Category: Politics

Rigell’s first town hall

Freshman Rep. Scott Rigell (R-2nd) held his first town hall meeting since taking office Monday evening. An overflow crowd showed up for the event, which was held in the auditorium of the Virginia Beach Central Library. The event itself started a little late, because Rigell stood in the hallway talking to those who were unable … Continue reading Rigell’s first town hall →

Open democracy for $18, Alex

The answer: $18. The question: What does one day's video of the General Assembly cost? As per Waldo, Richmond Sunlight doesn't have any video of the 2010 General Assembly session. (Why the GA doesn't put the video on their site is another whole question.) And the all-volunteer Richmond Sunlight has no budget to buy them. … Continue reading Open democracy for $18, Alex →

Norfolk City Council: 2/1/11

By Tommy Smigiel Sorry, but the City Council agenda for this week is not that interesting.  This is one of those meetings that validates my point that we do not need to be meeting weekly.  With only six public hearings and four resolutions on the agenda, the formal session should be completed in less than 15 minutes.  Last week, we had … Continue reading Norfolk City Council: 2/1/11 →

58 cents a month

That is the additional cost per employee reported by JLARC for mandated health insurance coverage for autism treatment, according to this AP story. HB2467, introduced by Del. Tag Greason (R-Potomac Falls), passed the House Commerce and Labor Committee Thursday and is headed to the floor. The bill would "compel companies that employ 50 or more … Continue reading 58 cents a month →

Rigell town hall Monday

Been meaning to mention this all week, since I saw it announced on his Facebook page. For whatever reason, I am not on his press list. Rep. Scott Rigell (R-2nd) will hold a town hall meeting this coming Monday, January 31. The event will be held at the Virginia Beach Central Library, located at 4100 … Continue reading Rigell town hall Monday →

Kerry goes to Norfolk council

Virginian-Pilot columnist Kerry Dougherty attended the Norfolk City Council meetings Tuesday evening and witnessed the strange goings-on with which we are so familiar: It was, simply, a well-scripted City Hall show, with everyone in the room playing his or her part. And that's what she said about the informal session, the one not televised and, … Continue reading Kerry goes to Norfolk council →

Hands across the aisle

My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in today's The Virginian-Pilot. As shown in the video in the post below, last night's State of the Union embraced a bit of this by having members of opposite parties sit together. But that was just for show. Despite all of the red meat that gets thrown to supporters, … Continue reading Hands across the aisle →

Thank God for cable

By Steve Vaughan I don't find myself in agreement with George Will often, unless the bow-tied curmudgeon is writing about baseball. Will has an ongoing, and I'd guess premature since  he's had it for 20 years or more, case of grumpy oldmanism. Most Will columns can be summed up succinctly as "Hey, you kids get off my … Continue reading Thank God for cable →

Allen in, Webb?

Multiple sources, including this one, are reporting that former Senator George Allen will announce today that he is running  to reclaim his seat.  As of this writing, Allen's website carries just a message: "Stay tuned." That Allen is running should be of no surprise to anyone who has watched him over the last four years … Continue reading Allen in, Webb? →