election

Opponent: Favola Should Resign from County Board

By ARLnow.com

State Senate candidate Jaime Areizaga-Soto says his Democratic primary opponent, Barbara Favola, should resign her position on the County Board.

Areizaga-Soto told the Blue Virginia web site that it is “not ethical” for Favola to accept tens of thousands of dollars from developers who have recently had business before the county. She “should resign from the board or return the money immediately,” Areizaga-Soto said.

Earlier this year, Favola told ARLnow.com that her vote “can’t be bought.”

“People are contributing to me because they respect me and have confidence in me,” she said. “Everything here is reported, there is nothing illegal about what I have received.”

Favola and Areizaga-Soto are running for the 31st District state Senate seat, which is being vacated by the retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple. The primary is scheduled for Aug. 23.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Contractor Says ART Drivers Weren’t Fired — The contractor that operates the Arlington Transit bus service says 23 striking drivers were suspended pending an investigation, not fired, as the drivers claim. ART reports that it is operating this morning with minimal delays on most bus lines. [Washington Post, Arlington Transit]

No Republicans Stepping Up for Board Race — County Board incumbents Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada are still without a Republican challenger. Today is the local GOP’s self-imposed deadline to find a candidate for the race. [Washington Examiner]

Activist Wants to Make Board Race About Libraries — Local activist Shelley Wade has one goal this fall: to make sure Walter Tejada gets slightly more votes than Mary Hynes. Wade is waging her one-woman campaign to draw attention to the fact that the Board only approved a partial restoration of library hours this year (effective July 5), rather than the full restoration she was hoping for. [Sun Gazette]

Man Wanted in Arlington Arrested After Chase — A man wanted for property crimes in Arlington has been arrested after a wild police chase that started in Loudoun County and ended with a three-car crash in West Virginia. [WJLA]

Shelves Stocked at New Pike Giant — The shelves of the new Giant on Columbia Pike have been stocked. The store has a grand opening set for Friday, June 24th, but may quietly open its doors before that date. [Pike Wire]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Moran: Arlington an Example for the Nation — Rep. Jim Moran (D) says that Arlington’s transit-oriented growth sets an example for other communities to follow.  For communities currently lacking such infrastructure, Moran says that tax policy can be used to help entice developers to build near transit hubs. [WAMU]

Death Penalty May Be Dividing Line in Race — The death penalty may be a key difference between the two Democrats who are running for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Arlington. “The death penalty doesn’t have a place in a civilized society,” said one candidate, defense attorney David Deane, in a recent appearance. His opponent, Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos, has previously said she supports capital punishment in certain circumstances. [Sun Gazette]

Public Access Idea for Comcast — In response to the news that the county is holding focus groups regarding the upcoming renewal of Comcast’s cable franchise in Arlington, one blogger has floated an idea for a different type of ‘public access’ channel. The idea: allow members of the general public to upload videos to a ‘staging server’ where they would be reviewed, screened for inappropriate content and then broadcast in rotation with other community-generated videos. [Ode Street Tribune]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Where Are the GOP Candidates? — So far, Arlington Republicans have not been able to find a single candidate willing to run in any of this year’s six county government races. The last time a Republican was elected to the County Board was the late 1990s. [Sun Gazette]

Police Looking for Missing D.C. Man — Police are hoping for the public’s help in finding a missing D.C. man. Matthew Hill, 26, was reported missing on Tuesday. His last debit card transaction was recorded at noon on Tuesday at an Exxon gas station in Arlington. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call D.C. police. [WUSA]

APAH Receives Housing Award — The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing has been named “Developer of the Year” by the Housing Assocation of Nonprofit Developers. APAH received the award at a ceremony yesterday.

Arlington Gets Another AAA Rating — A third bond rating agency has given Arlington its highest vote of confidence. Moody’s affirmed Arlington’s AAA debt rating yesterday. This is the eleventh consecutive year that Arlington’s debt has received a AAA rating from all three rating agencies. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Poll: Are You Paying Attention to Local Politics?

By ARLnow.com

It’s shaping up to be a very interesting off-year election in Arlington.

There are competitive Democratic primaries set for local state Senate and House of Delegates races. There’s a strong Republican contender looking to pull an upset in a formerly safe Democratic state Senate district. And there’s a national Green Party official challenging two County Board incumbents.

Local political watchers used to lopsided elections are enthralled at the prospect of some legitimate horse races. But is anybody else paying attention at this point? Let’s find out.



Lopez, Areizaga-Soto Announce Bids for Va. Legislature

By ARLnow.com

Former aide to Gov. Tim Kaine and current U.S. Small Business Administration assistant administrator Alfonso Lopez announced his candidacy for the Virginia House of Delegates at last night’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.

Lopez is running for delegate in the 49th District — a seat currently held by Del. Adam Ebbin, who’s running for state Senate.

“I’m running for delegate today because the social safety net that my parents and so many others relied on is being destroyed by Republicans in Richmond,” Lopez said.

Lopez added that Virginia Republicans are “demonizing new immigrants and gays and lesbians.” He said he would bring “passion and practical experience” to the fight for a cleaner environment, better education and civil rights.

Also announcing last night was Obama administration appointee and former Army National Guard JAG Lt. Col. Jaime Areizaga-Soto, who’s running for state Senate in the 31st District.

“I’m running… to be a strong voice in the fight for progressive priorities against the backwards agenda of Gov. McDonnell and the Republicans in Richmond,” Areizaga-Soto said. He said that the Democrats who control the state Senate have not done enough to fight for their priorities, like protecting a woman’s right to choose.

“The voters of the 31st District will now decide who will be their Senator, instead of the other way around,” Areizaga-Soto said, a dig at the Democratic establishment’s support of his opponent, County Board member Barbara Favola.

See more about Areizaga-Soto’s announcement from the Blue Virginia blog and the Sun Gazette.

Video courtesy Blue Virginia

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s Modest Manager Reception — About a year ago, Arlington spent $600 to hold a reception for now-former county manager Michael Brown. By comparison to Savannah, Ga. — where Brown had held the position of city manager before jumping ship for Arlington — that reception seems like the pinnacle of modesty. Savannah is holding a reception for Brown’s replacement as city manager tonight. Locals are objecting to the fact that the reception — which includes keepsake wine glasses for guests — is costing the cash-strapped city more than $7,500. [Savannah Morning News]

New Pike Gym Selling Memberships — Xsport Fitness, a new 24-hour gym opening in July on the 2300 block of Columbia Pike, is selling $19.99 per month memberships out of a temporary office in the Siena Park apartment building. Xsport will be the second gym to open on the Pike this year, after World Gym opened in January on the ground floor of the Halstead apartment building. [Pike Wire]

Dels. Brink, Hope Launch Reelection Bids — Delegates Bob Brink and Patrick Hope formally announced their candidacies for reelection at last night’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by LittleNewton787

Tribbett Decides Against State Senate Run

By ARLnow.com

Technology consultant and Not Larry Sabato blogger Ben Tribbett has decided not to run for state Senate, after all.

Tribbett had been considering running for the seat vacated by the retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple. He would have faced a tough primary battle between County Board member Barbara Favola, who Whipple has endorsed, and Lt. Col. Jaime Areizaga-Soto, who is expected to officially announce his candidacy at tomorrow’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.

“We have two capable candidates,” Tribbett told ARLnow.com this morning, adding that he was not planning on endorsing either candidate quite yet.

Tribbett said his decision was a personal one that was made tougher because he had been receiving words of encouragement and pledges of financial contributions.

Photo via Twitter

State Senate Approves New Redistricting Plan

By ARLnow.com

After its first plan was vetoed by Gov. Bob McDonnell, the Democrat-controlled state Senate has approved a modified plan drawn up by a bipartisan group of senators.

The plan, however, does not change the serpentine borders of the 31st District, which will stretch from North Arlington to Loudoun County along the Potomac River. Likewise, the 30th District will remain unchanged from the first plan, which took away a bit of South Arlington territory from the district’s borders.

If approved by Gov. McDonnell as expected, the plan will place McLean millionaire Caren Merrick within the borders of the 31st District. Merrick has already announced her intention of running for the state Senate as a Republican.

Merrick would face the winner of a Democratic primary battle between Barbara Favola and Lt. Col. Jaime Areizaga-Soto. Democratic technology consultant Ben Tribbett is mulling a run as well, but has been waiting for the district’s borders to be finalized before making a decision.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Woman Falls into Hatch at Pentagon Station — Last week a 52-year-old woman fell through a hatch near an escalator at the Pentagon Metro station, injuring her knee and face. Two Metro workers have been fired for their role in leaving the hatch wide open. [WTOP]

GOP Praying for Candidates — The Arlington County Republican Committee is literally praying for candidates to challenge Democrats in the fall. So far, they only have one for more than a dozen local races. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Wins Walkability Award — Arlington has received a “Gold-level designation for walkability” from the national Walk Friendly Communities program. “We welcome this recognition of Arlington’s efforts to create streets and paths that are safe, pleasant and interesting places to walk,” County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said in a statement. [Arlington County]

Medical Office Opens Near Crystal City — Commonwealth Medical Center, a new primary care provider, celebrates its grand opening today at 3535 S. Ball Street, between Crystal City and Potomac Yard.

Flickr pool photo by Karon

Internal Changes for State Senate Campaigns

By ARLnow.com

There have been two minor but noteworthy developments in the Democratic primary battle for Mary Margaret Whipple’s state Senate seat.

Liz Chadderdon, a consultant who had been working with Barbara Favola’s campaign, has left the campaign. Political chatter suggests she may have quit.

“You have to find the right fit sometimes,” Favola told ARLnow.com last night, without specifically addressing the circumstances surrounding Chadderdon’s departure. “It’s probably good we figured this out sooner rather than later.”

Chadderdon did not return a call for comment.

Meanwhile, Englin Consulting — run by Shayna Englin and husband Del. David Englin — has been hired to assist Army Lt. Col. Jaime Areizaga-Soto in his soon-to-be-announced run for Whipple’s seat.

“We’re psyched to work with Jaime,” Shayna Englin told the Blue Virginia blog. “He’s a tremendous candidate who’s in it to win.”

Technology consultant Ben Tribbett, a potential third Democratic candidate for the race, chimed in with praise for Areizaga-Soto’s hire.

“I think Englin Consulting is one of the best groups of Democratic consultants in the state,” he said. “I can’t think of anybody better to help guide Jaime.”

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