Virginia Goes Blue

The 2008 elections saw historic gains for the Democratic Party in Virginia. For the first time since 1964, the Commonwealth of Virginia cast its electoral votes for a Democratic candidate for U.S. President. President-elect Barack Obama won the traditionally stalwart Republican state with over 52 percent of the vote. But this would turn out to be just the tip of the iceberg for Democratic victories in Virginia.

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AOBA Joins in Litigation Against Fairfax City Rental Inspection Program

AOBA has joined with several other Northern Virginia real estate organizations in a lawsuit challenging the validity of a rental inspection ordinance recently adopted by the Fairfax City Council. Members may recall that AOBA proposed and succeeded in getting legislation passed in 2004 providing that local governments creating rental inspection programs may only do so within specially crafted districts, based on a finding of distinct and demonstrable need to proactively protect the public health and safety of residents, or to combat blight conditions, in such districts. Fairfax City failed to update its rental inspection program to comply with the new law, and let it expire in 2005.

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Virginia METPAC and LRIC to Meet on 2009 Agenda, Interview Candidates for Fairfax Board Chair

AOBA's Virginia PAC and Legislative and Regulatory Issues Committee will meet jointly on Wednesday, November 19 from 2:30 to 4:30 at the Tysons Corner offices of CRC Commercial, 1650 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 820. The Committees will convene to review AOBA's legislative agenda for the 2009 General Assembly session, and to conduct candidate interviews for the race to become Fairfax County Board Chairman. The interviews will be with current Board Vice-Chair Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock) and Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Srpingfield), both of whom are vying to succeed Chairman Gerry Connolly when he moves to Congress in January.

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Former National Democratic Party Chairman to Run for Governor of Virginia

Terry McAuliffe, a renowned fundraiser and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has officially filed paperwork to run for Governor of Virginia next year. McAuliffe joins a growing field of candidates seeking to succeed Governor Tim Kaine; that field presently includes Alexandria Delegate Brian Moran and Charlottesville Senator Creigh Deeds, both Democrats, and current Attorney General Bob McDonnell, who is the presumptive Republican nominee. Should Deeds become the Democratic candidate, it would set up a rematch with McDonnell, who narrowly defeated Deeds in the 2005 contest for Attorney General.

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Delegate Chris Jones Appointed Chairman of Influential Committee on General Laws

Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Bill Howell has appointed Delegate Chris Jones (R-Suffolk) as Chairman of the House Committee on General Laws. The appointment fills the vacancy left by Virginia Beach Delegate Terrie Suit, who announced her retirement effective this month. The Committee maintains jurisdiction over numerous issues of importance to AOBA, including the Virginia Residential Landlord/Tenant Act. Prior to his appointment as its Chairman, Delegate Jones was a senior member of the committee.

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HOME Study Alleges Violations of Fair Housing Law

A recent study conducted by Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), an advocacy organization for low-income and affordable housing in Virginia, is generating some significant buzz around the Commonwealth. The organization's recent Investigative "Audit of Housing in Hampton Roads" alleges significant incidences of racial discrimination and failures to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition to significant press coverage, the audit gained the attention of Delegate John Cosgrove (R-Chesapeake), who chairs the Affordability Workgroup of the Virginia Housing Commission. Delegate Cosgrove has publicly declared his intention to explore legislative remedies during the 2009 session.

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Loudoun County Board Backs Off of Proposed BPOL Tax Hike

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors recently voted 5-4 against a proposed increase in business license fees for several categories of business, including leasing of residential and commercial property. The increase was proposed as part of the County's fiscal year 2009 plan adopted in April. Chairman York voted along with Supervisors Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), Susan Klimek Buckley (D-Sugarland Run), Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) and Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) to oppose the scheduled rate increase. The group cited changes in the economic climate as reason for the shift in policy.

Read more »

Virginia Goes Blue

The 2008 elections saw historic gains for the Democratic Party in Virginia. For the first time since 1964, the Commonwealth of Virginia cast its electoral votes for a Democratic candidate for U.S. President. President-elect Barack Obama won the traditionally stalwart Republican state with over 52 percent of the vote. But this would turn out to be just the tip of the iceberg for Democratic victories in Virginia.

In a battle between former Governors, Mark Warner soundly defeated Jim Gilmore by a margin of more than 30 percentage points, giving Virginia two Democratic Senators for the first time since 1970. The party continued its romp in the House of Representatives races, knocking off two incumbent Republican Congressmen. Congressman Virgil Goode from the 5th district, which comprises a broad swath of central Virginia running from Charlottesville to Danville, appears to have narrowly lost to challenger Tom Perriello. A margin of approximately 800 votes separates the two candidates. Congresswoman Thelma Drake, who had represented the 2nd district with parts of Hampton, Norfolk and Virginia Beach, also narrowly lost to challenger Glenn Nye. Finally, to no one's surprise, the 11th Congressional district in Northern Virginia also turned blue, as AOBA/METPAC-supported candidate Fairfax County Board Chairman Gerry Connolly was elected to replace the retiring Republican Tom Davis.

At the local level, there were also a few significant ballot matters, though they yielded much more predictable results than at the national level. Arlington County Board member Barbara Favola was easily reelected; because the Arlington Board members' terms are staggered, Favola's seat was the only one on this year's ballot. Arlington County also saw the defeat of a proposed initiative to establish an independent housing authority for the County. The measure was opposed by the Democratic and Republican parties, and was never considered a serious threat to pass.

AOBA Joins in Litigation Against Fairfax City Rental Inspection Program

AOBA has joined with several other Northern Virginia real estate organizations in a lawsuit challenging the validity of a rental inspection ordinance recently adopted by the Fairfax City Council. Members may recall that AOBA proposed and succeeded in getting legislation passed in 2004 providing that local governments creating rental inspection programs may only do so within specially crafted districts, based on a finding of distinct and demonstrable need to proactively protect the public health and safety of residents, or to combat blight conditions, in such districts. Fairfax City failed to update its rental inspection program to comply with the new law, and let it expire in 2005.

The issue resurfaced last November, when the City Council received a staff-supported proposal to reinstate a rental inspection program and to extend its scope to multifamily properties, which had not been covered in the original program. AOBA quickly reminded the City Council of its obligation to confine such a program to defined districts (rather than city-wide), based on specific evidence substantiating the need for such a program. The City, instead, opted to take a run at getting the 2004 state law amended to allow localities smaller than 10 square miles to adopt inspection programs on a jurisdiction-wide basis. This effort was soundly rejected by the 2008 General Assembly, with AOBA's opposition factoring heavily in the outcome.

Stubbornly, city staff has since modified its proposed ordinance only slightly, by bisecting the city into two inspection districts (East and West) that still encompass the entire jurisdiction-- in clear violation, we feel, of the state code. The new ordinance, adopted by the City Council September 23, also requires inspections upon any change of occupancy a frequency greater than that allowed by state law.

While the target of the litigation is a program initiated by one city, AOBA's Executive Board approved participation in the lawsuit in order to make clear to other Northern Virginia jurisdictions, which are also known to be interested in adopting such programs, that AOBA will insist on strict compliance with the requirements it had previously gotten placed in state law.

Virginia METPAC and LRIC to Meet on 2009 Agenda, Interview Candidates for Fairfax Board Chair

AOBA's Virginia PAC and Legislative and Regulatory Issues Committee will meet jointly on Wednesday, November 19 from 2:30 to 4:30 at the Tysons Corner offices of CRC Commercial, 1650 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 820. The Committees will convene to review AOBA's legislative agenda for the 2009 General Assembly session, and to conduct candidate interviews for the race to become Fairfax County Board Chairman. The interviews will be with current Board Vice-Chair Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock) and Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Srpingfield), both of whom are vying to succeed Chairman Gerry Connolly when he moves to Congress in January. The Chair position is a separate, at-large seat for which a special election will be scheduled once Connolly's resignation date is known. Both Bulova and Herrity were reelected to four-year terms in 2007, so whichever one loses in the Chair race will still maintain their district position. All AOBA members are welcome to attend and participate. Please RSVP to Brian Gordon at (202) 296-3390 or by email at bgordon@aoba-metro.org if you wish to attend.

Former National Democratic Party Chairman to Run for Governor of Virginia

Terry McAuliffe, a renowned fundraiser and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has officially filed paperwork to run for Governor of Virginia next year. McAuliffe joins a growing field of candidates seeking to succeed Governor Tim Kaine; that field presently includes Alexandria Delegate Brian Moran and Charlottesville Senator Creigh Deeds, both Democrats, and current Attorney General Bob McDonnell, who is the presumptive Republican nominee. Should Deeds become the Democratic candidate, it would set up a rematch with McDonnell, who narrowly defeated Deeds in the 2005 contest for Attorney General.

Delegate Chris Jones Appointed Chairman of Influential Committee on General Laws

Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Bill Howell has appointed Delegate Chris Jones (R-Suffolk) as Chairman of the House Committee on General Laws. The appointment fills the vacancy left by Virginia Beach Delegate Terrie Suit, who announced her retirement effective this month. The Committee maintains jurisdiction over numerous issues of importance to AOBA, including the Virginia Residential Landlord/Tenant Act. Prior to his appointment as its Chairman, Delegate Jones was a senior member of the committee.

HOME Study Alleges Violations of Fair Housing Law

A recent study conducted by Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), an advocacy organization for low-income and affordable housing in Virginia, is generating some significant buzz around the Commonwealth. The organization's recent Investigative "Audit of Housing in Hampton Roads" alleges significant incidences of racial discrimination and failures to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition to significant press coverage, the audit gained the attention of Delegate John Cosgrove (R-Chesapeake), who chairs the Affordability Workgroup of the Virginia Housing Commission. Delegate Cosgrove has publicly declared his intention to explore legislative remedies during the 2009 session.

Loudoun County Board Backs Off of Proposed BPOL Tax Hike

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors recently voted 5-4 against a proposed increase in business license fees for several categories of business, including leasing of residential and commercial property. The increase was proposed as part of the County's fiscal year 2009 plan adopted in April. Chairman York voted along with Supervisors Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), Susan Klimek Buckley (D-Sugarland Run), Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) and Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) to oppose the scheduled rate increase. The group cited changes in the economic climate as reason for the shift in policy.