Krupicka to Run for Englin's Seat in House of Delegates

John Arbuckle April 4, 2012 at 04:24 am

No thanks. I'd rather see Donley if we are going the soon to be former Councilman route. Hope some other city leaders stand up.

Tim Roberts April 4, 2012 at 10:29 am

Englin did not have AN affair. He had a string of lovers. Just a perk of the job, apparently. Since we don't hear about women politicians who cheat, maybe it's time to return a woman to this seat.

Kay April 4, 2012 at 12:08 pm

No surprise that Rob is after this seat. I find the resignation very sad.

Trish Huheey April 4, 2012 at 02:09 pm

Great news. Rob has my vote.

James Fowler April 4, 2012 at 04:23 pm

(1) Krupicka's previously claimed he was done with politics.
“This could be the very room where my political life ends. ... I have been very clear on not running for City Council again. This is my last race for a very long time. … My family will always come first. My girls want Friday night dance parties again with their father. … I am being very sincere when I say this could be my last political speech.” --Del Ray Patch (August 23, 2011) (2) Krupicka previously employed Shayna Englin, even while David was cheating on her. Did Rob know? Carter Batey, the manager of Rob Krupicka’s state senate campaign, confirmed Friday that Shayna Englin, the wife of Del. David Englin (D-45), is employed by the Krupicka campaign. ... “Shayna has been working with the campaign for months,” Batey said in an email. -- Old Town Alexandria Patch (June 20, 2011)

lawgal April 4, 2012 at 04:50 pm

Donley would certainly make a good delegate. Unfortunately, he's indicated he's leaving to ensure his schedule is a bit more reasonable to better manage his own health concerns. There are some in politics who don't want to take no for an answer if we tell them it's just impossible for us to volunteer, work a 22-hour day, etc., although the local organizers here appear to have more sense and will likely respect Donley's wishes. I think it's fine for all interested potential candidates to step forward.

Gail April 4, 2012 at 06:19 pm

James - I doubt Rob knew anything about David's affair. I've volunteered for both David and Rob many times and I didn't know until recently. Rob's state senate primary loss was tough on those of us who supported him but we all - including Rob - got behind Adam when it mattered. Rob did not expect David's seat to open up when Rob made that speech. None of us did. And so what if Rob hired Shayna to work on his campaign? Shayna is a very talented political consultant. Even if Rob had known, why would you not hire - or worse, fire - a very competent person just because their spouse cheated? That makes no sense whatsoever.

Alex W. Dente April 4, 2012 at 10:58 pm

So, “My family will always come first” … unless an unexpected seat becomes available due to a buddy's indiscretions.
And if his own slipperiness wasn't enough, look at the company Krupicka keeps (and perhaps he was laughing all along at the ignorant Shyana?). I, for one, am not going to send an opportunist / adulterer’s ally to Richmond.

Gail April 4, 2012 at 11:44 pm

Alex, your logic makes no sense. I'm sure you know some adulterers. I'm sure everyone does. Does that make you an "adulterer's ally?" Calling someone an "adulterer's ally" because they hired the innocent spouse is ludicrous. You make a lot of assumptions about what people did or didn't know. I think you just want to smear people. Why don't you run if you're so pious and omniscient? We could a mind reading saint in Richmond.

Terrence Kaeda April 5, 2012 at 12:35 am

Gail, you seem to be a Krupicka apologist. (He has many of them, of course, such as about his failure to take a stand on BRAC when it mattered.)
For starters, his affiliation with Englin goes way back. And it's funny that the ink was barely dry on the papers announcing the Englin story before Krupicka announced his campaign. Darn suspicious, really. But if you're omniscient enough to know that Rob "My family will always come first" Krupicka is squeaky clean, why don't YOU run? (Criticism is not so funny when the shoe's on the other foot, is it Gail?)

Gail April 5, 2012 at 01:13 am

I'm no one's apologist. I just don't think it's fair to blame someone for what their friend did. Alas, I do not have a job that would allow me to spend two months in Richmond and my husband wouldn't like it either. My only child is grown. Plus, I'd miss my dogs! Joking aside, not everyone has jobs or independent wealth to allow them to undertake public service. The VA legislature is not a full time job like it is in other states. That dates back to agrarian times and I'd like to see that change.

Gail April 5, 2012 at 01:22 am

BTW - about the BRAC building.., it's been there for awhile now and I haven't noticed a significant worsening of traffic. Has anybody? Are more people coming in?

Katy Cannady April 5, 2012 at 02:37 am

I believe the current occupancy of the BRAC buildings is 1,400 employees. It will have 6,000 employees on site at some time in the future.

Paul April 5, 2012 at 05:57 pm

"The VA legislature is not a full time job like it is in other states. That dates back to agrarian times and I'd like to see that change."
Why? So the delegates can have more time to spend figuring out how to waste taxpayers' money? There is a reason why Virginia is considered one of the most well-managed states and its because the pols in Richmond don't have the whole year to cause mischief.

JohnFitzgerald June 22, 2012 at 10:46 pm

I think we should all pause for a moment of silence to thank Krupicka, Euille, Pepper, Smedberg, Wilson, and Lovaine for bringing us BRAC. Thanks so very much... Do you realize that good employers (IDA etc) who call the MARC center home are fleeing Alexandria? Well done! Also with the Beauregard plan we can rest assured that the exodus of tax paying employers/businesses located in that area will continue to accelerate. Way to diversify the tax base. Now BRAC will probably gobble up additional space and generate loads of traffic, zero taxes, and burden our first responders and infrastructure even more.... Um, and you expect us to rehire you in November? I don't think so....

Haunches June 22, 2012 at 11:55 pm

IDA has decided to stay in Alexandria but at Potomac Yard. But your point is well taken. IDA and CNA have been at Mark Center a long time and are leaving. That tells us something. This is the first test -- who will be the tenant and at what rate? Will it be commercial users at market rates, or will the federal government simply acquire more buildings, eroding the tax base even more?
THe Beauregard Plan is based on a folly -- that there is massive interest in moving thousands of employees to a congested area with no Metro and few roads.

Anthony June 23, 2012 at 02:50 am

You all understand that IDA and CNA are Federally Funded Research Development Centers? They are not for profits that only receive money from the government so I don't think the erosion of the tax base arguments hold water. Maybe the traffic argument holds water but I haven't seen much evidence of it.

Haunches June 23, 2012 at 03:09 am

The issue is which tenant comes in behind IDA and CNA. You are correct that IDA and CNA are FFRDC. The next tenant could be a federal government entity, There is a good possibility of that outcome. Once the federal government gets a foothold it usually expands and DoD made quite clear it views the BRAC building as an extension of Fort Belvoir/Pentagon. It is a convenient place for it to expand its presence.
The traffic is bad but managed at the moment due to police presence, and the fact that the building not yet at capacity and parking spaces capped. Still, there are pretty bad backups at rush hour in the area. The Vice Mayor cautioned against jumping to positive conclusions for a while and his counsel is well taken.

Jim Miller June 23, 2012 at 06:35 am

Gail, I almost spit up my wine when I read what you wrote. 'Shayna is a very talented political consultant.' Really? Seriously, Gail, Shayna is absolutely NOT a very talented political consultant. Not at all. Hell, she's 0-and-3 in her 'big campaigns', which makes her only talent is that of being a loser. Shayna Englin also helped to engineer efforts to pit Democrats versus Democrats in such a way that extreme bitterness ensued, instead of friendly competition that you want to see evolve out of members within your own party. Shayna was always quick to go for the juggler instead of taking more measured approaches involving her political ventures. It's time for 'Team Englin' to pitch their three-ring circus tents, close up shop for both Shayna and David, and to try to rebuild their lives outside of politics. Their 'fifteen minutes of fame' has come and gone, and people will now be supporting either Karen or Rob for David's seat. I, for one, am in disagreement with you in your position of supporting Rob. Hey, no doubt that Rob is a nice guy, a strong family man, who loves his wife and daughters, but the General Assembly really needs to have more women's voices heard in the House of Delegates and Karen is more than qualified to be a delegate. I think that Karen will have women support her, as well as a lot of progressives throughout Alexandria, as seeing her as a candidate who can make a difference for voters in the 45th District, to be a strong voice in Richmond.

Jim Miller June 23, 2012 at 06:51 am

Rob Krupicka is genuinely a very nice man, I'm sure, but he most certainly has political baggage that he can't get rid of too lightly, and one of the issues is how he, and the rest of the then Alexandria City Council, blindly let the Department of Defense's Washington Headquarters Service build the BRAC-133 complex on Seminary Road. And, yes, it's not even a third of the way full, right now, so whatever traffic that is pouring into the building is going to absolutely get worse as it fills to capacity. As a progressive liberal Democrat, I have no problem with raising taxes to pay for things that our city needs, but for him and the rest of his colleagues on the Alexandria City Council, to raise taxes two weeks before the election of 2009, does not show that he, or Tim Lovain, Justin Wilson, Del Pepper or Paul Smedberg, fully understand that we're in one of the worst recessions in ages, and you don't jack up taxes in the faces of people who have to already deal with a daunting pile of bills every month. BRAC-133 and raising taxes before the 2009 election. What was Rob thinking? Apparently, Rob wasn't thinking. Voters beware of Rob Krupicka, and please vote for Karen Gautney, who honestly probably has more of a stronger and deeper appeal to Democratic voters throughout the 45th District.

Gail June 23, 2012 at 11:17 am

Jim, I'm a bit disillusioned with Shayna myself that is not the issue for me. A couple of personal facts: When my daughter was at TC and I discovered the attempt by the lacrosse coaches to game the booster club election and get their hands on the funds, the coaches cut my daughter when I reported it. The school board, then principal Clendaniel, Supt Sherman, and then athletic director McKeag stonewalled me. Rob, together with Paul Smedberg, were the ONLY elected officials who tried to help us. Rob was most involved in trying to help. He spoke to the parties involved and tried to get some resolution. In the end, every ACPS employee involved was FIRED except for Sherman, and I hope that he will be kicked out soon too. Rob stuck by us when my family was under attack from ACPS and we'll never forget that. Second, during the recent Boyd Walker mailer fiasco, Rob was the ONLY elected official and high ranking local Dem to call me personally just to ask how I was holding up. When others hung me out to dry, Rob called to make sure I was okay. Third, my husband is a longtime lacrosse coach and former commissioner of the Alexandria Lacrosse Club. Whenever he has an issue with the city over fields, he can count on Rob to get the job done. I hate to have to choose sides in a race with two good Dem candidates, but I have to go with Rob on this one. He's the proven candidate here.

JohnFitzgerald June 23, 2012 at 11:18 am

Has anyone asked "Team Englin" what role if any they had in the 11th hour hit job on fellow dem Boyd walker? Didn't Danny Barefoot, Houlihan's spouse/partner work for Englin Consulting? We have the Englin resignation, walker hit job, krupicka's reversal and announcement, Gail taking the blame for the hit job, and ADC playing the role of Pontus Pilot... We have got to connect the dots to provide the voters with a clear picture of what is really going on here... Did Englin really need to resign over his affair(s)? Or was that some sort of a plea deal or back room agreement. The truth must be told...

Jim Miller June 23, 2012 at 11:56 am

Gail, good points regarding Rob Krupicka, indeed. Thanks for sharing some issues that you've had to deal with in the past couple of years in which Rob was a true friend, and I emphasize 'friend' here, because that's what people do who are caring about what's going on in their electorate. Hey, I for one think that Rob is a genuine nice guy, and I have never disputed that fact. But each of us have a measuring stick as to how someone running for office is most electable. In the case of Rob, yes, you have given some great examples of how the Alexandria Democratic Committee, as feckless and inept in their leadership as can be, left you hanging out in the wind after the Boyd Walker PAC fiasco. Like I have said before, now you know who your true friends are and Rob looks like he came through for you, and I'll even give him props for that. But I also feel that Karen brings some intangibles that Rob doesn't. First, she's a woman, and as a woman, she can address many issues regarding women on a direct personal level that Rob can not do. Secondly, Karen probably, and this is a pure guess on my part, but she probably has more of an overall appeal to progressive liberal Democrats throughout the 45th than Rob has, too. I happen to feel that more progressive liberal Democratic women need to be elected to the General Assembly, and I know that there are many Democrats throughout the 45th that share my view, as well. I just think that Karen will actually be a better delegate than Rob, overall.

Jim Miller June 23, 2012 at 12:41 pm

Yes, we have come to find out, that David Englin is the 'Tiger Woods' of local area politics, but all that being set aside, at least he manned up and stated that he had cheated on Shayna, as publicly difficult as that may have been for him. David Englin's political career is now over. And thankfully so is Shayna, who truly came out as one of the most nasty, negative, cut throat 'political consultants' that Democrats in our area have seen in quite some time. I don't know what gopher hole Shayna crawled out of, but it's time for her to jump back in it and go away, with David, and try to patch up their fractured lives, now pitched with both political and personal embarrassment for both, while they also have a son to raise, as well. Karen Gautney is most certainly the right person, at the right time, to come forward to represent the 45th District. She can and will be a strong voice for everyone throughout the 45th and I think that progressive liberal Democrats should all rally behind her to support her growing campaign. The job of being a delegate is not 'gender-based', by any means, but in this case, Karen brings more to the table than Rob ever can, by addressing issues pertaining to women, directly, across the board, and she probably has a much broader appeal for progressive liberal Democrats that Rob could ever hope to have for his campaign. Women, as voters, outnumber men considerably, and I think that Karen will start to have a great groundswell from them to support her.

Jim Miller June 23, 2012 at 01:09 pm

Gail, in regards to the whole BRAC-133 fiasco that Rob won't man up to being involved with, the building is only about a third of its capacity, so while there are only slight traffic tie ups now, there will be more traffic as a result of the building being there in the future. Hey, the whole BRAC-133 disaster, is not solely Rob's fault, because Alexandria voters know that he had Tim Lovain, Justin Wilson, Del Pepper, Paul Smedberg, and Bill Euille, all who were seemingly asleep at the wheel when it comes to city planning. That's why I feel that we need a completely fresh slate of Democrats to reclaim and readjust Alexandria City Hall, and the only candidates that I'm supporting, who will get my vote this November, are Silberberg, Chapman, and Frank Fannon. I won't waste my other three votes to vote for any of the other stooges on the ballot from the Democrat slate.

Neal Learner June 23, 2012 at 02:30 pm

BRAC is just one example of the over-development madness in this city. Wait until the Borg-like development in Potomac Yards, and along Route 1 and Braddock Metro are finished. And then we have the waterfront development to look forward to...Do our city leaders really want Alexandria to become another Rosslyn or National Harbor. It appears our city leaders have never encountered a project that they could say no to (BTW: has anyone ever checked to see if our mayor or councilmembers have in any way personally benefited from this development?). But the sad thing is, every candidate I voted for in the primary who would have opposed the development was defeated...what does that say about us as voters?