Journalist Taylor Holland Named Chief of Staff to Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay

Holland worked for the Washington Examiner

Taylor Holland, formerly of the Washington Examiner, has been hired as the chief of staff for Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay. Holland covered Northern Virginia, and was formally hired on April 2.  “Taylor will be a tremendous asset to our Lee District team and I am glad to have him on board,” said McKay in a press release.  Holland, who takes the job from Mike McClanahan (who held the position for just over a year) previously reported for the Selma Times-Journal and the Tuscaloosa News in Alabama. He received his degree in journalism from the University of Alabama. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” said Holland. “This is an exciting time for Lee District and South County, especially with construction of the Springfield Town …

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McKay Calls Congress' Sequestration Indecision 'Absurd'

Supervisor McKay says Fairfax County will 'weather the storm' and people wouldn't tolerate this kind of indecision on a local level.

During an interview with Patch Wednesday, Supervisor Jeff McKay weighed in on the issues surrounding sequestration and how it will affect Lee District. Like many, McKay says Congress' indecision is unacceptable. "On the fact that they can't make a decision, it's absurd. It's ridiculous, and if we acted that way at a local government level people wouldn't tolerate it and they shouldn't tolerate it," McKay said. It's kind of an embarrassment to the country that people with different minds can't sit down together and come up with an agreement. We do it every day in Fairfax County, and it's not the easiest thing in the world, but it's what people expect." President Obama dropped by Virginia on Tuesday, railed against Congress for yet another "…

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The Beacon of Groveton Officially Opens

Wood Residential and Wood Partners held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon at the grand opening of the new apartment community.

Wood Residential and Wood Partners held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon for The Beacon of Groveton, a brand-new apartment community of 290 units with ground-floor retail space at 6870 Richmond Hwy. Fairfax County Supervisors Jeff McKay and Gerry Hyland attended the ceremony to show their support for the opening and the continuous redevelopment along the Route 1 corridor. “It’s a huge addition to the revitalization on Route 1. They’ve got over 50 leases signed and I have no doubt that they’ll have more,” McKay said. “I’ve heard from a lot of people, and they are amazed with the quality and the architecture.” McKay said the property was originally owned by the county and was slated to be the location of a government …

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McKay Joins VOICE in Athletic Fields Tour

Stops included Muddy Hole Farm Park, Mount Vernon Woods Park and Mount Vernon High School.

Hundreds Push for Better Route 1 Recreation Facilities

Bethlehem Baptist Church held Monday night forum on youth and recreation.

Local elected officials say they're largely on board with pleas from the public to enhance recreational opportunities for children along the Route 1 corridor. Hundreds of young athletes, parents and members of the faith community from the Route 1 corridor gathered Monday night at a forum organized by Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement, or VOICE. Speakers pushed for the creation of turf fields at local high schools, a multipurpose surface area at the Audubon mobile home park and a new, low-fee recreation center on the corridor. Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland told the overflow crowd at Bethlehem Baptist Church that he would help push for new and improved recreational facilities as part of the Fairfax …

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Budget Adds More Funding, But Not For Biking

With third straight year of zero funding for program, cyclists say some transportation improvements are threatened; county to look toward Arlington for model

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally adopted a $6.7 billion budget Tuesday morning, a spending plan which put aside more money for human services, schools and employee pay but, for the third consecutive year, not bicycle programs. Although the county funds a full-time bicycle coordinator in its transportation department, the bicycle program has gone without funding since fiscal year 2011, according to Fairfax County staff reports provided to supervisors this year.  The county's formal bike program was launched in 2006 as the Comprehensive Bicycle Initiative. Early projects included developing the county's first bike route map, retrofitting connector buses, and adding bike racks to county park and ride lots. The program received…

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Leaders Outline State of Mount Vernon, Lee During Chamber Breakfast

District Supervisors Gerry Hyland (Mount Vernon) and Jeff McKay (Lee), along with School Board Member Dan Storck, shared updates Wednesday with the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce.

Fairfax County's budget, development and traffic along the Route 1 corridor, and the possibility of a county meals tax were the focus of the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce's "Breakfast with the Supervisors" on Wednesday morning at the Belle Haven Country Club.  Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland, Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay and School Board Member Dan Storck updated chamber members on recent developments in the districts and the county before fielding questions from the audience. Fairfax County Budget Storck kicked off the morning by framing the county's budget, a large portion of which goes to public schools. "I know that it is a lot of money," Storck said. "But I also know that it makes a huge difference in …

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Virginia Educational Changes Needed to Prepare New Workforce

Local educators say more cooperation and collaboration needed in Virginia to prepare for changing job market.

This is the second of a two part series about the Feb. 25, 2012, joint retreat of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County School Board.  Part I, Board of Supervisors, School Board Team Up, was published Monday. __________ Providing a skilled work force for the next decade is going to require collaboration between public school systems, community colleges and four-year universities, according to local educators. Dana Kauffman, director of College Government Affairs at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), said local communities need to grow their own front-line work force.  He addressed the joint retreat of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board Saturday. A 2011 study conducted by Dr. Stephen …

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Accidents at N. Kings Hwy Prompt Intersection Changes

Supervisor McKay says Best Way entrance is unsafe, but VDOT disagrees. Raised concrete medians are planned.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is modifying the I-495 off-ramp to N. Kings Highway after a resident complained of numerous accidents. Juan Barnett, a government employee who lives at the corner of N. Kings Highway and Katherine Street across from the rear entrance to Best Way supermarket, began submitting complaints about accidents in October 2010. Since moving to his house in March 2010, Barnett says has seen at least five accidents at the intersection. He has sent VDOT, county supervisors and the Fairfax County Police photos of accidents, as well as a Youtube video of the aftermath of a crash in January 2011.  The problem is the Best Way market’s rear entrance, he told Patch. Barnett thinks the entrance is dangerous because …

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Letter to the Editor: Supervisor Jeff McKay on Jeff Todd

A call to citizen action.

As we all have now heard, Jeff Todd, community leader, local business owner, philanthropist, civic volunteer, and most importantly friend to so many of us, passed away last week in a tragic car accident. This unfortunate accident has not yet sunk in and will never make sense. Personally, I am trying to respond in a way that would make Jeff Todd proud. It came to me during his memorial service that we—the communities of Lee and Mt. Vernon—can respond with our hearts, our actions, and our love of our area. This is what Jeff would expect. We can carry on his legacy of giving his all to the community he loved. We can turn this tragedy into a call to action so that we can all strive to do a fraction of the things for our neighbors that Jeff did…

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