Opinion

Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.com.

By Abby Raphael

One in five women has been sexually assaulted while in college, according to a 2016 report of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This statistic does not begin to capture the reality of being a victim of sexual assault. At Duke University, students organize an annual photo exhibition of survivors. These stories about the assaults, and the reactions of friends, family, and campus officials, can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/dukebreakingout.

Recognizing the serious problem of campus sexual violence, Governor McAuliffe established a Task Force on Combatting Campus Sexual Violence in 2014, chaired by Attorney General Mark Herring. The Task Force issued its report in May 2015, with 21 recommendations focused on providing a coordinated and trauma-informed response to survivors of sexual assault, improving campus policies and procedures, and minimizing barriers to reporting.

The 2016 Virginia General Assembly acted swiftly to enact legislation based on many Task Force recommendations, including development of curricula on trauma-informed sexual assault investigations; new requirements for the storage and analysis of Physical Evidence Recovery Kits to assist in the prosecution of sexual assault cases; enhanced information-sharing between universities and local law enforcement agencies; and wider participation by campus officials in Sexual Assault Response Teams, convened by local Commonwealth’s Attorneys.

The Governor’s Task Force also addressed prevention of sexual assault on college campuses, recognizing that education should start in elementary, middle and high school, with a focus on healthy relationships. Such education efforts not only can help prevent sexual assault in college, but also address the reality that middle and high school students also are victims. According to the U.S. Department of Education, one in five female high school students reports being physically harmed and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. It is important to note that male students also are victims of sexual assault in secondary school and college.

In Arlington, much work is being done to promote healthy relationships and prevent sexual assault involving our young people. This includes the Arlington Public Schools (APS) health curriculum taught through tenth grade. In December 2015, APS partnered with PAVE (Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment), a national non-profit, to host a national SafeBAE Summit. SafeBAE (Before Anyone Else) is a national campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault in middle and high schools.

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Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.com.

When following issue discussions in Arlington, it seems that most people understand that federal law is the supreme law of the land and that County actions cannot contravene federal laws pursuant to the “supremacy clause” of the U.S. Constitution.

However, it is not as well known how Arlington’s actions are constrained by state law.

Most states have adopted “home rule” provisions that permit local governments to act in any way that is not specifically precluded by state laws.

By contrast, Virginia adheres closely to the “Dillon Rule” set forth by an Iowa Supreme Court Justice in the 1860s.

The Dillon Rule essentially holds that states hold all governmental power not conferred to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution and that local governments have NO power to act unless given that power by the state.

Virginia courts have concluded that local governments in Virginia have only the powers that are specifically conferred on them by the Virginia General Assembly; those powers that are implied from a specific grant of authority; and those powers that are indispensable to the purposes of government.

Early in the 21st century, the Virginia Supreme Court invoked the Dillon Rule to invalidate Arlington County’s attempt to expand employee health insurance benefits to domestic partners who were then prohibited from marrying under the state constitution.

Why does any of this matter?

Because the General Assembly in Richmond recently concluded a session in which it passed a number of bills that would either set state authority or restrict local self-governance in ways that many Arlingtonians would consider inconsistent with their values.

The only reason these bills are not likely to become law is because Governor McAuliffe has vetoed them and there are not enough General Assembly votes to override those vetoes.

Here are some of the measures that would have become law but for the Governor’s veto (as those bills were described by the Governor):

1) SB41 would shield from civil liability those who actively discriminate against same-sex couples;

2) HB1090 would harm tens of thousands of Virginians who rely on the health care services and programs provided by Planned Parenthood health centers by denying them access to affordable care;

3) HB1371 would prohibit Virginia localities from making their own decisions to improve wage and benefit conditions;

4) HB264 would prohibit local governments from adopting a wage floor for contractors that is higher than state or federal requirements;

5) HB1096 and HB382 would make Virginians less safe by eliminating common sense restrictions on the possession of firearms in or around state office buildings;

6) HB9 would require local registrars to deny voter registration applications submitted by eligible Virginians with non-material omissions;

7) HB298 and SB44 would extend costly and ineffective coal tax credits, while SB 21 would bar Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality from submitting a plan to comply with the EPA’s Clean Power Plan; and

8) HB587 would override the authority of local governments in order to prevent them from deciding whether to remove or alter symbols of the Confederacy.

Most Arlington residents would agree with the Governor’s vetoes. As evidence, in the 2013 gubernatorial election Terry McAuliffe received 76.4% of the two party vote in Arlington – over 33,000 more votes than his opponent Ken Cuccinelli.

Yet Governor McAuliffe’s statewide margin over his opponent was only 56,435 – winning 51.4% of the two party vote compared to Cuccinelli’s 48.6%.

Stated another way, a switch of only 28,218 votes (out of nearly 2.1 million) from McAuliffe to Cuccinelli in 2013 would almost certainly have resulted in all of the bills described above becoming state law.

The power of the veto pen is on display this year. But for Arlingtonians who agree with the Governor, the need to be cognizant of and engaged in state politics, elections, and governing should be apparent.

Larry Roberts is a 30-year resident of Arlington and an attorney in private practice. He chaired two successful statewide campaigns and is a former Chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.com.

By Andrew Schneider

2016 is a year of elections – from the highest office in the land to positions as a Civic Association President in Arlington.

After serving six years as Yorktown Civic Association President, I look forward to the tenure of my elected successor.

Our civic association is located in North Arlington encompassing neighborhoods near Yorktown High School. Within its borders are more than 1,000 households. What did I learn during my tenure? The lessons ranged from the profound (people care!) to the exhausting (this is a lot of work!).

Above all, I learned that running anything is not that easy. Lining up volunteers, writing newsletters, generating community engagement, and scheduling meetings takes time, focus, and attention to detail. Yet, it does lead to interesting opportunities to make a difference — use permits, sidewalk projects, interacting with the County, etc.

I also learned that it’s worth it. The Civic Association provides a voice for County residents at the most fundamental level.

Right before I took office, we were dealing with a major issue in our neighborhood about a restaurant also serving as an after-hours nightclub. The neighborhood activated and the nightclub activity was curbed. Similarly, the Civic Association had been intimately involved in the reconstruction of Yorktown High School, Greenbriar Park, and additions to Marymount University.

Without the Civic Association involvement, basic civic input would have been muted and funneled through more bureaucratic channels.

More recently, Yorktown has been active in helping guide improvements to Chestnut Hills Park (Harrison Street Park), been a founding partner in the Lee Highway Alliance, opposed and worked (to no avail) to prevent the opening of TitleMax, and been engaged in the ongoing conversation about the future of Fire Station 8.

I learned that there are many dedicated County Employees. As President, I engaged with the full gamut of County employees, ranging from Code Enforcement, Law Enforcement, elected officials, and Parks and Recreation staff. Almost invariably, our County employees were responsive, collaborative and dedicated.

We didn’t always agree or get answers as quickly as we wanted, but I believe on the whole we are very well served by County government. One example is the County’s positive response to our efforts to improve conditions and code enforcement at the Garden City Shopping Center.

From that, I also learned that change is hard. My primary goal as President was to work with neighbors, business owners, landlords, and the County on the overall appearance and cleanliness of the Garden City Shopping Center. We have seen improvements. Several new businesses have moved in. But vacancies remain, trash is an ongoing issue, and the parking lot remains difficult to navigate.

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