Eight Candidates Vie for Seats on McLean Community Center Board

Four adult candidates including two incumbents are vying  for election to three seats on the McLean Community Center Board which operates the community center.

Lee DiCenso, a third incumbent, decided not to seek another term. "I just decided to step back from it for the time being. I may run again in a year or three," she said in an e-mail explaining her decision She previously served on the McLean Project for the Arts board.

Three weeks ago told the board's Executive Committee of her  “frustration” --- that the same people get elected to the board’s Executive Committee.

The  board has 11-members: Nine adult and two student members.  The board oversees the community center, the teen center at the Old Fire House, raises money by collecting our  property tax dollars and is sitting on a surplus of $12 million mostly of our tax dollars. Four students are running for the two youth seats on the board. One is from the McLean District and three are from the Langley District.

The two incumbents seeking seeking reelection are Sean Dunn, who has served six years on the board. As treasurer, he has overseen some of the accumulation of a $12 million surplus that the board has amassed by collecting more in taxes than were needed to operate the center  Dunn is a project manager, currently consulting on a government financial project.

The second is Risa Sanders, the board secretary, who has served for two years. When asked her occupation, she did not respond. She also co-president for Langley High School PTSA.

Both Sanders and Dunn are members of the Executive Committee that DiCenso raised questions about.

The newcomers are  Chad Quinn, a small businessman, and David (Bucky) Morris, who coaches McLean Youth Lacrosse.

The youth candidates:  From the McLean High District: Maggie Himpler, a sophomore at Oakcrest School.

From the Langley High District:  Christy Meyer, a junior at Langley High School, Aisha Samaila, also a  junior at Langley, and Alexander Soltany, in the ninth grade at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. 

This is McLean's only elected board and the only one that collects and spends our tax dollars.

You can read more about all the candidates here.

How to vote:  Absentee Ballot. Call the Center or send a request by E-mail to “elections@mcleancenter.org” to have a ballot package sent to your home. Or, stop by the Center and pick up an absentee ballot package, which will be available beginning Monday, April 11. Completed absentee ballot applications and ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, to be counted.

10:30am-5pm at the McLean Day 2011 festival on Saturday, May 21, at Lewinsville Park, 1659 Chain Bridge Rd.

For more information, call the Center at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or send a message to elections@mcleancenter.org.