March 14-20, 2024

Hello again! When I retired from the Board of Supervisors at the end of December, I thought I had filed my last column. I wrote my weekly column for more than 26 years, rarely missing a deadline, but assumed that the end of my term as Mason District Supervisor signaled the end of my weekly task to submit at least 500 words to the Falls Church News Press by Tuesday afternoon. It was a surprise, though not unwelcome, when Nick Benton asked me to consider continuing “A Penny for Your Thoughts.”

When I retired from 28 years on the Board, I promised myself to take at least two months with my feet up, a “downshift” of sorts, to adjust to both retirement and widowhood (my husband, Hal, passed away in November). I needed to take some deep breaths, clean and reorganize our house, sort through mountains of files, and adapt to having Tuesdays free. Tuesdays are “Board” days, reserved for either full day televised formal board meetings in the imposing Board Auditorium, or less formal, but still televised, committee meetings in the conference center.

Today I am restarting the column, with a broader perspective or, at least, not as focused on Fairfax County. I’m sure it will have a political side most times, as my career has been in elective politics for nearly six decades. I always enjoyed Charlie Clark’s “Our Man in Arlington” column with historical context and human-interest stories. Likewise for John Kelly’s longtime Washington Post columns and Bob Welch’s “My Oregon” columns in my hometown Eugene Register-Guard. All had personal touches, reflecting humor, pathos, and the occasional head scratch. I hope to provide some of that and welcome your ideas about possible subjects.

President Biden’s State of the Union address last week reflected energy, experience, and occasional flashes of Irish temper that surprised even diehard supporters of the President. In short, it was a tour de force. It’s not easy to stay standing and focused for a more than hourlong formal address that was televised around the world. There were some small flubs in delivery but overall high marks for a significant speech that outlined past accomplishments and set the stage for future efforts. Those expecting chaos in the House Chamber may have been disappointed; members, for the most part, seemed to show appropriate respect for the Office of President and venue, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) red MAGA baseball cap and sloganed tee shirt notwithstanding.

Response from the opposite party dates back to 1966, when Senator Everett Dirksen (R-IL) and Congressman Gerald Ford (R-MI) appeared on television, replicating their “Ev and Jerry” weekly press conferences during Lyndon Johnson’s final term. More recently, Virginia lawmakers have been highlighted: Governor Tim Kaine in 2006, Senator Jim Webb in 2007, Governor Bob McDonnell in 2010, and Delegate Elizabeth Guzman in 2018, who gave her response in Spanish. The choice of Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) appeared to check several boxes for the Republican response – younger, a mother, southern, attractive on-camera. However, the choice of setting – a kitchen (was it hers or a studio set piece?) – and her histrionic delivery did a disservice to the very women the GOP was trying to convince. Instead of using the gravitas of her status as a senator to demonstrate achievement and leadership as a female role model, she reverted to batting her eyelashes, cutesy smiles, and voice modulations at strange points in her speech. Instead of political operatives advising her, a high school drama coach would have been much more helpful. During Women’s History Month, we should be celebrating women’s achievements, not relegating them to the kitchen!