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CAPITAL COMMENTS May 26, 2006 GOVERNOR KAINE’S STATEMENT ON DOD INSPECTOR GENERAL’S RULING Governor Timothy M. Kaine released the following statement recently, regarding the announcement of the Department of Defense Inspector General’s ruling that Virginia is not in compliance with the BRAC Commission’s requirements to address encroachment around Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach: “I was disappointed to learn today that the Department of Defense Inspector General has ruled Virginia not in compliance with the requirements laid out by the BRAC Commission for keeping the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia. “Although the Navy asked for Oceana to remain open, the BRAC Commission has ignored the value of this installation to the community and to the nation. “In response to the BRAC Commission’s order issued late last year, state and local officials in Richmond, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake put together a plan that meets each of the Commission’s six requirements for maintaining operations at Oceana. Our plan fully and fairly addresses the requirement to prevent further encroachment, while protecting the rights of Virginia families who own property in the area. “We disagree with the Inspector General’s ruling, and we will, in consultation with Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, our Congressional delegation, the Attorney General’s Office, and our legal counsel, carefully consider our next steps.” APPOINTMENTS TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL COMMISSION Governor Timothy M. Kaine recently announced appointments to the Civil Rights Memorial Commission. Launched in July 2005 by former First Lady Lisa Collis, the Commission was established to create a memorial to honor Virginians who fought for equal rights for African Americans. The memorial will primarily commemorate the 1951 student-led protest at the Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Sixteen-year old Barbara Johns, a junior at the school, led the protest against the deplorable conditions of the racially segregated school. Richmond attorneys Oliver Hill and Spottswood Robinson later represented the students and their parents in Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, one of the four cases consolidated into the Brown v. Board of Education case of 1954, declaring separate but equal to be unconstitutional. The memorial is being created by sculptor Stanley Bleifeld and will be built in Capitol Square. It is expected to take approximately two years to complete. Lisa Collis of Alexandria will continue to serve on the Commission. Collis is the former First Lady of Virginia. Leroy R. Hassell, Sr. of Richmond has been reappointed to serve as a member on the Commission. Hassell is Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court. Judith C. Anderson of Richmond will continue to serve as a member on the Commission. Anderson previously served as a deputy secretary of the commonwealth and is currently retired. Dr. “Woody” Holton of Richmond will serve as a member on the Commission. Holton is a professor of history at the University of Richmond. Rita O. Moseley of Farmville will serve as a member on the Commission. Moseley has been employed with Prince Edward County High School for 25 years. The Honorable William J. Howell, Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Honorable Thomas K. Norment, Senator of Virginia will continue to serve on the Commission. ACTION ON LEGISLATION FROM RECONVENED SESSION Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced recently that he has signed comprehensive energy legislation successfully amended during the 2006 General Assembly Reconvened Session. The Governor also announced the vetoes of eight other measures. The energy bill, SENATE BILL 262, strengthens the state’s energy policy, promoting energy efficiency in appliances and state buildings, and supporting federal efforts to determine the extent of natural gas resources 50 or more miles off the Atlantic coast. “We must determine the potential size of the natural gas reserves off the coast of the Commonwealth before there is any meaningful discussion of offshore drilling. Otherwise, it is impossible to fairly weigh the benefits of offshore energy against the concerns expressed by the public, the U.S. Navy, and NASA. I am pleased the General Assembly agreed with me that my amendments to Senator Frank Wagner’s bill promote energy efficiency and energy independence while protecting our natural resources.” In addition, the Governor announced the following vetoes: HOUSE BILL 350 and SENATE BILL 676, which would consolidate the two Schools for the Deaf and Blind into one school in Staunton, provide for a continuing regional program in Hampton, and convey the existing Hampton property to a specific nonprofit entity. “The issue of consolidation has been debated for a number of years. While a consensus exists on consolidation at Staunton, there is disagreement on the appropriate approach going forward for the Hampton property,” Governor Kaine said. “The enrolled bills, while good faith efforts, do not achieve the necessary consensus about future use of the Hampton school and associated programs. Thus, I am vetoing this legislation, but I will continue to work with the patrons and all stakeholders to craft a consensus during the ongoing budget discussions and in the future.” HOUSE BILL 370, which would take away existing local government authority to regulate firearms along public highways. “I am reluctant to take away local authority without a substantial reason, and there has been no demonstrable problem with the existing law,” Governor Kaine said. “I proposed that this bill not become law until it was passed again by the 2007 General Assembly, which would have afforded an opportunity for further study of the bill’s effects. Unfortunately, the House of Delegates rejected this amendment. Accordingly, I am vetoing this measure.” HOUSE BILL 1185, which would significantly alter protection for riparian rights in the Commonwealth. “The common law of Virginia establishes a framework that protects the riparian rights Tim Kaine (D) Governor-Elect of Virginia of those who use our waterways for agricultural, municipal, industrial, recreational and other beneficial uses. This bill would single out agricultural use in a way that could have significant long-term consequences for downstream uses,” Governor Kaine said. “My administration is working with farmers in a cooperative spirit to make sure that new regulations address the concerns of all stakeholders, and that is the appropriate way to address this subject.” HOUSE BILL 1290 and SENATE BILL 260, which would have addressed machinery and tools taxation of manufacturers by local governments. “The previous standard required that machinery and tools must have been idle for 12 months in order to be exempt from taxation, but this bill establishes a much shorter standard of three months,” said Governor Kaine. “I am concerned that this significant change will have a revenue impact on localities. That is one reason why local governments oppose this bill.” The bill also called for a working group on machinery and tools taxation. While Governor Kaine has vetoed this legislation, he will convene a working group, led by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the Commissioner of the Department of Taxation, and to include members of the manufacturing community, as well as local government, that can address this and other issues. SENATE BILL 429, which would remove from the Governor the authority to appoint the Secretary of the Board of Elections. “I support the patron’s stated intent of ensuring that the Board of Elections operates in the most efficient and evenhanded manner,” said Governor Kaine. “While I do not believe that this bill is needed to accomplish that result, I will work with the patron and all interested parties to accomplish that goal.” SENATE BILL 689, which would reduce the membership of the Virginia Workforce Council by four members, and the number of Governor’s appointees to the Council by eight. “Our global economy demands that we dedicate significant resources to educating and training our present and future workforce, and I am committed to working with the General Assembly during my term to give this important issue the attention that it deserves. However, I do not believe that this bill in its current form advances that goal,” said Governor Kaine. “I am disappointed that the House of Delegates rejected my good faith amendments, which would have restored to the Council two additional members and required that four other members be appointed in consultation with the General Assembly leadership,” the Governor said. “Absent that compromise, I conclude there is no reason for the executive branch to cede this appointment power.” MFUME SUPPORTS BLACK CAUCUS EFFORT IN ADDRESSING ENERGY CRISIS Former U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume applauded the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus recently, for raising their influential voice on behalf of Maryland consumers regarding the proposed BG&E rate increase. “The Maryland Black Caucus recognizes the pain the rate hike will have on their constituents,” Mfume said. He further stated “I am encouraged by the Caucus leadership calling for a special session to address this critical matter. I campaign in Kweisi Mfume every corner of the State and the people are calling out for government to take action.” Rep. Mfume had described the proposed rate hike as “obscene” and has called for all candidates in the race for U.S. Senate to speak out on behalf of consumers against the rate hike. NAGIN WINS NEW ORLEANS ELECTION Mayor Ray Nagin, whose shoot-from-the-hip style was both praised and scorned after Hurricane Katrina, narrowly won re-election over Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu on Saturday in the race to oversee one of the biggest rebuilding projects in U.S. history. With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Nagin had 52.9 percent, or 56,068 votes, to Landrieu’s 47.1 percent, or 49,884 votes. Results from Louisiana’s Secretary of State’s Office signaled the Nagin victory. Absentee and early votes went slightly for Nagin. And while the results showed Nagin Mayor Ray Nagin carrying majority black precincts and Landrieu winning in majority white ones, Nagin pulled a significant crossover vote in some heavily populated predominantly white precincts in Uptown New Orleans. Nagin, a former cable television executive first elected to public office in 2002, argued the city could ill-afford to change course just as rebuilding gathered steam. His second term begins a day before the June 1 start of the next hurricane season in a city where streets are still strewn with rusting, mud-covered cars and entire neighborhoods consist of homes that are empty shells. “I want the city to come back,” said 61-year-old Alice Howard, an evacuee who returned by bus from Houston to cast her ballot. “This is my city. This is home to me. ... I want to make sure the correct person takes care of home.” Howard and 250 other evacuees wearing “Displaced Voter” T-shirts were greeted by a jazz band at a City Hall rally with Nagin and Landrieu. The candidates embraced when they met while campaigning Saturday, reflecting the civil tone of a race where there has been little disagreement on the major issues: the right of residents to rebuild in all areas and the urgent need for federal aid for recovery and the best possible levee protection. That has turned the closely watched race into a referendum on leadership styles: the brash newcomer incumbent vs. the political establishment challenger. Nagin, a self-styled maverick, portrayed himself as a political outsider brave enough to stand up to federal officials when necessary. The former cable television executive, first elected to public office in 2002, argued the city could ill-afford to change course just as rebuilding gathered steam. The janitor’s son from a black, working-class neighborhood is known for his improvisational, some say impulsive, rhetoric. After Katrina plunged his city into chaos, Nagin was both scorned and praised for a tearful plea for the federal government to “get off their (behinds) and do something” and his nowfamous remark that New Orleans was intended to be a “chocolate” city. Landrieu, who served 16 years in the state House before being elected to his current post two years ago, says his strength is his ability to bring people together and get things done. The scion of a political dynasty known as Louisiana’s version of the Kennedys, he’s the brother of Sen. Mary Landrieu and would be the first white mayor in a generation, since his father, Moon Landrieu, left office in 1978. Landrieu supporters note New Orleans will largely be rebuilt with federal dollars, and an established politician could have more success in dealing with the leaders who control the purse strings. Nagin, who had widespread support from white voters four years ago, lost much of that support in last month’s primary but was predicting a stronger showing this time. “The reaction we’re getting from out on the streets is very positive among all demographics, all races,” he said after voting at his neighborhood precinct. “It’s pretty amazing.” Fewer than half of New Orleans’ 455,000 pre-Katrina residents are living in the city, and a large number of blacks scattered by the storm have yet to return. Evacuees arrived by bus from as far as Atlanta and Houston to vote. More than 25,000 ballots were cast early by mail or fax or at satellite polling places set up around Louisiana earlier in the month—5,000 more than were cast early in the primary. Secretary of State Al Ater said late Saturday afternoon that turnout appeared to be on-par with the April 22 primary, when about 37 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. David Postel, a retired Air Force colonel voting in a relatively untouched part of town, said he went with Landrieu because he considers him “the lesser of two evils.” “We’re hoping Landrieu has enough political pull to get a little more attention,” he said. Among the first to vote was Willie Solomon, who moved back into the Eighth Ward home where she rode out Hurricane Katrina, even though flood water reached her knees. Her vote was going to Nagin. “I’m not going to see one family run the whole city,” she said. 8 THE METRO HERALD
CAPITAL COMMENTS May 26, 2006 DUNCAN RECEIVES FOUNDERS AWARD FROM CULTURAL ALLIANCE; In recognition of his distinguished service to the arts, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan has received the Annual Founders Award from the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington. The award is being presented this evening at the Alliance’s annual Founders Award Gala held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C. “Mr. Duncan’s support, endorsement and investment in the construction and renovation of new cultural facilities make the arts central to community development,” said Executive Director Jennifer Cover Payne. “His actions have identified arts and humanities as a focal point for county identity and community livability.” “We are very proud of the investments and partnerships we have made to grow Montgomery County into a diverse and dynamic center for the cultural arts,” said Duncan. “The obvious benefits to the quality of life in our county have been more than matched by the beneficial impact on our economy. A strong cultural arts community not only has a positive impact on the related businesses such as retail and dining, but throughout the entire community. “Today’s knowledge-based economy needs a highly educated workforce,” Duncan said, “and those professionals are attracted to areas that offer a wide variety of opportunities to enjoy the cultural arts. Thanks in part to our investment in the arts, we are attracting and retaining the kind of highquality jobs we need to keep our community growing and prospering.” The Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington is dedicated to sustaining and increasing regional leadership, appreciation, support and resources for arts and culture. Tonight’s other honorees include Target Corporation with the Business Patron Award and Howard Shalwitz, Founder and Artistic Director of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre, with the Arts Founder Award. DUNCAN WELCOMES NEW AGE SECURITY SOLUTIONS TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY Bolstering Montgomery County’s dynamic technology industry, County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today welcomed the homeland security firm New Age Security Solutions (NASS) to his jurisdiction. A leader in the counter-terrorism protection and preparedness solutions field, NASS is relocating from Tyson’s Corner, VA to its new offices in Rockville. NASS brings 10 new jobs to the County with further expansion plans in the near future. “We are very proud to be the new home of such an important cuttingedge and prestigious company,” said County Executive Duncan. “New Age Security Solutions is exactly the type of innovative company we work hard to attract to our County and we look forward to working with them to ensure they continue to grow and prosper here. With more than 2,000 firms flourishing in the County, Montgomery is a leading center for the information technology sector, as well as the ideal location for any advanced technology firm.” NASS provides innovative protection and preparedness solutions created by some of the world’s leading counter-terrorism experts, especially in the fields of aviation, maritime, mass transportation and high profile sensitive installations security. NASS also provides security design and engineering services to its clients and helps them to supervise the implementation of the security technologies NASS’ clients decide to adopt. Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan “We are pleased to be able to locate our international headquarters in Rockville. It’s a wonderful community in which to work,” states Rafi Ron, president of NASS. Ron has 30 years of securityrelated experience, including serving as Chief Security Officer at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. NASS works with security officials or local law enforcement to implement state-of-the-art security methodologies and operations for all environments where a high level of security is a must by adapting recommended plans, practices, or training to the regulations of local aviation, maritime, and police authorities. NASS bases its program on the proven track record of Israeli security. It applies the experience gained in facing Israel’s security challenges to better prepare government and private organizations throughout the world against new and traditional threats. NASS provides security assessment and training for law enforcement, aviation and port authorities in the United States, as well as internationally aligned countries. Behavior Pattern Recognition training programs are implemented in federal, regional and local government security-related agencies, arming members with the most effective counter terrorism tactics available today. The company’s professional team is comprised of law enforcement and counter terrorism experts with hands-on experience both nationally and internationally. NASS is led by Rafi Ron, an internationally recognized thought leader in the fields of counter terrorism, transportation and aviation security. NASS was founded in October 2001 in Washington D.C. “NASSCorp. is one of the top homeland security consulting companies, using knowledge and techniques developed in Israel’s long struggle in the war on terror. We’re proud to have them in Maryland,” said Barry Bogage, Executive Director of the Maryland/Israel Development Center, a public-private partnership of Israel’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, Maryland’s Department of Business and Economic Development, and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Maryland. LABOR UNIONS SUPPORT DUNCAN–SIMMS TICKET Doug Duncan and Stuart Simms recently received endorsements from seven labor unions. Representatives from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2462; AF- SCME Local 2735; AFSCME Local 4007; IAFF Local 1715; IAFF Local 1605; Montgomery County Association of Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (MCAASP); and Montgomery County Federation of Teachers (MCFT), Local 1670 stood with Duncan and Simms in Laurel outside the Headquarters of the Operative Plasterers & Cement Masons International Association to announce their support for the ticket and its commitment to bring effective leadership that works for families across the state. ALLEN HAILS COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WATER TRAIL U.S. Senator George Allen (R- VA) recently praised the unanimous vote of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to approve legislation designating the route of Captain John Smith’s exploration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries as a National Historical Water Trail. Senator Allen introduced the legislation with his colleagues, Senators John W. Warner (R- Va), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). “In Virginia, we are all so proud that we are coming up next year on the 400th anniversary of the founding of America’s representative democracy at Jamestown, the oldest permanent English settlement in the New World. As part of that celebration we should remember the fascinating, exploratory voyages of Captain John Smith and his vital charting and mapping of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers including the Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James,” said Senator Allen. “As we move closer each day to this historic Jamestown anniversary I am happy to see this legislation has moved one step closer to final passage.” Captain John Smith was a key founder of the settlement in STATE TEACHERS ENDORSE TOM PEREZ FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL The Maryland State Teachers Association, representing 64,000 teachers from every Maryland County, this weekend endorsed former federal prosecutor, civil rights lawyer, and Montgomery County Councilmember Tom Perez in his campaign for the Democratic Party nomination for Maryland Attorney General. Perez, who seeks to replace the retiring Joe Curran, received 89 percent of the ballots cast by statewide teachers meeting in Columbia. “I am honored to be supported by so many teachers who want the same things for the kids they teach as I want for my kids in that they are able to go as far as their Godgiven gifts can take them,” said Perez, who has been recognized as one of the ‘rising young stars of Maryland politics.’ “Our schools are our future and good schools begin with good teachers.” “Marylanders want an attorney general who will fight for access to health care and affordable prescription drugs; to protect our environment; for good schools for all; for safe streets and communities; to hold corporations, big utilities and oil companies accountable; and to aggressively defend our rights as consumers.” Perez is scheduled to officially open his campaign on Tuesday with news conferences in Silver Spring, Baltimore, and Hyattsville. Jamestown, VA. He spent three years (1607-1609) exploring the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware covering some 3,000 miles. To this day, these maps are some of the most accurate maps of the Bay region. Last year, the Senate approved legislation sponsored by Senators Allen, Warner, Sarbanes and Mikulski that requested a study by the U.S. Parks Service as to an appropriate route for such a trail. That study is near completion. ALLEN TO KEEP FIGHTING FOR OCEANA Senator George Allen (R-VA) recently responded to the announcement by the Inspector General of the Department of Defense that Virginia Beach has not met the federal BRAC requirements to keep jet operations fully functional and the Master Jet Base open at Naval Air Station Oceana. Below is Senator Allen’s statement: “The Deputy Inspector General has examined this situation with very strict scrutiny and has not allowed much latitude. There were six criteria and five and half of those six criteria were met. I think Virginia Beach took an extraordinarily creative approach, sticking to the principles that really reflect the views of the people of Virginia Beach, and actually put together and adopted, working with the State government, a very effective plan to acquire the property around Oceana. Most importantly as far as the criteria that are in this agreement, they have come up Sen. George Allen (R-VA) with the 15 million dollars a year to voluntarily purchase those properties. “The legal saga of the BRAC process and Oceana continues but the base remains open and fully operational. One other thing that’s going to continue will be my efforts to ensure that Oceana stays open for generations to come. I will join the entire Virginia Congressional delegation, the State legislature, the Governor, and the Attorney General in doing whatever we can to keep Oceana open as the Master Jet Base for the Eastern part of our country. It is colocated perfectly close to the fleet and the Navy wants to stay there and those facts and attributes do not change with today’s ruling. Neither does our resolve to do whatever we can to keep Oceana serving the national security of our country, training the next generation of U.S. Naval Aviators and also being the neighbor that all of us appreciate in the South Hampton Roads area.” AFRICAN AMERICANS EXCEED VOTER TURN OUT PROJECTIONS IN NEW ORLEANS RUN OFF LECTIONS The nonpartisan National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) praised the tenacity of African American voters casting ballots during the May 20th Run-Off elections in New Orleans. Displaced by Hurricane Katrina in far greater numbers than any other group, African American voters demonstrated that they wanted to be actively involved in the city’s future. Initially projected by analysts not to match voter participation in the April 22nd Primary Election, African American voters surpassed the expectation and cast ballots in record numbers making up more than one-half of the 40 percent of the voting electorate. “If there is a good news story for New Orleans, it is that African Americans are a part of the ongoing dialogue that’s shaping the city’s renaissance,” said Melanie L. Campbell, Executive Director and CEO of the 80- organization member National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. In the months leading up to the election, the NCBCP along with a number of national and local organizations working under the umbrella of the Rebuild HOPE Now Campaign, convened a four-city series of voter empowerment and candidate forums. The sessions targeted African Americans forced away from their homes and living out-of-state in Houston, TX, Atlanta, GA, Baton Rouge, LA, or in temporary housing in New Orleans. Vincent Sylvain, local convener of NCBCP’s, Louisiana Unity ‘06 Coalition stated, “African Americans claimed their voting rights in New Orleans. All The National Coalition had to do was provide support, accurate information, and an opportunity for displaced Katrina survivors to make their Election Day choices,” Coordinated by Louisiana Unity ‘06, NCBCP volunteers initiated an aggressive “Get-Out-The-Vote” effort in partnership with the National Urban League, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and other local and national organizations. Combined, the groups worked to ensure that African American voters could anticipate an incident-free Election Day. Only 15 percent of the original African American residents have returned because the poorest areas of New Orleans remain completely uninhabitable. The National Coalition believes that to choose a future for their city, all New Orleanians regardless of race or economic background need to be involved in the discussions addressing how the city will be rebuilt. “On Primary Day in April and again on the May 20th Run Off election, African American voices were heard. Our hope now is that the newly elected city officials act upon the issues of greatest concern to this constituency,” Campbell stated. The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of over 80 member organizations dedicated to enhancing the full participation of the Black community in all levels of civil society. Over its 30-year history, NCBCP has served as an effective convener and facilitator at the local, state and national levels of efforts to address the disenfranchisement of African Americans and other marginalized communities. For more information visit www. ncbcp.org THE METRO HERALD 9
Page 1 and 2: I DO, I DO . . . OR YEA! I DID IT!
Page 3 and 4: May 26, 2006 THE METRO HERALD 3
Page 5 and 6: AROUND THE REGION/AROUND THE NATION
Page 7: CAPITAL COMMENTS/INSIGHTS & VIEWPOI
Page 11 and 12: MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBRANCE 2006 May 2
Page 13 and 14: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/KATHERINE DUNH
Page 15 and 16: EDUCATION/SPORTS & RECREATION May 2
Page 17 and 18: CLASSIFIED ADS/BIDS & PROPOSALS May
Page 19: May 26, 2006 20 THE METRO HERALD

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