Vienna Mayor to Retire in 2014
After 14 years at the helm, M. Jane Seeman will not seek re-election.
IT WAS 1996 when M. Jane Seeman stepped in to fill her husband’s unexpired term on the council after his death. She ran and won seats on the council in 1997 and 1999. When then-mayor Charles Robinson approached Seeman about running for mayor in 2000, she had some trepidation. “I was thinking I wasn’t capable at all,” Seeman said. “I felt as if I swallowed a rock. “If you really believe in something, you have to step forward and do it. I believe in Vienna and that’s what this was all about.” Seeman was diagnosed with lung cancer in spring, 2013, but her decision to turn the reins of the town over came a year before her diagnosis. Other than the cancer, she called herself a “healthy” person. Throughout Seeman’s administration and in the years before, the town’s emphasis was on maintaining Vienna’s way of life, a small-town feel with a family focus, Seeman said. “It’s paid off. We have all these young families moving to Vienna, raising their kids here.”
Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: December, 2013
In December 2013, 82 homes sold between $2,775,000-$204,000 in the Vienna and Oakton area.
Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: December, 2013
Classified Advertising January 15, 2014
Read the latest ads here!
Virginia Supreme Court Opens Access to Audio Recordings of Oral Arguments
Policy change overturns blackout instituted in 2008.
Members of the Virginia Supreme Court have a New Year’s Resolution — become more transparent.
South Lakes’ Aghayere, Rendle Dominate Boards in Victory
Madison’s Koshuta scores 28 points in defeat.
The South Lakes girls' basketball team defeated Madison 60-52 on Jan. 10.
Oakton’s Weaver Leads Gymnastics Team to Victory
Sophomore wins all-around competition.
The Oakton gymnastics team won a home meet on Jan. 9.
Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna Raises Funds for Two Local Charities
For the last fifteen years, the Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna (SCOV) has been hosting their Community Thanksgiving Service along with participating congregations. The monies raised from the service offering are then distributed to local charities.
New Exhibition Opens at Vienna Arts Society Center
Award-winning art showcased through January.
There are a lot of things the Vienna Arts Society [VAS] does well: it offers art classes to adults and children; it sponsors and hosts a major art show each fall; it supports a local nonprofit every year with art pieces donated by its artists; it provides children’s activities at community events. Its claim to fame, however, is probably the new exhibitions by local artists it produces every month.
Week in Vienna
Fairfax County police are looking for the person who robbed a BB&T Bank, last Wednesday, Jan. 8, in Oakton. The incident occurred around 11:29 a.m. when a man entered the bank at 2941 Chain Bridge Road.
From Late Night Comedy to Your Bedroom
Why the General Assembly matters more in Virginia than most states.
The Virginia General Assembly began its annual session last week on Jan. 8. The actions of the Virginia General Assembly matter more to localities than it would in many other states. In Virginia, localities have only the power specifically granted by the General Assembly, the Dillon rule. So, for example, Montgomery County and Prince Georges County in Maryland recently voted to increase the minimum wage in those localities. They didn’t need permission from Maryland General Assembly to do so. Arlington and Alexandria might be inclined to follow suit (the District government also voted to increase the minimum wage) but do not have that power.
In Case Someone Is Wondering
I don’t mind being alive, really I don’t. Occasionally though, I receive well-intended inquiries – electronic and otherwise, from people (who know my cancer story) who are sort of wondering if perhaps I’m not. When people haven’t heard from me in a while – and this is a category of people with whom I don’t have regular/recurring interactions, but rather a group of people who reach out and attempt to touch me (figuratively speaking) every three or four months or so – there is a presumption on their part that my silence (so far as they know) is not in fact golden, but rather ominous, as in the cancer might have won and yours truly didn’t. And when I respond, their pleasure/relief at my not having succumbed to the disease is quite positive, generally speaking. Their honesty and joy in learning that I’m still alive is both rewarding and gratifying. Rewarding in that they care and gratifying in that I must be doing something right which enables me to sustain myself through a very difficult set of medical circumstances: stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, the terminal kind (is there any other kind?).
Let Sun Shine on Virginia’s Financial Disclosure Laws
State legislators turn attention to ethics in wake of McDonnell gift scandal.
As members of the Virginia General Assembly convene for the first time since last February, legislators are stampeding to introduce ethics legislation in response to the gift scandal which engulfed then Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R). The revelations last spring about numerous undisclosed gifts and purported loans from businessman Jonnie Williams to McDonnell — including a $6,500 Rolex watch engraved to the "71st Governor of Virginia" and $35,000 in gifts and catering for his daughters’ weddings — shined a spotlight on Virginia’s porous financial disclosure laws.
‘Really Strong Dancers, Powerhouse Singers’
Oakton High senior is in the musical, ‘Cats.’
If Oakton High senior Shanelucas Ramsey has been acting a bit catlike recently, there’s a good reason. He has a featured role in the Fairfax Academy’s upcoming production of “Cats.” Featuring a cast and crew of nearly 85, it will burst upon the Fairfax High stage in what promises to be a treat for both the eyes and ears. It’s directed by Mike Replogle, director of the Musical Theatre Academy, and choreographed by Andrea Heininge, who heads the Dance Academy.
Vienna Day of Service Brings Together Nonprofits, Volunteers
More than 75 people explored service volunteering opportunities in the community.
Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe created a day of volunteer service to kick off his term as governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. On Saturday, Jan. 4, more than 75 people came to the American Legion hall on Center Street to explore volunteer opportunities that make the community a better place to live in.
Del. Keam Introduces His New Legislation
Named to House Courts of Justice Committee.
Del. Mark Keam (D-35) began his third term in the Virginia General Assembly on a high note, garnering a new committee assignment and introducing 10 bills. He took the oath of office last Wednesday, Jan. 8, at noon.
Vienna Second Grader Chelsea Hu Performed at McAuliffe Inaugural Ceremony
Vienna Louise Archer Elementary School second grader Chelsea Hu performed “America the Beautiful” with her World Children’s Choir at the Saturday, Jan. 11 inauguration of Terry McAuliffe as the 72nd Governor of Virginia.
Classified Advertising January 8, 2014
Read the latest ads here!
Living With My Decisions
On multiple occasions throughout my nearly five years of being treated for stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, my oncologist has given me opportunities to stop and/or take a break from my treatment, or to consider alternatives to the normal protocols – for the expressed (literally) purpose of sustaining/enhancing the unexpected, above-average quality of life I have mostly experienced during my nearly non-stop, every three-week chemotherapy infusions which began in early March, 2009. The goal being to enable me to enjoy my life and not be subjected to/beaten down by the ravaging and debilitating effects of chemotherapy.
Kitchen Organization for the New Year
Local organizers, designers and culinary experts offer smart tips for making space and clearing clutter.
If organizing an unruly kitchen, one where there never seems to be enough space for storage containers and pots and pans, is on your list of resolutions this year, the project might be less daunting than you think. From creating a system for grouping spices to keeping plates in easy reach, local experts share secrets for a well-maintained kitchen. Hang pots and pans inside pantry doors, says Sallie Kjos of GreyHunt Interiors in Chantilly. "It organizes them, but decoratively can look effective."
Top Designs of 2013
Local builders look back on their most impressive spaces.
From outdoor patios with the comforts of indoor family rooms to a stark white bathroom replete with Carrara marble flooring, local designers said they’ve created some spectacular living spaces in 2013. Their personal favorites may be surprising, and include a lot of kitchens and bathrooms.