Opinion | ARLnow.com

Candidate Essay: Greg Greeley

Published May 14, 2014 at 3:30PM

Last week we asked the three Arlington School Board candidates who are seeking the Democratic endorsement to write a sub-750 word essay on why our readers should vote for them in the endorsement caucus on May 15 and 17.

Here is the unedited response from Greg Greeley:

Over coffees and breakfasts, and outside the more than 1,000 doors I’ve knocked on since December, I’ve had great conversations about how to make our good schools even better. It’s been a chance to listen and learn and to share my own vision for our schools.

I’m so grateful to have earned the support of Sally Baird, Karen Darner, Ingrid Morroy, Patrick Hope, Adam Ebbin and so many other community leaders. The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Past PTA Presidents from across Arlington have endorsed me, as have even the Wakefield High School Young Democrats. Now I’m asking you for your support. I hope you will agree that I am the best choice to serve on the Arlington School Board right now.

Why should you vote for me? Here are four reasons:

I’m the only candidate who lives in South Arlington. A 27-year resident of Columbia Pike, my son attended Randolph Elementary School, a Title 1 school that has struggled to meet the needs of its diverse learners. There I worked closely with families, staff, school administration, and neighbors to build a stronger neighborhood school. My son now attends Jefferson Middle School and will attend Wakefield High School. With a perspective shaped by my experience in South Arlington schools, I will bring a critical balance to the School Board. I will work to meet the needs of all school communities.

I’m the only candidate working on our school system’s crowding problem. As a member of the Arlington Public Schools (APS) Facilities Advisory Council (FAC) and chair of its Projections and Capacity Subcommittee, I have been immersed in the most critical issue facing our school system–our capacity crisis. Over 7,000 additional students will enter APS in the next decade. I am already working to ensure that APS provides sufficient resources to meet the needs of all our children in the best way possible. I am also working to ensure that our solutions are constructive and positive, serving the needs of all students. The School Board named me an “Honored Citizen” for my service to our public schools on this important issue.

I am the only candidate with more than 25 years of professional leadership experience. An Air Force veteran and business professional, I have managed budgets and staff and know how to address our community’s needs in fiscally responsible ways. Working with the County Board (which funds our schools), I will guarantee that we plan smartly, use our resources wisely, and ensure our school system’s current and future needs are met.

Finally, I am the only candidate who is the parent of an English language learner. As a foster parent and the parent of an English language learner who is now a Dream Project scholar, I know we can do better for our kids with special needs. We must serve all of our children with special needs, be they students with language and ability needs or students with gifted needs. I will work to ensure that all of our learners with special needs get the early intervention and consistent, effective support they need to succeed in school and in life.

To learn more, please visit my campaign web site at www.gregreeley.com. Thank you for your support on May 15th or 17th!

Candidate Essay: Barbara Kanninen

By ARLnow.com

Published May 14, 2014 at 3:00PM

Here is the unedited response from Barbara Kanninen:

I am Barbara Kanninen, and I am running for Arlington County School Board because I believe that together we can make Arlington Public Schools the best that they can be.

We’re facing complicated issues that span many dimensions–from budgeting and meeting capacity needs to optimizing classroom instruction–and I bring an equally expansive set of experiences to the table. I have volunteered in schools and worked with children in Arlington and DC for over 20 years.

I have served on School Board and County Board advisory committees, and I’m a professional economist, children’s book author, and long-time Democratic activist. These experiences have given me a deep familiarity with data analysis, hundreds of hours with kids and teachers in classrooms, and a history of working at the community level on grassroots organizing and engagement.

Here are my priorities for our schools:

Promote critical thinking over standardized testing. I believe our kids spend too much time in class prepping for and taking tests, and teachers have told me they feel this way too. We need to take a hard look at the testing schedule and process to see which tests are essential to classroom learning.

Tackle overcrowding with strong leadership and constructive community engagement. As we work to catch up with the growth in our school population, we need to create a long-term plan that considers instructional needs and programs first. We need to work closely with citizens and the County Board to bring a whole-community mindset to the issue, and we must maintain flexibility so that we can adapt, over time, to our changing population and needs.

Give teachers the support they deserve. To create an environment in which every child can excel, teachers need support and resources. They also need the flexibility to adjust their teaching approach and pacing to their students’ needs as well as avenues for providing feedback to school principals and county administrators.

Support children with mentors. An adult mentor is a developmental asset that contributes to kids’ problem solving, self-esteem, and achievement. I’d like every student in Arlington to know that there is at least one adult in school who knows them, whom they can go to with problems, and who believes in them, exactly as they are.

Continue investing in the arts and strengthen STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs.  We should strengthen STEM skills through, for example, more hands-on science programs in all elementary schools and more accessible STEM programs across all schools, including the Arlington Career Center. At the same time, students need opportunities to express themselves creatively, so we need to give students at all levels access to a variety of art forms.

Be budget-minded by prioritizing funding for teachers and classroom learning. In this time of tight budgets, we need to be both disciplined and principled about spending decisions. My number-one principle is the need to focus on the day-to-day classroom experience and teacher-student relationships, so my budget priorities will be teachers and the resources they need.

Our schools are important to all of us, whether we are parents, teachers, homeowners, or citizens who want to live in a community that values education. Collectively, we have the energy, the brains, and the will to do great things for our kids and our community. I’m excited about the possibilities, and I would be honored to have your vote.

You can vote on either Thursday, May 15th from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. at Drew Model School (3500 23rd Street South) or Saturday, May 17th from 11:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. at Washington-Lee High School (1301 North Stafford Street).

Candidate Essay: Nancy Van Doren

By ARLnow.com

Published May 14, 2014 at 2:30PM

Here is the unedited response from Nancy Van Doren:

Arlington Public Schools are at a critical juncture: We must continue to improve educational outcomes for all our students while also finding space for over 700 new students each year. This challenge requires a leader who has a deep understanding of our students and schools. I am that leader. I ask for your support and vote on May 15 and 17 at the Democratic School Board endorsement caucus.

For the last decade I have dedicated myself to working with scores of parents, students, and teachers across Arlington to ensure APS is responsive to individual student needs. I am the only candidate with such extensive experience at the operational level in our schools. I am also the only candidate with hands-on experience at the school and system level in multiple areas, including facilities improvement, transportation, instruction, special education, family engagement and diversity. I am also fluent in Spanish and helped to found the Arlington Latino Network. This experience and knowledge is essential to ensure student, parent and teacher voices are heard at the Board table while critical decisions are made related to facilities and student achievement.

I work collaboratively and build coalitions to fix problems and find solutions. This track record of “getting the job done” is my hallmark. For example, as Jefferson Middle School PTA President, I worked with civic associations, feeder schools, parents, and staff to get Jefferson and its playing fields renovated cost-effectively; I also ensured families from all backgrounds were supported and welcomed in school. I lead the effort and successfully secured Jefferson’s designation as a County-wide school, which enables students from across Arlington to attend the school and receive bus service.

When APS disrupted its transportation system, I stepped up, served on the Multi-Modal Transportation Committee, and worked to issue recommendations to get students safely to school. I lead the successful effort to obtain school bus service to dozens of students along the Columbia Pike Corridor attending Kenmore and Jefferson Middle Schools.

As Chair of the Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee, I spearheaded an effort to have special needs services evaluated, resulting in a blueprint for improved services and instruction. I also created support groups for families and advocated on their behalf, ensuring students got what they needed to succeed in school.
These concrete accomplishments in leadership positions over the past ten years at the school and county level set me apart from the other candidates.

I am education advocate with extensive business and international experience. I spent 12 years in the private sector with Connecticut National Bank, The Travelers Companies, The Hartford Courant and Newsday. I am fluent in Spanish and lived in Nicaragua and Spain. I spent eight years overseas with my husband Jack Zetkulic, a Foreign Service Officer, and my family living in Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland. For the last decade, my family and I have lived in Ashton Heights and my children attend Jefferson Middle School and W-L High School). I served on and/or Chaired the following Committees in APS: Multi-Modal Student Safety Special Services Committee, Arlington Career Center Parent Advisory Committee, Family and Community Engagement Working Group, Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee, ADHD Task Force, Advisory Council on Instruction, County Council of PTAs, Jefferson Middle School PTA President, Washington-Lee Crew Boosters and Fundraising, Arlington Latino Network (Founding Member), ArlingtonADHD and ArlingtonReading Parent Support Groups (Founder).

To read more about my candidacy, please visit my website www.nancyvandoren.org. I can also be found on Facebook at Nancy Van Doren for School Board.

Morning Poll: New Pike Bus Stop Cost

By ARLnow.com

Published May 12, 2014 at 10:20AM

Last week, Arlington County revealed the new design for its enhanced transit stops along Columbia Pike.

The new stops cost between $362,000 and $672,000, depending on size. They will serve riders of buses and — eventually, as currently planned — streetcars with a large, angled canopy, concrete seats and an electronic real-time arrival display.

The cost of the stops has been significantly reduced since the county put a halt to the “Super Stop” design that resulted in the infamous $1 million bus stop at the corner of the Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive.

Are the new “transit centers,” in your view, worth the cost?

Letter to the Editor: Relocate H-B Woodlawn

By ARLnow.com

Published May 10, 2014 at 12:30PM

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Taylor Elementary School parents Danielle and Greg Maurer.

The APS option to create a large, 1,300 seat, 8 story “urban middle school” in Rosslyn is deeply concerning. The School Board should not approve this proposal without appropriate analyses. An enormous new middle school in an area with the fewest middle school aged students makes little sense. Studies have not been done to determine of the cost of this proposal, or how it would compare to the other two options.

Alternatively, the option of returning Stratford [the building that’s currently home to the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program -ed.] to a neighborhood middle school adheres to the county’s “smart growth” principles and serves the needs of the greatest number of students. Stratford was a neighborhood middle school for 25 years. Stratford is geographically appropriate in terms of where students live; maximizing student quality of life while minimizing transportation costs. The majority of students (approx. 75%) attending middle school at Stratford would be within the walking radius of the school. This decreases transportation costs and likely results in less vehicle traffic in the nearby neighborhood.

Arlington County is already congested, especially in Rosslyn. It’s unclear how decreasing green space in Arlington is a preferred option (the Rosslyn facility would require recreational space on the top of the building to provide “green space”). The Stratford Campus can be better utilized. There are approximately 650 students in the formerly 1,200 seat building. Additionally, this proposal can be partially implemented now, immediately relieving the overcrowding at Williamsburg and Swanson.

The most logical option before the Board is to return Stratford to its original purpose and relocate the H-B Woodlawn program to a site more suited to its desired size.

To submit a letter to the editor, please email it to [email protected]. Letters to the editor may be edited for content and brevity.

The Right Note: Two More Dems Break Rank on Trolley

By Mark Kelly

Published May 8, 2014 at 2:00PM

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.

News came out yesterday that Treasurer Frank O’Leary and Commissioner of the Revenue Ingrid Morroy joined Patrick Hope and Alan Howze in calling for a referendum on the Columbia Pike trolley.

Hope and Howze are trying to get attention in races for this year. Hope is looking for an advantage in a crowded June congressional primary. And Howze is trying to regain footing after his blowout special election loss one month ago.

Both Hope and Howze say they still support the project. They claim that if Arlingtonians only knew more about the benefits of the trolley, they would vote for it in a referendum.

Herein lies the problem with the tepid support for a referendum from Howze and Hope. People do not support the project, and already know plenty about it to make an informed vote.

The $1 million bus stop is a precursor for the trolley stops. That is why the pricey, open air, will probably not keep you dry in the rain even with the new design, structures are being built. The fact that the price will drop by half is of little consolation to Arlingtonians. We are still left to wonder why it costs so much to build so little. And, we rightly question the wisdom of building a fixed rail system to what could ultimately cost half a billion dollars and do nothing to improve traffic conditions along the corridor.

If the County Board puts the Columbia Pike trolley, in a straight up or down fashion, on the ballot this fall, voters will almost certainly reject it. And, voters would almost certainly reject any candidate for County Board who actively campaigns for it.

Morroy and O’Leary are more interesting case studies as they have suddenly gone public on a referendum. Many believe this is O’Leary’s last term in office, and Morroy is not up for election again until the fall of 2015.

Best guess is that they have both long held doubts about the wisdom of spending taxpayer dollars on the project. Now that two other elected Democrats broke the ice, the two officials who are caretakers of our public funds here in Arlington have the political cover to take a position counter to the slim pro-trolley majority on the Board.

In the final analysis, most of those who track the trolley believe the Board has no intention to fund the project with general obligation bonds. If so, the Board can move forward without a public vote. A referendum then, would be on a token amount of money and would hold no real power to stop the project. Only the fear of public backlash at the ballot box in future elections would stop the Board from moving forward.

After April 8, it is now a very real fear. And, it is starting to show.

Mark Kelly is a former Arlington GOP Chairman and two-time Republican candidate for Arlington County Board.

#The Right Note

Progressive Voice: The Accountability Effect

By Nancy Iacomini

Published May 8, 2014 at 1:00PM

Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. It is written by a rotating group of contributors. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

We seem, unfortunately, to live in a world of sound bite politics.

In that world, there are repeated references to “million dollar bus stops” that are supposedly part of a pattern of unrestrained spending and fiscal irresponsibility.

Arlingtonians actually live in a County that has been one of the very few jurisdictions across the country to maintain Aaa/AAA bond ratings from all three major credit rating agencies every year for over a decade.

Moody’s has noted that “The Aaa rating reflects the county’s strong long-term credit characteristics including a sizeable and affluent tax base, stable and carefully-managed financial operations with sound reserves, and moderate debt position with manageable future borrowing needs…”

While carefully-managed financial operations and fiscal accountability do not eliminate mistakes, they do mean that mistakes can be addressed promptly and aggressively.

Such is the case with the transit stations along Columbia Pike.

The initial implementation of the transit stop project did not meet County expectations. Long before the 2014 election cycle began, it became clear that the prototype being managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency (WMATA) cost too much, was not built quickly enough, and had design problems.

A shelter that did not keep out the rain is clearly not what the County had in mind. As a result, in March 2013, the County stepped in to halt the project.

This week, the County has made changes to the project that cut costs by approximately 40 percent — well below similar enhanced bus and streetcar systems around the country. The County listened to its residents and not only cut costs but made citizen-recommended design improvements. The transit stations will have better seating, provide better cover from the elements and have better access. To provide additional accountability, the County will take over management of the project from WMATA.

Equally important, the community’s vision of transforming Columbia Pike from a deteriorating suburban commercial corridor (as was Wilson Blvd years ago) into a walkable Main Street, as detailed in the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan, remains intact. The redesigned transit stations will provide the accessibility, comfort and technology to accommodate daily ridership that will grow from 17,000 riders to over 40,000 — in what is and will continue to be the heaviest-traveled bus corridor in Virginia.

The upgraded transit stations, similar to those used in most modern surface transit systems, provide for ticket purchases that allow for faster and easier boarding. They show arrival times, giving riders a greater sense of predictability that in turn increases use of transit. They make it easier for new residents and tourists to access the system, and they are touchstones that give pedestrians and riders that they are getting on and off at the correct, well-defined locations.

In addition, upgraded stations support corridor redevelopment that will allow people to move around more efficiently, create jobs, protect the character of surrounding neighborhoods, preserve affordable housing, and generate tax revenues that will fund core County-wide priorities including schools, human services, and public safety.

The new transit station design retains many of the positive features from the prototype while incorporating aspects that will allow the stations to function better for users, to be built more quickly at less cost (and at a lower cost than similar stations in Hampton Roads, Charlotte and Grand Rapids), and maintain flexibility for future expansion if needed. (more…)

#Progressive Voice

Peter’s Take: For Virginia DREAMers, Partisanship Should Take a Back Seat

By Peter Rousselot

Published May 8, 2014 at 12:30PM

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.

In early January, I wrote a column about bipartisan legislation (the Virginia Dream Act) introduced by Arlington Del. Alfonso Lopez (D) and Fairfax De. Tom Rust (R). If enacted, their bill would have granted certain Virginia students whose parents are undocumented the right to attend Virginia colleges at in-state tuition rates. Their proposed legislation failed to pass.

Last week brought a flurry of partisan charges and counter charges about a legal advisory opinion issued by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring. Herring concluded that even under current Virginia law, some Virginia students who are lawfully present in the United States under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program qualify for in-state college tuition rates.

Herring’s legal opinion generated a storm of controversy over such issues as whether Herring:

as Virginia’s Attorney General, has the authority to do this,
should have waited for Virginia to pass a new law on this subject,
is the left’s answer to Ken Cuccinelli, or
did this in an effort to help him win the Democratic nomination for governor in 2017.

The students themselves have been lost in these fusillades of partisan sniping. Here are some of them:

Rodrigo Balderrama

Rodrigo is a senior at Wakefield High School in Arlington. He was born in Argentina, and came to the United States at the age of 6 with his mother and grandmother. They lacked proper documentation. Rodrigo has been admitted to the University of Virginia, but cannot afford in-state tuition.

Mauricio Segovia Pacheco

Mauricio was brought to Virginia when he was 4 years old. His parents, a cook and a waitress, are undocumented immigrants from Ecuador. Mauricio graduated with a 4.6 GPA from Lake Braddock H.S. in Fairfax, and was admitted to UVA. He can’t afford to attend UVA if he has to pay the out-of-state tuition rate.

Jung Bin Cho

Jung Bin Cho emigrated with his parents from South Korea in 2001 on visas that turned out to be invalid. His family never obtained proper immigration papers. After graduating from high school in Springfield, where he played football and dreamed of a high-tech career, he was admitted to Virginia Tech. However, he is ineligible for in-state tuition and cannot afford out-of-state tuition rates.

Rodrigo Balderrama, Mauricio Segovia Pacheco, and Jung Bin Cho are entirely innocent bystanders who are watching while too many partisan adults fight over whether they are entitled to attend Virginia colleges on the same financial terms as other in-state Virginia students.

It’s time to show them some compassion, set aside our partisan differences, and find a solution to this inequity.

Peter Rousselot is a former member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia and former chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

#Peter's Take

Letter to the Editor: Proposed Cuts to APS Autism Program

By ARLnow.com

Published May 3, 2014 at 12:00PM

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Gordon Whitman and Julia Paley, parents of two 7th graders at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington.

As parents of a seventh grader with Autism, we have had to fight from day one to get our son what he needs. He is intellectually gifted, but struggles to meet the social and behavioral expectations in typical classrooms.

We thought middle school would be especially hard, but his last two years at Thomas Jefferson Middle School have been some of his best school years ever.

The main reason is Arlington’s model Secondary School Autism program. Experienced teachers who understand Autism teach my son, and 57 other students in four schools, social skills during their elective periods. And well-trained aides support them in regular classrooms so that they can learn all of the major subjects alongside peers who are not in special education.

The program has been a godsend for us and many other parents. So we were shocked to learn three weeks ago that Superintendent Patrick Murphy had proposed cutting seven staff members from the program. The $271,000 in cuts would reduce the number of assistants from twelve (12) to five (5), fundamentally undermining the program. This is a 60 percent cut in in-class services (at Thomas Jefferson MS, HB Woodlawn MS and HS, Yorktown HS and Washington and Lee HS).

A research firm hired by the district in 2013 rated the Secondary School Autism program as one of the top four special education programs in Arlington. Unfortunately, the administrators who worked with parents and teachers to create the program in 2009 have since left, and no one currently in leadership at the school district seems to understand or support the program.

The 2013 study found that most regular classroom teachers do not receive training on how to accommodate and assist students with Autism. The Autism assistants are trained specifically for this and they make it possible for our children to learn in the least restrictive environment, the goal of special education. The assistants anticipate, intervene in, and mitigate potential issues before they become problems.

We want our son to live an independent and successful life, and programs like this make that possible. Indeed, all students, with or without disabilities, benefit from increased attention and the expertise of the staff, and from having their peers with special needs well-supported in regular mainstream classrooms.

With the number of children being diagnosed with Autism rising, this is a time to be expanding, not cutting, successful programs.

The cuts to special education reflect the wrong priorities. The School Board is proposing to increase spending on central office expenses, buy iPads for second graders, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on new public relations contracts and parent engagement. Our message is to prioritize spending that goes directly to engaging our students.

(more…)

Peter’s Take: Promises and Pitfalls of the Wilson School Decision

By Peter Rousselot

Published May 1, 2014 at 2:00PM

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.

Last week, a joint press release from Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools brought welcome news: APS has decided to retain its Wilson elementary school property in Rosslyn for possible redevelopment as a new secondary school.

The decision regarding the Wilson School site holds promise because it is smart and was announced collaboratively. Pitfalls lie ahead because this is only one of many decisions still to be made relating to school overcrowding.

BACKGROUND

Since 2006, APS enrollment has grown by more than 4,850 students, or 26 percent, reaching a current level of 23,717 students. By 2023, APS enrollment is projected to exceed 30,000 students, a 63 percent increase since 2006.

APS is in the midst of developing various alternative options for the capital spending that will be required to address this enormous enrollment growth. While final capital spending estimates remain to be published, it is a safe bet that this will involve spending hundreds of millions of dollars raised by selling a series of bonds over the next ten years.

WHAT’S NEXT

Capital spending to address school overcrowding must be a top priority for both Arlington County and APS. But, it cannot be a top priority unless the County Board’s current spending priorities are changed to focus on core services.

The rosy environment of 2000-2006, in which money was pouring in over Arlington’s transom, and County Board members hatched unwise capital projects like the Aquatics Center and the Columbia Pike streetcar, is barely visible in Arlington’s rear view mirror.

We face a starkly different environment in which APS enrollment is projected to increase 63 percent from 2006 levels, while commercial office vacancy rates hover near 20 percent. We cannot address this new environment simply by paying lip service to the proposition that spending on schools is “a priority.” In order to provide the money to make schools a priority in a fiscally responsible way, we must acknowledge that some capital projects need to be dropped or deferred.

If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.

THE VIHSTADT EFFECT

In the comments section to ARLnow.com’s story on the Wilson School decision, there was a debate about the extent to which John Vihstadt’s election might have influenced that decision. There is a more important point here. Vihstadt has a remarkably deep civic résumé documenting his involvement in both County and schools issues over a 30-year period. Vihstadt campaigned on a platform of breaking down the silos between the County and the schools, and concentrating our spending on core services like schools.

Vihstadt is in a unique position to bring a fresh perspective to the many school overcrowding challenges that lie ahead. He can help the County and APS to address those issues collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes.

Peter Rousselot is a former member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia and former chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

#Peter's Take

The Right Note: Making It Up As They Go Along

By Mark Kelly

Published May 1, 2014 at 1:30PM

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.

One thing we seem to agree on as Americans these days, we are wary of the actions elected officials are taking.

When the president said he would ignore Congress and take action via “phone and pen,” he did little to bolster our faith in our elected officials to follow the rules. It certainly did not boost his job approval rating either. In national polls, Americans are consistently giving President Obama marks in the low 40s.

Here in Virginia, we are starting to see a similar approach to governing.

On the Virginia Attorney General’s website, it clearly states that it is Attorney General Mark Herring’s job to defend the constitutionality of state laws when they are challenged in court. And, he swore an oath of office to defend the Constitution of Virginia.

Since taking office in January, however, General Herring has twice decided to ignore his sworn duty and not defend or enforce Virginia law. Herring’s actions on the marriage provision in our Virginia Constitution or the law prohibiting in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants should give us all pause. Ends justifying the means is a dangerous precedent when the next Attorney General may have different priorities.

At the same time, rumors are swirling that if Gov. Terry McAuliffe does not get his way on Medicaid expansion in the budget fight, that he will try to implement it through his executive powers. A stroke of the pen, and he could simply ignore the legislative branch some speculate.

Herring, based on his track record to date, would almost certainly back McAuliffe’s play were the governor to make it. McAuliffe and Herring would presumably then dare the legislature to try and overturn an executive order. Let’s hope, however, that the rumored executive order route is merely conjecture, or a tactic to try and get Republicans to the negotiating table on Medicaid.

The election of the Attorney General or Governor cannot overturn the results of all other elections. We elect a legislature to pass laws. We have a state constitution and a process for the voters to amend it. Lawmaking by “phone and pen” is wrong in Washington, and it is wrong for Virginia.

Mark Kelly is a former Arlington GOP Chairman and two-time Republican candidate for Arlington County Board.

#The Right Note

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