The four-term prosecutor said he will not seek re-election next year. In a statement, Trodden endorsed Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos to be his successor.
“Theo has earned, in her nearly 25 years of experience, the respect of the bench, the defense bar, her colleagues and the citizens of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church,” Trodden said. “She is the right person at the right time.”
Mark was a well-spoken, likable family man who took measured, intellectual positions on the issues. He was a Republican who Democratic voters could potentially find common ground with, especially in an anti-incumbent year.
In the end, however, Arlington voters re-elected Democrat Chris Zimmerman by a wide margin.
As it does nearly every election day, Arlington played host to foreign media outlets and to foreign officials interested in learning more about the American election process.
Television news crews from France, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, China, Australia and the UK all brought cameras to Arlington polling places throughout the course of the day.
Virginia Square resident Charlie Fitzpatick tells Fast Company magazine that a Google service intended to assist voters directed him to a location in Courthouse, almost a mile away from where he was supposed to be voting.
A text message service intended to provide polling place information also provided misinformation on election day, Fast Company reports.
Congressman Jim Moran, county board member Chris Zimmerman and school board member Sally Baird were all re-elected. All four proposed county bond issues, each supported by the Democrats, passed. No bond received less than 62 percent of the vote.
At the Democrat’s victory party in the Westin hotel in Ballston, Moran declared victory early, but tempered his remarks with a warning about challenges that lie ahead for the party.
Cuccinelli Celebrates GOP Victories in Arlington — Partying with Tea Party leaders at the Leadership Institute in Clarendon, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli hailed the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives. He said he hopes the new congress comes to Washington to “change it, not join it.” He also spoke about the lawsuits he’s filed to protect Virginia against “the overreach of federal power.” More from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Bayou Bakery Could Open in Two Weeks — Chef David Guas’ new Bayou Bakery will be opening in the old Camille’s space in Courthouse soon, perhaps as early as Nov. 13. First, however, the 60-seat restaurant must pass a round of county inspections. Bayou will feature a New Orleans-inspired food menu as well as pastries, beer and coffee. More from WCP’s Tim Carman.
(Updated at 10:25 p.m.)
Republican Mark Kelly won three Arlington precincts, out of 51, in his race against incumbent county board member Chris Zimmerman.
Election officials called police when a Republican precinct captain became unruly outside Patrick Henry Elementary School in Arlington Heights this afternoon.
The man, a local resident named John Moroz, Jr., said he was passing out voting guides outside the school — as he has done every year since 1998 — when a voter directed profane language at him for being a Republican.
Party with the candidates at the following locations, starting now:
Rep. Jim Moran and Arlington Democrats — Westin Arlington Gateway (801 North Glebe Road, Ballston)
“The numbers we’re getting back show a higher than 2009 turnout, which gives us room for optimism,” said Mike Lieberman, chairman of the Arlington County Democratic Committee. He emphasized that county Democrats are “cautiously” optimistic.
“Given how strange this year is we’re not taking anything for granted until we see the actual numbers come in,” he said.
A quick programming note: ARLnow.com will be up until the wee hours tonight bringing you live, on-location election coverage. We’ll be reporting from Democratic and Republican victory parties, bringing you the latest results, photos and quotes from local leaders.
With that said, I wanted to offer a quick apology for anybody who tried to access the site between noon and 4:00 this afternoon. An ARLnow.com story was linked to by the ever-popular Drudge Report this morning. The flood of web traffic from that one link caused the site to crash — multiple times.
The ten-term Democratic congressman was shaking hands with voters as they went to the polls, asking for their support. It was one of the final few stops in his campaign to win an eleventh term.
Moran, who voted in Shirlington, had visited the Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Gunston, Woodlawn, Washington-Lee and Jefferson precincts in Arlington earlier in the day. He was planning to keep going in Mt. Vernon and southeast Fairfax County until polls closed at 7:00 p.m.
