Chris Zimmerman

With Zimmerman Re-Elected, Board’s Agenda Remains Unchanged

By ARLnow.com

Local Republican leaders thought that in Mark Kelly, they finally had a shot at getting a voice on the county board.

Mark was a well-spoken, likable family man who took measured, intellectual positions on the issues. He was a Republican who Democratic voters could potentially find common ground with, especially in an anti-incumbent year.

In the end, however, Arlington voters re-elected Democrat Chris Zimmerman by a wide margin.

It was especially striking that, despite loud grumbles of disapproval in certain quarters over perceived excess county spending, 57 percent of voters still chose to re-elect the number one supporter of the county’s proposed $200 million streetcar project.

“Once again the voters have affirmed their commitment to progressive government… even in a down year,” Zimmerman said.

Voters rewarded Democrats for their “commitment to quality services and strategic investments” as well as “a commitment to Arlington as a diverse and welcoming community,” he added.

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Jon Stewart Would Approve of the County Board Race

By ARLnow.com

If Jon Stewart wanted to find sanity in politics, he would have had to look no further than across the river in Arlington. This year’s county board race has been polite, issues-oriented and has avoided the stench of national political hyperbole or special interest interference.

Adding to the sanity, the race has also featured a viable third-party candidate who’s a full participant in debates, not a side show.

In Highland Park Thursday night, a quiet, attentive, sign-less audience watched as Democratic incumbent Chris Zimmerman, Republican Mark Kelly and Green party candidate Kevin Chisholm debated a range of issues.

The most heated portion of the debate — relatively speaking — came when Kelly again tweaked Zimmerman on the county’s Columbia Pike/Crystal City streetcar project. Referring to it as a “$200 million trolley,” Kelly made an economic argument against the massive project.

“I just don’t think it’s a wise investment moving forward,” was Kelly’s zinger. Chisholm — a self-described social liberal and fiscal conservative — agreed, and spoke of the “gentrification effect” the streetcar could cause on Columbia Pike.

Zimmerman, who has made the streetcar a bit of a personal mission, responded with a passionate defense of the “years of input” on the project and the “stronger network of public transportation” that the project will bring to the Pike. He announced his annoyance that debate rules didn’t give him enough time to discuss the project’s financing.

The remainder of the debate was pure zen for a sanity supporter. In fact, the most intemperate remaining portion of the debate came from the moderator, who asked about the “glib” county staff response to concerns about the development plan for East Falls Church.

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Mark Kelly Takes to the Airwaves

By ARLnow.com

Republican county board candidate Mark Kelly has started running an ad on local cable television.

The ad emphasizes the “diversity of opinion” Kelly says he would bring to the board. Arlington viewers started seeing the ad on cable TV shows on Wednesday.

“We’re trying to use every means available to reach people,” Kelly said after a debate in Highland Park last night.

Kelly’s opponent, incumbent Democrat Chris Zimmerman, says he has no plans to air any TV ads, although he has done so in the past.

“I’m not buying cable ads,” Zimmerman said, adding that cable viewership is down. “Cable doesn’t have the penetration it used to.”

Zimmerman said that his campaign was based on a 12-month strategy, not a short-term strategy.

Groundbreaking for New Rosslyn Metro Station Entrance

By ARLnow.com

Fortuitously timed between yesterday morning’s downpours, local officials and Sen. Jim Webb gathered under a tent near North Lynn Street to break ground on a new entrance to the Rosslyn Metro station.

The entrance will be located across from the existing Metro entrance, between the planned CentralPlace office and residential towers and near the future 1812 North Moore Street tower. It will feature three high-speed elevators and an emergency staircase, but no escalators.

The $32.6 million project also includes the construction of new fare collection and vending equipment, as well as a new kiosk and a new entrance mezzanine.

“I think it’s a good investment,” said Webb, who pointed to heavy traffic on the nearby Roosevelt Bridge as evidence of the importance of the Metrorail system.

The entrance will be able to serve up to 2,000 riders per hour, officials say. Local leaders hope it will help keep pace with the station’s soaring ridership, which has increased 23 percent in the past decade and is expected to increase even more with all the new development in the area.

“The project that’s being initiated today will increase the capacity of the station,” said county board member Chris Zimmerman, who is also sits on Metro’s board of directors. “It will be easier for people to get in and out of Rosslyn station… It’s going to make Rosslyn a more vital place, and help us achieve the vision for Rosslyn that everyone here has been working on for quite a long time.”

The project is being funded by a combination of federal, state and county dollars.

Construction is expected to wrap up in the spring of 2013. In the meantime, construction has necessitated some traffic changes in the Rosslyn area.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Kelly Has $10K Cash Advantage — Republican candidate for county board Mark Kelly may not have raised as much money as incumbent Chris Zimmerman but, true to his campaign platform, he also spent significantly less. Kelly had $28,480 cash on hand on Sept. 30, more than $10,000 more than Zimmerman. More from the Sun Gazette.

County Board Questions NOVA Budget Request — Northern Virginia Community College is asking localities to help cover its $14 million capital budget gap, but at a meeting last night the county board seemed less than enthusiastic about doing so in a year when more budget cuts and tax hikes are likely on the way. Currently, Arlington pays $1 per resident to NOVA’s capital budget fund. NOVA is asking for an additional 50 cents per person. More from TBD.

Hillside Park Reopens — At long last, a hilly, wooded park near Rosslyn, cleverly named Hillside Park, has reopened following significant upgrades. More from TBD.

Kelly Makes County Manager’s Resignation a Campaign Issue

By ARLnow.com

Republican Mark Kelly is hoping that the handling of county manager Michael Brown’s forced resignation will convince voters that more “diversity of opinion” is needed on the county board.

Last night, in an otherwise dry debate at the Lyon Village Civic Association’s general meeting, Kelly made the Brown issue central to his case against incumbent Democrat Chris Zimmerman.

“I want to give you one example that happened recently that I think points to the problem when one party controls every seat,” Kelly told the crowd. While saying that sometimes it’s necessary to fire people who aren’t working out, Kelly criticized the way in which board chairman Jay Fisette finally acknowledged that Brown did not simply resign for personal reasons.

“It took them a while to respond, and when they finally came clean about it, it was at the Arlington County Democratic [Committee] monthly meeting,” Kelly said. “I don’t think an announcement like that… should have been done at a partisan political meeting; I think that should have been done through official channels” like a press release or a press conference.

Zimmerman did not address the county manager issue during the debate, but he did respond to a reporter’s question afterward.

“I think that was the first opportunity [Jay Fisette] got” to talk about the county manager issue in a public forum, Zimmerman said. “It’s not like this is the White House, we just don’t go down to the press room and demand attention for a press conference.”

“I think the board did what it had to do,” Zimmerman continued. “We’re very fortunate we had [former interim county manager Barbara Donnellan] available to us… we didn’t have to do another search process.”

During the forum, Zimmerman touted the board’s accomplishments in promoting smart growth, fiscal responsibility and relatively low residential taxes.

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County Presses for Clarification on Secure Communities

By ARLnow.com

At the board’s behest, Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan sent a letter to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton yesterday, seeking clarification on whether Arlington can withdraw from the Secure Communities program, and, if it can, how it may do so.

“We need to ask him to clarify this conflicting information we’ve been getting,” county board member Walter Tejada said in a telephone interview last night. He was referring to a recent Washington Post article that suggested communities will not be able to opt-out of the immigration enforcement initiative, as the county board had been led to believe.

“Once we have that clarification, and we better understand what else we need to be asking, we’re going to go from there,” Tejada said.

The board’s effort to opt-out of Secure Communities received a public endorsement this week when the New York Times ran an editorial calling on the Obama administration to accomodate the request. San Francisco, Santa Clara, Ca. and the District have also expressed interest in opting out of the program.

“Washington needs to find a way to allow cities like San Francisco and Washington to enforce the law without turning into a branch of ICE,” the Times said.

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Donnellan Takes Back the Reins

By ARLnow.com

Just four months after her service as interim county manager ended, Barbara Donnellan has accepted the county board’s offer to become Arlington’s first permanent female county manager.

Donnellan made her first public appearance as the newly-appointed county manager at a grand opening ceremony for the county’s new Department of Human Services building. She was greeted by county employees and members of Arlington’s state legislative delegation, including Del. Patrick Hope and Del. Adam Ebbin.

Donnellan brings 27 years of experience in county government and seven months of experience as interim county manager to the table.

When she first accepted the interim position, she says she was only interested in testing out the job.

“I wasn’t sure if it was something I wanted to do,” she said. Despite snow storms, a huge budget gap and other challenges during her short tenure, Donnellan says she came to enjoy the position.

“Toward the end of it I actually became interested in it,” she said. By that time, however, the county was concluding a long search for someone to fill the position. Savannah City Manager Michael Brown took the job, and Donnellan returned to her old post as deputy county manager.

On Wednesday, as Brown prepared his resignation letter, Donnellan was asked again if she wanted the job. She said yes.

“I’ve always had lots of opportunities to do some significant stuff, and this will allow me to continue carrying out the policies of the board, working with the workforce [to address] their needs, and giving the community the best that they can get from the government,” she said.

Donnellan says she’s looking forward to tackling another challenging budget.

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Zimmerman Appointed to Transportation Task Force

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County board member Chris Zimmerman has been appointed to a special task force of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board.

The task force will try to find a way to prioritize the backlog of “unfunded transportation needs” around the DC area.

“I think it is fair to say that there has been frustration… that, despite its name, TPB is in many ways a passive player in actual planning on a regional basis,” Zimmerman told us in an email. “This, I think, is an effort to find a way toward more effective, and realistic, planning for the future of the National Capital Region. I am certainly hopeful that it may help move us in the right direction.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Examiner Keeps Blasting Arlington on HOT Lanes — Arlington’s million dollar HOT lane lawsuit continues to cause blood to boil at the Washington Examiner. This time, the Examiner hammers away at county board member Chris Zimmerman for his role on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board. Zimmerman is up for reelection this year, of course. More from the Washington Examiner.

Courthouse Hookah Bar Could Open By This Weekend — It seems impossibly speedy, but TBD reports that Adam’s Corner, the new hookah bar being launched by the owner of nearby Chez Manelle restaurant, could open to the public by the end of this week. Adam’s Corner will serve light fare and drinks (a liquor license is in the works), and will allow hookah smoking on the wooden deck outside. More from TBD.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Kelly: Board is Out of Touch, Needs Diversity of Opinion

By ARLnow.com

Republican County Board candidate Mark Kelly says county government spending is out of control and he’s the man to help reign it in. If elected to replace incumbent Democrat Chris Zimmerman, Kelly said he would bring “diversity of opinion” to the “out of touch” county board.

“Between 2000 and 2009, the all-Democrat county board increased spending at a rate nearly three times inflation,” Kelly said in this opening remarks at Tuesday night’s Civic Federation debate. “Mr.  Zimmerman recently called that ‘cautious and careful fiscal management… only inside the Beltway would we call that cautious and careful fiscal management.'”

Kelly proposes to scrap the $150 million Columbia Pike trolley system, championed by Zimmerman. If elected, Kelly said he would push for the release of all county spending information online and support a 10 percent pay cut for board members to help pay for it.

Zimmerman, meanwhile, cited the rosy state of the county’s economy and standard of living as evidence that Arlington is on the right track. He rattled off a list of accolades recently received by the county: best place to weather the recession, best place to raise a child, top 10 intelligent cities in the world, and the highest fiscal rating by bond agencies.

“I’m proud of what we achieved,” Zimmerman said.

In particular, Zimmerman said he was proud of promoting smart growth, public transportation — including the creation of the ART bus system — and affordable housing.

“When you have prosperity, affordable housing becomes more of a problem,” Zimmerman said. “That’s what makes it the thing we have to work the most on.”

On the topic of zoning, Kelly called for more flexibility in the county’s dealing with local business. He said the recent controversy over dog murals in Shirlington and the three-and-a-half hour board discussion about signage and cafe seating is evidence the county is “micromanaging businesses.”

For his part, Zimmerman called for “new strategies to meet the needs of small business.”

“I continue to be dedicated to Arlington’s participatory tradition in planning and government,” he said.

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