Category: Elections

September Newsletter and September 14 Meeting

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Message from CCCA’s President

On September 14th (Wednesday)  at 7pm we will have our next CCCA meeting. We will have an update from JBGS on all of their construction projects, a presentation by the County transportation staff on alternatives for Metro.  We will have one more presentation that has not been confirmed.

Mark your calendars for Nov 16th and Jan. 18th for our next two meetings. All will be hybrid.  If you have suggestions for topics, please email me. We are always trying to find presentations!

Register in advance for the September meeting at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkde2tpjgoHd0_eY7447i31YOTx8meHtQX 

– Eric Cassel, CCCA President

Click here to download the September Newsletter

https://www.crystalcitycivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CCCA_Newsletter-No.-9-September-2022.pdf

November 2021 Newsletter

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Click here to download the Newsletter

Save the Date: November 17 Annual CCCA General Meeting, 7-9 pm
Our agenda includes: 
1) Election of new officers;
2) Vote on ByLaws Amendment;
3) presentation by Amazon on its operations in 22202 and its plans for PenPlace; and
4) conversation with Virginia Representative (48th district) Rip Sullivan (who covers almost all of Crystal City). 
Register here.  In addition, we are organizing a hybrid meeting as a pilot program, both on Zoom and in person.  Anyone wishing to attend in person may come to the conference room at 251 S 18th Street (Wells Fargo Building where Precinct 006 Crystal City voters vote):  Mask required. Note:  Voting will be done by an electronic poll on Zoom.

CCCA Elections:  Nominations for Officers of the Crystal City Civic Association (CCCA):  Nominations — including self-nominations — have been open from October 18 to November 2 for the following four CCCA officer positions!  The principal duties are summarized in the Newsletter.  All members whose dues are paid are eligible to nominate, be candidates and to vote in the election at the CCCA Annual General Meeting on the evening of November 17, 2021.  Terms for each position are two years.  Note:  Voting will be done by an electronic poll on Zoom.

Proposed ByLaws Amendment:  A simplified description of the title and duties for the CCCA Vice President will be proposed as a ByLaws amendment at the November 17 Annual Meeting and voted on by all eligible CCCA voting members:   “The Vice President shall act in the stead of the President in his or her absence and shall perform any additional duties specified elsewhere in this Constitution and Bylaws.”  Note:  Voting will be done by an electronic poll on Zoom.

The “Other” Elections November 2:   Voters can make selections for the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, 45th, 47th, 48th, or 49th House of Delegate Districts, County Board, and School Board, plus vote on 4 proposed Arlington County bond referenda.  See all the details here.  All 54 polling places will be open November 2, 2021 from 6am-7pm.   
Heads Up ONLY for Precinct 006Crystal City Voters:  If you vote at 251 S 18th Street, be aware that there is ongoing construction in the plaza areas which has blocked off a number of passageways.  The construction fences change every day.  Best way to arrive is either from the parking lot (temporary parking and curbside voting will be provided) to the Wells Fargo Bank lobby or by the elevators from the Underground to the lobby. Entry to and exit from the voting precinct itself will ONLY be from inside the lobby across from the Wells Fargo Bank, not the glass doors to the conference room which we have been using for the last few years.  JBG will be helping with stanchions, graphics, and signs for COVID precautions. Things will go back to normal in the precinct by next year.

22202 Thanksgiving Food Drive for AFAC:  In the spirit of giving, Livability22202 civic associations, the National Landing BID, and the SustainableScoop have come together to organize a Thanksgiving food drive for AFAC. Join your 22202 neighbors November 1-20 to provide canned food and dry goods to help everyone enjoy a good Thanksgiving. The most needed foods include canned tuna, canned soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter, cooking oil, and low sugar cereal. No glass items please, and low sodium and low sugar items are preferred.
Food boxes will be located at 19 sites around 22202.  See the locations on the National Landing website.  In addition, collection drives will be held at Advent Lutheran Church from 9-12 on Sundays October 31 and November 7, 14, and 21 and from 4-6 on Wednesdays November 3, 10, and 17.  Collection drives will be held at the Melwood parking lot from 9-12 on Saturdays November 6, 13, and 20.
Please help us give back to our community and those in need this Thanksgiving season.

Construction Shut Down of 18th Street:  Once again, a construction crane will be installed for the 1900 Crystal Drive site.  18th Street will be shut down November 6 from 5 am to 9 pm and on November 7 from 7 am to 9 pm.  Backup dates are November 13-14.

CCCA October 2021 Newsletter

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Click here to download.https://www.crystalcitycivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CCCA_Newsletter-No.-10.pdf

Some Highlights:

1.  Save the Date:  CCCA Annual Meeting, November 17, 7-9 pm. So far, we’ve confirmed that we will have our annual CCCA elections and a presentation by Amazon on its operations in 22202 and its plans for PenPlace.  Stay tuned for details in early November

2.  Construction Alert: On October 9-10, 18th Street between Crystal Drive and Bell Street will be closed to accommodate installation of construction cranes for the 1900 Crystal Drive development project.  Construction will not be very noisy, but will start at 3 am on Saturday and 7 am on Sunday and last until 9  pm.  Traffic engineering services will provide traffic control and ensure pedestrian safety. 

3.  COVID Booster Shots:  Arlington County Public Health is now offering COVID-19 vaccine boosters for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to certain people at least 6 months after their Pfizer primary series. Appointments are required at Arlington Public Health Clinics. Visit vaccinate.virginia.gov to find additional locations and appointments near you.  Pharmacies are offering them too.  And don’t forget your flu shot.

4.  Metro Proposals:  Be sure to read about the six multibillion-dollar alternatives to improve the capacity and reliability of the Blue, Orange and Silver lines.

CCCA Annual Meeting Highlights

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The November 11, 2020, Annual Meeting was live streamed on our CCCA Facebook page and can be viewed there.

  1. Election of Officers: The following were elected by acclamation poll for a two-year term:
  • Vice President for Policy and Planning:  Christopher Wimbush
  • Treasurer:  Eric Cassel
  • Membership Liaison:  Emily Norton
  • Communications Director:  Idris Clay

2. Amendment to ByLaws: The following proposed amendment was approved by vote and will be added to Section 2.1 Members:

Further, residents of Potomac Yards/Arlington, an area that is outside the CCCA boundaries established in Section 1.3 but currently not covered by any civic association, may be considered as non-voting Associate Members, provided that they are not active members of another civic association. 

3. Updates on Development in Crystal City (from 12th Street to 2525 Crystal Drive): You can see the PowerPoint slides here.

4. Updates on Livability22202 Working Groups and Issues: You can see the PowerPoint slides here.

Elections for CCCA Officers

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Nominations closed October 27 for the following four CCCA officer positions, with only one nomination per position.  The terms for each position are two years.  All members whose dues are paid are eligible to vote in the election which will be done by Zoom poll. A brief bio of each candidate follows; they will present themselves at the November 11 Annual Meeting.

Vice President for Policy and Planning (Christopher Wimbush)

Chris is currently a Member-at-Large on the CCCA’s Executive Committee, supporting the Association’s housing policy efforts and serves as our community partner liaison to Arlington County’s Missing Middle Study. He is a Millennial renter and a passionate advocate for affordable housing and social infrastructure within our community to ensure public policy decisions impacting Crystal City reflect the needs of both homeowners and renters. As Vice President, he would like to focus on three priorities:  1)  Work with our Livability 22202 working group members and key stakeholders to develop and execute an engagement strategy to ensure their work continues to have a direct impact on the county’s planning policies; 2) Work with Executive Committee colleagues to establish a clear policy agenda for 2021 and ensure we align the Association’s time, focus, and resources to achieving our policy objectives; and 3) Work hard to implement an inclusive policymaking and advocacy process that includes more opportunities for members to be involved with the development of the Association’s policy positions and improve the way we document and advance our positions with critical stakeholders. 

Treasurer (Eric Cassel)

A founding member of the Crystal City Civic Association in 2014, Eric has been the Treasurer for the past two years and an active representative to the Arlington County Civic Federation where he oversaw the presentation of the Livability22202 Framework to other civic associations. In June, he was elected chair of the Board of Directors of the Civic Federation. For over 20 years, he has worked on Long Bridge Park.  He is President of the Friends of Long Bridge Park and anxiously awaits the opening of the next phase.  Eric currently coordinates the Livabiity22202 Underground Working Group.

Communications Director (Idris Clay)

Idris Clay is a Senior Account Executive at DCG Communications in Washington, D.C. He has spent the last decade working in digital marketing for B2C and B2G clients, website development, and corporate communications. He moved from Tennessee to Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia in 2016 and is a Millennial renter. You can find him on the trails cycling by day or in the kitchen teaching his teenage son how to cook by night. When not in front of a backlit device (including his Kindle), he enjoys reading and spending time with family.

Having previously attended our CCCA and BID-sponsored Happy Hour for Renters in February, he responded to a CCCA request for volunteers and was appointed Acting Communications Director in September.  Since then, he has been managing the CCCA and Livability22202 websites (recently reorganized), helping to run Zoom meetings, and preparing advertisements and flyers for meetings.  

Membership Liaison (Emily Norton)

Emily was appointed Acting Membership Liaison in June and serves on the Livability22202 Housing working group.  She is a Millennial renter and has actively promoted the CCCA to the renter community.  Emily is currently a Senior Analyst at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General where she conducts performance audits of national surface transportation programs, including FTA’s safety oversight of WMATA, the effectiveness of USMMA’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program, and FRA’s oversight of California High-Speed Rail. Her first job in transportation was at a Regional Planning Commission in New Hampshire, where she developed a passion for transportation issues through assisting with corridor studies and implementing the Safe Routes to School Program in local communities.  Emily completed the County’s Neighborhood College training program this summer.

CCCA Annual Elections 2020

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The Other Elections!

Nominations – including self-nominations – are now open for the following four CCCA officer positions!  The principal duties are summarized below.  All members whose dues are paid are eligible to be candidates and to vote in the election at the CCCA Annual General Meeting on the evening of November 11, 2020. 

  •  Vice President for Policy and Planning: Lead officer representing and coordinating CCCA activity dealing with Arlington County and other outside entities on planning, development, and policies
  • Treasurer: Lead Custodian of financial assets and records
  • Communications Director: Lead officer on the communications program, which includes maintenance of the association’s website, producing a periodic newsletter, and other media on behalf of the CCCA
  • Membership Liaison: Lead officer in recruiting new members and facilitating the CCCA activities of current members, ensuring they receive needed information and support

The terms for each position are two years.  

To nominate yourself, or someone else, for one of these offices, please submit general contact information for the nominee (name, address, phone number, email address, and a brief written statement supporting the candidacy) to the Election Committee ([email protected]), specifying which office the nomination is for.  In addition, if you are nominating someone else, please provide your contact information. 

Should there be more than one nomination for a position, eligible nominees who are willing to serve in those positions will have an opportunity to present an oral statement supporting their candidacy before the election at the Annual General Meeting.  

All nominations must be received by October 27, when nominations will be closed.   

More detail on the officer positions and operations of the CCCA is available from the Election Committee, whose members would be glad to provide additional information and answers to any questions of interested civic association members. ([email protected])

In addition, the CCCA’s Bylaws containing descriptions of the open positions are available at the Resources link on the Association’s website. (www.crystalcitycivic.org)

This is an opportunity for Crystal City residents to advance the interests of the Crystal City community.  Thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration and response. 

 Respectfully, 

 Aaron Bethencourt

Christopher Wimbush

Harry Edelman

CCCA Election Committee