COMSTOCK FOR DELEGATE BLOG
The Comstock Connection
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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As the summer is winding down, I wanted to take a moment to update you on some of the news and events as we head into Fall. I also wanted to thank so many of you who have participated in the Town Halls, open houses, and the many community events over the summer and shared your ideas and concerns with us. Your voices and involvement have truly made a difference and working together we have made progress on our budget, on our local school funding issues and on local transportation matters.
I would also invite you to share this newsletter with any friends or colleagues who might be interested. (See forward button at the end of the email). You can also follow district events by signing up on Facebook or Twitter from our website.
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Tomorrow, Wednesday August 25 - Please Join Us For Governor McDonnell's Town Hall Meeting In Herndon
The Governor is coming to Herndon on August 25 as part of his "Virginia Speaks: A Conversation about Jobs, Government Reform and Our Future." I will be attending the Town Hall and invite you to join us. The Governor will be addressing issues facing the Commonwealth, his efforts to make government smaller and simpler, and his plan to privatize the ABC stores. The Town Hall Meeting will be held at the auditorium of the Center for Innovative Technology, 2214 Rock Hill Road, Suite 300, Herndon, VA 20170 from 7:00-8:30. For more information on the "Virginia Speaks" Town Hall, please visit the Governor's website: website.
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Yes, Virginia, There Is A Surplus!
On August 19, the Governor announced that the earlier estimate of a $220 million dollar surplus in July, had now grown to a total surplus for Fiscal Year 2010 of $403.2 million. The additional funds were derived from $228.5 million in revenue growth and $174.7 million in state government savings. We have gone from facing a $4 billion deficit in January to reporting over a $400 million surplus in August. We did it by cutting back on spending, providing incentives for job creation and not raising taxes which would have further burdened our hard working families and businesses. As a member of the Governor's Commission on Economic Development and Job Creation, we are continuing to focus on ways to creat good jobs for Virginians and turn Virginia's economy around and address our important infrastructure needs. To view the Governor's remarks on the budget status to the Joint Meeting of the Senate Finance, House Appropriation and House Finance Committees, please click here.
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HOT Lanes Extension on 495 is Suspended
As many of you may have heard, Transurban has informed VDOT and the Secretary of Transportation that they are suspending development activities on the proposed additional 1.6 mile extension of the Beltway HOT Lanes after receiving some higher than expected early estimates for construction costs. Their team will keep their focus on the overall Beltway HOT Lanes Project, which is on track to open by late 2012.
I want to thank the hundreds of you who attended meetings we held in May and June and reached out to us about your concerns about this additional project. I expect that the strong sentiment of the community and the concerns that were raised at the townhall meetings in May and June and the community involvement also helped with this decision which I know is welcomed by many in our neighborhoods. Last month, both Rep. Frank Wolf and I wrote to the Secretary about our concerns about this project. You can view the letter on my website.
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Virginia Megaprojects Alerts
With all the construction going on in Northern Virginia it can be difficult to keep up. Sign up to receive alerts and updates from Virginia Megaprojects on their website.
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Northern Virginia Technology Council Hosts Forum On The Benefits of Doing Business in Virginia
On September 17, Virginia Secretary of Technology, Jim Duffey, and Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Peter Su, will participate in a discussion on what the Commonwealth has to offer our technology companies and other businesses. Topics will include:
- Virginia's new capital gains tax exemption on investments in qualified technology companies
- The Angel Investor Tax Credit
- The CIT GAP Fund
- Other state tax and incentive programs
The event will be held at 7:30am on September 17 at Northrop Grumman, 7575 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA. Click here for more information.
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Help Wolf Trap and the National Park Foundation: Vote for Wolf Trap as your Favorite  National Park!
If you would like to help Wolf Trap receive a $100,000 grant from Coca-Cola, you can voteNOW for Wolf Trap as your Favorite National Park. The park with the most votes will win the $100,000 grant. In addition, for every vote, Coca-Cola will donate $1 to the National Park Foundation. The deadline to vote is August 31. If you haven't visited Wolf Trap lately and had the opportunity to take advantage of one of our community's treasures, the Wolf Trap summer season isn't over yet! Check out the remaining performances at www.wolftrap.org.
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Home Owners Association Meetings
This week I was happy to accept an invitation to speak at the Evermay Community Association annual meeting in November. If you would also like to invite me your attend your Homeowner Association or Civic Organization meeting to provide updates or to discuss specific issues and concerns in your community please do not hesitate to contact my office at 703-209-3787.
Also, please provide me with the contact information for your Association Officers so that we may keep you and your neighbors better informed of events that may impact your area. Please call my office, 703-209-3787, or email me at [email protected] to provide me with your this information.
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| If you have other events, news, or issues of concern, always feel free to contact me at [email protected]. |
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