I have only known Katy Cannady since the tsunami of issues affecting the West End has washed over us since 2008: BRAC, Corridor C, the HOV ramp, the Beauregard Small Area Plan, widening of I-395, VDOT's denying an auditorium-style public hearing on issues and offering only show-and-tell posters and a road show - despite the Mayor's request for a forum format. It is unfortunate Mr. Speck was misquoted; he is justified in setting the record straight. But, I, for one, am grateful for Ms. Cannady - for her voice and for her service to Alexandria women through the League of Women Voters and as an informed citizen. I realize it is less than 100 years since women have had the right to vote. It was 40 years ago this week when on June 23, 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, were signed into law by President Nixon guaranteeing equal access and equal opportunity for females and males in almost all aspects of our educational systems. I can only wish when women raise our voices that at some point we will not be deemed to be strident and "angry" and summarily dismissed for holding independent opinions. Women's views are significant and valuable in the public discourse. Equal opportunity for women in civic affairs is a goal Alexandria must cherish and promote.

Carol is right on. David, you're obviously upset at being reminded of your support for Holihan and the fact the PAC endorsed him. But that doesn't give you the right to lash back by stating that Katy "operates in one gear: angry." That reveals absolutely nothing about the service she provides to this community by staying informed and active even if you disagree with her. Let's keep away from the ad hominem attacks okay?

Mr. Speck was not misquoted. He called Sean Holihan a "promising new comer" in a letter he wrote on behalf of his political action committee. The letter was published in the Patch and in other news media. Mr. Speck and other members of his PAC otherwise endorsed candidates who had held public office or participated in the community in a meaningful way. Mr. Holihan was the exception. I did not accuse Mr. Speck of having any part in the disgraceful smear on Boyd Walker. I do accuse him and his fellow PAC members of poor judgement in endorsing Sean Holihan. It is well documented in the media and in the brochure they had printed and handed out at the last candidates' forum that this man was one of their endorsed candidates. Holihan, whether or not he turns out to have known about that smear mailer before it went out, ran a very expensive and very irrelevant campaign, almost devoid of any discussion of local issues other than a promise to improve the public schools in some unspecified way.

Mr. Speck seems to operates in one gear - ARROGANT.

Let the truth come out about who was really behind the awful Boyd Walker smear campaign..

Smear campaign? The Walker mailer probably shouldn't have been a cartoon. That caused it to be taken as hit piece. Although I did not design or write the piece, the fact remains that the piece itself was 100% accurate and even provided citations for each and every statement made. If anybody smeared Boyd, it was Boyd himself. The PAC just reminded voters of Boyd's own statements and actions. That's what PACs do and if anyone doesn't like it, take it up with the Supreme Court. As for Katy, i don't believe we have ever met, but if angry is her style, so be it. We may disagree on issues, but I for one am sick and tired of women being called 'angry' just because we dare to speak our minds. I'll stand up for Katy's right to be as loud and angry as she wants to. Men do that all the time.

Who designed and wrote the piece Gail?

Here's the exact quote that was included in my letter on behalf of Securing Alexandria's Future PAC: "We think that Councilmembers Del Pepper and Paul Smedberg, former Council members Tim Lovain and Justin Wilson, and two bright and involved new candidates, John Chapman and Sean Holihan, are worthy of your consideration; and that Planning Commissioner Donna Fossum and civic activist Melissa Feld are also deserving of your vote if any of the first six candidates do not make it to your “final list.”

There are plenty of people in Alexandria who admire Katy for her outspoken passion on issues of consequence in Alexandria. There are a lot more of us who wonder why her outspokenness almost always seems to have a meanspirited thread running through it. And Katy is not the sole guilty party in the somewhat toxic environment we see these days in politics at every level--men and women, Republicans and Democrats--there's plenty of blame to go around and I wish it would stop. I'll do my part right now--no more comments from me that are not in the context of peace and love!

This, unfortunately, is a typical discourse of how totally inept an disfunctional politics in Alexandria have become. I don't know Katy Cannady, but I do know of her stances on many issues, and if Mr. Speck thinks she's always in one gear, angry, well, maybe she might just have a pretty good reason for being that way. The Alexandria Democratic Party has become a completely travesty of what it should be as an organization to represent Democrats, me, as one, in our city. The ADC has a 'good ole boy/girl network' mentality, and if you're not in their little clic or have been blessed to be in their falsely esteeemed and annoited company, you're nobody to them, just a simple vote, and you vote with them, and support whatever folly they seem that they want to go chasing after, and so be it. I'm quite sure that's why Katy Cannady, among others, are just absolutely sick and tired of how the City of Alexandria is politically mismanaged like a group of thugs from the Alexandria Democratic Committee. I think that Katy Cannady is a great voice for both issues that are important to all Alexandrians, and to women, as well. If the Alexandria Democratic Committee is tired of hearing her, maybe they just, typically, aren't listening. If the Alexandria Democratic Committee wasn't hijacked by a group of unskilled and political inept people, all of us who are Democrats in Alexandria would be better off. Mr. Speck and the ADC are typically in their own little world, but fighting Katy? Wow!

Jim, I can assure that I am the NOT accepted in the good old boy/girl network of the ADC. I am definitely NOT in the 'little clique.' I am the girl who crashed the party.

Anger and mean spiritedness are counter productive regardless of who it may be from, men or women. In my view, since following the whole waterfront issue from early on, while there was plenty of blame to go around, it seemed to me that there was far more anger coming from the parties that did not get exactly what they wanted. That now seems to have spilled over to the recent primary election and no doubt will continue through the November election. At the risk of alienating other readers of the patch, I have always found Mr. Speck to be well reasoned and considerate of both sides of a particular issue and in my opinion has the best interests of all Alexandrians at heart while trying to manuever through some extremely complicated issues. It just seems like a total overreaction to respond to Mr. Specks attempt to set the record straight with such comments as he has "lashed out" and the "inept and disfunctional politics in Alexandria" and the "unskilled and politically inept " ADC. That's just a matter of opinion that not everyone shares. Perhaps if these "unskilled and inept" politicians were supporting your cause they would suddenly be armed with tremenous insight and vision. Come on people lighten up. For the record, I did support the city's waterfront plan and I am a member of Securing Alexandria's Future and that doesn't make me a bad person or suddenly make me the enemy. Thanks.

A famous recently-deceased man once said, "Can't we all just get along?"

Gail, who designed and wrote the Walker flier?

Strange. Mr. Speck speaks in favor of civility yet is comfortable publishing a piece and comments using words like mean spirited and angry. Ms. Cannady is just a citizen with no power other than persuasion. She certainly does not have developer friends financing issues or campaigns in her favor. The ghastly amount of money in the primaries inevitably lead to attack pieces -- campaign money, like water, is going someplace and if there is too much of it it will go in unwanted directions.

Ms. Cannady is working with what she has, which is no money and a position she believes in.

It would be nice to know who did design and write the flyer, but alas it seems that is not forthcoming from the perps.

John, Rob - I'll save that information, to the extent I know it, for when/if I need it. Silence is power. BTW, not everyone in the ADC is inept. There are good people working to change the old ways. Give us time. It's not easy.

John - The ADC has no investigative powers. The ADC cannot investigate a PAC any more than you or I can.