Audrey Clement

County Board Challengers Urge ‘No’ Vote on Streetcar

By ARLnow.com

The Republican and Green Party candidates for County Board have both released statements calling for the Board to vote “no” on the Columbia Pike streetcar.

The controversial vote is scheduled to take place at tonight’s County Board meeting, which will start at 6:30 p.m.

Republican County Board candidate Matt Wavro and Green Party candidate Audrey Clement — who will be facing Democratic County Board member Libby Garvey in November — both say that the streetcar is a bad idea.

“We should not hamper the ability of our community to continually improve our plans and development decisions by installing an inflexible, impractical and egregiously expensive circulator trolley that many citizens do not want,” Wavro wrote in a statement, released last week. “Instead of a circulator trolley, I would promote and support enhanced bus service from Columbia Pike and Crystal City through Pentagon City and on into Rosslyn.”

In a statement, Clement said she also supported a form of enhanced bus service on the Pike.

“In addition to its exorbitant cost I oppose the Pike trolley because it would induce demand for housing, thus accelerating gentrification of the Pike,” Clement wrote. “I prefer compact double-deck buses, like those that are being introduced into service in London, rather than articulated buses, on the Pike’s congested roadway”

County staff is recommending the Board approve the streetcar plan, saying the streetcar “will best achieve the vision for the Columbia Pike corridor as a vibrant, diverse, and pedestrian and transit oriented community.”

The full statements from Clement and Wavro, after the jump.

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Clement to Run for County Board, Again

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington Green Party is hoping the third time will be the charm for Audrey Clement.

Clement has been nominated as the Green Party’s candidate for County Board in this fall’s election. It’s her third County Board run in a year, after losses in the November 2011 general election and the March 2012 special election.

The Arlington Greens issued the following statement about Clement’s nomination:

The Arlington Green Party officially nominated Audrey Clement as its candidate for the Arlington County Board in the November 6, 2012 general election at its monthly meeting on June 6. Dr. Clement, who qualified for the ballot in April, has run for County Board twice before. She has pledged to make fiscal responsibility and providing for basic needs over big ticket capital spending projects the centerpiece of her campaign.

Ms. Clement said that she will vigorously oppose spending $300 million in Arlington local funds for an ill-designed trolley on Columbia Pike that will only serve to eliminate affordable housing, and waste funds urgently needed for public schools and other county projects.

Audrey is a long time Arlington resident, an IT consultant, and holds a Ph.D. in political science. She has run twice for the Arlington County Board as a Green against Democratic and Republican opponents. She is an avid bicyclist, environmentalist, and mass transit supporter. Her campaign website is: http://audreyclement.org/

The Arlington Green Party has had a candidate for Arlington county board election for the past six years; in 2009, the Green candidate received about 32 percent of the total votes cast.

Low Turnout Could Swing Election Results

By ARLnow.com

All bets are off for today’s County Board special election, as a combination of a third party candidate and historically low voter turnout mean that it’s anybody’s guess who will emerge victorious.

Two out of the past three times the turnout of a County Board special election was below 19,000, a Republican ended up winning. This year, it’s looking unlikely that even 15,000 votes will be cast out of the pool of 122,882 active registered voters in Arlington.

“I think it’s probably going to end up maybe being 10 to 12 percent [turnout], and I may be overestimating that,” Arlington County Registrar Linda Lindberg told ARLnow.com this afternoon. “Usually in a special election we get closer to 20 percent, but I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere near that this time.”

Though past experience would suggest that the low turnout might spell doom for Democratic candidate Libby Garvey, the fact that there’s both a Republican and a fiscally-conservative Green Party candidate in the race makes any attempts at prognostication difficult.

Democrats are hopeful that they’ll be able to rally more voters before the polls close at 7:00 tonight. Privately, they’re also hoping that the “anti-Democrat” vote splits between Republican Mark Kelly and Green candidate Audrey Clement.

Arlington County Democratic Committee Chair Mike Lieberman conceded that turnout is low, but said Democrats are cautiously optimistic.

“We are expecting a bit of an uptick in the afternoon, but it’s certainly going to remain low,” Lieberman said. “It’s hard to predict. When there’s very high turnout, our chances go up. When there’s low turnout, it’s much more of a question mark.”

“Certainly I think we are in for a relatively close election,” Lieberman continued. “We remain optimistic about Libby’s chances despite the low numbers.”

Candidate Essay: Audrey Clement

By ARLnow.com

Earlier this month we asked the three candidates for Arlington County Board to write a sub-750 word essay on why the county’s residents should vote for them during the March 27 special election.

Here is the unedited response from Audrey Clement (I):

I’m eight year resident of Arlington County with a doctorate in Political Science and service as a Congressional Fellow. As a long time Green Party leader and civic activist, I’ve worked hard to promote a better quality of life for Arlington residents. As treasurer of the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation, I filed suit in 2009 to compel VDOT to assess alternatives to piecemeal widening of I-66 westbound. In 2008 I helped to place a referendum on the ballot to consolidate Arlington’s housing programs in one agency to leverage more money for affordable housing. I’ve lobbied to create a year round homeless shelter and ban plastic bags in supermarkets and chain drug stores and Styrofoam in food retail outlets.

I think Arlington needs a change in leadership because County Board doesn’t understand that sustainable growth and so-called “Smart Growth” aren’t the same. As new office towers go up overnight, employers move into the county, spurring demand for housing that drives up rents and real estate assessments and promotes excessive infill development. Nevertheless County Board continues to award developers with more density — 50% more in Crystal City alone. As a result, the supply of affordable housing in this county has been cut by two-thirds in one decade. This isn’t sustainable.

To be sustainable, basic public infrastructure must keep pace with new residential and commercial construction. Sustainability requires the County Board to support not discourage construction of moderate income housing. Otherwise those who move into the County are stuck in a never-ending cycle of tax and rent increases as others are gentrified out. To be sustainable, we need to do more than accumulate LEED points. We need truly energy efficient buildings and on-site renewable energy. To be sustainable, we must appreciate the difference between needs and wants.

  • We don’t need a $50 million aquatic center, when Northern Va. is already drowning in public pools.
  • We don’t need a $250 million trolley when bus service can be upgraded at a fraction of the cost.
  • We may want a cultural center and a black box theater. But we must get the private sector to finance them, not the taxpayers.
  • We may like the already over capacity Taj Mahal high schools recently constructed in this county. But what we need is to expand classroom space at a reasonable cost even if that means building up or renovating rather than building new.

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County Board Candidates Address Homeless Shelter, Accountability at Forum

By Katie Pyzyk

The three candidates for Arlington County Board squared off last night at a forum hosted by the Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights Civic Association. Green Party candidate Audrey Clement, Democrat Libby Garvey and Republican Mark Kelly advanced cases for why they each should get voter support.

Garvey’s main push is for more communication and transparency in government.

“I think we’re having a little trouble keeping our priorities straight. Is it all about education, infrastructure, public safety? Or is it all about Artispheres and street cars and that sort of thing,” Garvey said. “I think we need to be very clear about our priorities and make them our core services.”

Kelly’s focus is on greater fiscal discipline. He’s also interested in getting the current board members to think outside the box.

“They talk a lot about the Arlington Way and including communities. But sometimes when the rubber meets the road, it’s a lot of talk,” said Kelly. “Someone needs to be presenting alternative plans and offering amendments even if they lose.”

Clement touted her fiscal responsibility as well. She distinguishes herself from Kelly by saying their ideologies are different, and cost reduction doesn’t have to mean sacrificing the welfare of residents. She advocates eliminating what she calls wasteful spending projects like Artisphere, the planned Long Bridge Park aquatics and fitness center and the planned Columbia Pike streetcar. She said a bus system would provide the same service at one-fifth the cost of the streetcar’s estimated $250 million dollar price tag.

Kelly also stated opposition to the streetcar project. Garvey, on the other hand, wouldn’t offer a firm opinion on the idea. She did, however, express interest in examining expanded bus service instead. Like other issues raised throughout the night, the streetcar is something she said she “questions.”

“I’m not taking a stand on it right yet, but I have lots of questions about whether it makes sense for the amount of money that we need to put in,” Garvey said.

A topic referred to throughout the forum is the Board green-lighting the purchase of an office building in the Courthouse neighborhood for a homeless shelter. The candidates assert that regardless of whether or not a year-round homeless shelter a good idea, the process for approving the deal was faulty. Garvey, while again stating she has questions about the project, reiterated the need for transparency. She said although the board may have had good reasons for their decision, residents don’t like it.

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Republicans, Greens Buoyant Despite Losses

By Katie Pyzyk

Although Democrats swept the races in Arlington County, that didn’t dampen the spirits of those who cast votes for Republicans and Green Party candidates.

A few dozen die-hard Republicans turned out at Hard Times Cafe in Clarendon for an Arlington County Republican Committee victory party that, in the end, had few victories to celebrate. State Senate candidate Patrick Forrest briefly mingled with the crowd early in the night. He was full of optimism, even as returns showed him steadily behind incumbent Democrat Janet Howell.

“It has been a hard, uphill slog,” Forrest said. “But keep your fingers crossed.”

Forrest said this election made him realize how important it is to employ a good campaign staff. He touted their tireless efforts, particularly in an area where getting people to vote Republican can be challenging.

“I now understand that the candidate is really just a small part of the campaign,” he said.

ACRC Communications Director Jeff Miller said Forrest was great for a first time candidate. Miller believes Forrest and the other Republicans would have received higher numbers if more voters had gone to the polls.

“Turnout figures today are a reminder of how many voters in Arlington don’t pay close attention to state and local politics,” Miller said. “No matter how hard you try, there are just some people you can’t lure in.”

Miller said that Forrest had some great ideas for improving transportation in Northern Virginia, but it didn’t seem to resonate with voters.

Early optimism over the candidacy of Caren Merrick ended with a disappointing defeat. The McLean businesswoman came up short in her state Senate bid, falling to Democratic Arlington County Board member Barbara Favola.

Merrick’s campaign lacked the excitement that some expected, but the mother of two told the Sun Gazette that she fought the good fight.

“I really wanted to run the kind of campaign my children would be proud of,” Merrick said, according to the paper.

Green Party County Board candidate Audrey Clement came in third behind incumbent Democrats Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada. It took her a while to learn of the final numbers, having been more focused on meeting with supporters at Northside Social in Clarendon. Clement said although she’s obviously disappointed with the results, she’s not surprised. She attributes the outcome to voter apathy. Clement believes the average voter is frustrated with the system and blocks out everything related to politics or elections.

“We’re just not going to see success until people stop ignoring the elections and start voting,” Clement said. “Voters are turned off to both Republicans and Democrats, so they punish anyone who might be an alternative.”

Although disappointed, Clement is not discouraged.

“I think eventually people are going to realize the importance of the ballot box,” she said.

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Candidate Essay: Audrey Clement

By ARLnow.com

Last week we asked the three candidates for Arlington County Board to write a sub-750 word essay on why the county’s residents should vote for them on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Two County Board seats are up for election this year.

Here is the unedited response from Audrey Clement (G):

I’m long time resident of Arlington County with a Ph.D. in Political Science. I served as a congressional fellow in the 100th Congress, serving the House Subcommittee on Select Education.  I’m also an environmental activist. As treasurer of the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation, I fought the I-66 Spot Improvement Project as a waste of taxpayer funds, suing instead for an environmental assessment to study alternatives to widening I-66 piecemeal.

I am an officer of both the national and state Green parties. As treasurer of the Arlington Green Party, I participated in campaigns in 2008 and 2009 to consolidate Arlington’s housing programs to leverage more money for affordable housing by placing a countywide housing agency referendum on the ballot. The referendum garnered more than 30 percent of the vote in 2008, but County Board defeated a similar referendum in 2009 by lobbying the state legislature to impose draconian signature requirements on petitions to place future referendums on the ballot.

I’ve also participated in campaigns to create a year round homeless shelter and ban plastic bags in supermarkets and chain drug stores and Styrofoam in food retail outlets. These initiatives are opposed by County Board.

I think Arlington needs a change in leadership because County Board is in bed with developers. As new office towers go up overnight, employers move into the county, spurring demand for housing that drives up rents and real estate assessments and promotes excessive infill development. Nevertheless County Board continues to award developers with more density—50% more in Crystal City alone. Over the past decade the supply of affordable housing in this county has been cut in half, from 24,000 in 2000 to less than 12,000 today.

My opponents Walter Tejada and Mary Hynes call the gentrification of Arlington County “Smart Growth.”  But I ask you, what is smart about recycling moderate income tenants out of the county? What is smart about saddling taxpayers with expensive, risky, debt ridden, vanity projects like the $6.7 million Artisphere, the $130 million Columbia Pike Trolley, and the $65 million Long Bridge Park Aquatic Center–while the county’s infrastructure crumbles? Walter and Mary argue that county homeowners have the lowest tax rate in Northern Va. Yet the Arlington County Civic Federation reports that the County Manager has cooked the books, and county residents actually have the highest tax and fee burden in Northern Va.

Walter and Mary will tell you that Arlington’s growth is “green” and sustainable. The only thing green about it is the dollars that developers pocket. Nearly all indicators of environmental quality in Arlington—energy use, traffic congestion, recycling rates, tree canopy, green space–are trending down. Our county’s recycling rate is no better than the statewide average, a dismal 40 percent, well below the City of Falls Church’s 58 percent. The school system can’t keep up with enrollments; streets need repaving; and the Metro system is packed during rush hour.

If elected I pledge to:

  • Restore full funding for Arlington public libraries.
  • Restore full funding for social services.
  • Retrofit all public buildings with renewable energy.
  • Increase recycling in apartments and businesses.
  • Reduce litter by banning single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam in retail stores and food outlets.
  • Reduce energy costs by providing free residential energy audits for Arlington homeowners.
  • Consolidate housing programs in one agency to leverage more money for affordable housing.
  • Hire an Inspector General to audit the County budget.

By electing me, Arlington residents will guarantee the preservation of their neighborhoods and the conservation of their natural surroundings. That’s the Arlington Way. Vote CLEMENT for County Board on Tuesday, November 8.