The Right Note

The Right Note: Pop Quiz

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 KellyWithout using Google, can you name a candidate for statewide office November 5th not named Cuccinelli or McAuliffe?

With all of the attention given to the top of the ticket race for Governor in Virginia, the two down ballot races are a lot like Rodney Dangerfield — they get no respect. You can use Google if the name Rodney Dangerfield doesn’t ring a bell.

State Sen. Mark Obenshain is running as the Republican nominee for Attorney General. During his 25-year legal career, Obenshain managed one of Virginia’s 50 largest law firms. Then, he started his own firm which now has over 50 total employees.

As a Senator, Obenshain was the author of the Constitutional amendment to protect private property rights in Virginia that passed last November — receiving 57 percent of the vote here in Arlington. He also authored several pieces of legislation to toughen penalties on child predators.

Now, Obenshain wants to put his experience and proven track record to work in the Attorney General’s office and has offered a clear set of priorities for his service as AG. He will continue his work to protect our children from predators. He will defend Virginia’s right-to-work laws. He has offered a plan to protect seniors from abuse and neglect. And, he will stand up for Virginia when the federal government overreaches.

On ethics, Obenshain has come out in support of a $100 gift cap and has said he will institute stronger ethics standards in the Attorney General’s office even if the legislature does not take up this issue. He has also proposed the adoption of a Transparency in Private Attorney Contracts act to ensure complete openness in the process of retaining outside counsel for specialized legislation.

Senator Obenshain continues to put forward detailed policy proposals for the Attorney General’s office instead of the simple platitudes usually offered by his opponent.

Most recently, Obenshain unveiled his comprehensive plan to go after human traffickers in Virginia. The plan includes pushing for legislation making human trafficking a stand-alone felony offense, adding those engaging in commercial sex with a minor to the sex offender registry, extending asset forfeiture laws to human trafficking, ensuring victim compensation, and establishing a Human Trafficking Task Force to assist prosecutors. Ten days later, Obenshain’s opponent followed his lead and released a similar plan.

Virginia needs a leader like Mark Obenshain in the Attorney General’s office.

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

The Right Note: Remembering Our History

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 KellyYesterday, our nation commemorated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. The March, of course, was 100 years after President Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, I wanted to call attention to an important part of our history here in Arlington that took place in 1863.

On May 5, 1863, Lieutenant Colonel Elias M. Greene, chief quartermaster of the Department of Washington, and Danforth B. Nichols of the American Missionary Association officially selected the Arlington Estate, or Custis-Lee plantation, as the site for Freedmen’s Village. The site would later become a part of Arlington National Cemetery.

The Village was formally dedicated on December 4, 1863, and the site was intended to be a model community for freed persons. Originally, 100 former slaves settled on the site – eventually growing to over 1,000 residents. There were over 10 frame houses, 50 two-story duplex houses, two chapels, a school with five teachers, a meeting hall, a hospital, and a home for the elderly and infirm.

While the Freedmen’s Village was eventually closed around the turn of the 20th century, many Arlingtonians still trace ancestors back to it. Residents from the Village helped found the communities of Penrose, Hall’s Hill and Nauck.

Penrose, for example, was originally known as the Butler-Holmes subdivision. It was named after William Butler and Henry Holmes – two leaders in the Freedmen’s Village who held public office before developing land for housing. The Butler-Holmes subdivision was turned from a few parcels of farmland into multiple free standing dwellings.

The Penrose neighborhood was home to Dr. Charles Drew. He was the first African American to receive a Doctor of Science in Medicine, and he became Head of the Surgery Department at Howard University. He gained international acclaim for his scientific advances in the field of blood plasma transfusion research. The Drew Model Elementary School and Community Center in Arlington bears his name as a tribute to him – as do several other institutions of learning across the country.

Of course, the stories could go on and on, and I am only able to barely scratch the surface in this column. If you have a few minutes today, I encourage you to read through this “walking tour” brochure from the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington to learn a little bit more.

We truly have a rich history here in Arlington. I hope from time to time we all take a moment to understand, appreciate and learn from it.

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

The Right Note: Dusting Off the Memory Banks

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 KellyYou may remember three years ago when there was an effort to put the question of changing from a County Manager Plan to a County Board form of government to the voters. The effort started late and ended in a giant mess of fraudulent signature gathering.

One practical effect of the change in government would have been to require our County Board to be elected differently. The county would have been divided into four districts – each electing its own representative to the Board. A fifth member would be elected at-large or county wide. All of these elections would happen every four years.

Under this method of election, four of the Board Members would be more accountable to a smaller constituency. New York City Council Members represent fewer people than each of our at-large County Board Members do. Not only does this lower the level of constituent service from a part-time board, but it creates an additional barrier to entry for those outside the Democratic Party establishment.

So, the chances that a Republican or Independent could win one of the seats would likely have increased, even if the current board was able to draw the district lines. Diversity of opinion would be a breath of fresh air to one-party rule.

South Arlington would most certainly be guaranteed at least one Member of the County Board – two if the Board drew the lines with “compactness” in mind. There is a long-standing feeling that those who live South of Route 50 get the short end of the stick when it comes to Board decisions.

The change would have put more power in the hands of the board and less in the hands of the County Administrator (no County Manager in the proposed plan). The goal was to end the ability of the board to pass the buck to county staff whenever convenient.

However, the proposed plan was by no means perfect. It would not change the fact that the chairman would not be directly elected by the voters. We would not have ended the insider process of passing it around annually between board members. The change also would have seen our School Board move back to appointed positions by the County Board. And, the biggest loss of power for the County would have been in the number of authorized agencies the Board may create.

You can compare all of the differences between the County Board and County Manager Plan here.

Love or hate the idea of changing our form of government, it is a shame that this question never made it to the people of Arlington for a vote. It represented an important debate for our community to have about how our government currently operates. Ultimately, consideration of the merits was lost in the drama surrounding the signature gathering process.

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

The Right Note: You Can Ring My Bell

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 Kelly

Last week, my counterpart on the left wrote at length about Ken Cuccinelli (R) un-ringing a bell.

As Peter should know, the gifts Cuccinelli received were legal under Virginia law — even if ill-advised. He also should know that Cuccinelli called for an immediate special session of the General Assembly to debate and pass new ethics rules on gifts. Cuccinelli’s position is we should address this issue now.

What is Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe’s (D) position on ethics reform? McAuliffe has said he supports a $100 gift cap, but he opposes a special session on ethics — calling it a “gimmick.”

It has been widely reported that McAuliffe’s former company, GreenTech Automotive, is under SEC investigation. One question mark is what happened to $45.5 million invested in what Virginia economic development officials under Gov. Kaine were concerned was a cash-for-visas scheme? If McAuliffe did not unduly benefit, why is he refusing to match Cuccinelli’s tax return disclosures?

And, what if we take a look at the gift disclosures of our other elected officials who served in Richmond and evaluate the gifts under the “Peter’s Take” lens?

For example, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) did not cut a refund check to the wealthy donor who gave him the use of a Caribbean vacation home for $15,000 in 2005 when he was running for governor. It is similar to the gifts Cuccinelli received. And, Kaine can afford it, right? Will Peter take on this gift in next week’s column?

One source of gift-giving to our local delegation also sticks out like a sore thumb. You may recall that the Signature Theater recently received a taxpayer-funded, $250,000 bailout for its unpaid taxes. All the while, Signature has been handing out free tickets to our local delegation in Richmond.

From 2008 to 2012, free theater tickets for the amounts indicated were given to the following local lawmakers:

  • Adam Ebbin (D): $1,523
  • Patrick Hope (D): $860 (3 years)
  • Bob Brink (D): $795
  • Barbara Favola (D): $367 (2 years)

Under the Peter’s Take standard, should these elected officials who received free theater tickets from Signature cut a refund check to the Treasurer’s Office in Arlington? It would certainly help offset the cost of the bailout by $3,545.

And, any member of the all-Democrat County Board should probably reimburse the treasury for any free tickets they received from Signature as well, right? They can afford it, right?

Hopefully Peter will take on Democrats on gifts and ethics as well.

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

The Right Note: Ten Things to Talk to Your County Board About in August

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 KellyLike Congress, the Arlington County Board takes the month of August off from regular meetings. Members of Congress will be back in their districts, receiving an earful or two from constituents about big ticket items like immigration reform, the debt limit and the Affordable Care Act rollout (such as it is).

You may have some questions of your own, but here are ten suggested topics to talk to County Board Members about this month in anticipation of their final four meetings of the year:

1. Ask them to list three ways they could make doing business easier in Arlington and why they have not already done them.

2. Ask them to vote on a resolution requiring a public bond vote prior to any construction funds being allocated to the trolley. Yes, it is possible. No, it is not required. But, any project that will cost upwards of half a billion dollars deserves a public vote.

3. Ask them to freeze any further trolley-related spending until the $1 million super stop review is completed.

4. Ask them to give a line item account of the swelling cash on hand surplus: specifically, where the revenue came from, and what it is earmarked for.

5. Ask them to list their top five priorities for spending any excess revenue in the close-out process at the September meeting and provide an explanation of why that spending is more important than lowering tax rates.

6. Ask them to consider switching all new hires into a defined contribution rather than a defined benefit retirement system. See Detroit.

7. Ask them to vote to require all future County Managers live in Arlington.

8. Ask them to insert an exception in any backyard hen regulations to allow anyone living on a property adjoining a County Board Member to have chickens, regardless of the lot size.

9. Ask them to vote on a measure allowing any county employee, including Board Members, to voluntarily give up their current health care plan and trade it for the plan offered under the Affordable Care Act exchange. The Board has not been shy about making political statements on federal and state issues in the past. With all the bumps and bruises the President’s signature initiative is taking, a measure like this would be a strong show of support.

10. Ask them for their top three reasons to vote for Terry McAuliffe that do not include the name of his Republican opponent.

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

The Right Note: Pulling Back the Curtain

By ARLnow.com

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 KellyLast week, Arlington’s Treasurer Frank O’Leary produced a chart which showed the swelling cash on hand coffers in the County. He was right to question why it was growing so much. He was also right to point out it very well could mean Arlingtonians could be paying less in taxes.

Having this issue brought to light seemed to be a good bit of common sense to me.

Then it got more interesting. This week O’Leary wrote a letter to the editor explaining that his commentary on paying lower taxes and questioning spending decisions by the Board was in his role as a private citizen and not as Treasurer.

We are left to wonder, what prompted O’Leary to feel compelled to backpedal so quickly? Did he receive one or more angry phone calls from a County Board member or members? Did they threaten to cut his office budget? Did they say they might just have to back a primary opponent against him in 2015?

Frank O’Leary is elected by the same Arlingtonians who elect the County Board. They entrust him with a critically important fiduciary duty. He is the guardian of the treasury funded by the taxpayers.

He had every right to bring this issue to our attention. And, he had every right to offer his commentary on it as the elected official who is safeguarding our money.

I have made the argument that our County Board and Manager underestimate revenue each year to give themselves two things: a “budget shortfall” excuse to raise taxes; and a slush fund to spend in the close-out process each year.

Maybe the Board feels like having to explain away our growing cash on hand surplus confirms my theory. Maybe they just do not appreciate having to explain themselves at all. Of course, the explanation by county staff did little to actually answer the underlying questions O’Leary raised. Regardless of how the Board and Manager feel, we deserve more transparency from our county government, and we should applaud Frank O’Leary for pulling back the curtain on this issue.

Here’s my challenge to Treasurer O’Leary going forward. Put the County’s check register online. Let citizens who care about fiscal responsibility monitor the cash flow every month. This will really hold the County Board accountable, and it sounds like it is well within your constitutional job duties.

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

The Right Note: First Gubernatorial Debate

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 KellyIt seems pretty clear after the first clash between Ken Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe that the election for governor in Virginia will be decided by one simple question – who do you trust?

Cuccinelli says that McAuliffe cannot be trusted because his record as a partisan hack means he believes politics is nothing more than playing “let’s make a deal.” Cuccinelli argues McAuliffe’s theory of government puts special interests ahead of the interests of all Virginians.

McAuliffe says that Cuccinelli is a “trojan horse” who cannot be trusted to focus on jobs and the economy because he is too socially conservative. According to T-Mac, Cuccinelli would drive away potential investors in the Virginia economy with his backwards views.

So, it naturally follows to ask why McAuliffe made the decision to locate his car company in Mississippi instead of Virginia? Surely Mississippi is more progressive on social issues?

Mississippi has a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage just like Virginia. Mississippi has implemented stronger health care regulations on its abortion clinics just like Virginia. In fact, one could argue that Mississippi is equal to or more “socially conservative” than Virginia on each and every issue.

During the debate, McAuliffe was indeed asked why he decided to put GreenTech Automotive in Mississippi. His answer – it was an economic decision. Successful business leaders, he claims, must make business decisions that make sense for their bottom lines. Not only is it true, but McAuliffe has no choice but to say it. It is his only viable, if feeble for someone who wants to be governor of Virginia, line of defense for his decision.

It is always nice when candidates debunk their own lines of attack. McAuliffe succinctly explained it – businesses make business decisions. It is not a state’s stance on social issues which determines where a business will locate its jobs. If it were, Texas would be losing out to California instead of the other way around. And, McAuliffe almost certainly would have taken his business to Massachusetts or Maryland.

Unfortunately, just because McAuliffe contradicted himself, does not mean his campaign will stop using this line of attack. The same goes for the less-than-accurate claims McAuliffe made about his own involvement in the transportation plan and about the contents of the independent report on Cuccinelli’s gift disclosures. He firmly believes that if you repeat something long enough, people might just accept it as fact. It comes from years of cooking up political spin to get Democrats elected in Washington, DC.

The bottom line: if McAuliffe was trying to get away from the “fast-talking, deal making, political huckster who will say anything to get elected” tag in the first debate, he failed.

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

The Right Note: A Small Win for Transparency

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 KellyLast week, the Arlington School Board approved a plan to begin publishing a written explanation to go along with its budget. Laying out clearly defined rationale will provide the public with important information, but it will also help the Board evaluate the budget as it is being formed. As someone who regularly calls for more transparency and accountability from our local government, I believe this is a positive step in the right direction.

This is certainly one part good government transparency, one part heading off as many questions as possible on specific line items, and one part ensuring the budget is carried out by the Superintendent in the way the Board intended. Whatever the impetus was for providing the information, any time taxpayers get a more complete picture of how and why their money is being spent, it is a good thing. Board Member Noah Simon deserves credit for moving the ball forward with his colleagues.

The next step to ensure accountability for the budget is for the School Board to require the Superintendent to put the “check register” online, at least monthly. The Board members can certainly access this information, but if they want public accountability, words and explanations before the money is actually spent will not ultimately be enough.

By providing near real-time accountability for spending, parents would better be able to assess the priorities of the school system. Teachers would be able to see how much money makes it to the classroom versus being lost somewhere in the administration. The taxpayers would be able to identify whether or not the money is being spent wisely. And, the big winners would ultimately be the students when they receive maximum educational value of school spending.

One explanation that will hopefully be provided next year is how the Superintendent reports the per pupil spending numbers. As I wrote earlier this year, the actual per pupil spending and reported per pupil spending do not seem to add up. The per pupil number reported in the proposed budget was roughly $3,354 less than the actual per pupil spending, according to my back of the envelope calculation.

In Arlington, I doubt there would be enough public pushback over the higher number to cause an outcry for a lower schools budget. However, at university level costs of over $22,000 per student, it does warrant an actual explanation. I look forward to reading it.

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

The Right Note: 6 Reasons A Residency Requirement Makes Sense

By ARLnow.com

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 KellyWhen I campaigned for the County Board, I called for the county manager and superintendent of schools to both be required to live in the County. The superintendent currently does, but the county manager does not.

In a recent story on the idea, Board Chairman Walter Tejada resorted to the line “we want the best person for the job.” Of course we do. However, if the best person wants a job that pays nearly a quarter of a million dollars per year, they should be willing to move to Arlington.

Here are my top six reasons why:

6. Circling the wagons. There are times when Arlington must act in a parochial interest when it comes to dealings with Alexandria or Fairfax or Washington, D.C. We should have someone who is 100% invested in the community quarterbacking the team in those situations.

5. Credibility. Arlington County’s press releases usually end with boilerplate language praising the county as a “world-class” community. How can we make such a claim when our county manager, the one who ultimately signs off on all county actions, is unwilling to live here?

4. Perspective. You have a different perspective about the community you live in. You explore on the weekends, finding new places to eat. You walk or bike around the neighborhoods for exercise. Your kids play in recreational leagues. Regardless of how long Ms. Donnellan has worked in Arlington, it is not the same thing as living here.

3. Emergency Response. In the case of emergencies, a county manager should be able to get into the office within minutes if necessary. We certainly live in a technological age, but we also live in a region with heightened security concerns. If you were here on 9/11, you remember that the phone lines on the East Coast were completely jammed.

2. Consequences. If a county manager is going to recommend a tax increase, they should have to pay the tax increase. Our Board members live with the tax increases they vote for, despite drawing salaries that are roughly 20% the size of the manager’s. It only makes sense that the county manager can live with it as well.

1. Feedback Loop. Arlingtonians are not shy about sharing their views on an issue. The county manager should not be able to drive out of the county at the end of each day to avoid hearing them.

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

The Right Note: Common Sense and Transparency

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 KellyThe County finally launched its review of the $1 million Super Stop. The review will wrap up near the end of the year and promises to find a lower-cost alternative for the other planned stops.

The review will contract with three firms. One will review the design. Another will review the finances and performance of the original contract. These first two beg the question, why did we not make finding a better design that kept people dry when it rains and resulted in a lower-cost alternative a priority before we started the project?

In what can only be described as absurd, the County also announced it would pay $7,500 to a firm who will survey users of the Super Stop. Only in Arlington would the review of how to keep costs down on a project include spending $7,500 to see how bus riders feel about it.

It signals that County leaders are not the least bit serious about this review from a cost perspective. Had ridicule from national news not rained down on this project, the County would have most likely never agreed to undertake any study of its costs. Really, what’s a million dollars among friends and neighbors anyway?

The first Super Stop built in anticipation of the Columbia Pike trolley line gives us fair warning about what the real costs of building, operating and maintaining this project really will be. Worse, it gives us fair warning about our County Board’s lack of concern in keeping costs at a reasonable level.

It should also make us stop and ask, what other money is the County wasting? It goes back to my earlier call for 100% spending transparency. Put the County’s checkbook online. It is our money. We need to see how all of it is being spent.

The technology is affordable and readily available. A simple, searchable website could be stood up quickly and easily. Private data and information can be protected. In fact, we could most certainly stand it up for far less money than was wasted on the bus stop or what we will spend on the review.

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

The Right Note: Is the Artisphere a Better Value Than Libraries?

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 KellyAt the State of the County breakfast hosted by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, County Board Chairman Walter Tejada was asked pointedly about the heavy taxpayer subsidies going to the Artisphere.

The question noted that it cost roughly $40 in taxpayer subsidy for every visitor to the arts center. The question was asked in context of the arts center the board had promised would be ready to turn a profit by now.

As he was assuring those in attendance (again) that the Artisphere was on the cusp of profitability, Tejada wondered aloud what it cost taxpayers for every library card holder. The suggestion was that we are actually getting a good deal on the Artisphere compared to our libraries.

There are approximately 120,000 library cards for Arlington libraries, which have a budget of around $12.4 million. So, the correct answer to the question Tejada asked is around $100.

However, that is not really a fair comparison. The question related to each and every visit to the Artisphere requiring a $40 taxpayer subsidy. So, if we set aside the Tejada reference to library cards and look at library visits instead, the answer is completely different.

According to the County Board work sessions document for Fiscal Year 2013, the estimate was 2,041,288 patron visits to all the library branches this year at a taxpayer cost of $12,429,434. So, it costs taxpayers $6.09 per patron visit for the libraries. In other words, it costs nearly seven times more per patron to visit the Artisphere than it does for each visit to the library. This, of course, does not take into account all of the books that are checked out online and read on various e-readers and tablets. This would almost certainly drive the per “visit” cost down if accounted for in a similar way.

Tejada’s answer also compares the entire library system to one arts center and its cost. However, it is not our only line item of arts-related spending for the year. We could also add the per-patron cost of the $250,000 Signature Theater bailout. And, we could add the per visit cost for any programs sponsored by the nearly $2 million the County spends on Cultural Affairs. These numbers might bring the average cost down, or might drive it up.

Wherever the final per visit cost lands, the Artisphere’s “bang for the buck” is likely going to fall well short of the value our libraries provide. This is not to say the arts are not important to our community. However, the County Board Chairman offered little more than political spin in response to a valid question on a controversial project – a project on which the County Board continues to over-promise and under-deliver.

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

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