 2009 recipients:

1. Community Services Award - Delceno Miles, CEO of the Miles Agency.

2. Community Services Award - Delegate Bob Tata

3. Trailblazer Award - Senator Yvonne Miller. Senator Miller was not only the first African-American woman elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, but the first into the Virginia Senate, too.

4. President's Awards - posthumously to Pastor W. Samuel Walton and Reverend C.K. Jones.

The Keynote Address was by Monique Morris, Vice President for Research and Advocacy of the national NAACP. Morris noted that Virginia Beach hasn't had an African-American City Council member in over a decade, despite a population that's about 20% African-American. Virginia Beach has the biggest racial disparity in the nation on drug arrests. In South Hampton Roads as a whole, African-Americans are twice as likely to be rejected for mortgages as Whites with equal footing, and six times as likely to be offered subprime loans when trying to refinance their homes.

I have a good sense of humor, and last night had it's moments:

1. Delceno Miles stated that Georgia Allen and Carl Wright were the only two people who could get that many politicians into a room and never allow them to speak.

2. Yvonne Miller gave advice to the men, "You don't have to understand your woman, just love her."

3. As Georgia Allen noted she may be missing some officials in the room, at our back row table we began waving arms, napkins, and pointing to get her attention. She finally realized she had missed Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Bryant.

Yes, Georgia missed some (she never got City Councilman Glen Davis), and I will, too. However, I post this partial list to show anyone who has never attended the Freedom Fund Banquet just how major an event it is:

1. Congress - 2nd District Representative Glen Nye

2. General Assembly - Senator Yvonne Miller, and Delegates Bob Tata, Joe Bouchard, & Bobby Mathieson.

3. City Council - Mayor Will Sessoms, and Councilmen Bob Dyer & Glen Davis.

4. Virginia Beach City Staff - City Manager Jim Spore, Deputy City Manager Susie Walston, CVB Director Jim Ricketts, and a large contingent of senior VBPD Officers. All three African-American department Directors were in attendance: Fagan Stackhouse (Human Resources), Warren Harris (Economic Development), and Jason Cosby (Public Works).

5. Republicans - Governor-in-waiting Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen, 2nd District Chairman Gary Byler, and Congressional candidates Scott Taylor & Chuck Smith.

6. NAACP - the branch Presidents from the other four cities of South Hampton Roads.

The Banquet ended with an exercise where we turned to the person next to us and said "Neighbor, change begins with you." It will.