Fisette, Williams and Knapp to Lead COG Board of Directors in 2006
The Board of Directors elected Arlington County Council Member Jay Fisette to serve as chair in 2006. District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams and Montgomery County Council Member Michael Knapp will serve as vice chairs. "I really look forward to working with the vice chairs as COG remains at the forefront of regional issues," Fisette said.

COG Kicks Off Metro Funding Effort as State Assemblies Convene
COG approved a new committee to aggressively advocate for dedicated funding of the region’s Metro system. The Metro Dedicated Funding Committee will provide direction and support to state lawmakers as they promote legislation that would provide dedicated funding for Metro. The committee will include representatives from COG, the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Federal City Council, and other business, civic, and transportation groups.  

Van Hollen, Local Governments Commit to Trash Free Potomac by 2013
Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Md) chaired the first Trash Free Potomac Initiative Advisory Council meeting at COG on January 18, when he signed a treaty to clean the Potomac Watershed within the next seven years. "The idea is as simple as it is profound," said Van Hollen. "By removing the the trash -- the most obvious sign of carelenssness and neglect -- we as a community can begin to reclaim the river and, in so doing, a measure of our self-respect." Several local governments have also signed the Potomac Watershed Trash Treaty, spearheaded by the Alice Ferguson Foundation.

WAHP Distributes Affordable Housing Toolkit
The Washington Area Housing Partnership began distributing a new toolkit to local governments on best strategies for preserving, promoting, and producing more affordable housing. The Toolkit for Affordable Housing Development addresses rising concerns among local leaders that a growing number of individuals—teachers, police officers, employees in the service sector, and others—cannot afford to live and work in this expensive metropolitan region.      

Mobility and Accessibility Study Findings Released
During its monthly meeting, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) released preliminary findings of a new study illustrating what metropolitan Washington would look like if area officials embraced different land use and transportation plans. The Regional Mobility and Accessibility Study includes several scenarios that would reduce driving, increase transit use, and locate housing closer to job activity centers. The study shows what would happen if alternative plans could be implemented, but did not seek to address funding or the necessary changes in current land use policies.

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