By Peter Behr
Falls Church voters reelected Mayor Robin S. Gardner and also chose newcomers Nader Baroukh and Lawrence L. Webb for four-year terms on City Council on Tuesday, but denied reelection to Vice Mayor Lindy Hockenberry.
The referendum outcome “validates the development work that has been done and the faith of the community in the Council leadership,” said former mayor Dan Gardner. But others said the support for the referendum, coupled with Hockenberry’s defeat, indicated a sizable public concern over the impact of the City Council’s economic development program.
Hockenberry, a longtime Falls Church school teacher, and Robin Gardner, an account manager at a Virginia technology company, have led the Council’s efforts to develop the City Center South project along West Broad Street, South Maple Avenue and Annandale Road. It would add $317 million in new residential, commercial and public developments and generate $2.7 million in net new tax revenues when completed in 2013, according to the plan. The city must have more revenue from development to support its school system, Hockenberry said.
Baroukh, a government attorney who lives in the Winter Hill neighborhood alongside the City Center site, served on a City review commission that proposed changes in the plan. He remained opposed the size and residential density of the project, approved by City Council 7 to 0 in February. His lead over the vice mayor in his Ward 1 neighborhood was 53 votes -- about equal to his citywide margin over Hockenberry.
There were no overarching issues such as the City Center in the three school board races that were also decided on Tuesday. School board incumbents Kieran Sharpe and Joan E. Wodiska were reelected, as was newcomer Charlotte Hyland, who had strong support from members of the city school PTA organizations. Kim Maller, wife of City Council member Dan Maller, and also an active PTA member, was fourth.
Hockenberry’s loss was the surprising and deflating news Tuesday at a post-election rally by members of Citizens for a Better City, the non-partisan civic organization that endorsed Gardner, Hockenberry and Webb. “What she has done on the Council ranks her with some of the most distinguished people who have ever served the city,” said CBC campaign manager Phil Duncan. CBC President Jody Acosta said Hockenberry’s defeat reminded her of the times favorites lost on the American Idol competition because too many people assumed they would win and cast their votes for others.
CBC had also endorsed Maller and Wodiska for School Board seats. It recruited Hyland to run after Sharpe decided not to seek CBC support, citing differences with some CBC-backed School Board members.
The voters’ message about the referendum, said Duncan, was a “vote of confidence” in the city’s development approach. “Do they like every project? No. Do they like the speed of change? Not always. But fundamentally they don’t want to stop what’s happening.”
But Baroukh said Tuesday night that the referendum outcome shows “a clear sense that people are concerned about the current development strategy. The city needs to really look at [that] strategy in a much more comprehensive way-- where we’re headed and where we want to go.” Baroukh helped organize the referendum, which sought to bar development projects on commercially-zone land that were more than 40 percent residential. The City Center South project is 61 percent residential and 39 commercial.
Robin Gardner said, “The message I got was that the community likes the direction we’re going but wants us to approach new projects even more cautiously, to make sure they match the culture and traditions of the city.”
Webb, a college admissions official, won the third open Council seat. He supported the City Center project and opposed the referendum. “I’m feeling relieved and thankful the citizens of Falls Church have taken a chance on a new guy. I guess part of the [the election] message is that people wanted some fresh perspectives.”
City Council candidates E.B. Ed Hillegass, Margaret W. Housen and Patrice A. Lepczyk finished well behind the winners.
The City Council and the School Board will elect their leadership in July after the newly elected members are sworn in. Gardner said she hoped to be reelected as mayor. School Board Chair Craig Cheney did not seek reelection. Current Vice Chair Ron Peppe said he was interested in seeking that position. “It will be up to the Board,” he said.
Baroukh said he was not preparing for an opposition role challenging the CBC-backed Council majority. “That’s not where I’m headed. I’m an independent thinker, but I’m also able to be a team player at the same time. We have to work as a team.”
Awaiting the new School Board is a review of future school facilities needs which will include major revision or replacement of George Mason High School. The City Council will be taking up a comprehensive revision to the zoning code that will form the basis for a new look at economic development strategies.
Voting results
* elected
For Council:
Gardner:
1,275 *
Baroukh: 1,227 *
Webb: 1,217*
Hockenberry: 1,177
Hillegass: 808
Housen: 591
Lepzyck: 232
Hyland: 1,425 *
Sharpe: 1,183 *
Maller: 1,060
Dear Cecily,
You are right. Thank you for pointing it out. Will make a fix.
Sincerely,
Bill Corbett
Posted by: Bill Corbett | May 07, 2008 at 01:09 PM
Your statement "who had strong support from the city school PTA organizations" is inaccurate.
The PTAs and PTSA cannot and did not endorse or support a candidate.
Individuals, however, can endorse/support whomever they choose and this is what happened.
Posted by: Cecily | May 07, 2008 at 12:49 PM