special election

Early Voting Turnout Slow for Special Election

By Ethan Rothstein
1/4

As of this morning, the polls around the county for the Arlington County Board special election are reporting very light turnout.

“I don’t know if it’s the dreary weather, but it’s been quiet,” Arlington County General Registrar Linda Lindberg told ARLnow.com. “There’s no waiting at the polls in Arlington.”

Lindberg said the final returns for absentee balloting aren’t in yet — the registrar’s office hadn’t received its mail yet — but expects about 2,000 absentee ballots to be counted tonight, which is “definitely high for a special election, but I’m not sure how that’s translating to turnout.”

At Barrett Elementary School in Buckingham, election officer Nels Running said there were about 40 total voters in the first three hours of voting.

“Some people will wait for the sun to start shining,” he told ARLnow.com. “Most elections there’s a rush at midday until about 1:00 p.m. and then another from 4:30 to 7:00.”

Many of the voters who have turned out so far are voting die hards. One voter at Barrett, who only wanted to give his first name, Mick, to a reporter, said he’d voted in every election since he was 21, even one year when he broke his back and “my brother had to carry me.”

“It’s not really an election in Arlington since you know who’s going to win,” Mick said. “I’m a conservative, so my guy never wins.”

County Board Candidates Ready for Special Election

By Ethan Rothstein

The Aurora Highlands polling station during a 2010 electionIt’s the eve of the Arlington County Board special election and the four candidates are gearing up for a final push for votes.

Arlington polls open at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow and will remain open until 7:00 p.m. Voters who are unsure about where they can vote can go to the Virginia State Board of Elections polling place search function. Other questions about voting tomorrow can be answered on Arlington County’s election website.

Arlington Treasurer Frank O’Leary, who doubles as an election turnout prognosticator projects the total voter turnout to be between 30,000 and 33,000 after the latest absentee ballot count came in at 1,910.

Campaign contributions and candidate efforts have ramped up in the final week and the leading contenders, Howze and Republican- and Green-endorsed independent John Vihstadt, say they’re looking forward to tomorrow.

“Voters are really responding to our message of progressive values, community investments, and high quality local government services,” Howze told ARLnow.com in an email this afternoon. “We are working hard to make sure voters know that there is an election and what is at stake. We have knocked on thousands of doors and made thousands more phone calls and will continue right through Election Day to get the word out.”

Vihstadt acknowledged the difficulties he faced running against a Democrat in Arlington, but said he’s “encouraged” heading into tomorrow.

“I am the underdog, but am very encouraged and up-beat going into the election,” Vihstadt also wrote in an email. “This has been an uphill battle against the status quo from the start, but our grassroots campaign of volunteers from multiple parties has tapped a groundswell across the County that we need to elect a new independent voice and restore some balance to our County Board in a constructive, bridge-building manner.”

Howze and Vihstadt both said the voters they’ve spoken to appreciate candidates knocking on their doors. However, Vihstadt says voters want a candidate who “speaks to local issues that the County Board has power to address and will provide a new, independent voice and someone who will ask questions and not just nod his head.”

Howze said voters told him “they want leaders who share their values on equality, economic opportunity, and expanding access to healthcare. I also learned that voters, especially those with school-age children, recognize the value in having a Member of the County Board who actually has children currently in APS.”

Regarding his electoral odds on Tuesday, independent Stephen Holbrook wrote “it isn’t important as to how I feel about my chances for victory… If I am not elected the only losers will be the people of Arlington County who will be hurt by more higher unjustified taxes and more poor leadership type people on our board.”

At publication time, Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy had not responded to a request for comment sent earlier this afternoon.

John Vihstadt: Why You Should Vote for Me

By ARLnow.com

John Vihstadt at the County Board candidates debate 3/4/14This week, we asked the candidates for Arlington County Board to write a sub-750 word essay describing why Arlington residents should vote for them in the special election on April 8.

Below is Republican- and Green-endorsed independent John Vihstadt’s unedited response:

I’m John Vihstadt, and I ask for your vote in the April 8 special election for County Board.

Mary and I have called Arlington home since 1981.  Our two sons received an excellent education at Tuckahoe, Swanson and Yorktown.  It’s a great place to live and raise a family.  But at a time of rising taxes and budget pressures, we need a fresh perspective and some balance on our County Board.  It’s time we re-examine our spending priorities and how we engage our diverse community.

I am running for three fundamental reasons:

  • To Serve Our Community.   I will put my community service of over 30 years to work for all of Arlington.   In our neighborhoods, across the County and in our public schools, people know that I have the credibility and
the record to get things done in a consensus-building way.  I’ve served on the Aging, Housing and Planning Commissions, as well as on the Boards of Community Residences, Inc. for the developmentally disabled and the Arlington Historical Society.  I’ve been elected president of my Civic Association and to the Board of the Arlington Civic Federation.  And in our schools, I served as a PTA president, as a School Bond Campaign co-chair, as an officer in the County Council of PTA’s, and received the School Board’s Honored Citizen Award.  Along with many others, I organized and advocated to accelerate the rebuilding of Wakefield High School.
  • To Provide a New Voice.  Voters want balance and a fresh perspective on a
County Board that has grown insular and dismissive of different views for lack of true electoral competition.   Too often, the County Board acts more like an echo chamber than a deliberative body.   And too often, the County Board and School Board seem more like ships passing in the night than co-captains of the same boat.  I’ll work to break down silos between the County and our schools, develop shared service delivery models and improve cooperation.  I’ll ask questions at
2100 Clarendon Boulevard, not just nod my head.
  • To Adjust Our Spending Priorities and Provide Accountability.  We need to focus spending on core services first–public schools, public safety, infrastructure maintenance and neighborhood quality of life–not a $310 million streetcar, million dollar bus stops or a mismanaged aquatics
center with faulty construction and operating cost projections.   We are still waiting for that bus stop audit promised last fall, and wondering how a dog park in Clarendon could escalate to $1.6 million dollars.

Along Columbia Pike and through Pentagon City and Crystal City, we can implement a form of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) right now–and frankly, we should have already done so.  BRT can be implemented more quickly, at a fraction of the cost, with less disruption, better regional connectivity and with more flexibility than a streetcar.  And, as Arlington’s own plans for the Crystal City transitway demonstrate, BRT does not require dedicated lanes.   Let’s also use earmarked transit funds to expand ART bus, augment express busses, and improve pedestrian safety and bikeways.

I’ve also called on Arlington to follow the recommendation of its own external auditor and implement a robust internal audit/inspector general function.   Arlington Public Schools and adjacent jurisdictions have done so.   Why not the County?

Why am I Running as an Independent?   No political party has a monopoly on wisdom, new ideas or sound government stewardship.   And at the local level, voters tell me that they don’t view things like educating our kids, picking up the trash or delivering human services through a partisan prism.   People want practical, cost-effective results.

My Independent campaign is backed by current and former elected officials and citizens from across the political spectrum, ranging from Democrats like Theo Stamos, Frank Wilson, Libby Garvey and Peter Rousselot, to Republicans such as David Foster, Jim Pebley and Mike Brunner, as well as Greens and Libertarians.   They know that I will not be a captive of any party, person, or ideological agenda.

If you are happy with the status quo and the County’s current spending priorities, there are other candidates.   If you want positive, constructive change and new leadership with a proven record of accomplishment, please vote for me.  Thank you. (www.VoteForVihstadt.com)

Janet Murphy: Why You Should Vote for Me

By ARLnow.com

Janet Murphy at the County Board candidates debate 3/4/14This week, we asked the candidates for Arlington County Board to write a sub-750 word essay describing why Arlington residents should vote for them in the special election on April 8.

Below is Independent Green Party candidate Janet Murphy’s unedited response:

Dear ARLnow.com and Citizens of Arlington:  I am Janet Murphy the Independent Green Party Candidate for Arlington County Board.  I am running because we need more trains, and less traffic and that means Columbia Pike rail.  Rail pays for itself. This weeks’ Columbia Pike Rail study shows it will bring $4.4 billion of economic growth. Rail saves lives. Rail creates jobs, increases the value of our homes, businesses, and community. Rail grows revenue for our schools, police, and fire departments, and affordable housing. Let Arlington be the most pedestrian, bike, and rail friendly community in the nation. We call for a new passenger rail tunnel under the Potomac to solve the problem of the “Orange Crush” on Metrorail, and expanding Metrorail service to South Arlington with a new underground Metrorail line

Independent Green Party stands for “More Candidates, Less Apathy” and has put more third party candidates on the ballot in Virginia than any other party in the last 100 years.  Independent Green party salutes Giant Food which deserves our communities praise and support.

We need to continue the smart growth, pro-rail, sustainable green development in Arlington County.

Pursue fiscal responsibility and social and economic justice with creating revenue by installing solar panels, and geothermal heating and cooling in all our public buildings. This saves Arlington taxpayers money.  Renewable – sustainable energy creates jobs that grow revenue for the county.  Solar, Geothermal, and weatherization are vital investments in our community. Janet Murphy will protect Arlington’s AAA bond rating.  Increase Arlington Based Businesses by 35% with innovation and green initiatives.

Carve out more open space and create new open space recreational opportunities, parks and pedestrian esplanades that provide community gathering place for Arlingtonians.  Let’s go down to the river and build a boat house or otherwise create access to nature there.  Plastic bags pollute, are not biodegradable, and damage our environment. We need to charge the fully loaded cost of plastic bags to Arlington’s environment. Participate fully in our clean water and air.

We need an energy self sufficient Arlington with Solar panels on every roof. We need conservation, weatherization, geothermal heating and cooling in every building. We need local renewable energy tax credits, or grants that match the 30 percent federal tax credits.  This encourages every Arlington home, and business to go Green. Renewable energy is a winner for Arlington and Arlingtonians  Our former Indy Green Party state chair installed geothermal heating and cooling in his Virginia house, and solar panels on his roof. The first year the house produced ten times the energy it consumed so it is a “Plus House”. Sell the energy back to the power company. Every house in Arlington could be a Green Energy Plus House. Instead of paying Dominion Power, they pay you for your renewable energy.

I am currently employed at a hotel in Arlington.  Formerly I was a software professional in Virginia in financial, environmental, entertainment and defense computer systems; Real Estate Agent VA, DC and MD; property manager; substitute teacher at all levels.  I was a Field Interviewer for 2012 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Study (CBECS) for Department of Energy through Westat, Inc.

Education:  BA English McGill University, MS Counseling Psychology UDC, Diploma Computer Learning Center, Springfield VA.

I have run for VA House of Delegates and House of Representatives from Arlington.  Elected Independent Green Party Arlington County Chair and Virginia State Indy Green Party Central Committee.

I support social justice and all environmental wisdom that is available.  Solar and wind energy, recycling, innovation will cut down usage of water and electricity.

The Independent Green Party candidates for local, state, and federal office have advocated for Columbia Pike rail for decades.  Indy Green Party leaders, Indy Green Party Arlington neighbors participated in decades of meetings to work for Columbia Pike Rail.  The history of those meetings and the reasons why we need Arlington’s Columbia Pike Rail are well documented.  For Arlington County, getting Columbia Pike rail is another battle in the century long fight between big oil, big auto, big asphalt, and big polluters. As an Independent Green Party candidate, I want to show the way to a sustainable green future for Arlington County.  Rail transportation and Smarter growth mean an ever greener Arlington. Please join me, and the Independent Green Party today.  Be an Independent Green Party candidate for local, state, or federal office, and part of the positive green change. Think Green and Vote for Janet Murphy on April 8 2014 for Arlington County Board.

Alan Howze: Why You Should Vote for Me

By ARLnow.com

Alan HowzeThis week, we asked the candidates for Arlington County Board to write a sub-750 word essay describing why Arlington residents should vote for them in the special election on April 8.

Below is Democrat Alan Howze’s unedited response:

Please Join Me and Move Arlington Forward!

I am optimistic about Arlington’s future.  We have built a great community. Together we can make it even better.  I ask for your vote on April 8 so that we can preserve what makes Arlington special and create a brighter tomorrow for everyone in our community.

Progressive Values

Values guide decisions. So you should know where the candidates stand.

I was born in Arlington Hospital and grew up on Jackson Street.  My wife, Pam, and I are raising our three children here because we love Arlington and its progressive Democratic values of equality, opportunity and shared prosperity.

I believe in protecting a women’s right to choose, and would defend it from TRAP efforts.

I believe we should care for our neighbors.  This is why I strongly support expanding Medicaid to cover more than 6,000 Arlington residents who do not have access to healthcare today.  Expanding coverage would protect jobs and the fiscal health of Arlington’s our largest private employers, the Virginia Hospital Center.  It would also save millions of dollars that Arlington County spends today to provide local healthcare services, and would allow for additional state funding for other important priorities such as education, public safety, and the environment.  Expanding Medicaid is fiscally responsible and it is the right thing to do for our people, our local economy, and our community.

This is why I have called upon my Republican-backed opponent, Mr. Vihstadt, to tell voters if he supports expanding Medicaid coverage, or if he stands with Republicans who are blocking access to healthcare for thousands of Arlington residents.  Arlington voters deserve to know.

Investing in Education and Transportation

The investments we have made in our community are the foundation of our success. As a County Board Member, one of my top priorities will be making smart investments in education and transportation. This means continuing to improve Metro – including by adding capacity to reduce the Orange crush – and creating new, high-quality transit through the Arlington Streetcar Line.

And this means thoughtful investments to ensure Arlington’s schools remain among the best in the nation. School overcrowding is one of the biggest challenges we face. As a County Board Member, I will find solutions. I have a personal stake in this: no other candidate in this race, or current County Board Member, has children in Arlington Public Schools.

A New Voice for Innovation & Oversight

I have worked hard to reach out to all of Arlington.  I have knocked on thousands of doors and listened carefully to resident’s needs and concerns.  I will use my community experience — Civic Association President, Fiscal Affairs Commission, PTA, Housing Solutions Board — and my business experience to find solutions to school overcrowding, neighborhood safety, and affordable housing.

I am proud to have the support of Arlington Educators, the Sierra Club, LGBT Democrats of Virginia, National Organization of Women, Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, and labor organizations LiUNA!, IBEW, and UFCW, as well as community leaders including Paul Ferguson, Mary Hynes, Emma Violand-Sanchez, Frank O’Leary, Ingrid Morroy, Beth Arthur, Mary Margaret Whipple, Bob Brink, Abby Raphael, Jay Fisette, Noah Simon, James Lander, Ed Fendley, Dave Bell, Sally Baird, Karen Darner, Judy Connally and Joe Wholey, plus many more. 

My experience working for Gov. Mark Warner and nearly a decade working for IBM have given me insights on how to improve our local government.  While most Arlingtonians I’ve spoken with are optimistic about our community, cost overruns on some key county projects threaten to erode confidence in our government’s management.  I know we can do better.

On the Fiscal Affairs Commission, I pushed for enhancements to the County’s audit, financial management, and analytics capabilities. I have also strongly supported a focus on core government services, recommending increased funding for paving and leading a task force that focused on the maintenance needs of our parks and facilities.  However, a focus on core services does not mean, as some have suggested, that we should stop investing for the future needs of our community.  That short-sighted approach will undermine our future prosperity.

We have a great community, built on progressive values, care for our neighbors, and sound long-term infrastructure investments.  I ask you for your vote so I can l work with you to find innovative, durable and fiscally sound solutions to the challenges that we face.

Together, we can move Arlington forward.

Stephen Holbrook: Why You Should Vote for Me

By ARLnow.com

Stephen Holbrook at the County Board candidates debate 3/4/14This week, we asked the candidates for Arlington County Board to write a sub-750 word essay describing why Arlington residents should vote for them in the special election on April 8.

Below is independent’s Stephen Holbrook’s unedited response:

Who is Steve Holbrook?

-A 33 year resident of Arlington and a real property owner/taxpayer.

-A retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Accountant with management experience and expertise in reviewing and analyzing private and Governmental financial statements and documents.

-A Vietnam Era Army Veteran.

-A man who has witnessed dramatic increases in his and other peoples’ Arlington real property taxes that have consistently exceeded the Government advertised inflation rates and cannot get adequate answers as to why he is required to pay more for his services.

-A man who seeks your vote so that he can serve his fiduciary duty as the “Peoples’ Auditor” and thereby serve the people by protecting their assets from fraud, waste and abuse.

Why Steve Holbrook for the Arlington County Board?

-Steve is not a “career politician”.

-Steve has had a career in Government and understands waste, fraud and abuse in businesses and government.

-Steve, although he would be a voting member of the Board, intends to function as the “People’s Auditor” who will explain to his constituents how the County has overspent its money in the past and show now the needed budget cuts for Arlington County.

-As an independent Steve is not affiliated with any “political machine” seeking patronage or political favors.

What does Steve believe in?

CUTTING WASTEFUL SPENDING AND HOLDING THE LINE ON TAX INCREASES UNTIL WE CAN CUT REAL ESTATE TAXES THROUGH IDENTIFIED CUTS AND ECONOMIES

TRANSPARENCY: SHOWING THE PUBLIC HOW UNJUSTIFIED SPENDING INCREASES HAD OCCURRED AND WHICH PROGRAMS DRIVE UNJUSTIFIED COST GROWTH

DISCONTINUING CAPITAL PROJECTS SUCH AS THE COLUMBIA PIKE STREETCAR LINE AND THE PLANNED HOMELESS SHELTER FOR SEX OFFENDERS AT COURTHOUSE ROAD

SHARED SACRIFICES: STEVE WILL TAKE A $9000 PER YEAR PAY CUT.

SUBJECTING ALL PROPOSED SPENDING INCREASES TO RIGOROUS COST/BENEFIT ANALYSES

What will Steve do if elected?

PROPOSE AN IMMEDIATE FREEZE ON ARLINGTON COUNTY SPENDING

CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ARLINGTON COUNTY BUDGETS SINCE 1997 TO DETERMINE LINE ITEMS WHICH HAVE MATERIALLY GROWN AT RATES IN EXCESS OF INFLATION AND POPULATION GROWTH

ELIMINATE THE COLUMBIA STREET CAR LINE PROJECT AND HOMELESS SHELTERS OWNED AND OPERATED BY ARLINGTON COUNTY

TAKE A PAY REDUCTION

Important voters’ information

1) I met with the other three candidates at a local Arlington County Church on March 27, 2014.  The meeting was supported by V.O.I.C.E., an affordable housing group made up of eight Arlington County churches, and the groups’ leaders at that meeting were all preachers from those churches.  The four candidates were told that they were going to be asked four questions and they could only answer yes or no with no explanations.  We were all told by the preachers that if we did not vote yes to their questions that their people will know and they will vote accordingly.  In fact the preachers during the meeting asked their people to get on their cell phones and spread the words of the candidates that support their goals.  The other three candidates there in GOD’s house promised to give V.O.I.C.E. Arlington County’s land and money to support V.O.I.C.E.’s goal of building more affordable housing.  The other three candidates there all agreed to meet with all the preachers after the election and would build a plan to transfer assets to them.  I was the only candidate there that said no.  I would not agree to transfer taxpayers’ assets that I have a fiduciary responsibility to protect from fraud, waste and abuse and give them to a group for their vote.  That is stealing and GOD in his Ten Commandments said “Thou Shall not Steal.”

2) There are similar deals and another one is with the teachers union of Arlington County.  Arlington County Board, made up of Democrats, is spending 45.6 % of all Arlington County revenue on our schools.  I estimate that would come to at least 60 % to 80 % of the total Arlington County real estate tax revenue.  Arlington County has the highest spending per student than any of the other schools around.  Federal workers got a 1 % pay raise this year while school teachers are in for a 3 % pay raise.  This 1 % raise has been eaten up by federal and state taxes as well as Obamacare caused increases in our health issuance premiums, increase in our deductibles and increase in the cost of our pills and the Arlington County sales tax increase put in to place last year.  According to Arlington County we are having issues with the county’s ability to pay healthcare cost and pensions.

Vihstadt, Howze Neck-and-Neck in Fundraising

By Ethan Rothstein

Democratic County Board candidate Alan Howze John Vihstadt at the County Board candidates debate 3/4/14

The two leading candidates for the vacant seat on the Arlington County Board are essentially even in fundraising with less than a week before the April 8 special election.

Democrat Alan Howze raised $84,984 in the first quarter of 2014, which ended March 28, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign financing in the state. Republican- and Green-endorsed independent candidate John Vihstadt raised $84,154. However, if the candidates want to go on a spending spree in the final week, Vihstadt has $20,379 in cash on hand, compared to Howze’s $5,170.

Howze’s top donor since his campaign began — shortly after Election Day 2013 when longtime Board Member Chris Zimmerman announced his plans to retire — has been real estate broker Bob Adamson, who has given $2,944, more than the $2,000 Howze’s campaign has gotten from Jay Fisette’s 2012 campaign fund, attorney Christopher Shiplett, and the Baltimore Washington Construction & Public Employees Laborers PAC, which gave its $2,000 yesterday.

Vihstadt’s biggest contribution has been from his wife, Mary, for $5,666. He has also received $5,360 from attorney Stephen Huntoon and, on Monday, Arlington Firefighters donated $2,500 to Vihstadt’s campaign. Vihstadt has also received $1,000 from Democrat Board member Libby Garvey’s campaign funds.

Independent candidate Stephen Holbrook — who suggested that those who vote for Howze and Vihstadt will “go to hell” — has not filed any campaign finance records, while Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy has not disclosed any donations.

Special Election Predicted to See Record Turnout

By Ethan Rothstein

Barrett Elementary School polling place 11/5/13This year’s special election on April 8 could see record voter turnout, and not just for a special election.

Arlington’s unofficial election prognosticator, Treasurer Frank O’Leary, expects the special election to draw between 35,000 and 37,000 votes, dwarfing the previous record for a special election —  21,624 votes, set in 2003 — and rivaling the odd-year election records of 2011 and the constitutional amendment year of 1999.

“The natives are clearly restless,” O’Leary said in an email. “This fervor may reflect disgruntled voters responding to [John] Vihstadt’s energetic efforts to torpedo the aquatic center and derail the streetcar. Similarly, it may arise from the equally energetic efforts of the newly-minted ACDC Chairman — Kip Malinosky (who cannot afford to lose his maiden effort) and a determined Democratic candidate — Alan Howze — who has rapped his knuckles on thousands of voters’ doors.”

O’Leary is projecting about 2,750 absentee votes will be cast, compared with the 2011 general election that saw 2,248. Along with Democrat Howze and Republican- and Green-endorsed independent John Vihstadt, independent Stephen Holbrook and Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy are also running.

“Turnout resulting from this tempestuous mix,” O’Leary wrote, “will be further enhanced by the later-than-usual voting date of April 8, coupled with an extra hour of sunlight at day’s end.”

Peter’s Take: John Vihstadt for County Board

By Peter Rousselot

Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Peter RousselotI’m a proud Arlington Democrat, and I am voting for Independent John Vihstadt in the April 8 special election for County Board. You can read about John’s extensive community service, the issues on which he is running, and his support from across the political spectrum here.

This election is about Arlington’s core spending priorities not about core Democratic Party values.

When John Vihstadt announced his candidacy for County Board on December 12, 2013, he stated:

Something is seriously wrong when schools across Arlington are over capacity and fighting for funding, while County leaders continue to plow millions into high profile projects beyond the scope of core community needs like education and public safety.

I agree. These are the bread-and-butter issues that our local government has the responsibility to solve.

Arlington’s current budget priorities have been set by a group of long-term incumbent County Board members who happen to be Democrats. Their budget priorities are wrong for Arlington. Those priorities would be wrong regardless of the political affiliation of any Board member who sought to perpetuate them.

Whether to spend $310+ million on an unnecessary Columbia Pike streetcar is not a core Democratic Party value. Whether to spend $80+ million on a gold-plated Aquatics Center at Long Bridge Park is not a core Democratic Party value. Whether to spend $1 million on a bus stop is not a core Democratic Party value.

The harder issue for some Arlington Democrats is whether to vote for John Vihstadt or vote for his Democratic opponent simply because that opponent is the Democratic candidate. Before deciding to support Vihstadt, I tried and failed to convince two other prominent Arlington Democrats to run for election to this seat. I then decided to support Vihstadt because simply being the Democratic candidate in this election is not enough of a qualification.

Arlington Democrats should join me and many other Democrats in voting for Vihstadt because the current County Board has grown so insular and set in its ways that it needs someone like Vihstadt, who has the independence and experience to change the Board’s current dynamic. Vihstadt’s Democratic opponent does not have sufficient independence and experience to do that.

I have never in my lifetime voted for anyone other than a Democrat for any elected office. On April 8, I am going to vote for John Vihstadt because it is more important to me to change the dynamic on the current Board than to preserve my 50-year record of voting only for Democrats.

Peter Rousselot is a former member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia and former chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

Column: Moving Forward with Alan Howze

By ARLnow.com

The following is a guest column, submitted by Ed Fendley. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Ed Fendley(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) Arlington is an exceptionally good community. Our schools, our parks, and our walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented neighborhoods are all recognized nationally.

We didn’t get here by accident. Arlington voters in recent decades have chosen smart, progressive leaders. Our County Board has invested in our community, and those investments have paid off economically and with an improved quality of life.

Arlington now faces a choice. Do we continue on the progressive path that has served us so well? Or do we try a different approach?

I urge Arlington voters to join me in protecting what has made Arlington great.

Democrat Alan Howze combines the best traditions of Arlington civic engagement with new perspectives and energy. Howze is a community leader and an active school parent, and he brings a business background.

In his community work and on the campaign trail, Alan Howze has demonstrated wisdom and judgment. Anyone who has worked with Alan — including his former boss, then-Gov. Mark Warner — recognizes his skills.

Alan Howze is unapologetically policy-oriented. That is, he typifies Arlington and its informed, caring voters. Howze promises to promote innovation, and his thoughtfulness as a candidate and in his professional career gives us reason to believe he’ll deliver.

It’s not easy being an elected official. One more important thing about Alan is that he’s really hard working. I have talked with people all over the County who’ve been so pleased that Alan has knocked on their door. He’s done this all through the winter, and gotten to know Arlington residents in all our wonderful diversity. A common theme of people who’ve talked with Alan is their confidence that he has listened to them.

Alan will also bring to the County Board a perspective that is missing — that of a parent with children in our public schools. No one on the County Board — and no other candidates in this race — has children in Arlington Public Schools today. Alan is vested and committed to our schools. This is why Arlington Educators recommend his election.

Howze faces John Vihstadt, a longtime civic and Republican party activist. It is commendable that Vihstadt is running a serious campaign. The problem is that he, like his party, is on the wrong side of today’s issues.

Vihstadt’s pitch is that Arlington can no longer afford to invest in what has made our community so strong. But Arlington has never before chosen the disinvestment path. Vihstadt has given us no sound reason to roll back our efforts at the very time when we face challenges ranging from burgeoning school enrollment to a newly urgent need to do our part to protect the natural environment.

It is also curious that Vihstadt, who was the top 2008 honoree of Arlington Republicans and is a perennial big-dollar Republican donor, has indicated that for the purposes of this campaign he is not a Republican. Yet, he sought and received the endorsement of the Arlington Republicans. This strikes me as disingenuous.

If you believe Arlington’s best days are behind us, vote for Republican Vihstadt.

If you believe in Arlington, and our promise to get even better, please join me in voting for Democrat Alan Howze.

Ed Fendley is a Democrat and a former Arlington County School Board chairman. 

The Right Note: When You Cast a Vote for County Board

By Mark Kelly

The Right Note is a weekly opinion column published on Thursdays. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Mark KellyConsider voting for a change.

Last week I attended my neighborhood community forum, which featured the leading County Board candidates — Alan Howze and John Vihstadt. After the forum, I spoke to one of my neighbors who made a simple observation. He told me that the message was clear to those in attendance. If you want to continue with the status quo, you will vote for Alan. If you want to put someone who will change things up, you will vote for John.

The candidates difference on their approach to government is exemplified by their positions on the Columbia Pike trolley. Howze made the case to move forward with it as planned. Vihstadt, a regular bus rider, countered that bus rapid transit would provide the same value in moving people at a fraction of the cost.

Howze will almost certainly chase the shiny ball of vanity projects. Vihstadt will take a more common sense approach that keeps value for our tax dollars in mind.

John Vihstadt, in making his case for running as an Independent, noted that potholes, water mains, trash pickup and street lights are not partisan issues. He also noted that the three candidates for the 2012 special election — Libby Garvey (Democrat), Audrey Clement (Green) and me — all had endorsed him in this campaign.

Alan Howze twice, in his opening and closing statements, called his Independent opponent a Republican — both times to audible jeering from the audience. Howze’s standard talking point fell flat. He was standing in the middle of three precincts where a majority of voters had voted for me running as a Republican two years earlier.

Calling Vihstadt a Republican seems to be one of the key pillars of Howze’s campaign strategy. The Howze campaign is using it online, while knocking on doors and making phone calls. It seems as though it is the worst thing Howze can think of to say about an opponent who spent 30 years giving back to his community on countless boards, commissions, and civic organizations. Vihstadt worked with Arlingtonians from all political stripes in those activities, and in return he has received significant endorsements from across the political spectrum.

It is not a new strategy for Democrats. Back in 2012, a Democrat volunteer called one of my supporters and said that Republicans were responsible for what was wrong in Arlington. My supporter reminded him that Democrats had controlled the County Board for nearly three decades and asked how it was possible Republicans could be held responsible?

Whatever party you identify with, one thing is clear — Democrat County Board members own every issue you have with how Arlington County operates. The trolley, the million dollar bus stop, red tape for businesses, the gold-plated aquatics center, the neverending Artisphere subsidies, the failure to maintain our roads, our aging infrastructure and the failure to take community input into account despite having more meetings to do so, are because of Democrat decisions.

If you want things to change after April 8, you have to send a clear message to the Democrats who have run Arlington for 30 years. Electing John Vihstadt, a proven independent voice, will send that message.

Mark Kelly is a former Arlington GOP Chairman and two-time Republican candidate for Arlington County Board.

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