During an uneventful two-hour session of the Mount Vernon Council of Citizens Associations (MVCCA) Nov. 28 at Carl Sandburg Middle School, two new co-chairs and the existing member of the former triumvirate were elected by unanimous consent.
All had been the choice of the Council's Nominating Committee. There were no nominations from the floor.
David Dale, president of the Spring Bank Community Association and the only remaining present co-chair, pledged to "take direction" from the membership. "Historically we have tended to be reactive. I believe we should be more proactive," he told the sparse crowd in attendance at Walt Whitman Middle School on Parkers Lane in Mount Vernon District.
The other two newly elected co-chairs were Patrick Rae, a resident of Mount Vernon on the Potomac, and Wellington resident Katherine Ward. "We are here to advocate for the citizens of Mount Vernon," Rae said. Ward urged attendees to "work as a team to make our portion of Fairfax County heard."
Both Carol Coyle, MVCCA secretary, and Tonda Phalen, MVCCA Treasurer, were also reelected unanimously. Outgoing chairs Dan Rinzel and Dan Fisher-Burrier chose not to seek re-election.
THE ONLY ITEM on the agenda that posed some element of controversy was the proposed high-tension electrical transmission line of Dominion Virginia Power Company across Northern Virginia. Queenie Cox, chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee, proposed approval of the power company plan.
"This will help Fairfax County because it will relive congestion on the lines which we receive our power on," she said. When questioned as to why the MVCCA was getting into this controversy, Cox said, "We (the Council) have historically addressed issues that were outside Mount Vernon District."
However, that committee recommendation was challenged by Council member James Davis. He proposed an amendment that would require "no power be generated by coal-fired power plants." It was not accepted by the Council which approved the motion of the committee.
In other action, the Council approved a 2008 budget calling for income with an anticipated ending balance of $5,604.39. The 2007 budget called for total receipts of $7,370 but actually came in at $15,431.50 due to a $10,871.50 income from the Gala. The original Gala profit, projected at $1,750, actually came in at $6,418.03.
The 2008 budget puts Gala profit at $2,000.