Jay Fisette

Arlington Stays in the Financial World’s Good Graces

By ARLnow.com

For the tenth straight year, Arlington has scored a financial “triple-triple.” All three major bond rating agencies have just affirmed Arlington’s AAA bond rating, the highest rating available.

“I think it’s especially important at this time, which is very difficult for the economy, local governments and bond markets,” County Manager Michael Brown told board members while announcing the good news today.

“Not many communities can do that,” said board chairman Jay Fisette, who called the top rating “sacrosanct” and “a source of pride.”

Arlington is one of only 35 counties across the country that has a triple AAA rating. It allows the county to borrow money at the lowest possible rates.

Brown cited the county’s strong economic performance, deep reserves and good fiscal management as reasons for the renewal. The rating was granted despite the county moving forward with a $161 million bond referendum that, if approved by voters in November, will fund a new Wakefield High School, infrastructure improvements at Metro, and other major capital expenditures. Some fear that the larger-than-normal bond issue will hurt Arlington’s AAA status.

Local Opposition to Long-Haul DCA Flights

By ARLnow.com

“It seems like about every five or six years, a group of senators decide to push the envelope and change the Perimeter Rule,” Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fisette said in a phone interview, referring to the most recent effort by congress to allow more long-haul flights out of Reagan National Airport. “It’s not a new issue.”

Indeed, it’s not. The last time it was attempted was, in fact, June 2008. At that time, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued a resolution, stating:

The COG Board of Directors opposes efforts to usurp regional and local authority over airports and reaffirms its position opposing additional slots and perimeter rule changes at Reagan Washington National Airport.

The Council of Government’s position has not changed, spokesman Steven Kania says.

Fisette says he also opposes any federally-imposed changes to the way National Airport is run. He says the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority should be able to manage air traffic as it sees fit, away from federal “meddling.” The airports authority has gone on record opposing the proposed perimeter rule changes.

“They’re the ones who know how to design the regional air transportation system to be the most effective and have the least negative impacts,” Fisette said, adding that Dulles Airport should remain the go-to destination for long-haul flights. He does not, however, expect any action by the County Board, saying Virginia Senators Warner and Webb are best equipped to fight the changes.

Fisette says the possibility of additional noise from larger planes is a another, lesser consideration. But David Sessions of Politics Daily suggests that fear of noise from long-haul flights is unfounded.

Sessions cites the experience of the Dallas-area community groups that protested the lifting of a perimeter rule for Love Field. Sessions says that since the restrictions were removed, fares dropped and  “groups conceded that there had been no change in noise.”

Arlington’s Welfare Spending Outpaces Neighbors

By ARLnow.com

Arlington spends more per capita on welfare and social services than neighbors Alexandria and Fairfax County. In fact, Arlington spends $455 for every resident in the county, nearly twice the spending of Fairfax.

“Considering the emphasis that the County Board has placed on social services, it’s not all that surprising that this category would be one of the highest per-capita spending items in Arlington,” Budget Director Richard Stevenson told the Arlington Connection’s Michael Lee Pope.

The county spends more on welfare and social services than on law enforcement. The welfare expenditures are greater than Arlington’s spending on parks, libraries, courts, sanitation and building maintenance combined. The only individual category that tops welfare is education, at $1,814 per capita. Taken as a whole, law enforcement and fire and rescue account for $588 spending per capita.

“I think we’re right where we need to be” in terms of budget priorities, County Board chairman Jay Fisette told the Connection.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fisette Delivers State of the County Address — After delivering the annual State of the County address before a group of business leaders in Crystal City, County Board Chairman Jay Fisette was peppered with pointed questions about some of the county’s costly projects and initiatives. Fisette defended Arlington’s lawsuit against proposed high-occupancy toll lanes, said the $160 million Columbia Pike streetcar plan will not be put to a referendum vote unless necessary to obtain financing, and called BRAC, the federal law that will result in thousands of defense jobs moving out of Arlington, “one of the worst decisions ever.” More from the Sun Gazette.

D.C. Bummed About Poor Ranking in List Topped By Arlington — Yesterday we told you that Parenting Magazine had bestowed the somewhat unscientific title of “Best City for Families” on Arlington. Now one commentator is wondering why the District was so low on the list. NBC Washington’s P.J. Orvetti rightly points out the absurdity of D.C. being ranked third from last in terms of recreation. Orvetti goes on to make the case for D.C. being ranked closer to Arlington, but fails to mention the elephant in the room: that the District’s low-performing schools and high crime rate preclude it from serious consideration on a list of family-friendly cities.

Moran To Hold Federal Jobs Fair Next Week — Rep. Jim Moran will be hosting a federal jobs fair at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria on Monday, June 28. More than a dozen federal agencies are expected to be on-hand for the free event, which is being held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Northside Social Ice Cream Flavors Changing — After a short-lived, Father’s Day-inspired run of key lime and chocolate bacon (yes, bacon), Northside Social is rolling out hazelnut and chocolate espresso ice cream flavors today. A bit heavy for a 90 degree day, but likely delicious nonetheless.

Biz Leaders Ask Arlington to Drop HOT Lanes Suit

By Uriah Kiser

Area business leaders are urging Arlington to drop its lawsuit against High Occupancy Toll lanes on Interstate 395 and 95.

Twenty professionals, including Arlington Chamber of Commerce president Richard V. Doud, Jr., signed a memo urging county board chairman Jay Fisette to embrace the toll lanes project.

“The primary obstacle to advancing this innovative, multi-modal improvement is the Arlington County Board’s lawsuit that precludes the project from securing any private or public sector funding,” the letter stated.

Alexandria and Prince William County business leaders also signed the letter, despite opposition to the project from elected leaders in those jurisdictions.

When Arlington filed the suit in August 2009, officials said the lanes would create more traffic, would lead to more pollution and would have an adverse affect on Arlington residents who live along I-395. They said Virginia transportation officials were allowed move forward with the project without conducting the necessary environmental studies.

Arlington officials also said the lanes would benefit mostly affluent, white residents from Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. Wednesday’s letter called those allegations absurd.

“Charges that the Obama administration and Governor Tim Kaine’s Secretary of Transportation acted with the ‘implicit intent’ to harm minority and vulnerable populations and benefit predominantly Caucasian Virginians are not credible and frankly an embarrassment to this region,” the letter stated.

(more…)

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.

Arlington and DC Unveil Country’s Largest Bike Sharing Program

By ARLnow.com

Arlington and the District are partnering to launch the largest bike sharing program in the United States, county board chairman Jay Fisette announced this morning.

At a Bike to Work Day event at Gateway Park in Rosslyn, Fisette called the program “a great system to help us promote cycling and promote health in Arlington.”

Initially launching in Crystal City this fall, the Arlington-DC bike share system will feature 1,100 bikes that will be available for rent at docking stations located primarily around transit centers. Bike usage will cost $5 per day or $80 for a year. Fisette said the county hopes to eventually expand the system to the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

County officials say the program will be similar to successful bike sharing systems in Montreal and Paris. Like Montreal, the Arlington and DC will use bikes with enclosed chains and brake cables, built by Quebec-based BIXI.

The program will be funded by the county and by state and federal grants. Some of the operational funding will be provided by the program’s own revenue.

Bike Events Abound This Week

By ARLnow.com

Local bicyclists are gearing up for two of the biggest bike-related events of the year. Friday is Bike to Work Day and Sunday is the annual Bike DC community ride.

Arlington will host three gathering points, or “pit stops,” for Bike to Work Day, which is an opportunity for regular bike commuters and curious car devotees to get together and ride into D.C. en masse. The pit stops include Rosslyn Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway), the Crystal City Water Park (1750 Crystal Drive) and Conte’s Bike Shop in Ballston (3924 Wilson Boulevard).

Participants are asked to register here.

There will be raffles, prizes, food and drink at each pit stop, from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. And just in case getting free stuff and riding into downtown in a ridiculously large two-wheeled convoy doesn’t sound fun on its own merits, County Board Chairman Jay Fisette has recorded a YouTube public service announcement to promote the event.

Also be sure to look for newly-minted Arlington bike celebrities Ross and Todd, who will be among the Bike to Work Day crowd in Rosslyn.

On Sunday, riders will have another opportunity to get together and pedal around town. The Bike DC community ride will take cyclists on a 19-mile route through Northwest Washington, across the Key Bridge, up and down the George Washington Parkway, and past various landmarks in Arlington.

The ride will end in Crystal City, where a number of restaurants and at least one delicious taco stand will have some enticing Bike DC specials.

The ride begins at 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in the District between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.

The finish line will be located at Crystal Drive and 22nd Street. Finish line festivities will take go on through 12:30 p.m.

For those who want a longer ride, Old Town Alexandria will also be sponsoring giveaways for Bike DC riders at the Snack Shak in the Torpedo Factory (5 Cameron Street) — 4.5 miles past Crystal City on the Mt. Vernon Trail — until 1:00 p.m.

Flickr photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Fisette: AG Making Virginia Look “Small and Backward”

By ARLnow.com

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s recent actions make the state look “small and backward,” Jay Fisette said to the 70 protesters who gathered on the steps  outside the George Mason University School of Law in Clarendon Tuesday.

They were there — in the words of organizer Cathryn Oakley — to “send Attorney General Cuccinelli a message.” That message: discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is wrong, no matter how you interpret the law.

“This is about our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said Fisette, chairman of the Arlington County board and Virginia’s first openly gay elected official.

Cuccinelli, a graduate of GMU law, was at the school to speak to a group students. He entered the building through a back door, away from the protest.

Along with GMU student leaders, Fisette was joined by Del. Adam Ebbin (D), Virginia’s first openly gay delegate, and Del. Bob Brink (D). Brink and Ebbin both represent parts of Arlington.

“Welcome to March Madness, Cuccinelli-style,”  Ebbin told the crowd . “We’re here to call Ken Cuccinelli on his fouls… no Virginian has been so out of touch with the realities of the 21st century.”

“Ken Cuccinelli is not only an embarrassment to our Commonwealth, but sadly he is an embarrassment to this institution,” Ebbin said.

Cuccinelli later told ABC7 that he is doing what voters elected him to do.

“I got more votes than anyone ever running for AG in Virginia history,” Cuccinelli said in the interview. “People of Virginia knew what they were getting when they elected me.”

More photos and raw video of some of the speeches, after the jump.

(more…)