Bikeshare Expands in Courthouse, Clarendon — A new Capital Bikeshare station was installed near the Courthouse Metro at the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and N. Uhle Street yesterday. Another station is expected to be installed at Wilson Boulevard and N. Edgewood Street in Clarendon by the end of the day today. [Bike Arlington]
Bondi Announces County Board Candidacy — Democrat Melissa Bondi has formally announced her candidacy to replace state Senator-elect Barbara Favola on the Arlington County Board. In a press release yesterday, Bondi touted her civic leadership experience and said she would bring a “fresh approach” to the Board. “I am prepared to lead important community conversations about what will make Arlington a stronger, more competitive and desirable place to live in the next 30 years,” she said.
Update at 1:35 p.m. — Peter Owen and Alan Howze both told ARLnow.com this afternoon that they are not planning on running in the County Board special election.
Now that we know Barbara Favola is moving on to the Virginia Senate, the question becomes what happens to her soon-to-be vacated position on the Arlington County Board?
Even though her Senate victory last night is public knowledge, a special election process cannot move forward until Favola formally resigns from the County Board. She can do that any time between now and her January swearing-in. After that, the courts will issue an order for a special election.
But timing really is everything, considering next year’s already bustling election schedule. A special election cannot be held within 55 days of a primary or general election, making it a challenge to fit it in between the presidential primary on March 6 and the U.S. Senate primary on June 12. Arlington County Registrar Linda Lindberg said if Favola resigns immediately, voters would likely head to the polls in early January. If she waits until the end of this year, the special election would be closer to mid-April.
“It looks like it’s going to be a busy election year for us next year,” Lindberg said.
The candidates’ filing deadline is typically 40 to 45 days before the special election. Lindberg said so far only two people have started the ball rolling for a potential 2012 County Board run: Terron Sims and Melissa Bondi. That number is expected to grow now that Favola’s future is known. Potential candidates legally cannot file until a special election is announced. They can, however, still file for campaign accounts for the November 2012 election, and amend the request when a special election is called.
The Sun Gazette also lists Alan Howze, Peter Owen, Libby Garvey, Peter Fallon, Stacey Whyte and Kim Klingler as possible Democratic contenders. Klingler, who spent last night getting in a final push for votes for Favola, told us she wanted to wait until after last night’s election to make her final decision.
“I am highly considering running for County Board,” Klingler said. “It’s going to be a very crowded field. I’m highly aware of that.”
She said there are some final logistics to work out and a formal announcement is coming soon.
Green Party County Board candidate Audrey Clement, who lost to Democrats Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada last night, said she’s also considering running. However, Clement said her candidacy hinges on whether she receives the endorsement of her local party. If she doesn’t receive the endorsement, she’ll be reluctant to run.
Republicans may also be interested in nominating a contender. While no Republicans challenged incumbents Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada this year, history suggests that a special election may be the party’s best chance of gaining a toe-hold on the Board. The last Republican to serve as an Arlington County Board member was Mike Lane, who won a special election in 1999 (but then promptly lost in the general election several months later).
Once voters choose the new board member in a special election, things move pretty quickly. The winner has to submit a final financial report, and the election must be certified. Lindberg said that usually happens within 24 to 48 hours.
“We really want to get them sworn in and seated right away,” Lindberg said. “The process is pretty straightforward like every other other election, it’s just more condensed as far as the timing.”
(Updated at 2:05 a.m.) It was a joyous election night for local Democrats, who are claiming victory in all 14 races run in Arlington.
Democrat Barbara Favola has won a decisive victory over Republican businesswoman Caren Merrick in the race for state Senate in the 31st District — one of the most closely-watched races in Northern Virginia. With all precincts reporting, Favola had 58 percent of the vote to Merrick’s 42 percent. Favola, who has spent 14 years on the Arlington County Board, was ebullient over the hard-fought win.
“It’s exhilarating, it’s humbling, it’s exciting,” she said of having the race called in her favor. Favola credited her campaign staff and volunteers — who knocked on 51,000 doors and made 125,000 phone calls — for bringing home the win.
“We have the best field team in the state,” Favola declared.
Favola said her first action in Richmond will be securing funds for Northern Virginia Community College. Arlington political watchers can now look forward to a special election process in 2012 to fill her soon-to-be-vacant County Board seat.
Incumbent Democratic State Senator Janet Howell has emerged victorious over Republican challenger Patrick Forrest. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Howell has 60 percent of the vote to Forrest’s 40 percent of the vote. Howell serves the 32nd state Senate District, which now includes part of Arlington as a result of redistricting this year.
Democratic Del. Adam Ebbin will be moving to the state Senate. Ebbin has easily defeated Republican Tim McGhee in the race for the state Senate’s 30th District. With 94 percent of precincts reporting, Ebbin has 66 percent of the vote to McGhee’s 34 percent. Ebbin, the first openly gay member of the House of Delegates, will now become the first openly gay member of the Virginia Senate.
Democrats Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada will be back on the Arlington County Board for another four years. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Hynes and Tejada have 42 percent and 40 percent of the vote, respectively, to Green Party candidate Audrey Clement’s 17 percent.
“It is a pleasure to serve you, and it will be a pleasure to serve you for the next four years,” Tejada told an assembled crowd of 100+ supporters at a joint Democratic victory party at Bailey’s in Ballston.
Del. Bob Brink, meanwhile, has won handily against his two challengers and will serve another two years in the Virginia House of Delegates. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Brink has 69 percent of the vote to 24 percent for independent candidate Kathy Gillette-Mallard and 7 percent for Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy. Brink represents Virginia’s 48th District, which includes parts of north Arlington and McLean.
Elsewhere around Arlington, unopposed Democratic candidates cruised to victory.
Incumbent Del. David Englin will return to his 45th District seat, which includes parts of south Arlington. Del. Patrick Hope will also return to his 47th District seat.
Alfonso Lopez will become one of the first Latinos elected to the Virginia General Assembly, after running unopposed for the House of Delegates in the 49th District. Lopez pledged that Arlington Democrats will “wear our progressive values on our sleeves in Richmond.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos now has the shorter title of Commonwealth’s Attorney. Stamos is replacing the long-serving Dick Trodden as Arlington’s top prosecutor.
Other winners include Sheriff Beth Arthur, Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy, Treasurer Frank O’Leary and Arlington School Board Member Abby Raphael, all of whom were re-elected.
Rep. Jim Moran (D) said Democrats won for three reasons.
“It’s good organization, very good candidates and the right politics,” Moran told ARLnow.com. “Northern Virginia and Arlington want to move forward, not backward. They don’t want to fight the old cultural wars of the last century.”
Moran said that Favola also prevailed due to her experience on the County Board.
“Barbara has devoted her whole life to the community,” Moran said. “People like Barbara Favola are going to be working for everyone, whether they’re rich or poor or whatever demographic.”
“I’m delighted,” Moran said of the Democratic sweep in Arlington. “These are the people I’m looking forward to working with.”
The Arlington County Democratic Committee, with its well-honed precinct and get-out-the-vote operations, was another factor that helped propel Democrats to victory in Arlington.
ACDC Chair Mike Lieberman said party activists made a total of 40,000 phone calls and knocked on 12,000 doors in Arlington during the general election cycle.
Sen. Janet Howell is running against Republican Arthur Purves for her bid for reelection
As part of its new “Smoke-Free Parks Initiative,” Arlington County has placed ‘no smoking’ signs in more than a dozen county parks.
But while many government signs convey a law — a ‘no littering’ sign, for instance — the new signs have the word “Please” above “No [Smoking],” since Arlington doesn’t actually have the authority to outlaw smoking in parks. Rather than a ban, Arlington is simply asking smokers to voluntarily refrain from smoking within 50 feet of playgrounds, courts, ball fields, pavilions, recreation areas and other “areas of congregation.”
“To the extent possible, it is important for the County to take action to prevent park patrons’ exposure to this dangerous health hazard,” Arlington County explains on its website. “Children may be especially vulnerable, which is why the Smoke-Free Parks Initiative is specifically targeting areas where children congregate.”
To help spur public awareness of the new initiative, the Arlington parks and recreation department is encouraging Facebook fans to post photos of themselves giving a thumbs up in front of the signs. County Board members Mary Hynes, Walter Tejada and Chris Zimmerman are leading by example by being the first to flash a big thumbs up next to the signs (above).
The parks department will also be holding a “Smoke-Free Parks Kickoff” event at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17 in Bon Air Park (850 N. Lexington Street). The event is being held in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout.
Currently, the ‘no smoking’ signs are in place at the following parks: Bluemont, Bon Air, Quincy, Barcroft, Virginia Highlands, Long Bridge and Big Walnut, Chestnut Hills, Ft. C.F. Smith, Tuckahoe, Westover, Fields and Lubber Run. More signs are on the way, we’re told.
Polling centers will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. With the weather predicted to be warm and sunny, and with the chances of another significant earthquake happening on election day very slim, there’s little to keep voters from the polls. A list of polling locations can be found on the Arlington County website.
Below are the races taking place in Arlington in which there is more than one candidate.
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.
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 incumbent J. Walter Tejada (D):
My name is Walter Tejada and I am proud to call Arlington my hometown. I am honored to have served you on the Arlington County Board over the last eight years. We have a great community in which we enjoy a high quality of life. We are a safe community. We have a low real estate tax rate, the lowest unemployment rate in Virginia, and great schools. We are an award-winning model for smart growth.
Like one quarter of Arlington’s population today, I was born in another country; in my case, El Salvador. I came to the United States at age 13, and quickly adapted to a new culture and language. In 1992 I settled in my new hometown, Arlington County. Right away I became involved in our civic life to try to make a difference, and I haven’t stopped. I proudly served the community in many civic roles before joining the Board in 2003.
When elected, my mission was to continue being a good steward of our county government while making my own contributions to improving our community. My philosophy is rooted in the principles of social and economic justice, and I believe my achievements in the last eight years reflect this commitment. Among my proudest achievements are leading the way to:
setting up the Community Volunteer Network to help young adults engage in our civic life and become the next generation of leaders;
establishing the Office of Public Defender for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, ensuring legal representation for indigent residents;
creating the Arlington Non-Profit Assistance Program to strengthen our non-profit organizations;
launching FitArlington, to promote a culture of fitness and to encourage healthy living;
initiating the Diversity Dialogues, which bring Arlingtonians together to discuss meaningful issues, and which has become an important tool in community conversations.
If I have the privilege of being elected once again, I will continue to work on issues of critical importance to the success of our community, including:
Fiscal sustainability – While I’m proud that in each of the eight years I have been in office Arlington has received a triple AAA bond rating, we must continue to maintain our fiscal health through wise investment, a responsible capital improvement plan, and careful management of our resources while maintaining a safety net for our most vulnerable neighbors.
Affordable housing – One of the most compelling issues in Arlington today is affordable housing. Whilewe are grateful for our economic success, we can’t let that success turn away valuable members of our community through rising home prices and rents. I will continue my priority to increase the number of affordable housing units in the county.
Promoting healthy living – I want to continue to make Arlington a healthy community, a place where there is easy access to parks, bike trails, walkable neighborhoods and ample sources of locally-grown fresh foods.
Maintaining a caring and inclusive community – Virginia is known as the cradle of liberty, yet there are many who seek to move us back to a less welcoming era. Thankfully, here in our hometown we set an example for the rest of the state in creating a welcoming community. I will continue to promote our values of unity and social justice, and speak up for those who work hard every day for our community.
There are of course many other issues we will confront in the next four years to which I will dedicate time and energy, such as:
Pursuing greater environmental sustainability
Preserving and enhancing open space
Implementing our community energy plan
Working together for all of Arlington, I look forward to the years ahead, hearing your ideas, and joining efforts toward our shared goals. I ask for your support and for your vote, not only for me but also for my running mate Mary Hynes, on November 8. Working together, we can continue to ensure that our hometown is a world class community for all.
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 incumbent Mary Hynes (D):
I love Arlington. It’s been my family’s home for more than 30 years; my five kids grew up here. I love that people from all around the world call Arlington home, that our small business community is very diverse and that our corporate citizens include some of America’s best companies. Our school system is admired; we’re fortunate to have great parks and libraries and many recreational choices. I love that Arlingtonians are not shy about sharing opinions and quick to offer help – whether it’s professional experience that’s needed, neighbor-to-neighbor outreach like Citizen Corps or Neighborhood Conservation, or effective advocacy and creativity on significant challenges like ensuring sufficient affordable housing. Working together we’ve made Arlington a great place!
I am honored to have served my fellow Arlingtonians for more than 16 years – twelve as a school board member and, since 2008, on the County Board. I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to do. During my time as a School Board member, the student achievement gap narrowed, great schools were built across the county, and competitive pay ensured our kids had excellent teachers. As a County Board member, I’ve worked to make sure we take great care of our County parks, roads and other facilities and created a citizen group to advise the County Board in this important area. Working with neighborhoods across the county to help citizens better understand and participate in the work of the County and increasing budget transparency and accountability through the use of performance measures also have been priorities for me.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate the bold and thoughtful choices made by our community’s leaders in the 60s – in particular their decision to locate Metro lines along Wilson Boulevard from Rosslyn to Ballston and through Pentagon City and Crystal City. These decisions contribute significantly to Arlington’s strong transit orientation, financial health, and economic diversity. I believe the question for us now – especially given current economic uncertainty – is “What’s next for Arlington? What vision – what plan – will allow us to become an even more inclusive, healthier community, one that continues to grow and improve in important ways – even as jurisdictions throughout the region adopt plans and policies that Arlington has employed successfully for years?”
The answer, I believe, depends upon our making systematic choices to be smarter, more sustainable, and better prepared. To me, this means:
Expanding our housing choices
Extending effective transit across the County
Encouraging resource conservation
Elanning to make it easier to get most of what we need close to home
Preparing so we can depend on each other in times of need
Recently, I’ve taken on regional responsibilities I believe will help advance these necessary, ambitious goals. As a Metro Board Member, I work every day on our region’s complex transportation challenges. I bring to that work a clear understanding of Arlington’s transit-dependency coupled with the urgent state and regional need to plan and pay for new ways to efficiently move many more residents and workers. As a Vice-chair of the Region Forward Coalition for the Council of Government, I am an advocate for well-coordinated job, housing and transit policies and plans designed to improve Arlington’s sustainability while ensuring regional vibrancy.
In the end, I am committed to Arlington continuing to be a great place to live, work, learn, play, raise a family and grow older. These are challenging times. It will take all of us working together, listening carefully, and planning thoughtfully to chart our course – one that will guide us for the next 30 years.
I ask for your vote on November 8th for myself and for my running mate Walter Tejada so we can continue the journey together. What a gift we can give to those who come after us!
It was 12:50 a.m. by the time the Arlington County Board adjourned last night, having spent three hours debating a proposal for aerospace and defense giant Boeing to build a new regional headquarters complex near Crystal City.
After a lengthy back-and-forth discussion, the Board voted unanimously to approve the project, which won high marks for its economic benefits to the county but which was strongly opposed by the county’s own citizen-led transportation and planning commissions.
Opponents of the Boeing plan argued that allowing six-story, single-tenant office buildings on the 4.7 acre property — located between Crystal City and the county’s new Long Bridge Park — ran counter to Arlington’s original “smart growth” goal for a mixed-use office, residential and retail development there.
The Boeing complex, which the company will own instead of lease, won’t provide the kind of active streetscape befitting a property so close to a multi-million dollar county park and recreation center, opponents said. Instead, the property will be largely closed off to the public; buildings will be set back from the sidewalk with no ground floor retail and no public-use parking spaces (which could have been utilized during special events at the park). Transportation Commission Chair Bill Gearhart called the complex, which will have 555 underground parking spaces, “auto-oriented” as opposed to transit-oriented. The Planning Commission called the architecture of the proposed buildings “mediocre.”
“If this project is approved, the County would be setting a precedent that it is okay to shred everything in order to keep a company that is not working, living or playing well with its neighbors,” the Planning Commission wrote.
But Boeing supporters — including county staff, Arlington Economic Development, and the Crystal City Business Improvement District — argued that the hundreds of jobs and millions in annual tax revenue that will be generated by the new Boeing complex represents significant a benefit to the county that more than justifies the shift in land use goals required to approve the project.
“I think tonight presents us a unique opportunity in recruiting and retaining a major employer,” said County Manager Barbara Donnellan. “At a time of increased economic uncertainty, this level of commitment to a major employer is critical to the county’s future economic sustainability, especially in Crystal City, where the future impacts of BRAC are yet to be seen.”
In pushing for the proposal’s approval, however, even Donnellan admitted that it “was not without controversy.”
“I acknowlege that my recommending steers slightly away from some of our urban planning ideals,” she said. “But I believe we’re facing a set of extraordinary circumstances.”
Supporters made the case that the plan for mixed-use development on the proposed site — two run-down square blocks of abandoned industrial buildings and a shuttered, deteriorating hotel — was unrealistic in the near-term. Waiting years for market conditions to be right for a high-density mixed-use development, some said, could jeopardize the county’s plan to build an aquatics center as part of the second phase of the Long Bridge Park project. As part of the agreed-to Boeing proposal, financially-challenged developer Monument Realty will engage in a land swap with the county that will allow the aquatics center to be built.
Board Approves Penrose Square Public Plaza — The Arlington County Board last night formally approved a $2 million public plaza at the Penrose Square apartment complex on Columbia Pike. “This flexible, vibrant public square is an important part of the community vision for Columbia Pike… a place for people to relax, gather and host events,” said Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman. The plaza is expected to open next fall. [Arlington County]
Board Green Lights Boeing HQ — After more than 3 hours of discussion, the County Board — somewhat reluctantly — approved a plan by aircraft maker Boeing to build a new, 450,000 square foot regional headquarters on a plot of land between Crystal City and the future Long Bridge Park. ARLnow.com will have a full recap up later today.
Moran Fired Up About Occupy Wall Street — Arlington’s congressman, Democratic Rep. Jim Moran, is fired up about the Occupy Wall Street protest movement. “Good for them!” he said emphatically at a Falls Church Chamber of Commerce luncheon. “This is what democracy is about.” Moran also decried the level of partisanship on Capitol Hill. “There used to be 353 centrists in the House in the 1980s.. Now there are zero,” he said. [Falls Church News-Press]
Dulles Signs on Route 50? — Why are there still signs to Dulles Airport on Route 50? “I suspect these signs date from before I-66 was built, since no one would take Route 50 to get to Dulles with I-66 available,” writes blogger and environmental consultant Steve Offutt. [Commuter Page Blog]
Police Service Counter Cuts Hours — The Arlington County Police Department service counter at 1425 N. Courthouse Road is reducing its hours. Starting Monday, Oct. 31, the counter will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends, and will be closed on county holidays. “They studied it for a number of months and they just weren’t getting enough traffic to justify the staffing,” police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal said of the cut-back. [Arlington County Police Department]
Performances at the Lubber Run Amphitheater this summer attracted sizable crowds and some community donations, the Arlington County Board was told this afternoon.
Thanks to much-needed renovations, the amphitheater sprung back to life in July, following a two year hiatus. Two teen talent and movie nights, and nine musical performances, were scheduled at the amphitheater this summer.
The performances attracted 2,400 attendees, Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation co-president Esther Bowring told the County Board. In addition, $2,400 was donated to a “wishing well” near the amphitheater parking lot.
Bowring said her group of amphitheater boosters will continue working with county staff to make the venue a success in 2012.
“We’re going to be continuing to work with the staff to figure out what we need to do to help with the performances for next year,” Bowring said.
The foundation will work to recruit more volunteers and more private donations for next year’s performances, Bowring added. She said the group would like to see upgrades made to dressing rooms at the amphitheater, to allow additional types of performances to be held. In addition, they’re pushing for more local groups to be added to the performance schedule; such performances could be staged at little or no cost.
“We have a very talented community,” Bowring said.
County Board members expressed support for the amphitheater.
“It’s one of the best things we have going in Arlington,” said board member Walter Tejada.
“We look forward to even better things in the summers to come,” board chairman Chris Zimmerman said.
