We hope you’re on your way to having a fun New Year’s Eve, a relaxing long weekend and a great 2016.
2015 was an eventful year in Arlington and with a changing economy and a new slate of County Board members, 2016 promises to be an interesting 12 months as well.
What are your New Year’s resolutions for Arlington? Feel free to discuss in the comments.
Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
The past year was filled with revealing stories about Arlington and Virginia politics and government. Here are my top five:
5. Republicans retain control of VA State Senate
Democrats and Republicans combined to spend more than $43 million on Virginia State Senate political campaigns in 2015. After all that spending, the partisan breakdown of that legislative body remained exactly the same as before: 21 Republicans and 19 Democrats. Because the Republicans will continue to control the Virginia legislature, Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe will need to reach bi-partisan compromises with Republican legislators to enact critical legislation during the two remaining years of his term.
4. Arlington hires independent auditor
The County Board approved the hiring of an independent auditor. The auditor will report directly to the Board rather than to the County Manager. This initiative was championed by Vihstadt and strongly supported by Garvey. Del. Hope played a key role by obtaining authorizing legislation from Richmond. County Board candidates Dorsey and Cristol also supported this plan. The independent auditor was initially resisted by Fisette, Hynes and Tejada, but Fisette and Hynes ultimately supported the plan.
3. Community facilities challenges continue
Arlington’s Community Facilities Study Group (CFSG) highlighted five pressing challenges:
2. Pace of development remains controversial
As CFSG highlighted, the prospect of 66,300 more Arlington residents by 2040 brought renewed attention to the subset of development that can only occur if our local government acts to enable it. This subset includes changing zoning to permit greater density than now authorized. Many activists — including me — believe we need to step back and re-assess whether, when, where, how and under what terms and conditions local government acts with respect to this aspect of development.
1. Dorsey and Cristol elected to County Board
In 2011, Arlington County Board members included: Zimmerman, Favola, Hynes, Tejada and Fisette. Effective tomorrow, the members are: Garvey, Vihstadt, Dorsey, Cristol and Fisette.
The heavily-Democratic Arlington electorate has spoken clearly that it wants major changes in the ways by which the Board does business and significant changes in some policies and priorities. Dorsey’s and Cristol’s 2015 elections reflected voters’ judgments that they were best able to continue to move Arlington in these new directions.
Conclusion
These stories provide important background for 2016.
By Karen Darner
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.
The following is an adaptation of remarks delivered by Karen Darner at the swearing-in ceremony for incoming County Board members Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey.
Good afternoon, Arlington! I have the honor of sharing with all of you an event that is the culmination of almost a whole year of campaigning by many people to serve on the Arlington County Board.
This year was historic to a certain degree — two first-time members join the County Board on Jan. 1, 2016 — the first time this has happened since 1978.
Here in Arlington, which has been my home for almost 45 years, I have seen come to life almost daily Margaret Mead’s words: “Never believe a few caring people can’t change the world because that’s all who ever have.”
I’ve seen that spirit of caring and community in our neighborhoods, classrooms, community centers, and parks; in our public and private workforces and our volunteers; and in our elected and appointed leaders.
The Arlington Community Foundation says we’re a community of “uncommon values” — and I believe that wholeheartedly.
We have had our difficult times in Arlington. On Jan. 11, almost 13 years ago in this very room, our new County Board Chair Charles “Mickey” Monroe had a mortal stroke as he was responding to a citizen comment. Mickey was stricken while giving back to a community where he was raised, wanting to make Arlington a better place for residents of all ages and for future generations.
Mickey’s favorite song was “Sailing” by Christopher Cross, and the chorus provides a little insight into Mickey’s thoughts about our community: “Sailing takes me away to where I’ve always heard it could be; just a dream and the wind to carry me.”
I believe Charles Monroe would be proud of these two new County Board members. He would hold a dream of all five County Board members working together in 2016 to serve the community they represent and wish for them a little figurative wind at their backs aided by the service of past County Board members. Though we face a changing world, those links between past and present are important to ensuring that Arlington is the kind of place we’ve always heard it could be.
In a few moments, we will hear from our new Board members, Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey. They bring a youthful vigor to their new positions. What impresses me about both Christian and Katie is their fervent desire to work with our residents to identify strengths and weaknesses, joined together with a willingness to invest the time and study to ensure collaborative problem solving. They stand ready to work with their Board colleagues and with Arlington’s residents to move our community forward.
I am impressed that they have learned something that I learned through my Peace Corps work — there isn’t always a right way or a wrong way — it is often enough just to be willing to try things a different way.
It is good to see this room overflowing with people wishing Christian and Katie well.
I am glad that we are joined by so many community leaders and elected officials, from County Board members, to School Board members, to Constitutional officers, to General Assembly members, to senior County and Arlington Public Schools staff.
And we have a special mix of generations participating today. The Star Spangled Banner will be sung by 8th grade Thomas Jefferson student Maya-Ree Loza Munoz, a young woman who is an outstanding student, and is quite busy with theatre and music activities as well as volunteering with low-income family and homeless programs — giving back to her community. In addition to being an English and Spanish speaker, she is learning Chinese, French, and American Sign Language.
Immediately following the Star Spangled Banner, Jordan Dorsey, a second grader at Arlington Traditional School, will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag. Keep in mind that not only is she a voracious reader, but Jordan was elected to her student council the week BEFORE her dad was elected to the Arlington County Board — the first elected Dorsey in Arlington!
Thank you to all of you for your participation in this special event today. May we all be blessed in the New Year and may we all wish our 2016 County Board a successful year ahead.
Karen Darner served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1991 to 2004. In 2009, she received the Arlington Community Foundation’s William T. Newman Jr. Spirit of Community Award in recognition of over 30 years as an active member of numerous community organizations.
The Right Note is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
Tomorrow, the Arlington County Board members will renew the annual tradition of previewing their priorities for the year. Unfortunately, the speeches can often be compared to a New Year’s resolution to go to the gym.
Before the speeches begin, the Board will need to elect a new Chairman. In recent history, the Vice Chairman has moved up to the center chair. But last year, Walter Tejada served in that role before announcing his retirement.
Theoretically, it would be Libby Garvey’s “turn” as she has not chaired the Board in any of her first three full years. But Garvey’s rocky relationship with the Arlington Democrats makes it far from a sure thing, particularly if there is an aspiring challenger waiting in the wings to run in the June primary.
As a fan of the occasional political drama, here’s hoping we have a surprise tomorrow and John Vihstadt is elected Chairman. Think the Democrats would never do it? David Foster pulled it off as a Republican with four other Democrats on the School Board.
What four things can you expect to hear about for sure from the Board?
Spending reform. As the Board wrapped up 2015, Vihstadt and Garvey called for reforms in the closeout spending process where tens of millions is spent with little public input late each year. It is unlikely their desire to change that process has gone away, nor should it.
Reducing the commercial vacancy rate. It may be a new year, but it is the same old story on this subject. The Board pats itself on the back for spending money on economic development, but has done little to change any underlying policies in the county to attract businesses.
Affordable housing. This issue rose to the top as candidates sought to replace Hynes and Tejada. Housing is expensive, and the Board has been unable to do anything to repel market forces in the county. Real estate principles aside, we are likely to hear how optimistic this new Board is on the subject.
School capacity. You cannot run for office in Arlington without talking about how challenging it is to meet the needs of our schools. Yes, our schools are a core function of local government. Yes, we have a capacity problem. But, having nearly $22,000 to spend per child means they are challenges we are able to meet.
Here are two things you shouldn’t hear, but might.
Everything that’s wrong in Arlington is not our fault. This familiar refrain from some on the Board all-too-often blames Washington and Richmond — usually Republicans — for county woes. With two newcomers to the Board, hopefully they will strike a new tone.
We had to/have to make tough choices. Year after year revenues and expenditures rise in Arlington. Our Board does not know what tough choices really look like, unless you count whether to try and spend $80 million on an aquatics center or half-a-billion on a streetcar.
And there is one thing you are unlikely to hear tomorrow.
Your taxes are going down.
New Year’s Eve is only two days away, so presumably you’ve already made plans.
Where are those plans taking you? Many, no doubt, will stay in Arlington — either at home or at a bar, although Virginia ABC laws preventing establishments from offering an open bar puts a damper on the kind of parties one can attend at bars and clubs.
Many will also likely head into the District to take advantage of the myriad NYE parties, although transportation back is always a challenge. Wait for Metro, try to get one of the few available cabs, pay Uber’s top surge price, or designate a driver and try to find parking — the decision isn’t always ideal.
Others may be headed out of town, or headed to other suburban D.C. locales. Which one describes your plans?
Like it or not, Arlington’s Christmas will feel more South Beach than North Pole.
The high temperature today and tomorrow is expected to hover around 70 degrees. In the meantime, cloud cover will make it hard to spot Santa tonight, and Ol’ Saint Nick might want to bring a rain jacket, with storms and flash flooding expected.
A white Christmas is fairly rare in Arlington, and this year is no exception. On any given year, Arlington has around an 11 percent historic probability of having snow on the ground on Dec. 25. Anecdotally, cool and dry seems to describe the most common Christmas Day here.
If it’s not going to be a white Christmas, would you prefer it to be warm like today, but also wet, or cool and dry, as usual?
The weekend is here. And it’s freezing.
The good news, for those who don’t need the Hollywood vision of a white Christmas to make the holiday merry, is that warmth will be returning. Forecasters say a record high temperature of 72 degrees is possible on Christmas Eve.
So think warm thoughts this weekend while you’re wrapping up your holiday shopping, heading to see the new Star Wars movie or out getting an early start on your New Years exercise resolutions.
Also, while we’re at it, we wanted to wish a happy retirement to County Board members Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada. A goodbye party was held for Hynes and Tejada at The Salsa Room on Columbia Pike Thursday. A large crowd was on hand to honor their service to Arlington County.
Agree or disagree with their policies, those who serve on the County Board are dedicated public servants. Board members get paid a part-time salary for what it in actuality a full-time job. And they often have to endure blistering criticism and derision from those they’re trying to serve, all with a smiling face.
This isn’t to say Board members and their policies shouldn’t be immune to criticism from citizens — it’s the interplay between opposing viewpoints that helps make our democracy work. And as the online news outlet of record in Arlington, we do our best to bring the sunlight of public attention to local government actions.
But some seem to mistake policy disagreements with bad intentions, treating local elected officials as if they’re out to “get” them rather than seeing them simply as a fellow resident who’s doing what they think needs to be done to make our community better. Don’t be that guy. Disagree without assuming nefarious intentions.
Let’s face it, in Arlington our local elected officials are Boy Scouts compared to the pols elsewhere in our great country. If anything they may be too concerned with public opinion and the local squeaky wheels, even if the squeaky wheels don’t have the self-awareness to recognize it when they don’t get their exact way.
Feel free to discuss Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada’s record on the County Board, or any issues of local interest in the comments.
Gas prices around Arlington are dropping as the price of crude oil continues to fall.
The price of a gallon of regular gasoline at the BP station, pictured here, has dropped to $1.91 from $1.97 just last month.
It’s tied for second-lowest price in the county, according to GasBuddy.com, with only Arlington Auto Service on Columbia Pike cheaper, at $1.83 per gallon.
With gas prices continuing to drop to levels reminiscent of the 1990s and, more recently, depths of the recession, do you find yourself driving more?
The Right Note is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
This week, the County Board approved its package of priorities for the Virginia General Assembly to address. The report came in at 53 items in total.
Item number one of the entire proposal asked for the ability to levy taxes, including the BPOL tax. This is the tax on the privilege of owning a business based in Arlington. It taxes your gross receipts, not your gross profits. It should be phased out or abolished as soon as possible by Arlington to encourage economic development in the County.
Arlington’s elected leaders also asked for Virginia to start taxing all Internet sales, not just those for which the state can prove a nexus for the seller. The Board also wants the General Assembly to give them the ability to tax the use of plastic bags like D.C. does.
The Board reaffirmed its support for Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. This has been a longstanding priority for Democrats in Virginia, but it is well established that the Republicans in Richmond are not going along with this one any time soon. With the federal government running up the deficit in Washington, it is only a matter of time before the 90 percent share of Medicaid drops precipitously and puts an even greater strain on state budgets.
The controversial topic of immigration was addressed in two items. One asks for in-state tuition for undocumented students. The second opposes mandates on law enforcement officers evaluating immigration status of individuals as a part of routine police activities.
Hopefully, the Board would not oppose giving law enforcement the discretion to inquire on immigration status as part of routine police activities, while they have a person in front of them. That position would be more consistent with the Board’s support for maintaining a database of license plate readings to track all of our movements in the name of public safety and specifically mentioned terrorist watch lists as one of its specific reasons.
The Board wants more money for Metro. It is no question Metro is struggling: ridership is down; fares are up; safety concerns are growing; and infrastructure is not adequately maintained. But, this is not new. WMATA continues to fail when it comes to getting its house in order, which means more money alone is not the answer. It might be more appropriate for any funding offer from Virginia be contingent on real reforms at WMATA, possibly even a private sector takeover.
What was missing from the transportation section? HOT lanes on 395.
Renaming Jefferson Davis Highway did make the list. But, it was the Board’s lowest transportation priority. Most likely, it reflects the reality of the reception it will get in Richmond.
And finally, nonpartisan redistricting is a priority for the Board. While it will probably meet with about as much success as renaming Route 1, it would likely put Arlington all in one Virginia Senate district. It is interesting to note that when the all-Democrat controlled Board was presented the question of whether to allow Arlingtonians to elect Board Members by district, they opposed the effort.
By Mary Rouleau
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.
Two weeks ago, in this space, I articulated what others in the community have been saying: it’s time to craft an Arlington Way 2.0. If nothing else, demographic shifts and the technology explosion support the view that a reboot is timely.
While there has been discussion about and some effort to bring more segments of the community into the dialogue by creating more opportunities for public input, it is not enough. The Arlington Way should also encompass a more effective rollout of studies and policies after they are adopted, including getting basic facts into the community in a timely way.
This is not to advocate for particular decisions or policy directions. The community and its elected representatives will ultimately set directions and make decisions. I am advocating for processes that include early opportunities for broader and more meaningful input together with more intense communication efforts at the back end of decision making processes.
In that way, Arlington can discern views of its residents more accurately and make decisions more promptly as well as more securely. The end goal is building community trust in an environment that differs markedly from the more homogenous Arlington that existed in past generations.
What follows are several thoughts about the overall process, with a particular focus on communications.
First, the Arlington Way for a particular process should include prompt decisions through a schedule, as well as clear and accurate information about where, what and how public input will be sought and used.
Second, we should review our system of charrettes and town halls to better promote inclusion and “community conversations.” We have not had adequate participation or room for deep dive discussions.
We should aggressively reach beyond the civic association structure. We especially need to more fully engage our large millennial population, including involvement on working groups and organizational boards. Leadership Arlington’s Young Professionals Program has grown a pool of candidates.
Third, we still need real-time, in-person give-and-take. While online tools can be helpful supplements, they can be too easily commandeered by those with a preset agenda.
I think the County has been doing a better job at gathering input, yet fuller information flow is still needed.
According to the 2015 County Resident Satisfaction Survey, 75 percent of those polled trust information provided by the County, but satisfaction regarding the effectiveness of County communications and transparency of decision-making declined.
The County has recently created informative and user-friendly portals for the Community Facilities Study, other studies and site plans. We need tools to promote use of those pages — perhaps a “Campaign to Connect” that emphasizes the importance of these portals to decision making.
A changed paradigm for information packaging is needed. Arlington produces thorough reports but few read them. Those reports should be accompanied by highly visual summaries — such as infographics — that are released simultaneously.
My suggestions for disseminating information more effectively include:
The just-completed Community Facilities Study, like the recent housing study, produced a wealth of data about Arlington’s economy, schools and demographics. This data deserves broad public awareness and could be packaged into a series of “101s.”
An improvement of the County’s communications capacity should be a high priority for the newly constituted 2016 County Board and the County Manager.
Given the enormous successes achieved by Arlington and some issues that divided the community despite lengthy processes meant to avoid such divisions, it is important that the County not leave itself open to the impression that it is hiding something or that a particular process is not fair.
A fully informed and engaged public can improve County decisions and do so even with a streamlining of our processes. The County should leave few stones unturned in the effort.
Mary Rouleau is a 25-year resident of Arlington. She is the Executive Director of The Alliance for Housing Solutions. This column reflects her personal views.
Christmas is just over a week away and despite the warm weather, now is the time to really get into the holiday spirit.
Holiday parties are in full swing, holiday cards from friends and loved ones are arriving by the truckload and a potentially record-breaking holiday travel period is upon us.
How are your fellow Arlington residents doing, in terms of embodying the holiday spirit of patience, generosity, positivity and concern for one’s fellow man?
Rank the holiday spirit in Arlington on a scale of 1-5, with five being the most full of holiday cheer.
