November 2007 Archives
November 30, 2007
How About a Knife in Your Side with Your Coffee Ma'am? Comments (15)
Vienna Mommy writes:
Let me get this straight - two knife attacks that we know about. Cedar Lane is out of control. This simply has NEVER, EVER been common practice in Vienna. I refuse to believe we should tolerate this any longer.
Man Attacked with Knife at Shopping Center in Vienna by BRIAN TROMPETER Tuesday, November 27, 2007A Vienna man suffered knife wounds after he was attacked by a group of men on Nov. 21 at the Cedar Lane Shopping Center in southeast Vienna, Vienna police said.
The victim was walking toward Young's Market in the shopping center at around 9:42 p.m. when he heard someone yell “Stop” in Spanish slang terms, police said.
The victim allegedly was grabbed by two Hispanic males on the arms. A third Hispanic male suspect, wielding a knife, approached the victim from the front, police said.
The third suspect then began slashing the victim across his stomach, causing a non-life-threatening laceration, authorities said. The victim attempted to grab the knife and was cut across his hand, police said.
The victim was able to free himself from the three subjects and run away towards Park Street. The assailants chased the victim, but were unable to catch him, police said.
Fairfax County Police resources were called in to assist Vienna police in the search for the subjects. Officers were unable to locate the assailants using K-9 and other methods. The suspects are described as Hispanic males, one of them having a shaved head.
Police ask anyone with information related to this case to contact Detective Scott Leroux at (703) 255-6332 or sleroux@viennava.gov.
Malicious wounding
Location: Shopping center, 200 block Cedar Lane, S.E.
Date/Time: 3:10am, October 27Details: A man reported being approached outside the shopping center by two men, one of whom cut his hand with a knife. The victim fled to a nearby business from where the police were called. The suspect with the knife is described as a Hispanic male, 5'10" tall, 170 lbs., medium length hair, no facial hair. The other suspect is described as a Hispanic male, wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt.
Fairfax County
Source: Fairfax County Times
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 2007Around 8:53 p.m., PFC Dean Bailey of the Vienna Police Department stopped a 1997 Toyota Corolla in the 200 block of Maple Avenue SE for failing to use headlights. According to the Vienna Police Department, PFC Bailey determined that the driver, Walter Martinez, was wanted in connection with his alleged involvement in a robbery and malicious wounding at the Cedar Lane Shopping Center [For reference the location in question] in June. In the earlier incident, a security guard at the shopping center observed three men attempting to break into an automobile. One of them was armed with a knife, police said. When police responded, they located an injured robbery victim. A police statement about the June incident described Martinez as a known member of [a local gang]. Additionally, Martinez had two warrants on file for failing to appear at court hearings in Fairfax County. Bailey arrested Martinez and transported him to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he is currently being held without bond. Jose Javier Ayala, also connected with the June incident at the Cedar Lane shopping center, remains at large.
November 25, 2007
A Day in the Life of a Vienna Board Comments (15)
This link is a great example of what goes on during a Vienna board meeting. It is worth noting the truly inane comments from Maud crony Laine Hyde. Isn't this all special? We spend money and time to approve or disapprove "colors" of signs even though there are no rules or guidelines explaining what colors are appropriate or not. How did we get to the point that our government is filled with numerous mentally challenged Forest Gumps?
November 24, 2007
How to Fix Cedar Lane Area Problems Comments (40)
Vienna Woods do you want your problems fixed? Then listen to the Vienna Police:
Overcrowding, said Sheeran, is a zoning issue, and independent of the gang issue. "We understand that the Vienna Woods area is concerned about changes in their neighborhood," said Sheeran.
If Maud and the rest of the Vienna Town Council do nothings wanted to fix this problem permanently, they could. They could rezone the entire apartment complex to give the apartment owner an incentive to do something new. The owner could literally be "forced" to build new condos at a higher price point and immediately "fix" the issues in that area of Vienna with economic development. Why will this not happen? For the same reason nothing else happens in Vienna that makes logical sense. We have an 85 year old nut named Maudasaurus running the show supported by a few hundred other 85 year old nuts who leave their house once a year to vote. Sorry no need to sugar coat this sad state of affairs by pretending the situation is something else.
Solution? All of the residents of Vienna Woods propose to the Vienna Town Council to have the apartments rezoned. A petition drive would have to be considered by the Town Council by law. Then you could at least see Maud rationalize in public why a rezoning would be bad and why sticking with the current state of affairs is good. Come on Vienna Woods residents, here is your solution.
"Rezone Cedar Lane Apartments? NO! I Will Patrol! Everyone Is Scared of Me."
Jumping to Conclusions Comments (13)
Minerva writes:
I was flipping through some mail and saw this article in the Vienna/Oakton Connection:
Police Warn Against 'Jumping to Conclusions' Citizens' concerns about "changes in neighborhood" are being addressed. Donna Manz November 20, 2007Vienna police and Detective James K. Sheeran are pro-active when they see groups of young men milling around. They get out of their patrol cars and talk to the teens and men, trying to develop a relationship. At the Cedar Lane Shopping Center, suspected by the Vienna Citizens Group of possible gang activity, the men are usually just socializing, said Sheeran. An e-mailed statement released by an unidentified representative of the Vienna Citizens Group reads: "... We believe there are MS-13 gang members at the Cedar Lane Shopping Center based on what the Vienna Police have told us and crimes reported in the news. ... Based on their behavior, we suspect that the men congregating at the shopping center to seek day work may be illegal aliens. Fairfax County has an extremely low unemployment rate; citizens who can legally work here usually don't congregate in shopping center or other parking lots to seek day work." What Robert Carlisle, Vienna Chief of Police, and Sheeran are both adamant about is that nobody should jump to a conclusion that a group of young men necessarily constitutes a gang.
SHEERAN SAYS that while there may be gang members within a group of day laborers waiting for pick-up, the group is not a gang. They are men looking for work. "You have to look at the context of everything," said Sheeran. "Over at Cedar Lane and Park, you might see a group of young men, all wearing the same color shirt, maybe bandanas. And someone may think, 'a gang.' You look more closely and you realize it's a soccer team." Carlisle does not believe there is increased crime or gang activity at Cedar Lane, and the police department responds to all complaints there. Southern Management, which manages Vienna Park Apartments, has a proven record of cooperating with police on noise and overcrowding violations. Overcrowding, said Sheeran, is a zoning issue, and independent of the gang issue. "We understand that the Vienna Woods area is concerned about changes in their neighborhood," said Sheeran. "We recognize those concerns and respond to them. You've got 300 housing units within 200 feet of a shopping center. We anticipate the kind of problems that result from environments like that."
A SUSPECTED gang member of MS-13 was arrested in early October on charges of alleged involvement in a robbery and malicious wounding at the Cedar Lane Shopping Center in June. Sheeran explains that a gang-related offense is committed by a person in a gang for his own benefit. A gang-motivated crime is committed for the benefit of the whole gang. That a gang member should commit a crime for his personal satisfaction should not come as a surprise. As Sheeran points out, "People in gangs don't necessarily play well with others." Carlisle says there have been two robberies at the Cedar Lane shopping center in two years, and compares that to the higher number of robberies on Maple Avenue. "Nobody from that group [Vienna Citizens Group] has come before the Town Council to complain of suspected gang activity at that shopping center," said Mayor M. Jane Seeman, "and I invite concerned citizens to come in to talk to me." "People who own the shops there claim there is no trouble, no problems. We work with the owners of the shopping center, the apartments, and we are upholding the laws. "I want to keep Vienna a safe place to live. The police are doing everything they can to make sure no laws are being broken, and I have confidence in them. I believe we're pretty much on top of this."
Any thoughts?
November 21, 2007
Let Maud Run Your Bath Comments (5)
"Vienna Mommy" contributes:
More personalized services?! Does Mad Maud come over and run my bath water each night? Hardly. Just another 'control' issue for the town.
Vienna Officials Want Better Deal on Water, Sewer Services by BRIAN TROMPETER November 20, 2007Vienna officials expressed interest in obtaining cheaper water-and-sewer services from Fairfax County, but were uneasy at the timetable and potential concessions required under a plan proposed by county officials at the Vienna Town Council's Nov. 12 work session.
Vienna officials for years have noticed the discrepancy between the cost of water obtained from the city of Falls Church and water from Fairfax Water. The town has raised water-and-sewer fees five times in recent years - including an average $59.28 boost during this budget cycle - to meet increasing costs.
The current 25-year water-and-sewer agreement with Vienna expires on March 31, 2008, and county officials said they hoped town officials would indicate by the end of this year whether they were interested in switching service providers.
“We think we're giving you the best agreement now,” said Philip Allin, board chairman of Fairfax Water.
This rushed timetable, made worse by the presentation's postponement from a work session in September, did not please Vienna officials.
“To say we have a month and a half to make a decision is just out of the question,” said Vienna Town Manager John Schoeberlein.
Switching water-and-sewer service is not like picking out a new cable-television or Internet provider. Up to $2.5 million worth of connections would have to be made over a six-to-18-month period, if the county's proposal were accepted.
If the town joined Fairfax County's system, it would transfer an undetermined number of employees from the Vienna Public Works Department's Water and Sewer Division to the county. Any employee transfer would have to give workers the same or better retirement benefits than they currently receive from the town, Vienna officials said.
The town's current water-and-sewer customers would be transferred to Fairfax Water and Fairfax County Wastewater, and those agencies would handle all new customers directly. The agencies also would bill those customers and assume all regulatory responsibilities.
Fairfax County would take over ownership and maintenance of the town's water-and-sewer facilities, assume the town's outstanding $1.77 million waste-water-treatment capacity debt and be responsible for $24 million worth of sewer-line rehabilitations during the next two decades.
The town would give Fairfax County its 820,000-gallons-per-day unused treatment capacity - something Vienna officials say is worth quite a bit of money. Vienna also would remain responsible for $1,410,000 worth of outstanding general-obligation bonds for water-and-sewer projects.
The town's water rates would be frozen from 2008 to 2020 until they equalized with Fairfax County's charges, then rise at the same rate as the county's after 2020.
Vienna's sewer rates would rise at the same rate as the county's from 2008 to 2014, be frozen from 2014 to 2020 and equalize with the county's charges after 2020.
Fairfax Water is supplied by two plants. Its Corbalis Water Treatment Plant, located on the Potomac River, handles about 150 million gallons per day, is currently bringing its capacity up to 225 million gallons per day and ultimately may be expanded to treat 300 million gallons per day, officials said.
The utility's Griffith Water Treatment Plant, located on the Occoquan River, began operating in May 2006. It has a capacity of 120 million gallons per day and may be expanded to 160 million gallons per day in the future.
Fairfax Water officials said the utility tries to make its facilities blend into neighborhoods. Its pumping station on Backlick Road, for example, looks like a brick colonial-style house, while its Tysons Corner pumping station has public tennis and basketball courts on the roof.
Fairfax County operates 3,367 miles' worth of water pipelines and 3,330 miles' worth of sanitary-sewer lines. Smaller systems, such as Vienna's, are cost-prohibitive to operate in the long run, said Steven Edgemon, deputy general manager of Fairfax Water.
Fairfax Water is only one of two utilities among 55,000 nationwide to hold coveted AAA ratings from all three major bond companies, and is renowned for its state-of-the-art equipment and methods.
“We have a stellar record of performance,” Edgemon said.
Schoeberlein said it is unlikely Falls Church officials would make a similar offer to take over Vienna's water-and-sewer facilities, but they may decide to offer the town a better wholesale water rate.
Council member Maud Robinson said she would have to consider Fairfax County's proposal carefully because the town prides itself on providing separate, more personal services for its residents.
Council member George Lovelace said the town needs to shore up its water-and-sewer services for the coming decades, but must negotiate carefully to best serve town residents.
“We don't want to give away the farm,” he said.
November 20, 2007
Rough Language Edits Comments (4)
Some rough language was allowed to go live recently here. Some of that should have been edited and it has now been fixed. It's one thing to point out incompetence, stupidity, corruption, etc., but over the top cursing is not the direction of this blog.
November 14, 2007
Mayor Jane Seeman Is Not Competent; Yet Another Example Comments (12)
From the Sun Gazette comes some interesting quotes:
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Keith Johnson has recommended that Vienna's July 4 fireworks show not by held at Waters Field...Johnson...who was at Waters Field when the accident occurred, recommended town officials not hold the fireworks display there because the crowd is too close. “Vienna is one of the tightest shoots we do,” said Johnson, noting that spectators completely encircle the launching site.
Mayor Seeman's response?
But Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman said the prospect of relocating the town's beloved fireworks show is distressing. “It kills me to have to move them from out of Vienna,” she said. “I've already heard from citizens: ‘You're not going to move them.'”
It just "kills" her? A mother and her child are nearly killed and it just "kills" Seeman? Seeman is not qualified to lead people to a Don's John, much less be a Mayor.
A Perspective on Jeannemarie's Loss Comments (19)
Jeannemarie was there at the May 2007 Vienna elections. She saw first hand what was happening. She appeared genuinely floored. She was disgusted. However, it did not last past that day because she ultimately needed Maud, dirty or not. And that is a main reason why she lost to Chap. She didn't lose to Chap over the Vienna elections, but she lost because she didn't stand for anything. She was a political animal devoid of substance. Perhaps Chap will be no better, but he deserved the shot.
November 10, 2007
Vienna Neighbors Form Group to Fight Maud's Foolishness Comments (35)
An article by Monty Tayloe from the Vienna Times:
A group of Vienna citizens have joined together and created a new Web site to draw attention to what they say is the biggest issue in Vienna that no one is talking about."Our quality of life in Vienna, Va. has declined. With the influx of what we believe are illegal aliens, there's been an increase in crime and gang activity, vagrancy and day laborers, and overcrowded apartments and flop houses in Vienna," reads the introduction to the Vienna Citizen Group's new Web site, www.viennacitizens.com.
Continue reading "Vienna Neighbors Form Group to Fight Maud's Foolishness" »
November 06, 2007
Vienna Election Change; Time to Toss Out Maudasaurus Comments (22)
The time has come to move Vienna's May election to a more typical November election. Vienna's May election brings out 10% of the vote. A November election would bring out 35-50%+ of the vote. Fortunately, State law allows citizens to put the change up for a vote as a ballot initiative. The plan is to place that on the ballot for November 2008. The process, however, will take work. If you are wiling to help out, let us know!
November 05, 2007
Keeping the Machine Oiled: Robinson and Cole Pour in Some Grease Comments (16)
From the Sun Gazette:
Legislators also should resist efforts to force towns to hold local elections in November, said Council member Maud Robinson.
No surprise that Maud wants her machine run Spring election to continue. What is her argument for that? Well, she doesn't say. Also from the Sun Gazette:
Council members also reviewed a proposal by Finance Director Phil Grant to let residents pay for more town services by credit card. Grant proposed the town use Arlington-based Govolution, which handles Fairfax County's credit-card processing. The town charges convenience fees for online payments of water bills, traffic tickets, meter deposits and real estate taxes, but under the new proposal would have absorbed most fees for credit-card payments made over-the-counter at town facilities. But the Town Council opposed having the town absorb credit-card fees. Subsidizing an estimated $8,000 annually in credit-card charges “could pay for two speed humps,” said Council member Laurie Cole.
Cole worries about $8000, but spends $5+ million on a "Town Green" that no one uses. Laurie do you think no one sees the hypocrisy? Keeping the Town run like Mayberry is a clear part of keeping the machine running smooth. Transparency and ease of use? Not when you have ding dongs like Robinson and Cole running the show.
