Representing Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax

Newsletter - October 27, 2016

Come to Mark's Monthly Meetup TOMORROW!

Saturday, October 29th at 1:30 pm

at Los Tios

Please join us for Mark's Monthly Meetup at 1:30 pm tomorrow, Saturday October 29th at Los Tios Mexican Grill in Del Ray, located at 2615 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria.

Like all Mark's Monthly Meetups, there is no donation required. It's just a place to sit and talk and, for most of us, eat. I always want to know what's on the mind of my constituents and supporters.

Vote for Hillary and Don!

I have worked personally with Hillary Rodham Clinton and know her to be brilliant, detailed, passionate, trustworthy, and truly caring. She's someone who does the right thing even when it hurts her politically.

And everyone in the Eighth Congressional District values Don Beyer: his competence, his compassion, his intelligence, and his good spirit. He's not just my bridge partner. He works very hard for us every day.

It's Easy to Vote Early

You can vote absentee if you are unable to easily vote on Election Day. See the listed excuses (listed here). If you need to apply online for an absentee ballot by mail, you can go here to do it. The deadline is Tuesday November 1st and you should do so as soon as possible so you don't have mail problems.

If you can do it, it's much better to vote absentee by going to your Registrar in-person until Saturday, November 5 and cast your vote right then and there. No need to fill out any forms before you arrive. Just go at one of these convenient times and places and VOTE HERE:

Alexandria Registrar
132 N Royal St, Suite 100

Monday - Thursday 8 am - 8 pm
Fridays 8am - 6 pm
Saturdays 8 am - 5 pm

Arlington County Times and Locations

Fairfax County Times and Locations

If you have a photo voter ID, please bring it. But if you don't have an acceptable picture voter ID, they will issue a temporary ID right on the spot at the Registrar's office and allow you to vote then and there

Vote NO on 1!

Did you know there will also be two Constitutional Amendments on the ballot in Virginia?  The first and most important is the anti-union measure Constitutional Amendment 1 which would force unions to work for nothing, forcing all of the benefits unions bargain for to also go to non-union members and thus depriving unions of the dues they need to survive. Amendment 1 is a plan by Republicans to devastate Virginia unions and place the abolition of worker rights permanently in the Virginia Constitution.  Even if an employer welcomes union participation, this constitutional amendment leaves this employer and its workers without recourse.
 
By destroying unions in Virginia, the Republicans hope to permanently keep Virginia wages low. The Republicans call this Amendment "right to work," but I don't consider working for nothing to be a "right" I consider it a serious problem. We will have an uphill battle on this one, so please tell your friends and neighbors to VOTE NO ON 1!
 
The second Constitutional Amendment is far less controversial. It allows localities to provide property tax relief for surviving spouses of police, firefighters, and EMS workers killed in the line of duty. This seems reasonable to me. Please vote yes on Amendment 2. It should easily pass.

Volunteer on Election Day

Volunteers are needed to help out outside the polls on Election Day. If you have a free hour or two, sign up for a shift to hand out sample ballots; with so many ballot measures, this is critical to helping the lines move quickly.
 
In Alexandria: Sign up here.
 
In Arlington County: contact Paula Potts ([email protected]) or Becky Dick ([email protected]).
 
In Fairfax County, email [email protected]

WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO?

TV and Newspapers

<--  Always check my news clips in the left-hand column above. It's probably the most interesting part of my newsletter!

I've been defending Hillary on FOX, speaking about building political bridges, defending LGBT civil rights, and protecting the environment.

Restoring Four Mile Run

Four Mile Run is the eastern boundary between Arlington and Alexandria and lies within the 45th Delegate District. A half century ago, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed a system of concrete walls which achieved its purpose of preventing floods but left this once beautiful creek and wetlands looking like an urban jungle.

Ten years ago, many hard-working good citizens of Alexandria and Arlington had a vision of returning Four Mile Runs to the wetlands it used to be, all while maintaining the necessary flood control. Ten years later, the wetlands are back!

But we're not done. There are still plans to transform the entire area into a park with a lovely bridge connecting our sister communities and bring us closer together. I've been working behind the cities to help the project go forward and have already saved Arlington and Alexandria tens of thousands of dollars.

Here I am at the groundbreaking ceremony:

And Lots More...

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Friends of Dyke Marsh

Attending Leadership Arlington's Legislative Town Hall

Welcoming Terry to Alfred Street Baptist Church

THE DEBATES

Attending Latinos con Hillary Debate Party with Delegate Alfonso Lopez

Taking Out the Donald

Debate Night In Alexandria

Happy Hillary; Dyspeptic Donald

Del Ray Art Fair (handed out thousands of Hillary stickers)

Selfie at Del Ray Art Fair with Councilman Willie Bailey, Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, Vice Mayor Justin Wilson, Councilwoman Del Pepper, Congressman Don Beyer, and others.

Kennedy-King Dinner: Senator Mark Warner

Kennedy-King Dinner: Congressman Don Beyer

Kennedy-King Dinner:
Flossie Parks, Governor Terry McAuliffe, Palmer Johnson, Amy Jackson, Councilwoman Del Pepper, Mayor Allison Silberburg

 Vice President Joe Biden and ISIS Survivor Nadia Murad
at Oxi Foundation Ceremony Honoring Courage

And some of the many folks I've met since the last newsletter:

-- Alexandria Tourism (Visit Alexandria Annual Meeting)

-- Alexandria Firefighters

-- Alexandria Human Rights Commission

-- Arlington Senior Democrats

-- Arlington Chamber of Commerce

-- Old Town North Community Association

-- Christ Church (Slavery Lecture)

-- Northern Virginia Juvenile Justice

-- Alexandria City Council Legislative Meeting

-- Ralph Northam Fundraiser at Port City

-- Legal Services of Northern Virginia

-- Child Safety Training (Domestic Violence Speech)

-- Explaining Election System to Danish Students visiting Alex. Dem. Cmte.

-- Meeting re Dominion Power Line

-- Canvassing for Hillary

-- Equality Virginia

Don't forget my Monthly Meet-Up at Los Tios in Del Ray
Next one Saturday, October 29th at 1:30 pm

Thank you for reading this far!

It is my honor and privilege to serve you.

Delegate Mark Levine

Serving Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax
     in Virginia's 45th District