Author: Opinion Contributor

Last week, we invited the two candidates running in the general election for House of Delegates race for the 45th District to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (Nov. 2).

Here is the unedited response from Elizabeth Bennett-Parker:

My name is Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and I’m the Democratic nominee for Delegate in the 45th House District, which includes the precincts of Aurora Hills, Oakridge, Fairlington, Shirlington, and Abingdon, as well as parts of Alexandria and Fairfax.

Both of my parents were in the Navy, and they instilled in me a sense of service to our community and our country. My mom used to always tell me that if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. I’ve applied that to my entire career.

I worked at the National Governors Association with Democratic and Republican governors on bipartisan policy solutions to help move our country forward. I also started a small business to fight food waste and now co-lead a nonprofit that serves women returning from the criminal justice system, women experiencing homelessness, women surviving abuse, and more. In turn, that experience inspired me to run for the Alexandria City Council, and I currently serve as the Vice Mayor.

I have a proven record of service and delivering results for our community. Working with my colleagues, we have increased access to early childhood education, which will be one of my top priorities in Richmond. I also led the effort to: invest an additional $1 million for affordable housing this year; declare a climate change emergency; and reform public building standards to reduce emissions and fight climate change. We’ve also banned firearms from public buildings and parks, amended our human rights code to include gender identity as a protected class, and passed collective bargaining for our employees. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to achieve and the ways I engage with our community. I knock doors outside of campaign season to ask for input on upcoming votes or issues, and I started Volunteer with the Vice Mayor events to bring residents together in service at local nonprofits.

As Delegate, I will continue to engage with residents and work to keep Virginia moving forward on these issues and other critical issues for Arlingtonians, such as expanding access to affordable health care, ensuring quality public education for all of our children, protecting reproductive choice and voting rights, advancing criminal justice reform, supporting workers and small businesses, and making sure that our Commonwealth is an equitable and inclusive place for all.

I am the only candidate in this race who will support common-sense gun safety legislation, make sure our local governments have funding to increase pay for teachers and first responders, fight to protect reproductive choice, and vote for paid family and medical leave.

I have been endorsed by:

• The Virginia Firefighters Association
• The Virginia Education Association
• The League of Conservation Voters
• The Sierra Club
• Virginia NOW
• Planned Parenthood
• The AFL-CIO
• Virginia LGBTQ+ Democrats
• The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors
• The Virginia Farm Bureau
• Congressman Don Beyer
• Senator Adam Ebbin
• Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti
• Arlington County Board Vice Chair Katie Cristol
• Arlington County Board Member Libby Garvey
• Christopher Meloni, Actor, Law and Order
• Billy Crudup, Actor, The Morning Show, and more.

My experience as a local elected official, nonprofit leader, and small business creator will ensure I’m an effective advocate and leader in Richmond for this district. Residents should vote for me because I am the only candidate in this race with a record of delivering results for our community and an agenda focused on progress for all.

I hope I can earn your vote now through October 30th or on Election Day. Learn more about me on my website and visit IWillVote.com/VA to find your polling place.

Last week, we invited the two candidates running in the general election for House of Delegates race for the 45th District to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (Nov. 2).

Here is the unedited response from Justin “J.D.” Maddox:

I’m J.D. Maddox, and I’m the first centrist candidate for the 45th District House of Delegates in more than ten years.

I’m a small business owner, an adjunct professor at George Mason University, and a member of Alexandria’s IT Commission. I’m also a former CIA branch chief and a veteran of US Army Special Operations. My wife Lisa and I have lived in Alexandria for 21 years, and we have two young daughters. Our family loves this community for its amazing diversity of people and opportunities.

For a decade, District 45’s representative went unchallenged, pursuing a political agenda at odds with our District’s real interests.

The negative results of this one-party rule are visible everywhere. Our schools are failing. Our police have gone unsupported while crime has increased. Our population has grown to be the densest in the state, but our infrastructure does not support it. Housing is increasingly unaffordable. Dangerous flash flooding now regularly overwhelms our sewers, and human waste flows freely into the Potomac River when it rains. Yet, we pay more taxes than ever.

These are astonishing failures. My only guess is that the 45th District hasn’t had a choice other than to blindly follow the “party line” on the ballot. We have elected and re-elected politicians who take our support for granted, while they do little to address the problems we face every day. Each time we step into the voting booth, we allow them to continue, despite their failures.

If you’re an open-minded voter, I ask you to vote for me on November 2. I’ve offered concrete and specific solutions to the challenges that face our community and the Commonwealth.

I’ve developed the “4FOR4” program, which will offer free 4-year college degrees to qualified Virginians who commit to service jobs in Virginia for 4 years. I’ve submitted a 1-percent cap on homeowner property tax. I’ve offered a specific new model for affordable housing. I’ve committed to pursuing new funding to pay for sewer fixes, and I will address climate change for what it actually is.

“But I can’t vote for a Republican,” an Arlingtonian may say. And they wouldn’t be the first. The Republican Party has lost its moral high ground. It’s suffering a crisis of conscience. But while many are fleeing the scene, I’ve chosen to run toward the fire.

My proposal to you is simple: We must reassert moderation into our political system. Virginia is not all red – nor all blue. We need politicians that can bring communities together to challenge the false narrative that our government is composed only of extremes. I know that’s what the silent majority of Virginians want – and if elected, that’s what I’ll do for you.

In contrast, my opponent has demonstrated that she’ll just lead us further apart – pushing more extreme positions in the Statehouse. The Sun-Gazette recently dropped its endorsement of her – an amazing statement of disapproval – because she’s “running further out in front on the ‘woke’ scale even than some of Northern Virginia’s other increasingly loopy local governments.”

Their retraction comes after she stood by her decision to defund the Alexandria police – removing School Resource Officers from schools. Her decision ignored the recommendation of the Alexandria School Board, and contributed to a spike in violence at Alexandria City High School including an incident involving a student with a fully loaded gun on school grounds.

That is not the only time she has chosen to ignore her constituents. She chose not to participate in four candidate forums this year. These events are the only chance that voters have had to see and hear from both candidates for Delegate. I attended each one with the intent to have a principled debate, and exchange of ideas. I never got the chance, and I found her unwillingness to answer questions from our community disappointing.

As you enter the polling booth this Tuesday, consider the values of your Delegate candidates….

If you are looking for someone to reorient us politically, and to bring us back to the center, I’m your candidate.

Last week, we invited the four candidates running in the general election for a seat on the County Board to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (Nov. 2).

Here is the unedited response from Takis Karantonis:

Last year I ran for office in the middle of a pandemic ravaging our community and our economy. I pledged to remain rooted in civic engagement and to bring the voice of our diverse communities to the County Board. I kept and I continue to keep this promise. COVID-19 and our national reckoning on racial inequity in the wake of the murder of George Floyd revealed Arlington’s multifaceted and challenging disparities. My vision for Arlington, my actions and my voting record are firmly centered on equity, inclusivity, transparency, fairness and responsiveness and the belief that we are a successful community when:

• We care for the health and safety of ALL, especially of those lacking access or coverage.
• We care for economic resilience, especially that of small businesses and working families.
• We care for social and racial justice and fairness on all levels, from policing to housing to education to equitable access to natural and recreational resources and beyond.
• We share the sense of urgency and common cause to confront the climate emergency.

I believe in democratic values, collaborative leadership and inclusive planning expressed in the four pillars of my platform: equitable governance; fiscal sustainability and resilience; environmental sustainability; and principled and inclusive long-term planning. As an immigrant I hold these values very close to my heart as they guide my thinking, my politics and my work for an Arlington that works for ALL: a community of safe and walkable neighborhoods; with excellent public schools; great public places and facilities; accountable, ethical and fiscally sound governance; friendly and responsive public services; ethnic, cultural and socio-economic diversity; and an unwavering commitment to community involvement.

If re-elected, I will,

• Use the lessons learned during the pandemic to address the inequalities that COVID has revealed; strengthen our local social safety net; eliminate food and housing insecurity; enhance access to health and mental health services; and provide fair and equitable access to critical services such as reduced transit fares, affordable childcare and broadband.
• Deepen and accelerate our local response to the climate emergency; electrify our transportation; prioritize safe walking and biking; decarbonize new construction and retrofit legacy buildings; invest in stormwater infrastructure; protect and enhance our tree canopy and our natural resources; and -most importantly- make climate resiliency and sustainability a ‘whole-of-government’ policy.
• Ensure that racial equity and accountability permeate all activities and policies of our government, and progress is transparently measured and reported.
• Prioritize support for our small businesses; support them with a revolving micro-loan and technical assistance program; reduce costly red-tape and treat them as the job-creating, innovative community partners and stakeholders they are.
• Address our housing crisis, which continues to displace Arlingtonians; invest in the Affordable Housing Investment Fund and expand Housing Grant eligibility; focus on corridor development while continuing the pursuit of longer-term policies aiming to enhance housing choices that fit the needs of all Arlingtonians.
• Continue to fight for livable wages and fair labor conditions for working people and families.

I am proud to have earned the endorsement of all my colleagues on the County Board and the School Board, as well as of Arlington’s elected constitutional officers and representatives in the General Assembly; professional organizations; citizen-led advocacy groups and community leaders (representing our Black Community; Latino and Immigrant communities; Senior and Young Democrats; supporting multi-modal, cycling and sustainable transportation; public education; affordable housing; environmental sustainability; planning; and mental health services). These endorsements are the result of years of working on Arlington issues and a testament to my passion for good, responsive and responsible local governance.

I hope to earn your vote on November 2^nd (or earlier), and the privilege of continuing to serve you as a Member of your County Board.

Last week, we invited the four candidates running in the general election for a seat on the County Board to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (Nov. 2).

Here is the unedited response from Mike Cantwell:

I am running for the Arlington County Board as a moderate Independent. As a retired naval officer, federal government employee, community leader, and parent, I have the skills and experience needed to bring the people of Arlington together and to solve our most challenging problems. As I knock on doors throughout the county and talk to voters, they tell me about their growing frustration with our current County Board members. The voters are frustrated with One Party Rule and the Arlington Way and they want local elected officials who will listen — really listen — to their issues and concerns.

Arlington voters want a candidate who will:

1. Bring an independent voice to the County Board. Arlingtonians are exhausted with divisive partisan politics. They are looking for a candidate who will think and act moderately and independently. They know instinctively that more political competition will lead to better outcomes. They want an independent voice who will challenge the County Board’s “group think” and bring new ideas to the civic square. The county government was more efficient, more effective, and more inclusive when we had political diversity on the County Board. It is time to bring an Independent back to the County Board.
2. Focus on core government services. Public safety, streets, parks, recreation facilities, utilities, libraries, and schools are the core government services Arlingtonians expect from their local government. Current County Board members spend much of their time and energies on issues that are unrelated to the services citizens expect from their local government. After I join the County Board, I will seek out and uncover inefficient and ineffective programs and take actions to improve or eliminate them.
3. Curb Rapid Urbanization.The current county board members continue to encourage rapid population growth and more high-rise construction. I will resist the “upzoning” of residential communities while encouraging moderate density increases along major transit corridors. Over the last two decades, the county government failed to adequately plan and budget for the repair or replacement of our aging infrastructure. Schools, parks, recreation facilities, and utilities are already inadequate and overburdened. The county staff and the County Board must ensure the needed infrastructure is in place before large-scale development projects are approved. Government-run affordable housing programs are inefficient and ineffective and have had little positive impact on housing affordability. The millions of dollars of grants and loans given to affordable housing “nonprofit” developers and backroom “bonus density” deals have opened the door to corruption. The County Board should do more to incentivize the retention of market-rate affordable housing, including single-family homes.
4. Support small businesses by lowering taxes. Now, more than ever, the County Board needs to prioritize Arlington’s workers and small businesses. If elected, I will work to reduce the tax burden on Arlington small businesses by ending the business tangible property tax. The business tangible property tax is an inefficient tax and an administrative burden for Arlington small business owners and the Commissioner of Revenue’s office and only brings in 4% of the total revenue for the county. Eliminating the business tangible property tax will spur economic activity, reduce the commercial real estate vacancy rate, and create new jobs.
5. Expand the County Auditor’s office. As a federal government employee in the intelligence community and as a former naval officer, I take pride in the fact that I have always conducted myself in an ethical manner. Currently, the County Auditor’s office is both underfunded and understaffed. I support expanding the County Auditor’s office to ensure the residents of Arlington benefit from an efficient, effective, and fair local government. The county needs more fiscal oversight for its 1.5 billion dollar budget.

Honor, Courage, Commitment, and Respect are my core values. My core values will guide me as I serve the people of Arlington. I hope that you will join me my mission to bring better government to Arlington. Please visit the Mike Cantwell for Arlington County Board website. Donate. Volunteer. Vote. Thank You!

Last week, we invited the two candidates running in the Democratic primary for House of Delegates race for the 49th District to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (June 8).

Here is the unedited response from Karishma Mehta:

My name is Karishma Mehta and I’m running for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 49th House District here in South Arlington and parts of Fairfax County to be a representative for the working people of this district, not the special interests.

As I’ve knocked doors in this district, I’ve heard stories that remind me of my own. My parents came here from India seeking a better life and they struggled with rent, school lunch debt, and lack of healthcare, all without the protection of a union. After I graduated from college, I inherited these struggles. I worked long hours at jobs that paid starvation wages to help pay down student debt that I still have as a renter on Columbia Pike. When I became a teacher, I skipped meals and avoided the doctor to fund my own classroom while watching my students struggle with the same obstacles that I grew up with. That’s the reason I decided to run, to break that cycle of inequity for my students and their futures.

I’m running in the same tradition as so many amazing women who came before me. I’m a young South Asian woman. To say we aren’t represented in politics is an understatement and after seeing so many courageous women run in Virginia and with our historic passage of the ERA, I knew I was ready to take this step to be the first woman of color to ever represent South Arlington in the General Assembly. My experience as a working person, a woman of color, and daughter of immigrants informs my policy. That’s the type of experience and leadership we need in the House of Delegates during these difficult times.

People in the 49th deserve a leader who will stand courageously with them, not corporations, to take on our racist criminal justice system, an inequitable education system, and an economic system that allows the very rich to keep getting richer, while the rest of us continue to struggle paycheck-to-paycheck. In our district, as corporations like Amazon move in, we need bold representation pushing for the people who live here right now and have lived in Arlington for generations. I will be an advocate for all people in this district, and never be on the side of big business or the corporate landlords like AHC Inc. We need courage to move forward without these interests influencing our politics and pass legislation that safeguards the rights of every Virginian.

That means finally getting our commonwealth to universal healthcare coverage through a single-payer system. That also means passing a comprehensive Green New Deal for Virginia that prioritizes workers and Black and brown folks hit hardest by environmental injustice. That means providing universal Pre-K to all our families.

I’m asking for your vote because to do this we need a delegate who is out in front, fighting for these universal programs, not taking money from the companies who continue to commodify our human rights. I will work alongside anyone to pass legislation for working people and when I go to Richmond, I’m taking the stories and the people of the 49th with me. We have built a movement in Arlington and Fairfax and I’m asking for you to help build that momentum so we can pass a common agenda for all our people. Thank you for your continued support over these 8 months and I look forward to serving you in Richmond.

Last week, we invited the two candidates running in the Democratic primary for House of Delegates race for the 49th District to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (June 8).

Here is the unedited response from incumbent Alfonso Lopez:

When first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, I promised to be a progressive champion for the Commonwealth’s most diverse district. That pledge included expanding access to health care, protecting a pregnant person’s right to make their own health care decisions, passing sweeping criminal justice reform, advancing the fight against climate change, and improving quality of life and community safety.

I am proud to say I’ve delivered on my promise and humbly ask for your vote for re-election.

As part of House Democratic leadership, I’ve helped us grow our majority and set a bold progressive agenda in order to build a Virginia that lifts everyone up and leaves no one behind.

We started by expanding Medicaid to over 500,000 Virginians — including 45,000 in Northern Virginia. This sets us on the path towards finally securing healthcare for everyone and the assurance that no family has to choose between putting food on the table or paying medical bills.

Our progress continued on health care. One of the proudest moments of my legislative career came in 2020, when I co-patroned and helped pass the Reproductive Health Protection Act. This eliminated barriers to reproductive health access across the Commonwealth and kept health care decisions exclusive to a pregnant person and their doctor.

Following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I worked with Majority Leader Charniele Herring and Delegate Luke Torian to pass sweeping criminal justice reform legislation banning no-knock warrants, chokeholds and the militarization of police departments. We also enacted my legislation to finally enable the Attorney General to act against police departments with a history of constitutional rights violations.

With 30 years of environmental advocacy experience, I’m proud to be the founder of the Virginia Environment and Renewable Energy Caucus and to have seen many of my bills in this area signed into law. I recently secured $800 million for cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay and was the chief co-patron on the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which transformed Virginia from among the worst states on climate change to one of the best.

This bill laid the groundwork to pursue a Green New Deal, bold legislation that I’ve co-patroned and voted for twice.

Improving quality of life and making our communities safer have been my priorities. In 2013, I created the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) and have fought every year for increased funding. This past session we secured $125.7 million – a significant increase over past years. The AHTF has helped alleviate housing instability and homelessness across Virginia and served as the backstop for eviction prevention and rental relief during the pandemic. Moreover, it has provided housing for hundreds of families here in the 49th district.

Providing housing was only one element of improving our communities; another was passing common sense gun laws. A key first step was requiring background checks for all firearms purchases, but that’s not enough. This past session, I helped close the “Charleston Loophole” and extended the period state police have to complete a background check to ensure we keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them.

These accomplishments are among the highlights of over 150 bills I’ve authored, chief co-patroned, or co-patroned that have been signed into law. Others include securing in-state tuition for DREAMer students, repealing Virginia’s ban on project labor agreements, and creating the first LGBTQ+ advisory board in the South.

I’ve never lost touch with the people I represent and have used my role in leadership to produce outcomes that greatly improve our community. I successfully kept the DMV on Four Mile Run, and this past session I passed the Purple Lounge Bill to increase local oversight of ‘bad actor’ establishments.

Perhaps most importantly, considering housing affordability concerns in the 49th, I voted against Amazon’s HQ2 and refuse its campaign contributions.

My record speaks for itself: I’m a progressive Democrat who delivers results and works to improve lives in the 49th district and across Virginia.

I’m proud to have earned the endorsements of numerous organizations, activists and legislators, including:

• S. Senator Tim Kaine
• Congressman Don Beyer
• Julius “J.D.” Spain – 2019 primary opponent
• Emma Violand-Sanchez – former Arlington School Board Chair
• Virginia Education Association
• NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia
• Virginia League of Conservation Voters, and
• Every Organized Labor group in this race.

They understand — as I do — that politics is about improving people’s lives.

Together — there is much more to accomplish.

I hope to also earn your support for re-election in the upcoming June 8^th primary. To learn more, please visit www.AlfonsoLopez.org.