INSIDE
The Sun Gazette’s endorsement for County Board – See Page 6
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Will Vihstadt’s Cash Advantage Matter? Demographics of November Electorate Favor Howze in Contentious County Board Race County Board member John Vihstadt maintained a considerable cashon-hand advantage over challenger Alan Howze heading toward Election Day, but will it be enough for Vihstadt to overcome the Democratic-leaning demographics of the electorate? Vihstadt had $89,058 in his campaign coffers as of Sept. 30 compared
to $22,800 for Howze, according to figures reported Oct. 16 by the State Board of Elections and Virginia Public Access Project. For the first nine months of the year, which included campaigns for both the April special election and the November general election, independent Vihstadt raised $198,235 and Democrat
Howze had taken in $157,589. Howze’s total includes a loan of $14,589 he has given his campaign. Vihstadt has the advantages of both cash and incumbency, but Howze will benefit from voters who turn out to cast ballots in federal races and then follow the Democratic sample ballot for local races.
Howze also benefits from the fundraising and get-out-the-vote prowess of the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s Joint Campaign, which supports all Democrats on the ballot. Vihstadt trounced Howze in the springtime special election called to Continued on Page 29
OCTOBER 23, 2014
YOUR VOICE The Sun Gazette has far more letters to the editor on both the looming election and other local issues than we can print. You can find them all at www.insidenova. com/news/arlington and then clicking on “Opinion.” Add your voice by sending one!
ATTENDEES HELP RAISE MORE THAN $1.3 MILLION
Free Clinic Gala Salutes Leadership of Pallesen
It was a record turnout of 900 people who came together Oct. 18 to salute the 20th anniversary of the Arlington Free Clinic, raise $1.3 million toward its mission and celebrate the woman who has shepherded its work from its infancy. Nancy Sanger Pallesen, who has served as executive director of the clinic since its inception – and whose work serving the uninsured of Arlington goes back even before its founding – was lauded at the black-tie event, held at the National Building Museum. Pallesen announced earlier in the year she would be retiring in December. The search for a successor is moving forward. “Nancy has given such extraordinary service – we’re going to miss her very much,” said Kevin Sullivan, the clinic’s board chair. Pallesen has led “20 years of providing exceptional health-care services to Arlingtonians – an exceptional, exceptional leader,” Sullivan said.
Sandra Byrne (right) reacts as Arlington Free Clinic executive director Nancy Pallesen makes a point at
Continued on Page 29 the clinic’s annual gala, held Oct. 18 at the National Building Museum in Washington.
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Before the clinic had a permanent home, administration and planning were run out of Pallesen’s living room as “an idea, a hope,” said Carol Adams, her daughter. The effort launched in 1994 with onenight-a-week services provided to an initial 12 patients in the nurse’s office at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Today, the headquarters on Columbia Pike provides medical care to about 1,700 local residents annually. The clinic’s volunteer network has grown to include 170 physicians and nurse practitioners, along with hundreds of laypeople. Pallesen said her service with the organization proved to be “a true pleasure for me, with so many rewards.” “It kept me energized and engaged,” she told the assemblage. “It really is fun.” Organizers had set a goal of raising $1 million at the gala, held amid the soaring ceilings and pillars of one of Washington’s