Sunday was a great day for the children of Falls Church. A groundbreaking ceremony for a new middle school celebrated the beginning of a public-private partnership to construct a long-needed facility distinct from, but integrated with, George Mason High School.
Knowing how much effort went into making the ceremony possible, I was particularly gratified to be an attendee at this joyous event. After years of effort, citizens, the PTSA, the School Board, the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the City and School Board staff made a sunny April afternoon unforgettable. It was the culmination of Superintendent Mary Ellen Shaw’s career of outstanding service to the City. All deserve our thanks.
A few people deserve special commendation. Mayor Dan Gardner is one. His energetic, farsighted leadership, aided by the active support of Council members, Gardner, Hockenberry and Meserve, formed a solid continuous majority on difficult votes to expand the City’s tax base to ensure the long-term financial viability of the school system and the City.
Robin Gardner and Lindy Hockenberry merit special kudos. In their election year, they cast many courageous votes, always keeping the welfare of the City paramount. City residents will long be indebted to them.
Now that the General Assembly appears to be near the end of its annual session with the passage of key bills finalizing revenues, I wanted to recognize the input of a resident of the 53rd House District.
As I have frequently said, many important suggestions about legislation come from my contacts with citizens at town meetings, neighborhood associations, other community groups and door-to-door contacts. One recent examples deserve recognition.
Richard Klein, a neighbor of Falls Church in the Ellison Heights-Mount Daniel community approached me many months ago about a problem he had with a credit card company. When he attempted to complain about his attempted purchase of merchandise using the credit card, he discovered he could not do so because of a conflict in laws about his legal residence for the purpose of his complaint. Virginia needed a law, like Maryland’s, which would make it clear that, even if he made a credit card purchase in another state using his laptop on a trip, his claim would be recognized under the federal Fair Credit Billing Act. HB 1189 was the result. It says that a that for the purposes of that Act “… a transaction shall be presumed to have occurred at the mailing address most recently provided by the cardholder to the card issuer, without regard to the location where the last act necessary for the formation of the contract between the cardholder and the party honoring the card took place.” With the Governor’s signature, it will now become law in Virginia on July 1.
At my request, Mr. Klein made several trips to Richmond to attend hearings and present the problem he had encountered. Few consumers will know how much they owe to him and his commitment to solving a long-existing consumer problem. Thanks to him for his energetic and thoughtful aid in bringing about an important change in Virginia law.