change-of-government

Petition Opponents Call for Signature Submission

By ARLnow.com

The Coalition for Arlington Good Government (CAGG), formed to actively oppose a proposed change in Arlington County’s form of government, is calling on supporters of the change-of-government referendum to submit the signatures they have gathered early.

Citing an ARLnow.com story in which a volunteer signature-gatherer commented that supporters have already gathered the necessary 14,350 signatures, CAGG co-chair Alan Howze wrote:

In the interest of good government and transparency, we call upon the referendum proponents to immediately submit the petitions that they have collected to Arlington’s Voter Registrar for review. Submitting the signatures now will not change the outcome, but further delays by referendum supporters in submitting petition signatures will impose additional expenses on Arlington taxpayers for overtime labor.

An earlier article by the Sun Gazette revealed that submitting all the signatures at once at the July 15 deadline could result in delays and extra expense for the county.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s Pride Week In Arlington — June 7-13 is Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Week in Arlington. County Board Chairman Jay Fisette, Virginia’s first openly gay elected official, signed the proclamation on Wednesday. Arlington’s pride week is timed to coincide with the larger Capital Pride Week. An Arlington “Pride Social” will be held at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant (555 South 23rd Street) from 6:00 to 9:00 Friday night.

AGLA Board: “Decline to Sign” — The Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance is urging supporters to “decline to sign” the hotly-debated change-of-government petition. The AGLA and other petition critics say a change in the county’s form of government would, as a result of the Dillon Rule, eliminate Arlington’s ability to stop discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Chick-Fil-A Debuts Spicy Chicken Sandwich — Today the Chick-fil-A at Ballston Common Mall is debuting the chain’s new spicy chicken sandwich. A store rep says more than 900 mall-goers attended “VIP Premiere Tastings” for the new sandwich last week.  On a related note, there’s still word on when the new Crystal City Chick-fil-A will be opening.

Carpoolers Peeved by HOT Lanes — Some Prince William County carpoolers are objecting to the idea of motorists being able to pay for access to the high-occupancy lanes along I-395, saying it would slow down their commute, according to Uriah Kiser of InsideNoVA. Arlington County has filed suit against the I-395 HOT lanes plan, which would convert the existing two HOV lanes into three High Occupancy Toll lanes.

Flickr pool photo by Todor Kamenov.

Professional Signature Collectors Come to Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Update on 6/6 — An insider confirms to ARLnow.com that paid signature gatherers have been supporting the change-of-government petition drive for the past several weeks. The insider says that using full-time signature gatherers is not uncommon in politics and is necessary due to the large number of signatures (14,350) required to get the issue on the ballot.

It looks like change-of-government supporters may be bringing in some hired guns to help with the daunting task of collecting more than 14,000 signatures by July 15.

According to a Craigslist ad, sent to us by an anonymous tipster, professional signature gatherers are being hired for $100 to $125 per day to “get an issue on the ballot” in Arlington County. The only Arlington ballot effort we’re aware of is the Committee for a Better Arlington‘s campaign to change the Arlington County form of government from a county manager-centric system to a system where the county board has more executive powers.

The ad was apparently posted by a Colorado-based “petition management firm,” headed by a “young political strategist” who “has managed the collection of signatures in 22 different states.”

The Committee for a Better Arlington has not responded to a request for comment on the listing.

A copy of the ad, after the jump.

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Arlington’s State Lawmakers Unanimously Oppose Referendum

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s entire delegation to the General Assembly in Richmond has come out against a proposal that would change the county’s form of government.

In a letter to Arlington County voters, lawmakers argue that changing from a county manager form of government, to a form that gives more executive powers to the county board, “could significantly impair our ability to advance Arlington’s interests in Richmond.”

The letter is signed by state senators Mary Margaret Whipple and Patsy Ticer, delegates Bob Brink, Adam Ebbin, David Englin and Patrick Hope, and a number of former state lawmakers — all Democrats.

A group, the Committee for a Better Arlington, is attempting to collect more than 14,000 signatures by July 15 in order to put the change-of-government proposal to voters in the form of a referendum.

The lawmakers’ letter, after the jump.

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Committee Fires Back At Fisette’s “Decline to Sign” Message

By ARLnow.com

County Board Chairman Jay Fisette did not mince words when responding to a public comment about the proposed change in Arlington’s form of government at Saturday’s board meeting.

“It is certainly my view that this would be a step backwards for Arlington,” he said of the proposal. “I think the message is, if you’re asked to sign that petition, please decline to do so.”

The Committee for a Better Arlington, which is behind the petition drive to get the proposal on the ballot, is now firing back. The organization released this statement in response to Fisette’s comments:

It is sad to see the Chairman of the County Board opposing people having a say in how their government is run. We started this initiative because we believe every Arlington resident should have a voice in their government. One would hope the Chairman of the County Board would respect those rights more than anyone else. Instead of trying to dissuade voters to sign a petition that would simply give Arlingtonians the right to have a discussion about how County government works, the Chairman and the County Board should step aside and let the democratic process play out.

The proposal would actually give more power to the county board. But Fisette said giving the board the responsibly for hiring, firing or setting the salary for Arlington’s 3,500 county employees, as well as oversight over county purchasing, could open the door to corruption.

“Look in the region itself at the number of stories that come up about the influence that some elected leaders have over… public contracts for service,” Fisette said.

The Washington Post has recently run several stories on large public contracts awarded to friends of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty.

Afternoon Notes: Petition Problems, Final Jeopardy

By ARLnow.com

Change-of-Government Petition Issues — The Sun Gazette reports that the Arlington County registrar’s office may have a difficult time processing the thousands of signatures being gathered for the Committee for a Better Arlington’s change-of-government proposal. Officials are worried that the county may have to hire temporary workers and pay overtime in order to verify all the signatures. In a separate article, a Committee for a Better Arlington spokesperson says that the group will probably not honor any requests by petition signers who have reconsidered and now want their name removed from the list, saying it’s “not required by the law.”

Final Jeopardy for Arlington Contestant — Despite a valiant comeback and a down-to-the-wire finish, Arlington resident Liz Murphy placed second in last night’s semifinal round of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions, which means she will not advance to the finals.

Arlington Dems Overwhelmingly Oppose Referendum Effort

By ARLnow.com

Members of the Arlington County Democratic Committee voted unanimously last night to oppose an effort to change Arlington’s form of government.

By a vote of 74 to zero, committee members — including members of the county board and the school board — sent the message that the party’s brass will be active and united in their opposition to the proposed change.

The change is “very bad public policy,” one committee member said.

Mike Staples, chairman of the Committee for a Better Arlington, declined to participate in what was supposed to be a debate last night. Staples’ organization is currently trying to collect more than 14,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot.

Democratic Committee chairman Mike Lieberman released the following statement after the vote.

Our committee had a thoughtful and thorough discussion of the many issues surrounding this petition drive. With this vote, we are eager to add ACDC’s voice to the growing chorus of organizations and Arlingtonians opposing this referendum – who are rightfully concerned about the impact this proposed referendum could have on the quality of life we have built over time in Arlington.

I’m grateful to [former Arlington county manager and change-of-government opponent Ron] Carlee for taking the time to speak with our members, who care deeply about the future of Arlington County. This is an important issue, and ACDC will work to educate voters on the significant consequences the proposed change-of-government initiative could have for Arlington County.

The reaction from the Committee for a Better Arlington, after the jump.

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Supporters, Detractors Weigh In On Change Proposal

By ARLnow.com

This morning we ran a story on Committee for a Better Arlington chairman Mike Staples declining to participate in a planned debate over the group’s change-of-government proposal. Since there will be no “debate” tonight, we decided to ask two fresh voices from each side of the issue to make their case to Arlington residents here, in 400 words or less.

As a preface: it’s looking like this is a debate that will only get louder in the coming weeks and, possibly, months. The Committee is facing the daunting task of collecting 14,340 signatures by July 15 in order to float the proposal as a ballot initiative. Staples, however, says his group is “on track” to collect the needed signatures.

The reasons for and against changing Arlington’s form of government, after the jump.

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The Debate Over the Debate

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Democratic Committee is holding a forum about the proposed change to Arlington’s form of government tonight, but the person billed as representing the “pro” side of the debate says he won’t be there.

Mike Staples, president of Arlington’s firefighter union and chairman of the Committee for a Better Arlington, which supports the proposal, says the group is refusing its invitation due to unreasonable terms of participation.

“I’m not coming to a staged debate where the tables are stacked,” Staples said.

Among the terms Staples objects to: the Committee representative would be required answer each question first, giving the opposing side the last word; participants would not have the opportunity to question each other; and the debate would be moderated by the head of the Arlington Democrats, who Staples does not consider a neutral party.

Staples said his group would consider participating under more neutral terms, such as a debate hosted by the Arlington County Chamber of Commerce.

“If we’re going to do a political debate, we should do it the right way,” he said.

While the forum is open to the public, Staples objected to the lack of promotion.

“We would like to have the opportunity to advertise the debate to the general public so it can be seen as an open process, and not simply an altered form of a local Democratic Party meeting,” Staples wrote.

Staples said the committee offered to make an informal presentation to the Democrats, but was turned down and told the party would only consider the debate format.

“We believe this decision was made in bad taste and was orchestrated to put the Committee in poor light,” Staples wrote.

The forum is taking place between 7:00 and 9:00 tonight at the NRECA building (4301 Wilson Blvd). Afterward, the Democrats will hold a vote on whether to support or oppose the measure.

Former Arlington County Manager Ron Carlee will represent the “con” side of the debate. Democratic Committee chairman Mike Lieberman says no one else has been lined up to represent the pro-change-of-government side, although they’ll “keep a chair open” for Staples in the unlikely event that he decides to participate after all.

“I honestly think that our debate was going to be fair and neutral,” Lieberman said. “I can’t force their hand to come, but we certainly would love to have them there.”