candidate essay

Earlier this week, we invited the candidates running in Tuesday’s general election to write a post about why our readers should vote for them. Find information here on how and where to vote in Arlington on Nov. 8.

Below is the unedited response from independent County Board candidate Adam Theo.

As Vice-President of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association, a voting delegate to the Arlington County Civic Federation, and co-founder of the grassroots housing advocacy group YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, my heart is in Arlington’s future prosperity and security.

I am a veteran of the Air Force Reserves as a structural civil engineer with a deployment to eastern Afghanistan. The military taught me the incredibly useful skills of carpentry, welding, masonry, and even some plumbing and electrical work – all very handy for the “civilian world,” too.

I’ve lived both sides of law enforcement: not only as a video producer working alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement officers in their important work towards public safety and homeland security — but also incarcerated in county jail back down in Florida after some troubled teenage years. That was the start of my awakening to the desperate need for criminal justice reform, which became a passion of mine for the rest of my life.

Before moving to Arlington a decade ago, I had been homeless — twice! — including during DC’s Snowmageddon winter 13 years ago, which I spent doing day labor at construction sites, moving furniture, and shoveling snow for various towns and businesses around the region while living out of my car. Today, I do what I can to help others in even worse situations by volunteering with Bridges to Independence — an excellent organization full of great people.

It’s these experiences — unlike any other County Board candidate in our lifetimes — that have made me into the strong-willed and optimistic champion for our future that will always fight for those most in need.

I’m always willing to get my hands dirty. My volunteer and advocacy work extends to organizing trash cleanups and county park adoptions, helping improve the Mount Vernon and W&OD trails, consistently speaking for affordable housing, and being a champion of the controversial “Missing Middle” housing reform — taking hold of that lightning rod despite fierce opposition.

But enough about myself, it’s Arlington that is the most important topic. We deserve an Arlington that is safe, affordable, and accountable. With your help, we will:

• Prioritize Public Safety in our county budget to finally deal with our dangerous roads, flooding, and insufficient mental health programs.
• End the Housing Crisis with an “all of the above” solution that includes lowering property tax rates from historic highs, more townhomes and garden condos with “Missing Middle” housing reform, and doubling our affordable housing investments.
• Bring True Accountability and Reform to our county operations by fully funding the County Auditor’s office, implementing Ranked Choice Voting in local elections, and prying open full transparency from the county government.

I want to earn your support to be your challenger to the establishment and move Arlington forward. My supporters are not the party insiders trying to preserve the status quo, nor are they the selfish interest groups fanning fear about change. My supporters are the activists and outsiders who have a clear vision for our future and the dedication to see it through.

I am endorsed by Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County, both former Young Democrat and former Young Republican leaders, fierce public safety activists, and highly respected advocates for governance reform.

My name is Adam Theo, the independent candidate for Arlington County Board. Find out more about the campaign at the website, donate, and sign up to be a volunteer on election day. Thank you.

Editor’s note: Candidates for local races are invited in advance to submit candidate essays, via contact information ARLnow has on file or publicly-listed contact information on the candidate’s website. Reminders are sent to those who do not submit an essay by the evening before the deadline.

Last week, we invited the two candidates running in the Democratic primary for Congress in Virginia’s 8th District to write a post about why our readers should vote for them on Tuesday (June 21). Find information on how and where to vote in Arlington here.

Here is the unedited response from Victoria Virasingh:

Our democracy is fragile. The only way we can build our democracy back is by ensuring the right to vote, reaching out to every single voter in our community, and bringing new people into the electorate. My campaign has contacted communities all across Virginia’s 8th district to ensure that their priorities, their hopes, and their struggles, many of which I have lived, are represented in Congress. Using my fluency in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian, and my beginning level Amharic and American Sign Language (ASL), I’ve been able to connect with voters directly who have otherwise never been invited to participate in the political process.

There are seismic shifts occurring in the electorate, some of which we saw in Virginia’s last governor’s race. I’ve met voters of all backgrounds and ages who are apathetic, unimpressed, or sorely disappointed by their current Representative. In order to keep Virginia blue, VA-8 needs a leader who people will vote for enthusiastically. They need a leader who listens and who makes them feel seen. My story as the daughter of immigrants is the story of thousands in our community. I am the second woman to ever make it onto the ballot for this race. If elected, I would be the first Latina, Asian American, and woman to ever represent VA-8 in Congress. At 30 years old, I would also be the youngest to do so. Feeling ready for change, people have come out to vote for me who have never voted before! Isn’t this what we want?

In addition to my diverse personal background, I bring professional experience from Congress, the tech industry, and education nonprofits to inform a robust, progressive, and pragmatic policy platform. My top priorities include passing Medicare for All to improve Americans’ access to outcome-driven healthcare and raising the minimum wage to $18/hour to give people working minimum wage jobs a chance at actually living out their American dreams. I am also eager to take bold action to mitigate and adapt to climate change while ensuring a just transition, as well as finally passing stronger legislation to reduce gun violence. I support creating a modernized immigration system that makes it easier for people to become U.S. citizens and making public college tuition 100% tax deductible to help students access college without worry of economic barriers. Our community has come a long way with accessibility, but we need to do even more to be inclusive of VA-8 residents with disabilities. Housing is another huge issue for us — rent control is needed to keep the district welcoming to those who aren’t ready to buy a home. I support women’s rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and increased attention on dismantling systemic racism to advance racial justice. Because of all these issues that matter to the people of VA-8, we also need to get big money out of politics. I haven’t accepted and will not accept any corporate PAC money — I’m running to serve the people.

I was born and raised in Arlington, and now I am ready to bring true leadership to Congress to represent VA-8 and AND FIGHT HARD to shape a future that works for everyone. My campaign is for our future. My campaign is for all of us. I humbly ask for your vote on Election Day, Tuesday, June 21. To learn more and support my campaign, visit victoriaforcongress.com.

Right before the pandemic began, I had the chance to visit P.S. 172 in Brooklyn, New York. P.S. 172 is a public elementary school serving 540 students, 72% of whom are Latinx and 22% of whom are English learners. More than a third are students with disabilities and 81% of the student body receives free or reduced-price meals.

It was one of the most peaceful, purposeful and well-functioning schools I’d ever visited–and over my career in education I’ve visited many.  Among the things I liked:

• There are no “resource rooms” for students with disabilities because of the school’s full inclusion model. Each class is co-taught and push-in services including OT and speech are provided in the regular classroom setting.
• The school’s master schedule is intentionally designed to allow grade-level teams to meet for 90 minutes one morning each week for team-designed and -led professional learning (students attend specials during this block of time). This is above and beyond the common planning time that teachers enjoy 4-5 times each week.
• The school’s Leadership Team is a group of families (50%) and staff (50%), with members rotating off every two years.
• In the school climate survey, 100% of the teachers reported they trust the principal, 95% of teachers reported that they trust each other, and 97% of families responded that the school works hard to build relationships with them.
• The school significantly outperforms more affluent schools on standard measures of academic achievement.

P.S. 172’s building won’t win any awards: on the day I visited with a colleague in December 2019, the old heating system warmed some rooms to 80+ degrees. The furniture was older and the rooms felt small.

But the state of that building mattered so much less than the important and exciting work happening inside it. This was an incredible school that was truly engaging its staff, students and families–and it has the results to show for it.

I’ve visited other places like P.S. 172 and have been really inspired and energized by the ways that many communities are improving their schools. As a member of the Arlington School Board, I’ll bring a fresh perspective, a creative mindset and examples of what’s working elsewhere to strengthen APS.

In Arlington, we’re doing the hard work of reopening our schools and recovering–but I want us to dream bigger and think about reimagining our schools. I want us to have pride of place and know that we are providing a truly transformative, highly relevant and appropriately challenging curriculum to every one of our students. The world doesn’t look like it did 50 years ago and neither should our schools. I’m calling for:

• A bold instructional vision that builds on research, the competencies students will need in their adult lives, and students’ interests and lived experiences.
• Innovative school spaces that capitalize on community assets and expand opportunities for our students.
• Attention to school climate and students’ mental, emotional and physical needs.
• Supporting our staff with competitive pay and more of a voice in decision making.
• Smart approaches to transportation, capital planning and budgeting, and
• An equity mindset in everything we do.

I’m an APS parent and a community volunteer with deep experience in K-12 education, including time as a classroom teacher and a leader with national education nonprofits. It would be my privilege to serve you as the newest member of Arlington’s School Board. To learn more about me and my campaign, please visit www.maryforschoolboard.org or email me at [email protected].

Last week, we invited the three candidates running in the general election for House of Delegates race for the 49th District to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (Nov. 2).

Here is the unedited response from Alfonso Lopez: 

It has been an incredible honor to serve our community in the Virginia House of Delegates for the last ten years. Over that time, I hope you believe, as I do, that our Commonwealth has changed significantly for the better.

When I was first elected by my neighbors and the citizens of the 49^th District, I pledged to be a champion for our values in Richmond. I pledged to fight to improve our schools, protect our environment, increase transportation/transit funding, expand health care, empower small businesses, improve economic development, protect workers, increase job opportunities, protect immigrants and New Americans, create more affordable housing, build our social safety net, pass sensible gun violence prevention measures, and address issues of social and economic justice. Simply put, I promised to work tirelessly to build a Commonwealth that lifts everyone up and leaves no one behind.

Working with my colleagues, I’m proud to say that I’ve kept my promises to you.

When I was first elected, Republicans held the Governor’s mansion, the State Senate, and they had a veto-proof supermajority in the House. During that time, they remained the “Party of NO” regularly defeating efforts to protect the environment, expand health care, protect workers, reform the criminal justice system, support teachers, and pass gun safety measures. Instead, they pushed for radically invasive policies like trans-vaginal ultrasounds, tried to make it easier to ban books in schools, and used the power of the Attorney General’s office to target immigrant communities. This unfortunate list of policy initiatives could go on and on.

Thankfully, Democrats built a coalition of voters across Virginia that recaptured the Governorship and then the General Assembly. And look at the amazing things Virginia Democrats have been able to achieve in just the last few years:

• Expansion of Medicaid, which has provided life-saving medical coverage to over 500,000 Virginians.
• Reproductive Health Protection Act, which repealed decades of restrictions that made it extremely difficult to access abortion care in the Commonwealth.
• Significant criminal justice reforms, including bans on no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and the militarization of local police departments. Virginia became the first Southern state to abolish the death penalty. The General Assembly also passed my legislation empowering the Attorney General to investigate and act against police departments with a history of constitutional rights violations.
• Virginia Clean Economy Act, which has transformed Virginia from one of the worst states on climate change to one of the best and put us on the path to a 100% renewable energy economy.
• Virginia Voting Rights Act, the first of its kind in the South, and major expansions in voter access and early voting opportunities.
• Free community college for low- and middle-income students in high-demand fields, in addition to significant reforms I championed that expanded in-state tuition and college financial aid access to Dreamers.
• Common-sense gun violence prevention measures, like universal background checks and a red-flag law to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who are a threat to themselves or others.

This is just a snapshot of all the ways Virginia Democrats have fought to move the Commonwealth forward and make it a better place for all.

Unfortunately, as opposed to moderating their approach, Virginia Republicans have only further embraced Donald Trump’s far-right message and movement. Indeed, we’ve seen campaign after campaign where Republicans have leaned on racist dog whistles to make their case to Virginians, rather than policies that would benefit us all.

Rest assured, if Virginia Republicans retake control of Richmond they are planning to reverse all of the progress we’ve made. Moreover, they are already planning to push a litany of far-right legislative initiatives, including voting rights limitations and ugly, divisive Texas-style abortion restrictions.

With this in mind, I ask that you vote for Virginia Democrats up and down the ballot. Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala, and Mark Herring need your support to fight Trump-style policies and continue our sensible, progressive reforms in Virginia. Please vote!

Together, let’s keep building a Virginia that lifts everyone up and leaves no one behind.

My name is Alfonso Lopez and I ask for your support and VOTE on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2nd. www.AlfonsoLopez.org

Last week, we invited the three candidates running in the general election for House of Delegates race for the 49th District to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (Nov. 2).

Here is the unedited response from Tim Kilcullen:

I am a lifelong populist activist, having worked on campaigns across the country advocating for individual liberties, responsible governance, and tax relief for working families. I never saw myself as someone who would run for office myself, but this changed after I fell in love with the friendly, welcoming, and diverse community of Crystal City. Our home is under attack by the Amazon corporation, and it is time that we fight back.

While they were hiking your taxes, Northam’s Legislature gave Amazon $750 million in tax credit subsidies to erect their hideous, traffic-clogging HQ2 in Crystal City. Construction on the taxpayer-funded monstrosity has continued even as our local businesses were subjected to arbitrary lockdowns and crushing “covid” regulations.

We have already seen how the Amazon corporation rewarded this generosity. It censored anti-lockdown writers, because the counterproductive closures and stay-at-home orders were making it rich. It silenced President Trump across its numerous platforms, because it knew his tax reform and pro-America, anti-Red China trade policy empowered its competition. It slandered American patriots with its unlicensed, unregistered superpac, The Washington Post. It resorted to bribery to try to secure the Pentagon JEDI contract. It ignored every campaign finance and antitrust regulation Virginia businesses followed, and it blatantly exploited and abused its workers.

Now, most disturbingly, Amazon is imposing its left-wing agenda on our education system. This year, it ‘donated’ a critical race theory curriculum to Arlington Public Schools, even paying to distribute a book by noted hate-leader Ibram X. Kendi.

Terry McAuliffe, who boasts “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” is thrilled to see Amazon push its Seattle values on Crystal City. I am certain that there are many Dem leaders in Richmond who are secretly terrified at his idea of remaking Virginia in the dystopian vision of Jeff Bezos, but they are too scared to speak. This is wrong. There are numerous solutions the next Virginia governor and Legislature should take to ensure our Commonwealth works for everyone.

First, legislators should work to pass a common carrier law for digital platforms like AWS, Amazon marketplace, and Amazon Twitch. This means so long as tech companies claim immunity from liability and disclosure requirements, they will have to respect the Fourteenth Amendment and stop silencing dissident voices.

Next, the Commonwealth can ban all future lockdowns and covid restrictions from being imposed, be it from Richmond or at the municipal level. These regulations were presented as necessary for public health, but were simply a redistribution of wealth from our communities to West Coast tech moguls.

Furthermore, Virginia can and should ban critical race theory from poisoning our public schools. Bigotry, socialism, and anti-American hate have no place in modern education.

Finally, we need a tax code that treats Virginian families and Virginian businesses with the same respect given to Amazon. This begins by forcing Amazon to repay the $750 million it stole.

Please take a stand against Amazon’s agenda when voting in this critical election. We can take Virginia back!

For more information on my platform, please visit kilcullenforvirginia.com or email me at [email protected].

Last week, we invited the two candidates running in the general election for House of Delegates race for the 47th District to write a post about why our readers should vote for them next Tuesday (Nov. 2).

Here is the unedited response from Patrick Hope:

It has been a privilege serving as Delegate to the 47th District, representing Arlington since 2010 and I would be honored to continue serving the people of this District.

As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is so much opportunity to build on the results Democrats have delivered over the last two years. In particular, I’m greatly concerned about the increase in mental illness and substance abuse. We need to significantly increase funding for community-based services to prevent children and adults from going into crisis.

Likewise, we’ve seen the devastating impact this pandemic has had on the residents of nursing homes, assisted living, and other congregate living settings. We are having a workforce shortage in all these areas like we have never seen before and we need to begin to make investments in our public and private insurance infrastructure to take care of our most vulnerable residents – the elderly and people with mental and physical disabilities.

As Chair of the House Public Safety Committee, I have overseen the passage of legislation requiring background checks, extreme risk protective orders, reinstituting the one-handgun-a-month law, and prohibiting firearms in public buildings, polling places, and the Virginia Capitol.

I believe we have a moral obligation to make our society a better and more inclusive place. It is who I am at my core. As Hubert Humphrey said “the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life–the sick, the needy and the handicapped”. I believe the government can and should take care of those most in need and as long as I represent the people of Arlington, I will continue to make good on this belief.

Maintaining our House Democratic majority and electing Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala, and Mark Herring, is the only way Virginia can continue to move forward. We can continue to lead the nation in tackling gun violence, protecting our environment, bringing clean energy jobs to our state, investing in our teachers and our children and so much more – but only if we go out and VOTE.

As your Delegate, I am proud of the progress we’ve made over the last two years, and I know that we have so much more work to do together. I sincerely hope to earn your vote on Tuesday, November 2nd. For more information or to contact my office, please visit my website at www.HopeforVirginia.org and visit iwillvote.com to find your polling place.