Arlington is gearing up for a special election to replace Senator-elect Barbara Favola on the County Board, with the caucus dates now set for 2/2 and 2/4 (at the NRECA Building and Kenmore Middle School, respectively), and with numerous candidates announcing at this past Wednesday's ACDC meeting (see videos of their speeches here). I recently sent out questionnaires to all the announced Democratic candidates, with a deadline of this morning. The first interview, with Elmer Lowe, is available here. The second interview, with Melissa Bondi, is available here, and the third interview, with Terron Sims, is available here. The fourth interview, received a bit after the deadline, was with Kim Klingler. This interview, received a bit after the deadline, is with Libby Garvey. The final interview will follow (from Peter Fallon) this afternoon. Thanks to Mr. Lowe, Ms. Bondi, Mr. Sims, Ms. Klingler, and Ms. Garvey for returning their Blue Virginia surveys (and to the first three for returning them on time), and to the remaining candidate (Peter Fallon) in advance for his responses as well.
1. Why are you running for Arlington County Board and what makes you the most qualified candidate at this time? I am running because Arlington is my home for almost 35 years and we are facing some big challenges. After 15 years leading change on the school board and helping to make our schools among the best in the nation, I have the proven leadership skills and experience coupled with a fresh perspective which Arlington needs on the County Board to help manage the unprecedented growth and change we're experiencing at this time. It is important to maintain what we value most about our community as we grow and change. In order to do that we need to be clear about our priorities and have transparent public processes. This is how I've worked for 15 years.
Arlington is gearing up for a special election to replace Senator-elect Barbara Favola on the County Board, with the caucus dates now set for 2/2 and 2/4 (at the NRECA Building and Kenmore Middle School, respectively), and with numerous candidates announcing at this past Wednesday's ACDC meeting (see videos of their speeches here). I recently sent out questionnaires to all the announced Democratic candidates, with a deadline of this morning. The first interview, with Elmer Lowe, is available here. The second interview, with Melissa Bondi, is available here, and the third interview, with Terron Sims, is available here. This interview, which was received about an hour past the agreed-upon deadline, is with Kim Klingler. The remaining two interviews will follow, hopefully soon, but obviously depending upon if/when they're received. Thanks to Mr. Lowe, Ms. Bondi, Mr. Sims and Ms. Klingler for returning their Blue Virginia surveys (and to the first three for returning them ON TIME!), and to the remaining two candidates (Libby Garvey and Peter Fallon) in advance for their responses as well.
1. Why are you running for Arlington County Board and what makes you the most qualified candidate at this time? I am running for the Arlington County Board because I believe that, with my broad-based community involvement and professional experience, I will bring a critical - and currently unrepresented - perspective to the County Board. I bring a business, community, and political perspective. We need a strong voice for health and human services, we need a leader for the preparation of the Metro Silver Line, and we need a champion for county board and school board collaboration. We need someone who is truly connected to the community, and understands the needs of all Arlingtonians, including those aging in place. I am that leader.
Arlington is gearing up for a special election to replace Senator-elect Barbara Favola on the County Board, with the caucus dates now set for 2/2 and 2/4 (at the NRECA Building and Kenmore Middle School, respectively), and with numerous candidates announcing at this past Wednesday's ACDC meeting (see videos of their speeches here). I recently sent out questionnaires to all the announced Democratic candidates, with a deadline of this morning. The first interview, with Elmer Lowe, is available here. The second interview, with Melissa Bondi, is available here. The rest will follow shortly. Thanks to Mr. Lowe, Ms. Bondi, and Mr. Sims for returning their Blue Virginia surveys (on time is an added bonus!), and to the other candidates in advance for their responses as well.
1. Why are you running for Arlington County Board and what makes you the most qualified candidate at this time? I am running for a seat on the Arlington County Board because I want to serve our county in a greater capacity, and I feel that my public and private sector experience will allow me to make an immediate and positive impact. I will bring a unique perspective in several respects.
I am a West Point graduate with a Bachelors degree in systems engineering. I currently work for a private sector research company leading a team in developing an analytical database for the Department of Defense. As an Arlington home owner and taxpayer, I understand the challenges many of us face in making that mortgage payment each month. As past Chair of the Arlington Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, I learned that as well managed as our county government is, there are ways we can make more effective use of our tax dollars.
Arlington is gearing up for a special election to replace Senator-elect Barbara Favola on the County Board, with the caucus dates now set for 2/2 and 2/4 (at the NRECA Building and Kenmore Middle School, respectively), and with numerous candidates announcing at this past Wednesday's ACDC meeting (see videos of their speeches here). I recently sent out questionnaires to all the announced Democratic candidates, with a deadline of this morning. The first interview, with Arlington NAACP President Elmer Lowe, is available here. The second interview, which you can read below, is with community activist Melissa Bondi. The rest will follow in coming days as soon as possible. Thanks to Mr. Lowe and Ms. Bondi for returning their Blue Virginia surveys (on time is an added bonus! :)), and to the other candidates in advance for their responses as well.
1) Why are you running for Arlington County Board and what makes you the most qualified candidate at this time? I want to serve on the County Board to engage our community in resolving major questions about Arlington's future.
I love Arlington. As a County Board Member, I would bring my experience as a neighborhood leader, my professional policy expertise, my collaborative style and a ten-year track record of resolving challenges in my own neighborhood and across Arlington. I believe I am the only candidate who would bring all these assets to the County Board.
Arlington's prime location next to our nation's capital and its visionary planning around Metro in the 1960s and 1970s has led to enormous success. However, these factors alone will not carry us through the next 50 years. We need a community conversation to update our vision. I want our community to consider life beyond the Metro corridors, and to consider the next generation of our economic, social and environmental sustainability. I've seen repeatedly that some of our best ideas come from the public -- I will work to ensure they have adequate resources to broaden community conversations and to forge tailored solutions that fit our neighborhoods and shared goals.
As a County Board Member, I would also lead new efforts to preserve and pursue additional committed affordable housing, and to ensure our outstanding schools, parks and other capital investments, our triple-AAA bond rating and excellent transportation choices and systems. I would stand up for equality and further pursue equitable, social justice no matter one's age, income, race, ethnicity, physical ability or orientation. I would work with all of the Arlington community to continue to achieve success while maintaining our values and welcoming new ideas.
Arlington is gearing up for a special election to replace Senator-elect Barbara Favola on the County Board, with the caucus dates now set for 2/2 and 2/4 (at the NRECA Building and Kenmore Middle School, respectively), and with numerous candidates announcing at this past Wednesday's ACDC meeting (see videos of their speeches here). I recently sent out questionnaires to all the announced Democratic candidates, with a deadline of tomorrow morning, latest. The first response comes from Arlington NAACP President Elmer Lowe. The rest will follow in coming days. Thanks to Mr. Lowe for returning the Blue Virginia survey, and also to the other candidates in advance for their responses as well.
1. Why are you running for Arlington County Board and what makes you the most qualified candidate at this time?
I am running for Arlington County Board and I feel that I am the most qualified candidate at this time because of my experience in organizing, planning, management, and knowing how to solve many of the difficult problems of today. My Leadership experience with over 24 years of active duty in the US Military and 19 years as a Deputy Sheriff in Arlington County speaks for me. I was also the Executive Director for "Friends of Guest" a home for non-violent female ex-offenders in Alexandria, Va. I was the second male to be appointed to this position. In this position, I had to set strict rules and enforce them. In my present position as President of Arlington Branch of the NAACP, my management and supervisory skills have truly been tested.
2. What would you say are the top three challenges facing Arlington County right now?
The top three challenges facing Arlington County right now are affordable housing, unemployment and immigration problems. In that order and I believe they all can be resolved.
I tried to make it to this meeting last night, but I got there a little late and there was no parking that I could find anywhere near the place (I talked to one person who told me he had to park 1 mile away!). Of course, this is exactly the reason why these meetings should never be held in transit/pedestrian-inaccessible locations, but that's another topic for another time. Anyway, thanks to Stephanie Clifford for the videos of the Democratic candidates for Arlington County Board making their presentations the ACDC meeting. Here they are in alphabetical order. Enjoy!
After the third straight year of disastrous elections for Democrats here in Virginia, you'd expect a great deal of ferment among Democratic committees, including DPVA. In the case of the DPVA, of course, we're not seeing that, as the culture of non-accountability for failure is deeply entrenched there. Bottom line: at DPVA, it's much more about who people "like," maintaining their exclusive club, racial/gender/regional politics, etc., than about competence and merit. In other words, DPVA seems well beyond hope.
At the local committee level, though, we're seeing a bit more ferment right now. Over at NLS, Ben reports that "In York/Poquoson, the new Chair is Jake Evans, a 21 year old local student." Congratulations to Jake, talk about a youth movement!
On a far less pleasant note, Ben reports that "Party switcher Chris Wade who ran for Supervisor as a "Democrat" this year (voting in his first Democratic Primary for himself) was elected Co-Chair of the Braddock District Democratic Committee." Now, to be clear, I have ZERO problem with party switchers from "R" to "D." Recall that I "drafted" one of them -- Jim Webb for Senate in 2006 -- and worked for his campaign. So what's the difference between Chris Wade and Jim Webb (other than that Chris Wade is NO Jim Webb in any way, shape or form)? Simple: Jim Webb explained, repeatedly and persuasively, the thought process that led him to move from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. In Chris Wade's case, there STILL, believe it or not, has been no explanation for how he went from self-identified "strong McCain-Palin supporter" in 2008 (3 years ago) to suddenly a "Democrat" today. So, what's Wade doing as a Democrat, and what in bloody you-know-where is Wade doing being ELECTED to a Democratic Committee?!? What I'm hearing is that, for whatever reason(s), Wade is seen by certain "powers that be" as a potential Democratic candidate in the future. Why, I have no idea, but it's certainly not based on Wade's efforts for Democrats over the years, that's for sure. Terrible choice by the Braddock District Democratic Committee.
In other news, I'm hearing that Evan Macbeth (pictured with Mark Warner above) is highly likely to be elected the next chair of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee on January 7 (he was the only announced candidate as of a few days ago, after Andy Resnick pulled out of the running). I think that's great news, as LCDC is in desperate need of having strong, energetic, dynamic new leadership, which Evan will provide. Evan's challenges basically involve picking up the pieces -- actually, more like rubble -- from the Mike Turner years as LCDC chair. That includes a 9-0 Republican Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, former LCDC members running around endorsing against their own party, and general dysfucntion all around (come to think of it, LCDC isn't that dissimilar to that other Macbeth - Shakespeare's, including the intrigue, backstabbing, deceit, etc.). I wish Evan Macbeth the best of luck in pulling together all the REAL Democrats in Loudoun County and in reenergizing the LCDC!
Lots more on the "flip," including the coup attempt against Bruce Roemmelt and the wackiness in FCDC that needs to be stopped.
It looks like the Arlington County Board race for Senator-elect Barbara Favola's seat is off and running. This coming Wednesday, the 5? 6? announced Democratic candidates will be speaking at the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting, and today I received my first mailer of the campaign -- from Melissa Bondi -- which you can see here and on the "flip." Other candidates include Terron Sims, Kim Klingler, Libby Garvey, Peter Fallon, and possibly Elmer Lowe (not sure if he's running as a Democrat, or at all for that matter) and H.K. Park.
The first step in choosing a replacement for Barbara Favola is for Democrats to choose their nominee, in a two-day "firehouse primary" process in early February 2012 (I'm hearing that one of the locations will be in Ballston -- NRECA Building, the other in South Arlington -- Kenmore Middle School). Presumably, Republicans, Greens, etc. will select nominees as well. Then, there will be a special election, probably in mid-April 2012, to fill Favola's seat. Clearly, Democrats are a huge majority in Arlington, and thus the Democratic nominee will be the overwhelming favorite to win in April. What really strikes me is that the expected turnout for the Democratic nomination contest is in the 5,000 range, with the "win number" somewhere around 1,500-2,000. In other words, out of a population of 200,000, just 2.5% will select the nominee, and only 1% or so will probably have voted for that person in the nominating process. I don't know about you, but somehow that doesn't seem acceptable to me. The question is, how do we get the other 97.5% of Arlingtonians interested in this race? It's kind of baffling to me that they wouldn't be, but there it is. Any ideas?
P.S. I'm glad to see that Melissa Bondi's campaign mailer is printed on recycled paper, with soy ink, using wind power and union labor. I certainly would hope the other candidates would do the same!
Virginia state law prohibits partisan affiliation from being listed on ballots for local elections. But can the Falls Church City Council go a step further, banning political parties from endorsing candidates in city races altogether - and do it with extremely limited public input?
In the wake of two major shakeups to Falls Church city politics, the City Council is set to vote tonight on amendments to the city charter that were just drawn up at the council work session a week ago. The key additions:
"[U]nder this amendment to Section 3.02, candidates for City Council who are nominated by political party primary or convention will no longer be listed on the ballot for City Council."
"Candidates for the office of city council shall be qualified voters of the city and shall file their notice of candidacy and be nominated only by petition in the manner prescribed by law for nonparty candidates and not by caucus, primary, convention or other party-affiliated proceeding."
The amendments warn against not just the evils of partisan elections, but of partisan candidates
So why the rush to change the charter? Under Virginia's Dillon's Rule system, the changes need Virginia General Assembly approval, so the City Council wants to get the amendments into its legislative package in time for the next General Assembly session in January. Unfortunately, it seems the City Council is putting that deadline ahead of opportunity for public input - an especially unfortunate move given voters just dealt the Council a harsh rebuke in this month's election.
Just over a week after a major earthquake shook Falls Church city politics with the passage of a referendum to move city elections to November, another shock could be on the way. The nonpartisan Citizens for a Better City will vote on a proposal Sunday that would see the group pull out of nominating candidates, merely planning a candidate forum in February:
For 52 years CBC has fielded candidates for Falls Church City Council and, since 1994, for School Board. Its decision to leave the election process creates a new playing field for the May 2012 election.
Unless a new group suddenly emerges to field a slate, all candidates for three Council seats and three School Board seats at stake will be running as independents. There will be no "brand" available and voters will have to focus more on the individual candidates, rather than voting a straight ticket.
CBC has dominated Falls Church politics for decades. From 1974 to 1986 it won every Council seat. More recently CBC won 14 of the 17 seats at stake from 2000 to 2008. However, in 2010 only one of its four candidates for Council was elected. One candidate appeared to break with the slate in the final days of the campaign, issuing his own flyers.
So what next? I've heard rumors the City Council is scrambling to amend the city charter to lock in nonpartisan elections. Does that signal the councilors think that without CBC nominees, party primaries are the logical next step, so they're trying to block them now? It's already been a busy year in Falls Church city politics, and it's a long way from being over.
With Senator-elect Barbara Favola set to head to Richmond, the Democratic primary race in the special election to fill her Arlington County Board seat is quickly heating up. Already announced:
Melissa Bondi, community activist on issues including affordable housing & smart growth
Terron Sims, active in veterans issues and a former school board candidate
Among those rumored to be considering a run:
Peter Fallon, Arlington Planning Commission member
Libby Garvey, school board member and most recently a candidate in the 30th state senate district Democratic primary
Kim Klingler, civic activist and health care consultant
Stacey Whyte, Arlington Heights Civic Association president
So far, the biggest news in the campaign has been Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th) already endorsing Sims. To state the obvious, Jim Moran has been working his tail off for Northern Virginia since before your humble blogger was born and he does not need my or anyone else's permission to endorse whomever he pleases. But in conversations with Arlington progressive activists, I'm hearing less enthusiasm for this endorsement than I am questions about why Rep. Moran would not only take sides in a local Democratic primary, but do so even before the full field comes into focus.
Thanks to Dominic Gabello, Ashley Mitchell, and Allison Jaslow for the excellent photos (more on the "flip"; also, click to "embiggen") from today's Loudoun County Democratic GOTV rally. Looks like a good crowd and some great Democrats -- former Rep. Tom Perriello, Sen. Jim Webb, former Gov. Tim Kaine, State Senate candidate Shawn Mitchell, State Senator Mark Herring, and House of Delegates candidate Mike Kondratick. Go git'em!
Woodbridge, VA - U.S. Senator and former Governor Mark Warner, U.S. Senator Jim Webb, former Governor Tim Kaine, and Congressman Gerry Connolly announced their endorsements of Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi for re-election, citing Supervisor Principi's strong leadership and real results on addressing traffic congestion and other pressing issues affecting Woodbridge.
"Frank Principi has shown real leadership during his past four years in office on the issues that affect all Woodbridge residents," said Senator Mark Warner. "His efforts to encourage Smart Growth Developments along the Route 1 corridor will help to alleviate the congestion on our roads, while creating high paying jobs in Woodbridge. It is my pleasure to endorse him for re-election on November 8th."
In his endorsement of Principi, former Governor Tim Kaine said, "During Frank Principi's first four years in office, he has shown strong leadership addressing the traffic congestion that plagues Route 1 in Prince William County. Frank's continued vision and leadership on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors will provide real results for Woodbridge residents."
By now, you've probably seen those IBM commercials that end with the tag line "building a better planet." Those commercials reference IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge. This is a program whereby IBM will award $50 million worth of technology and consulting services to 100 cities around the world - 50 of them in North America. The program has been ongoing for the last two years, and the application process has just been opened up for 2012.
Falls Church currently holds its local elections in May, but there's a referendum on Tuesday's ballot to move them to November. The Falls Church News-Press is endorsing the move:
There's no question that citizens are far more apt to vote in November, a fact confirmed by the data showing turnouts are almost twice as high, on average, in November elections as in May ones.
It is simply a matter of providing more of our citizens the opportunity to vote, as the numbers prove is far more likely to happen in November. In May, apparently, busy citizens are not accustomed to voting and, if anything, may be preoccupied about voting in June primaries rather than May municipal races.
Those Falls Church citizens have voted to be their representatives in the Virginia state legislature all strongly favor the enfranchisement of a maximum of voters. Retiring State Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple and State Del. Jim Scott, not to mention State Sen. Dick Saslaw, who is running for re-election to represent Falls Church (after last spring's redistricting) all favor a "Yes" vote Tuesday to move elections to November.
Del. Scott's comment was one of the most poignant: "The whole point of the civil rights movement was to increase the vote," he said. Scott was a part of that movement in his earlier North Carolina days.
The Falls Church City Democratic Committee has also endorsed moving local elections to November. And the move has been endorsed by The Green Miles! So be sure to get out & vote on Tuesday.
One day after the chair of the Loudoun County Republican committee defended the use of an image portraying President Obama as a zombie with a gunshot wound in his forehead, the official who designed the email has resigned:
The Loudoun County Republican Committee's communications director, Robert Jesionowski, took full responsibility for the email, which was used to promote Republican activities at a Halloween parade.
"I will not excuse my missing the connotation of the zombie pic of the president," Jesionowski wrote to LCRC Chairman Mark Sell. "(Found it online, very late, while I was hastily putting the Halloween email together.) This was in bad taste, does not reflect my own principles nor those of any political activist or candidate I know in either party, and if I had reflected a little longer I would have caught it. A different pic ought to have gone out."
As abhorrent as this image & its use was, I respect the genuine regret evident in Jesionowski's resignation. But I wish the head of the County Republican Committee shared his shame. Mark Sell has said he had no problem with the email, calling it "a light-hearted attempt to inject satire humor into the Halloween holiday," which I take to mean even if it was fully vetted, it would've gone out as-is. If that's the case, why did Sell accept Jesionowski's resignation? Does Sell now realize the email was wrong, and if so will he finally say so publicly? Or is Mark Sell hoping that by letting a lower-level official throw himself on his sword, Sell himself will escape any consequences whatsoever?
(UPDATE: The Post reports that Bob McDonnell and the RPV have condemned this. Smart move, also the right thing to do. In contrast, LCRC Chair Mark Sell has not commented. Hmmmm. UPDATE #2: Oh, now Sell has commented, calling it "a light-hearted attempt to inject satire humor into the Halloween holiday." Oh, I get it. Hahahahahahaha!!! - promoted by lowkell)
Here's what the Republican blog Too Conservative (specifically, the blogger "Loudoun Insider") has to say about this mailer by the fun folks at the Loudoun GOP.
...I am no fan of Barack Obama, but putting up a photo of him as a zombie with a bullet hole in his head???????????? Like him or not he is the legitimately elected the President of the United States and Commander in Chief of our armed services in a time of war. THIS IS DISGUSTING AND SHAMEFUL. Someone should send this to the US Secret Service.
Of course, this isn't exactly surprising given who's in charge of the Loudoun County Republican Committee (LCRC) -- Mark Sell, seen here as part of Eugene Delgaudio's band o' wackos, "dressed up in a dark blue windbreaker with 'Thought Control Police' across the front, with the balding head, glasses, and goatee." As Too Conservative's "Loudoun Insider" wrote in March 2010, the election of Mark Sell would represent "a return to the Dark Ages." True, but here's what I want to know: did they have zombies with bullet holes in their heads back in the Dark Ages? Heh.
Nothing against John Cook being a supervisor at Shop Mart (heh), but it seems to me that Braddock voters deserve a full-time Supervisor for their district, not for whatever else the individual's doing to earn money. Go Janet Oleszek! :)
P.S. Part two of this funny, clever mailer is on the "flip."
The Falls Church City Democratic Committee is hosting an election night party at Mad Fox Brewing on Tuesday, November 8th from 7-9pm. Hope you can join us, RSVP here!
After you've cast your ballot, come join the Falls Church City Democratic Committee for an election night party at the Little City's own brewery! The event will feature complimentary appetizers, door prizes for young Democrats, and of course Mad Fox's famous beer will be available. We'll be watching the 2011 election returns come in and talking about how you can help President Obama, Tim Kaine and Virginia's Democratic Congressional candidates win their tough races in 2012.
The 2011 ballot in Falls Church features several races to watch, with Sen. Dick Saslaw & Del. Jim Scott up for re-election, Democrat Theo Stamos running to become our next Commonwealth's Attorney, and a referendum to move local elections in Falls Church from May to November. To see a sample ballot or find out where to vote, check out the Falls Church Office of Voter Registration.
Look for us in the bar area, we'll have sign-ups for volunteering in Falls Church and information about getting involved in local campaigns. We'll also be inviting local elected officials to stop by and say hello.
Mad Fox is a short ride from West Falls Church Metro on the 28A or 3B buses, and there's free parking available in the garage behind Mad Fox. See you there!
The Loudoun Times-Mirror (LTM) has issued a series of endorsements, and it has people - myself included - scratching their heads. Between the LTM, the Kaplan Post (aka, "long-time foreign correspondent Lee Hockstader"), and the ever-bizarre Sun Gazette (a right-wing real estate rag that hates liberals, environmentalists, and Democrats in general, yet endorses only Democrats this cycle? Huh?!?), I'm just about at the point of urging everyone to completely ignore dead-tree-media endorsements. Except that, despite themselves, sometimes they actually make a lot of sense. With that, here's my "good, bad and ugly" list for the LTM endorsements (note: I'm skipping the School Board and Constitutional Officers, as I'm not sufficiently familiar with those races to weigh in)
1. Board of Supervisors *Good: Andrea McGimsey, who has done a great job overall, particularly as a strong proponent of environmental protection and smart growth, most definitely deserves to be reelected. Malcolm Baldwin (a smart growth advocate) is also a good pick, as are Jim Burton and Kelly Burk, who's running against a dangerous buffoon.
*Bad: All the Republicans (except for Eugene Delgaudio, who's in his own category altogether). If their party controls the Loudoun County board, it will be bad news for the environment and a lot of other things progressives care about.
*Ugly: How the h*** can anyone with any sanity endorse a raving, homophobic wackjob like Eugene Delgaudio? Have these people lost their minds, or is it more insidious than that? Either way, this endorsement of the utterly deplorable Delgaudio frankly calls into question all the rest of the LTM's endorsements, even when they are good ones. Pathetic.
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After the third straight year of disastrous elections for Democrats here in Virginia, you'd expect a great deal of ferment among Democratic committees, including DPVA. In the case of the DPVA, of course, we're not seeing that, as the culture of non-accountability for failure is deeply entrenched there. Bottom line: at DPVA, it's much more about who people "like," maintaining their exclusive club, racial/gender/regional politics, etc., than about competence and merit. In other words, DPVA seems well beyond hope.
Woodbridge, VA - U.S. Senator and former Governor Mark Warner, U.S. Senator Jim Webb, former Governor Tim Kaine, and Congressman Gerry Connolly announced their endorsements of Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi for re-election, citing Supervisor Principi's strong leadership and real results on addressing traffic congestion and other pressing issues affecting Woodbridge.
The Loudoun Times-Mirror (LTM) has issued a 
