Author: Jo DeVoe

County weighs tentative wage increases for trades workers against predicted 2025 budget gap

By Jo DeVoe
County workers fix a valve in Ballston (via Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services/Flickr)

Unionized trade workers have tentatively negotiated with Arlington County for wage increases and safety protections for the next four years.

Predicting a budget gap in the 2025 budget, however, the county says it will have to raise taxes or make budget cuts to pay for these provisions, according to a fiscal analysis the Arlington County Board is set to hear about during its Saturday meeting.

If the county opts to raise taxes, residents could see their bill go up $5-9 on average. This would be in addition to a predicted 1.8% increase in real estate values, which works out to an average increase of $146. For reference, property values increased 4.5% for 2023.

Higher taxes or budget cuts would cover most of the increases. The rest would be covered with a nearly $3 utility fee increase and a new stormwater utility fee that residents will begin paying in 2024 in lieu of the current sanitary district tax.

Arlington County held steady residential real estate taxes this year, at $1.013 for every $100 in assessed value. Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey has foreshadowed this could go up next year, however. To cover the tentative wage increases, county officials are suggesting raising the rate to $1.0136 or $1.0141.

County government and the Service, Labor, And Trades (SLT) Bargaining Unit have tentatively agreed to 55 provisions, of which only a handful, including higher wages, have financial impacts, according to the county. Another would ensure employees do not end up getting less weekly pay after responding to emergencies.

“Crews work on emergency situations, like water main breaks, often outside of the normal workday schedule and can be scheduled outside of their normal hours to complete such work,” Director of Management and Finance Maria Meredith says.  “In cases where this occurs and impacts the normal work schedule, this premium ensures that staff will receive at least 40 hours of pay in the week if such a situation arises.”

SLT union members also requested more subsidized parking for unionized employees and the ability to do union-related work without forfeiting docked pay or paid time off.

This works out to about $1 million in additional expense in the 2025 fiscal year budget: $511,000 from the General Fund, $401,000 from the Utility Fund and $94,000 to other funds. Budgets through the 2028 fiscal year will be affected, too, and the county is now looking for funding sources.

“Given the projected budget gap in the FY 2025 General Fund budget, the $0.5 million FY 2025 impact of this potential agreement cannot be absorbed within estimated revenue growth without taking service reductions, increasing taxes, or a combination of these options,” per a county report.

The following chart shows two scenarios for how the tax bill could go up to cover the tentative agreement:

Scenarios for paying for wage increases for service and trades workers (via Arlington County)

If the Board opts not to raise taxes, it could pay for the $511,000 General Fund obligation with across-the-board cuts to the tune of 0.1% or eliminating about four full-time employees who earn $125,000 each, including benefits.

Any reductions “would be considered with input and engagement from the community,” the county says.

“In prior years, similar FTE reductions have been taken across a variety of agencies, including planning, public safety, human services and environmental services,” the county says.

Arlington County proposes a modest increase to the water-sewer rate to cover the $401,000 in increased costs coming from the utility fund.

On average, residential customers would see their water bill go up $2.85 per year. A $0.20 per thousand gallon rate increase to cover expenses to the Stormwater Utility Fund will be included in next year’s new stormwater utility fee.

In December, the County Board “can resolve to make a good faith commitment to appropriate funding to meet the obligations under the tentative agreement,” the report says. If the Board does not, either the County Manager or the union may reopen negotiations.

Photo via Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services/Flickr

Deep blue Arlington played a supporting role for Dems in competitive state races

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Tight races for the state legislature and proposed restrictions on abortion motivated Virginians to the polls on Election Day.

This was despite the lack of statewide and federal elections, which typically drive turnout. The races for local office and the Virginia General Assembly played out against the backdrop of Republicans vying for a trifecta — control of the governor’s office as well as the lower and upper legislature chambers — and Democrats trying to stop them.

At stake were abortion rights, as Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) floated trying to pass a 15-week ban if Republicans took the Senate and kept the House.

Arlington had two state Senate and several House of Delegates seats on the ballot. Only three races had challengers, however, and among them Democratic incumbents Sen. Adam Ebbin, Sen. Barbara Favola and Del. Alfonso Lopez all won last night. While their road to victory was easier, the competition was stiff elsewhere in Virginia, commanding their attention and that of other politically minded Arlingtonians.

“It’s a little strange in Arlington because we’re in this blue bubble in what’s essentially a purple state leaning slightly toward Democrats,” says Sam Shirazi, an East Falls Church resident and Virginia elections analyst. “Virginia is just one of those states where, especially in these state elections, as opposed to federal elections, it’s almost always going to be close. ”

Shirazi had predicted Democrats would secure slim majorities in the Senate and House of Delegates, which he says is coming to pass. Democrats flipped the House and retained the Senate, not in a sweep but by securing key seats in suburban counties such as Loudoun and Henrico.

Arlington played a supporting role in these races, says Arlington County Democratic Chair Steve Baker. Volunteers spent 40 days canvassing, making thousands of phone calls and sending out 18,000 postcards and targeted seven districts of which Democrats won in six.

“Grassroots organizing works,” said Kip Malinosky, chair of the initiative dubbed Beyond Arlington. “Democrats win when we’re talking about issues that matter: abortion rights, voting rights, and gun safety. I’m proud that we played a role in helping Democrats win across the state.”

State Sen. Adam Ebbin, who was re-elected in the 39th District, said Virginians sent their governor a strong message last night.

That message would be that you can work with people across the aisle to get things done for the betterment of the Commonwealth rather than dividing them in a cynical and twisted manner. And I believe that Virginians don’t want, and will express by the end of tonight, that we don’t want the government banning books. We don’t want people interfering with our personal freedoms, whether it’s reproductive rights, your right to breathe clean air, or the safety of our communities from gun violence.

Shirazi says the state races were closer due to Virginia’s 2021 redistricting effort, in which he participated.

“Previously the maps were drawn by the legislatures themselves and obviously they had an incentive to try and protect themselves, to maybe protect their party,” he said. “This time… a lot of the incumbents, either in the primary or the general election, lost, so we had a lot of turnover in the General Assembly, and then, both chambers were competitive because they weren’t drawn to favor either party.”

“That’s why there was a lot of suspense going into the election,” he continued.

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Costs go up for forthcoming traffic signals along Courthouse ‘Landmark block’

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Costs are rising for some traffic signal upgrades in Courthouse.

Developer Greystar is installing new traffic signals at three intersections near its new, 423-unit, 20-story building that replaced several restaurants, including Summers Restaurant, in an area known as the “Landmark block.”

The new signals are part of a host of other county-funded projects the developer agreed to undertake in January 2022, along with pavement, sidewalk and curb and gutter improvements to public streets.

These improvements have progressed on a separate timeline from the building, approved in March 2021 and on which Greystar broke ground that fall. This July, as construction on the apartments drew to a close, Greystar received extra time for the transportation projects.

Earlier this year, when the civil engineering plan for the traffic signals was under review, county staff made some “refinements to technical details” regarding the signals, per a county report.

These tweaks increased the overall project costs by $1.1 million, according to the county. Greystar is requesting the additional funding to complete the work and the Arlington County Board is set to review this ask on Saturday.

The overall cost of the project is now $3.5 million, up from $2.4 million.

The traffic signals will be installed where N. Courthouse Road bisects Wilson and Clarendon Blvd as well as the intersections of N. Courthouse Road and 15th Street N. and N. Uhle Street and Clarendon Blvd.

The changes, which the county describes as “refinements to technical details,” are as follows:

A. Increases in all mast arm lengths, which require more costly structures and foundations.
B. Increases in the lengths of trenched conduits due to the density of the underground utilities.
C. Changes to equipment specifications to accommodate newer technologies in the control cabinets.
D. Increases in signal and civil design costs.
E. Additional duration of maintenance of traffic due to the complexity of the anticipated work.

DES obtained an independent cost estimate of this work, $2.77 million. The county says Greystar’s $2.75 million request is thus “fair and reasonable.”

As for the apartment building, the first set of tenants were set to move into “The Commodore” starting last month. The first retail tenants in a slate of restaurants and fitness studios were also set to move in last month, too, though others will not open until next year.

Arlington sees a busy start to Election Day

By Jo DeVoe
1/5

Election Day got off to a busier-than-expected start this morning.

As of this morning, some 9,200 voters turned out to vote today, according to the Arlington County’s Dept. of Elections.

“So far, the pace today has been slightly busier than June,” observed Tania Griffin, the communications director for the elections department.

This year is an off-off-year, or one with neither gubernatorial nor presidential offices on the ballot. In Arlington, voters are selecting candidates for local offices as well as representatives to the state Senate and House of Delegates.

Mallory McPherson, who is chief of precinct 146, told ARLnow that the flow of voters has been stronger than she expected.

“Usually the state elections are a little quieter but it’s been steady all day,” she said, noting a mix of voters so far. Before 9 a.m., it was mostly people voting on their way to work and since then, more families have stopped by.

Griffin says early voting, which ended Saturday, “definitely picked up in the last week.”

Early voting kicked off in September to a muted start, with only one poll open. After additional locations opened, the pace ramped up and on the last two days of early voting, more than 800 people cast ballots.

Overall, early voting far outpaced numbers in the last comparable election year, 2019. This year, 7% voted early and in-person while another 9% requested mail-in ballots.

In 2019, 9% of voters voted absentee, both in person and mail, Griffin said. Total turnout in 2019 was 37%.

“The difference between in-person absentee voting today vs. 2019 is in 2019 voters were required to provide an excuse to vote early,” Griffin said.

The morning kicked off with a confrontation outside one of the polling places involving Matthew Hurtt, the chairman of the Arlington GOP, which he recorded and posted on social media.

Hurtt was near the Dawson Terrace Community Center, offering people sample Republican ballots, when an unidentified voter confronted him, making liberal use of expletives.

“You might as well have been walking up to my head and… putting a gun to my head and telling me not to vote and you expect me not to take that [expletive] personally?” the man said.

The scene appeared notably calmer at Arlington Central Library, where Democratic Arlington County Board candidate Maureen Coffey observed a lot of activity this morning.

Coffey is one of four candidates vying for two seats on the Arlington County Board, along with Democrat Susan Cunningham, Republican Juan Carlos Fierro and independent Audrey Clement.

The victorious candidates will replace a seat Katie Cristol vacated this summer and a seat that Board Chair Christian Dorsey will leave behind this December.

Two Virginia State Senate races are also competitive: incumbent Democrat Sen. Adam Ebbin is going up against Republican Sophia Moshasha for the 39th District and incumbent Democrat Sen. Barbara Favola is going up against Republican David Henshaw for the 40th District.

Races are less competitive for local delegates to the lower chamber of Virginia’s state legislature.

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To spur vehicle electrification, this Crystal City startup is tackling the hurdle of charging infrastructure

By Jo DeVoe

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Three Ballston Plaza. 

Amid new federal efforts to push for the adoption of electric vehicles, a local software firm is helping truck fleets, property owners and utility companies electrify.

“More and more, large players, in fleets, in commercial real estate and on the utility side, are thinking about making these investments, and they need analytics to underwrite and justify these investments to enable the transition,” says Ann Xu, the co-founder and CEO of Crystal City-based ElectroTempo.

Her company works with companies in different industries to understand how much it would cost to electrify fleets and install the charging infrastructure they need, among other considerations.

Fellow co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Finch says the push to electrify, fueled by climate change concerns, is an “unprecedented challenge.” Companies and governments have to replace gas-based infrastructure that took a century to install and cannot be repurposed in an electric future, all while scaling up the operations of the electrical grid.

“The challenge still remains that the charging infrastructure is the biggest barrier to adoption because fleets cannot risk their operations if they don’t have the confidence in their ability to recharge their vehicles,” Xu said. “That remains where we firmly plug in, no pun intended.”

ElectroTempo was founded in November 2020 and, in the spring of 2022, was among the first cohort of businesses to move into the Crystal City startup incubator and accelerator space operated by the French company Zebox. This August, the startup raised $4 million in seed funding, which the company will use to expand where it operates and round out its software product.

The ElectroTempo team (courtesy Ann Xu)

The round, led by a Chicago-based, woman-led investment firm, was difficult to close but ElectroTempo emerged the stronger for it, Xu said.

“Three weeks into our fundraising process, the Silicon Valley Bank collapsed,” she said. “So, it was a very dark time for just the venture community as a whole… The general trend was that strong companies still [made it out] stronger, and we’re lucky to be one of them. We believe that that is because of our fundamental value proposition, how big the market is and the strength of our team.”

Today, ElectroTempo works in Texas — where the company got started — as well as New York, Massachusetts and Virginia, where it has support from the state’s Innovation Partnership Corporation. The funding is intended to fuel ElectroTempo’s expansion into California and Oregon as well as plans to break into more states. It will also pay for upgrades to the company’s software meets the different needs of clients.

“There are so many different types of customers at different stages of electrification and at every stage of their journey,” Xu said. “They need something a little bit different from our product.”

These milestones for ElectroTempo come amid a changing landscape for vehicle electrification, says Finch.

Not only are there new federal incentives for shipping companies to take advantage of, but there are also looming state time limits for going electric. California, for instance, has a policy to effectively phase out diesel trucks by 2035.

“The detachment between setting a really aggressive target and actually getting to said target is quite wide and the amount of infrastructure needed to support an electric truck future is quite expensive,” he said. “We’re focused on bridging that gap because people aren’t going to stop setting the goals. The goals need to be aggressive if you’re going to address climate change in any meaningful way.”

To tackle underage vaping, APS may push law preventing smoke shops near schools

By Jo DeVoe
A smoke shop and 7-Eleven (right) across the street from Kenmore Middle School (via Google Maps)

Arlington Public Schools is mulling support for legislation that would allow localities to prevent vape shops from opening up near schools.

This is the first time the idea for such a bill has been considered as part of the School Board’s annual legislative package, according to Frank Bellavia, a spokesman for the school system. The package has not yet been approved by the Board.

“Lawmakers around the region have been discussing this issue recently, which drew our interest,” Bellavia said. “We’ve been speaking with Senator [Barbara] Favola and Delegate [Alfonso] Lopez about this so far but may speak with others about it as well.”

Interest in such a bill comes as APS is upping its focus on tackling youth substance use in schools through lessons on the impacts of vaping delivered to students in grades 4-12 and to their families. While fentanyl abuse has captured more community attention, vaping is a significant concern, particularly as students matriculate through high school.

For instance, exposure to and frequent vaping increased from 9th to 12th grade, according to the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Bellavia says this is the most recent data that APS has on vaping trends, though another such survey will be conducted next year and inform the school system’s advocacy.

Vaping rates among Arlington high schoolers, broken down by grade (by ARLnow)

Notably, per the survey, nearly 200 students under 18 reported buying their own vape products at convenience stores, gas stations or vape stores.

The survey was conducted just before the state raised the minimum age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21.

Vaping rates among Arlington high schoolers, broken down by race (by ARLnow)

That is where a law limiting where vape shops can do business could come in. As for a potential legislative push, Bellavia says APS is still early in the process of formulating possible legislative text that would inform a potential bill. The school system will have more details in a few weeks, he noted.

Lawmakers representing Arlington in Richmond tell ARLnow they are interested in sponsoring or voting for such a bill or other bills firming up requirements of vape shops to curtail underage sales. Currently, nearly 17% of sales are to minors and the state would incur a $4 million penalty if the rate were to exceed 20%, according to a state report released last week and provided to ARLnow.

“I am interested in giving localities the authority to prevent vape shops from locating near schools and look forward to discussing this idea at the legislative work session with the County Board,” said Favola.

Sen. Adam Ebbin and Del. Patrick Hope say underage vaping has concerned them for years but they are not sure preventing shops from moving near schools is enough. Moreover, such a law could not be used to boot out existing retailers near schools.

“We have a real epidemic right now — not just among high schoolers but junior high schoolers — who are vaping,” says Ebbin. “It’s highly addictive and nicotine has adverse consequences on young developing brains.”

He and Hope say the state ought to require shops or dealers who sell nicotine products to obtain licenses where they currently are only subject to a law banning the sale of nicotine products to those under 21 years old. In the 2023 legislative session, both tried to pass a licensing scheme, which would tee up the state to inspect stores and fine or ban those that repeatedly sell to minors.

“We have a problem in Virginia of underage vaping,” Hope said. “I think the solution to the underage issue is licensure… because it is ultimate death for these establishments. They would have to close their doors.”

Hope says penalties for selling to minors are weak, making it harder to enforce the law effectively. Violating this rule carries a civil penalty, applied to the business, and even a third offense only carries a $500 fine whereas a licensing scheme could carry stiffer penalties and ultimately result in banning bad actors who sell to minors from ever being able to sell nicotine products in Virginia again, he said.

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Longtime Arlingtonian, housing advocate and local leader Cecilia Cassidy dies at 75

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Longtime Arlingtonian and local leader Cecilia Cassidy passed away yesterday in Frederick, Maryland, at the age of 75.

In Arlington, she was best known for her housing advocacy and her leadership of two local organizations: the Rosslyn Business Improvement District and the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, now the Columbia Pike Partnership.

“Cecilia was a connector and leaves many friends, old and new,” her obituary says. “She will be missed.”

Cassidy was born in Brooklyn, New York on Aug. 20, 1948, and grew up on Long Island. Cassidy got her start in journalism, reporting for the Susquehanna Sentinel in Oneonta, New York, and went on to have articles published in The Washington Post, USA Today and Newsday, among other newspapers and literary journals.

She lived in Arlington for 45 years. She kicked off her housing career tenant organizing in Arlington Village, where she lived along Columbia Pike, during a condo conversion in the 1980s, according to her obituary. Together with Arlington County, she helped establish the first limited-equity housing co-op in Virginia and she later went on to head up community relations for the affordable housing developer AHC, Inc.

Cassidy was also instrumental in standing up the Rosslyn BID — Arlington’s first such organization — and serving as its executive director for more than a decade.

“It was her work that really made the BIDs work here in the county,” County Manager Barbara Donnellan said when Cassidy retired from this post in 2013.

Cassidy then served for three years as the interim leader of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization after the sudden resignation of former executive director Takis Karantonis, now an Arlington County Board member. She retired from CPRO in 2018, after overseeing the organization’s largest period of financial growth in 30 years and the adoption of a strategic plan, per a press release at the time.

“CPRO is grateful for Cecilia’s leadership and her contributions to the organization but even more grateful for the spirit, enthusiasm, and friendship Cecilia has shared with us,” then-board president John Snyder said at the time.

Cassidy was a member of the Leadership Arlington Class of 2000 and was named to the board of directors of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, or APAH.

But her other great love was to travel, according to her obituary.

“Her junior year abroad had her hitchhiking all over Europe,” it says. “She did her first of many cross-country trips at the age of 21 in a refurbished telephone truck with Tara’s playpen in the back and her sister Carol sharing the wheel. Over the years she visited friends in Poland, Russia and Puerto Rico, and after an extensive genealogy search, found long lost relatives in Ireland.”

Cassidy moved to Frederick in 2019 to be close to her daughter, Tara. Cassidy is survived by three siblings, her daughter Tara and a grandson and four nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, people can make a donation in Cassidy’s name to APAH, AHC, the Writer’s Center in Bethesda or the Wroxton College of Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she studied abroad.

There will be a public viewing on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Rollins Life Celebration Center in Frederick. A service will be held the following day, Sunday, from 12-1 p.m. followed by a repass in the hall. The service will also be livestreamed.

A memorial Mass and inurement will be scheduled sometime next spring or summer at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Arlington.

Role of state government in abortion and schools looms large in local Va. Senate races

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

(Updated at 4:40 p.m.) While Arlington has tended to be a Democratic stronghold, two of its incumbent state Senators who are up for re-election are still feeling the urgency of this election where abortion is concerned.

Sen. Barbara Favola is up against Republican David Henshaw for the newly redrawn 39th District and Sen. Adam Ebbin is up against Republican Sophia Moshasha for the 40th District.

With the election season coming to a close, ARLnow asked about their top priorities. For Favola and Ebbin, that starts with blocking GOP attempts to limit abortion access and raising wages for teachers. Henshaw and Moshasha both zeroed in on enshrining parental rights in schools and crime and safety, with Henshaw also supportive of lowering the cost of living through lower taxes.

Favola says her first priority is ensuring that access to abortion care under the Roe v. Wade framework “remains safe and legal.”

“This important healthcare decision must remain between a woman and her doctor,” Favola said. “The government should have no part in this personal decision and recent proposals by Governor Youngkin to criminale providers should an abortion ban be adopted are not acceptable. Arlington voters overwhelmingly believe that bodily autonomy should be a protected right. I will work to bring a state constitutional amendment before the voters regarding the right to bodily autonomy.”

But Henshaw says Democrats are pushing for abortion policies that go beyond what the average Virginia voter thinks is reasonable.

“I think they’re out of touch with most Virginians,” he said.

He pointed to a 2021 poll showing that 65% of Americans surveyed say abortions should be illegal in most or all cases. The same survey found Republicans and Democrats alike support abortions if the mother’s life is endangered, if the pregnancy results from rape or incest, or if the child has a life-threatening illness.

“They’re still pushing for full abortion all the way up to 40 weeks,” he said, referencing a 2019 attempt to loosen restrictions on third-trimester abortions.

At the time, then-Gov. Ralph Northam tried to explain why third-trimester abortions typically occur, such as when the baby has a severe deformity or is not going to survive. In these cases, he said a mother would deliver the child and the child would be “kept comfortable” while a “discussion ensues between the physicians and the mother.” Some Republicans later interpreted his comments as supporting infanticide.

Ebbin says abortion is one of many issues threatened if Republicans take the Senate and enact a “full-on MAGA agenda.”

“If Republicans were to take control of the legislature, they would criminalize abortion, that’s been clear,” he said. “They would roll back the progress we’ve made on gun safety — getting rid of red flag laws and background checks — based on what they’ve introduced in years past and passed in the House.”

He says it is important for Arlingtonians to elect Democrats to prevent Gov. Glenn Youngkin from “running amok” and “weaponizing his incompetence,” pointing to $201 million less in public school aid that was lost due to a state error.

By contrast, Ebbin says, Democrats led an initiative to give teachers a 12% raise.

“We have to commit more money for teacher and law enforcement salaries to fill the gaps in both public service sectors,” he said.

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Arlington County Board candidates make their final pitches for votes this election

By Jo DeVoe
Election Day 2022 in Arlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The end of the election is drawing nearer: early voting ends on Saturday and Tuesday is Election Day.

At this point, the roughly 12,000 early votes cast are almost evenly split between in-person and mailed-in ballots, per the Arlington County election turnout dashboard. Some 44,000 ballots need to be returned between now and the close of the polls on Tuesday to surpass turnout in 2019, the last similar election year.

With few days left to vote, candidates for the two open Arlington County Board seats are making their last public pitches for support at the polls.

They maintain the reasons that motivated them to run — economic stability, crime rates, Missing Middle, outcomes for youth and better planning —  remain relevant in the home stretch.

“One of the reasons I’m running for the Arlington County Board is my concern for the rising crime rate,” Republican candidate Juan Carlos Fierro said in a statement Monday.

“As a husband and a father, I am deeply concerned about the safety of my wife and daughters,” Fierro continued. “I am increasingly hearing about concern about Arlington’s rising crime from my fellow Arlingtonians — talking with friends and neighbors, following postings on social media, and reading articles in the local media.”

He referenced the Arlington County Police Department’s 2022 annual report, released this year, in which the department reports a nearly 18% increase over 2021 in crimes against persons, property and society, ranging from murder and manslaughter to drug offenses. Crimes against people increased 16.4% — primarily driven by assault — and property crimes increased by 23%, driven by motor vehicle thefts, larcenies and fraud.

While total offenses have risen since 2018, total arrests only ticked up between 2021 and 2022 and still have not recovered from a decline going back to 2013, according to annual reports by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

ACPD reports do not include arrests for these offenses and previously told ARLnow it would have to be requested by the Freedom of Information Act, though they can also be found on the Virginia State Police data dashboard.

“While Arlington is generally a safe community, residents must be aware of the rising crime, and our leaders must prioritize the safety of our residents,” Fierro added. “Crime and community safety are not partisan issues. Voters deserve elected leaders who will prioritize community safety and address the rising crime across Arlington.”

Fierro attributed the uptick in part to police staffing issues and pledged to “fully” invest in ACPD’s recruitment and retention efforts. Part of the reason fewer people are becoming officers, he said, is “because police officers are being vilified.”

“Community leaders must rebuke the pro-criminal elements in our justice system that are contributing to the culture of increased crime and reduced public safety in Arlington,” he said. “Some in our own community have joined the nationwide effort to undermine police morale while refusing to prosecute certain offenses.”

Democrat Maureen Coffey distilled her platform into two fundamental issues: affordability and economic stability.

“Our residents need to see a path forward where we can meet their needs,” she said. “Whether it’s housing, taxes, child care, or food security, people are struggling. Arlington needs to find both the short- and long-term solutions that help us serve everyone in the community and create stability while maintaining our core services.”

Meanwhile, perennial independent candidate Audrey Clement — who presciently made Missing Middle central to her campaign three years ago — is doubling down on her choice to make it a focus in 2023, after the passage of the ordinances in March.

She says “the issue will live on,” no matter how the Arlington County Circuit Court rules on challenge by 10 Arlington homeowners to the Expanded Housing Options ordinance the Arlington County Board “rammed through earlier this year.”

(more…)

Arlington to host regional remembrance event marking traffic deaths

By Jo DeVoe
Crash with overturned vehicle and multiple injuries on N. Glebe Road (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A day of remembrance for lives lost — in Arlington, Northern Virginia, and around the world — to vehicular crashes will be held at Wakefield High School this month.

It is a local instantiation of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims held annually on the third Sunday of November around the world. The events will mark the deaths of approximately 1.35 million people annually in traffic crashes.

Nonprofit Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets, which focuses on traffic safety education and has Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax chapters, is putting on the event on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 1 p.m. Keynote speakers include Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn and City of Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson.

“This year’s World Day of Remembrance takes on extra urgency as the number of people dying and severely injured in preventable traffic crashes in the U.S. is rising at an alarming rate,” NFVSS founder Mike Doyle said in a statement.

Some 46,000 additional people died in traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, for a 22% increase, he said, citing National Safety Council data.

“Our neighborhoods are no exception,” Doyle said, citing the 15 pedestrians killed in the region since last November. “Many, many more vulnerable road users [have been] seriously injured, while even more of our neighbors have been killed or seriously injured while inside of their vehicles.”

One victim who will be remembered is 71-year-old Californian Susan Hamlin, who was killed on King Street on the border of Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County. Arlington police charged a man with driving while intoxicated after he allegedly struck her while going the wrong direction.

“What’s very unique about where Ms. Hamlin was struck… that’s where the City of Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax counties meet, and where King Street becomes Leesburg Pike,” Arlington Families for Safe Streets member Hung Truong tells ARLnow. “It’s very appropriate we’re focusing on that for World Day of Remembrance, as we want to highlight how difficult it is to get things changed.”

Since ACPD responded to the crash that killed Hamlin, it is included in Arlington crash data, says Arington Dept. of Environmental Services spokesman Nate Graham. He notes Arlington is supporting Alexandria with coordination, data and review as it pursues a federally funded safety project to make this intersection safer.

The project may include extending existing bicycle lanes along King Street and adding sidewalks, according to our sister site ALXnow.

Arlington County is trying to make inroads on traffic safety through its effort to eliminate serious and fatal traffic injuries by 2030, known as Vision Zero, now in its third year. It recently released a mid-year report reviewing serious crashes through this June and summarizing recent work.

In the first six months of 2023, Arlington clocked three fatal crashes, including Hamlin’s, and 28 resulting in severe injuries. Excessive speed, alcohol consumption and improper seat belt use are the leading causes of critical crashes and on the rise post-pandemic, per a recent meeting on the report.

Meanwhile, the county has been busy conducting crash analyses and installing “quick build” projects, including such as new crossing signage and bollards, as well as large-scale capital projects. Some have significantly reduced crashes while others have had more marginal impacts, Vision Zero Coordinator Christinen Baker said in the meeting.

Little Falls Road and Old Dominion Drive has yet to see a crash since 2021, when the county installed a barrier and implemented new restrictions at the intersection, which used to net 11 crashes per year, Baker said.

Baker noted only slight crash reductions from giving pedestrians a head start at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and N. Carlin Springs Road and making roadway improvements at Clarendon Circle.

“I think they have a better grasp on data visualization and analysis,” says Truong, a Vision Zero stakeholder who participated in the meeting. “It’s nice to see they’re doing more quick builds and getting those out. I would like to see more changes implemented in South Arlington, as well, the Shirlington area and cross-jurisdictional roadways, such as King Street, as well.”

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VHC Health debuts women’s health center in new $250M outpatient facility

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

(Updated at 11 a.m.) VHC Health, formerly Virginia Hospital Center, debuted a new women’s health center Monday afternoon that handles everything from pregnancy to menopause to breast health.

The Charlotte S. Benjamin Center for Women’s Health is located on the fifth floor of the hospital’s new, $250 million outpatient pavilion that opened in the Hall’s Hill neighborhood in June.

It is the last section of the pavilion — which has floors for outpatient surgery, endoscopies, physical therapy and imaging services, as well as a pharmacy — to open. The 26,000-square-foot center began seeing patients Tuesday.

There, women can receive care related to obstetrics and gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, general health and wellness through menopause, genetics, breast health, urology, cardiology, advanced radiologic imaging and vascular diagnostics.

The center is named for Charlotte Benjamin, an Arlingtonian who was active on the VHC Health Board of Directors for decades and served as its chair. She attended the ribbon-cutting on Monday.

A female-led physician team, including Women’s Health Center Chief Dr. Kelly Orzechowski, helped design the center and its continuum of services. She tells ARLnow that having an all-in-one center is intended to help busy women streamline their visits and make the most of their appointments.

“I think one of the challenges we have as women is that we’re caring for other people in our lives — our children, our spouses or our elderly parents,” Orzechowski said. “If you have a busy schedule, you put others’ needs before your own. If you have to go around to different places [for appointments], you’re less likely to do them or do them on time.”

For instance, women might make their annual physical but never get around to the mammogram their physician ordered because this involves going to a different facility, farther from home and with more limited hours, she said.

“Our goal was to streamline and coordinate appointment times so if someone has to take off work, our goal is to get all those services done in one half-day,” Orzechowski says.

That extends beyond the women’s health floor, too, she noted. If patients need radiology, cardiology or rehab services, they are an elevator ride away, rather than in a different facility elsewhere in the region. Orzechowski says she believes having these services in one place boosts in-person camaraderie among providers and will “deliver superior care to patients.”

That doctors, particularly women doctors, had any input on the design of the center is a novelty, says Sharon Brickhouse Martin, who consulted on several hospital facilities projects before becoming the Vice President of Health Services Integration for VHC Health. She said the “old school” way of doing things relegated healthcare to doctors and design to specialized professionals.

“It is rare for a hospital organization to involve their doctors in the design and layout of workflow when a new building is under construction,” she said.

Doctors — “the people doing the work” — were at the forefront of designing the women’s health center, down to each exam room, Martin said.

“It has made a huge difference: not only do we feel we delivered a better project, but I’m proud to say we did it in record time. From concept to move-in, in 12-13 months, is unheard of,” she said.

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