Tonight was the first debate in the Democrats' five-way, 47th House of Delegates district (Arlington) primary to succeed the retiring Del. Al Eisenberg. I wanted to go, but I had a date with my wife to see this play, which was superb. Anyway, I've gotten a bit of reporting from my sources.*Apparently the only coverage was by a blogger, Kenton Ngo. There were no "traditional" media reporters were there, from what I'm hearing.
*There were about 40-50 people there, most supporting a candidate. The crowd was generally quiet, no applause until the end.
*The only elected in attendance was Walter Tejada. Also, former school board chair Elaine Furlow was there, as was top Kaine aide Alfonso Lopez.
*The general consensus after the meeting was that the 47th district will have a good delegate no matter who wins this race.
*Adam Parkhomenko was asked, "how will you have enough time to do this job?" His response was that he left his full-time job, is campaigning full time, and that with the issues facing our community we cant afford anything less then a full time delegate.
*Alan Howze talked a lot about Mark Warner, who he worked for as Political Director.
*Miles Grant did very well by all accounts.
*Patrick Hope repeatedly referenced the numerous commissions he's served on.
*Andres Tobar was strong on issues he's passionate about, like education.
*The next debate will be on April 21, sponsored by the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
