Campaign updates from Letty – Sept 18 edition

Dear Friends,

Happy Friday! We’ve got a big weekend ahead with fall sports and activities underway and many community events where my campaign is participating. If you haven’t made your weekend plans yet, I hope you’ll consider including some of the ones below. Read on about other City news/happenings, including information about the roadwork at S. West St. I hope to see you this weekend!

What’s Happening:

Absentee voting – In person absentee voting starts today for Falls Church City voters – at City Hall, Registar’s office. Will you be out of town on Election Day (11/3)? Or won’t be home from work before polls close? Pregnant? Those are some of the reasons you might qualify for absentee voting. Find the application here and see if you might qualify for absentee voting.

  • In-Person Absentee voting starts TODAY at City Hall, weekdays 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Last Day to vote in-person absentee is Saturday October 31, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Last Day to request an absentee ballot by mail is Tuesday, October 27 at 5 p.m.
  • If you’ve recently moved, the deadline to register to vote is October 13th. An easy way to check if you’re registered to vote here: www.vote.virginia.gov/

Saturday, 9/19, 10 am-4 pm – Fall Festival / Taste of Falls Church – If you will be at the Fall Festival this weekend, look for me! I’ll be circulating and meeting visitors and will have campaign literature at both the Citizens for a Better City (CBC) and Falls Church Democratic Committee tables.

If you can donate an hour between 10-4 on Saturday, email me with a time window you can help me. I will be there all day, and I would love your help to reach more people!

Parking at Fall Festival – if you’re a FCC resident, I encourage you to walk, bike, or carpool to the Fall Festival. Do NOT park in private parking lots of posted “No Parking – Towing Enforced” signs. Look for parking on side streets and also a great chance to check out free parking options at the Kaiser and GM Square garages.

Saturday, 9/19, 10:30 am – Community Wildlife Habitat Celebration – FCC was just named a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Everyone in the community is invited to a celebration at 1030 am on the steps of the Cherry Hill Farmhouse (312 Park Ave). Besides being a home gardener and using mulching, composting, eliminating invasive plants, and rain barrels in my own backyard, I believe it’s important for residents to conserve and protect our environment for wildlife and the community as we become increasingly urbanized. Our last house on Lincoln Ave was certified as as a NWF habitat and I can attest it was a simple process to get the elements in place. To qualify for certification, a property needs to provide the four basic elements that support beneficial local wildlife: food, water, cover, and places to raise young; in addition, you should employ at least some sustainable gardening practices. Find out more here.

Saturday, 9/19, 7-10 pm FC Elementary PTA Fall Social at the Ross Residence (329 N. Maple) for parents of elementary kids – enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, spirit wear raffle and live entertainment. $25 per person. Click here to purchase your tickets.

Sunday, 9/20, 8 am – Run for the Schools (7:45 am warm ups) – 300 Park Ave, near the Library. I had an awesome crew of volunteers this week who helped me sticker all 600 bottles of water for Sunday’s FCEF run. Be on the lookout for Lucas, the Hardi boys, and my other campaign volunteers handing out water at the finish line! There will also be a moonbounce and facepainting at the end for kids.

S. West Reconstruction Project & New Road Markings – I attended a community meeting on Tuesday night where City Staff solicited input from citizens on how to mark the road after the reconstruction work is done this fall. Besides being a neighbor to S. West and a frequent walker with my family, I believe it’s important to make S. West more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly – especially as we think about connecting our residential neighborhoods with more commercial corridors in the west end of town and encouraging alternative modes that can decrease traffic.

Tuesday night’s discussion on markings included crosswalks and the potential for new bicycling facilities:

Pedestrian needs: There were 3 “feasible” crosswalks identified along S. West – Ellison, Parker, Poplar – feasibility was mainly based on where there are currently sidewalks on both sides and visibility from traffic. It sounds like City Staff will likely move forward with at least 2 of the 3 identified.

Bicycling needs: S. West is one of the future routes identified in the Master Bike Plan. The plan does not specify the type of facility (sharrows, dedicated lanes, buffered lanes, etc), so community input is necessary. The Tuesday night attendees were concerned about that creation of bike lanes as it would result in the loss of on-street parking. If you are a resident of S. West St or nearby neighborhood or a bicyclist and would like to see different biking options on S. West, I encourage you to email your feedback before the final options are presented to the City Manager within the next 2 weeks.

Side note – new sidewalks are not in scope of the current effort so the west side of S. West street will remain spotty for sidewalks. Speeding will also not be addressed as part of this effort, as there is a separate traffic calming petition underway. More info on the Reconstruction project, including the marking options, is available at the City website.

Reminders:

Team Hardi T-Shirt Wearers – Many of you have Letty campaign t-shirts. I would love it if you and your kids are able to wear your t-shirts to the Fall Festival / Taste of Falls Church on Saturday or the FCEF Run for the Schools on Sunday morning (or better yet, both!) to continue to increase name recognition for me. If you are social media-inclined, take some photos of yourself and the kids and post it to www.facebook.com/lettyhardifcc. #teamhardi? #lettyforfcc? Use some creative hashtags!

Yard Signs – I’ve distributed over 100 around town. If you would like one, email me back your address and I’d be glad to include yours in the next batch of deliveries.

Many thanks for your support! If you are excited about my candidacy, please share this email, my website and Facebook page with your friends and neighbors. While my first ad is in this week’s Falls Church News-Press, friend to friend/neighbor endorsements are the best source of advertising!

Have a great weekend!

Best,
Letty