This week, we asked the candidates for Arlington County Board to write a sub-750 word essay describing why Arlington residents should vote for them in the special election on April 8.
Below is independent’s Stephen Holbrook’s unedited response:
Who is Steve Holbrook?
-A 33 year resident of Arlington and a real property owner/taxpayer.
-A retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Accountant with management experience and expertise in reviewing and analyzing private and Governmental financial statements and documents.
-A Vietnam Era Army Veteran.
-A man who has witnessed dramatic increases in his and other peoples’ Arlington real property taxes that have consistently exceeded the Government advertised inflation rates and cannot get adequate answers as to why he is required to pay more for his services.
-A man who seeks your vote so that he can serve his fiduciary duty as the “Peoples’ Auditor” and thereby serve the people by protecting their assets from fraud, waste and abuse.
Why Steve Holbrook for the Arlington County Board?
-Steve is not a “career politician”.
-Steve has had a career in Government and understands waste, fraud and abuse in businesses and government.
-Steve, although he would be a voting member of the Board, intends to function as the “People’s Auditor” who will explain to his constituents how the County has overspent its money in the past and show now the needed budget cuts for Arlington County.
-As an independent Steve is not affiliated with any “political machine” seeking patronage or political favors.
What does Steve believe in?
CUTTING WASTEFUL SPENDING AND HOLDING THE LINE ON TAX INCREASES UNTIL WE CAN CUT REAL ESTATE TAXES THROUGH IDENTIFIED CUTS AND ECONOMIES
TRANSPARENCY: SHOWING THE PUBLIC HOW UNJUSTIFIED SPENDING INCREASES HAD OCCURRED AND WHICH PROGRAMS DRIVE UNJUSTIFIED COST GROWTH
DISCONTINUING CAPITAL PROJECTS SUCH AS THE COLUMBIA PIKE STREETCAR LINE AND THE PLANNED HOMELESS SHELTER FOR SEX OFFENDERS AT COURTHOUSE ROAD
SHARED SACRIFICES: STEVE WILL TAKE A $9000 PER YEAR PAY CUT.
SUBJECTING ALL PROPOSED SPENDING INCREASES TO RIGOROUS COST/BENEFIT ANALYSES
What will Steve do if elected?
PROPOSE AN IMMEDIATE FREEZE ON ARLINGTON COUNTY SPENDING
CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ARLINGTON COUNTY BUDGETS SINCE 1997 TO DETERMINE LINE ITEMS WHICH HAVE MATERIALLY GROWN AT RATES IN EXCESS OF INFLATION AND POPULATION GROWTH
ELIMINATE THE COLUMBIA STREET CAR LINE PROJECT AND HOMELESS SHELTERS OWNED AND OPERATED BY ARLINGTON COUNTY
TAKE A PAY REDUCTION
Important voters’ information
1) I met with the other three candidates at a local Arlington County Church on March 27, 2014. The meeting was supported by V.O.I.C.E., an affordable housing group made up of eight Arlington County churches, and the groups’ leaders at that meeting were all preachers from those churches. The four candidates were told that they were going to be asked four questions and they could only answer yes or no with no explanations. We were all told by the preachers that if we did not vote yes to their questions that their people will know and they will vote accordingly. In fact the preachers during the meeting asked their people to get on their cell phones and spread the words of the candidates that support their goals. The other three candidates there in GOD’s house promised to give V.O.I.C.E. Arlington County’s land and money to support V.O.I.C.E.’s goal of building more affordable housing. The other three candidates there all agreed to meet with all the preachers after the election and would build a plan to transfer assets to them. I was the only candidate there that said no. I would not agree to transfer taxpayers’ assets that I have a fiduciary responsibility to protect from fraud, waste and abuse and give them to a group for their vote. That is stealing and GOD in his Ten Commandments said “Thou Shall not Steal.”
2) There are similar deals and another one is with the teachers union of Arlington County. Arlington County Board, made up of Democrats, is spending 45.6 % of all Arlington County revenue on our schools. I estimate that would come to at least 60 % to 80 % of the total Arlington County real estate tax revenue. Arlington County has the highest spending per student than any of the other schools around. Federal workers got a 1 % pay raise this year while school teachers are in for a 3 % pay raise. This 1 % raise has been eaten up by federal and state taxes as well as Obamacare caused increases in our health issuance premiums, increase in our deductibles and increase in the cost of our pills and the Arlington County sales tax increase put in to place last year. According to Arlington County we are having issues with the county’s ability to pay healthcare cost and pensions.