Week In Review: Vienna Voters Pick Three New Council Members, Town Selects New Manager

Vienna Town Council Incumbents Laurie DiRocco and Howard Springsteen and planning commissioner Carey Sienicki won the three open seats up for grabs

DiRocco received the most votes, with a total of 825. Springsteen came next with 770 votes. Sienicki earned a total of 742, nearly 600 more than the 157 earned by fourth candidate Hamid Barahmand.

To read more about each candidate,

DiRocco, Springsteen and Sienicki will begin their two-year terms on July 1.It will be the second term for DiRocco and Springsteen, who won the 2009 election by just two votes.

Vienna residents said they were voting for candidates who would keep Vienna's small-town feel, address Tysons Corner issues head-on and take a hard look at how a growing budget affects taxpayers.

"The Town of Vienna needs help making decisions about Tysons and other things that are moving quickly," resident Terry Svat said. "I'm going to pick someone who can keep Vienna moving forward."

People who went to the polls in the afternoon

"The people who are on town council who have done good things should continue to do good things in town," resident Carol Perry said.

Over the course of the election season, Vienna Patch compiled video clips of candidates' answers to the broad range of questions posed, from "Has the Town worked hard enough to implement bike lanes/routes?" to "Would Vienna be better served as a city?" and ""

View video highlights by clicking on the following links:

and of the video clips from the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) forum can be found by following those links.

Part I of the videos from the NEVCA forum Part II For Part III,

Mercury T. Payton, the former City Manager of Manassas Park, Va., He will be formally appointed by Mayor Jane Seeman and the Vienna Town Council at their meeting Monday night.Payton to replace former town manager  John Schoeberlein, . Payton will begin his duties as town manager on May 10 with a two-year contract that includes a base salary of $160,000 per year.

NEWS

A team of Americans attacked and killed Osama bin Laden at a compound in Pakistan, President Barack Obama said during a late-night speech to the nation Sunday.

bin Laden's death ends a nearly decade of searching for the Al Qaeda mastermind, who directed the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans. His body is in possession of the United States.

"But his death doesn’t mark end of our efforts. We must and will remain vigilant at home and abroad," the President said in his speech.

His full address can be found here.

Even before President Barack Obama confirmed that Osama Bin Laden was dead in a televised speech Sunday night, people across the world took to Twitter to speculate, celebrate and discuss the death of Al Qaeda's long-time leader, sharing 140-character messages of joy, confusion, fear and hope about the death of the man behind the deadly Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Vienna Patch that came across our feed before, during and after the Presiden'ts announcement.

Commuters outside the Vienna metro station Monday morning shouting "two thumbs up" and "Amen to that!" when asked for their reaction.

in Tysons into a mixed-use, transit-oriented redevelopment integrated with a large urban park and plaza. As part of its rezoning application, Cityline also proposes to dedicate an eight-acre parcel to Fairfax County for an urban elementary school, multi-purpose athletic fields and park land. The Cityline plan joins about a dozen proposals from developers aimed at transforming Tysons Corner into a city.

Michael "Spike" on last week with a nine-stop campaign through Fairfax County. The tour began at 9:30 a.m. in Mount Vernon and ended in Herndon around 7 p.m.

because they were packed on a shared line with tomatoes "that may be contaminated with a serious foodborne illness."  The company sent an update to its customers earlier this week saying that while they had not heard of anyone becoming sick over the tomatoes, they were destroying them as a safety measure. Customers should either return them to the store for a refund or throw them out, the company said.

SCHOOLS/SPORTS

Fairfax County School Board members weighed “three very different policy options” at its first budget work session Monday night. They supported the principles in Superintendent Jack Dale’s proposed adjustments but struggled with deciding which option had the greatest impact. In April, the county's Board of Supervisors approved , an amount that board members say does not account for changing enrollment or increasing per-pupil costs. As a result, Dale and the school board are to a 2 percent pay raise and step increase for employees.

The adjusted budget Dale presented Monday includes: 

• a 1 percent pay raise and step increase for teachers
• a one-year implementation of a full-day kindergarten program
• $500,000 for disciplinary reform
• an extra $10.4 million — for a total of $28.4 million — to accommodate rising enrollment

The board will either have to use $3.5 million of the $5 million in funding it set aside last quarter for fiscal year 2013; implement full-day kindergarten over the course of two years; or change teachers' salary adjustment to a bonus to make up for the shortfall that remains.

A parent group FCPS officials believe students are better served by pushing them to take Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses instead of offering the honors curricula the group wants re-instituted.The Fairfax County School Board agreed on Thursday to have a work session to address the school system's current philosophy on honors courses in high schools .

SCOREBOARD:

COMMUNITY/ARTS

for the seventh annual Vienna Elementary School 5K race and 1 Mile Fun Run on May 1.

"Vienna Elementary school continues to prioritize physical fitness and encourage kids in motion. This run, while providing motivation to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and improve general fitness, also funds many activities and improvements for our school. We appreciate your support and are grateful to live in a community that encourages prioritizing fitness," event organizers wrote on their website.

On May 7, less than a week later,

No, it's not a re-enactment of a 70s cop show. Or some daffy, artsy lady getting up and reciting some strange monolog. This gal is a talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who heads an excellent, eclectic band.  She just happens to be known as Joan As Police Woman. The artist

Tucked away on the rolling roads of Vienna's Windover Heights Historic District are some of the town's oldest and most historied homes.Residents had a chance to tour the structures and hear their stories on Sunday during 37th Annual Walk On the Hill. Visitors wandered throughout the Windover Heights neighborhood, walking through yards with "open signs" to talk with homeowners and local historians about the area's past.

, which will be held July 28 to 30 at the Hyatt Regency in Reston. Regina and Rebecca Honigford, 7 and 5 years old, respectively, will compete in the pageant, which is open to girls ages 4 to 18, divided into five different age divisions.

In our latest installment of "You Can Get There From Here," our travel columnist makes a jaunt to the National Harbor. But will he be back?

In this week's Moms Talk, parents weighed in on

Indie crafters and artists cameon Saturday night for an urban version of Art Carnage, a monthly "live, unstructured variety show" that includes performance art, live music, 'extreme' improve, hooping, poetry, belly dancing, rap and more.

Our weekly listing of deals this week includes