Falls Church’s Don Beyer Tapped for Switzerland Post
Falls Church businessman and former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Donald S. Beyer, Jr., was nominated last week by President Obama to become the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. Beyer is a principal at Don Beyer Volvo in Falls Church and other dealerships in Northern Virginia. He is a former president of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce and served two terms as Virginia’s lieutenant governor beginning in 1989 prior to an unsuccessful run for governor in 1997.
Falls Church’s Don Beyer Tapped for Switzerland Post
Falls Church businessman and former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Donald S. Beyer, Jr., was nominated last week by President Obama to become the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. Beyer is a principal at Don Beyer Volvo in Falls Church and other dealerships in Northern Virginia. He is a former president of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce and served two terms as Virginia’s lieutenant governor beginning in 1989 prior to an unsuccessful run for governor in 1997. He played a major role as one of Obama’s earliest and most active advocates in Virginia, and was an advisor to the new administration’s transition team. Because of his long association with the Swedish-based Volvo company, some pundits have quipped that someone in the Obama administration slipped up, mistaking Switzerland for Sweden. In addition to his duties in Switzerland, Beyer will serve as ambassador to the principality of Liechtenstein.
F.C. Constitutional Officers Certified for Re-Election
The City of Falls Church’s three incumbent state “constitutional officers,” Sheriff Steve Bittle, Treasurer Cathy Kaye and Commissioner of the Revenue Tom Clinton, were all certified last week to appear on the November ballot for re-election to new four-year terms. All three will appear on the ballot unopposed for re-election, and the deadline has passed for any additional candidates, unless one of the three withdraws.
Falls Church City Registrar to Retire July 1
Deborah Taylor, the Registrar of Voters for the City of Falls Church since 1985, announced yesterday that she will retire on July 1. The 24-year veteran City employee was named Falls Church’s Employee of the Year in 2001. Her role has been to maintain the office of voter registrations and elections, and additional public places for voter registration in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia State Code.
Local Arrested for Growing Marijuana in Home
Falls Church Police reported last week that, following a several-month investigation, on May 28 they obtained a search warrant and entered the home at 323 Grove Avenue in Falls Church where they found and confiscated 11 marijuana plants, as well as plant growing materials and supplies to distribute marijuana. Arrested was Stephan Fardaei on charges of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana.
Correction: Land Sale $ to Go to Open Space Fund
Proceeds from the sale by the City of Falls Church of a residential tract at 215 S. Lee St. will go toward the purchase of open space in the City, and not to the City’s general fund as reported in last week’s News-Press on-line edition.
Sen. Webb Honored by Blinded American Vets
Virginia’s U.S. Senator Jim Webb, a resident of Falls Church, was honored with a Congressional Award for Meritorious Service by the Blinded American Veterans Foundation (BAVF) Tuesday. For his “lifetime service to the nation’s veterans and his work on the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, Webb was feted at the 24th Annual Congressional Awards Ceremony with the award named for George “Buck” Gillespie, the former Chief of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Center in West Haven, Connecticut and a longtime advocate for the sensory disabled. The BAVF assists blinded and sensory-disabled veterans in attaining their full potential through research, rehabilitation and re-employment.
CrisisLink Marks National Men’s Health Week
CrisisLink, Northern Virginia’s suicide prevention telephone hotline organization, marked June 15-21 as National Men’s Health Week, noting that mental, as well as physical health, are key components especially for men aged 65 and up. “Suicide is a serious public health problem, but it is also one of the most preventable forms of death,” a statement noted. “The highest rates of suicide among any age group are seen among the elderly, particularly elderly white men. In 2005, more than 84 percent of suicides among persons aged 65 and over were male, a rate of more than five times higher than their female counterparts.” CrisisLink’s “Care-Ring” program for seniors provides daily phone check-ins where trained volunteers monitor the mental and physical well being of CrisisLink clients in order to identify warning signs early and help clients and their families get help if necessary. The program “provides peace of mind to family members and caretakers, and allows seniors to live independent, healthy lives,” a CrisisLink statement noted. More information is available on line at crisislink.org, or by calling 1-800-273-8255.
