The Right Note

The Right Note is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

“Today may we all rally to the side of justice for the victims, to the side of using peaceful protests to effect change, and to stand against those who would use this tragedy as an excuse for violence, destruction and further division.”

Yesterday in the Progressive Voice, Delegate Rip Sullivan opined on the “virtues” of voting by mail. For Sullivan, first it was gerrymandering that made our elections unfair. Then it was having to show a government issued ID, free if you need it, to prove you were who you say you were.

Now voting in person is on his radar to be eliminated. What will it be next? Maybe voting by mail will be too hard because it requires someone to walk to the mailbox, so we should let them vote with two clicks on a smartphone?

We should ask ourselves if we want to make it harder and harder to identify who is actually casting the votes in elections?

In California, it is legal for someone to submit your ballot for you. Volunteers can pick up hundreds of ballots and drop them off with local election offices with no accountability in between. You may have read about this, it is known as ballot harvesting. In an April story, one Democrat strategist even suggested they would come and take ballots  out of mailboxes.

What would Delegate Sullivan say about that? Where would he draw the line?

For those with health concerns about voting in the Arlington County Board special election in July or the general election in November, our absentee voting system will accommodate you. Right now you can vote in person in advance, or you can vote by requesting an absentee ballot by mail. In the fall, you will not even need to provide a reason at all. You can just vote early because you feel like it.

Delegate Sullivan suggests he supports moving to all mail-in voting permanently. However, mailing a ballot to every registered voter on a list is problematic in an of itself. Voter registration lists, like any mailing list, are always out-of-date. People move, and sadly, people die. We would unnecessarily be opening ourselves up to fraud when it is already relatively easy to vote now.

Voting is both a right and a privilege. In fact it is one of the most sacred rights we have in this country. At the same time, you are not required to participate. Many people do not vote because they feel like they have no real choice, or that they feel like politicians on both sides have failed them. That is their right too.

But, your elected officials have an obligation to make it both accessible and secure for all those who do chose to participate. It should be accessible to those who are eligible to vote and secure to make sure those votes are not watered down by anyone who wishes to commit fraud.

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

The Right Note is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

There is a special election to fill the seat on the County Board now vacant because of the tragic death of Erik Gutshall. While the County Board is attempting to push the date for the election all the way to November, voters are likely to head to the polls July 7 or vote absentee in advance of that day.

Over the next seven weeks, voters will be able to consider the three candidates running for the position. Here are three big picture questions these candidates should be answering:

1. Will you challenge the status quo?

Now more than ever, we should not accept the idea that we can keep doing things the way we  have done them in the past. The Board recognized this on an emergency basis as they passed a revised budget April 30th. However, they should use this time to ask themselves what they can do differently in the future. Every program, line item, rule and regulation should be evaluated to help us recover in the short term and make us stronger over time.

2. Will you work to increase the levels of transparency and accountability provided by Arlington to its residents?

Two weeks ago, I noted a County Board pay raise mistakenly included in the pay plan approved by the Arlington County Board. When it was brought to their attention, they sprang into action to say it was not supposed to be there and would be fixed. Yet, the County Board met on Saturday and is meeting again today, and none of the agenda items listed thus far fix the pay plan to take back the raise. The Board Members who promised this would be fixed need to live up to their word and tell us how they plan to fix it before it takes effect on July 1st.

Also over the last two weeks, the County Board joined with other Northern Virginia jurisdictions to say “no” to reopening Arlington for business last Friday. The Board listed five metrics they were looking at for reopening. Last Friday during their virtual town hall meeting, they also regularly referenced the five metrics. Yet, nowhere on the County Board site can you view a dashboard which discloses how close, or far away, we are from meeting them.

While our ties to the federal government make our community more recession-resistant than most, our economy is still strained and our residents are losing jobs by the day. “Just trust us” should not be acceptable for such a huge decision, particularly in this unprecedented time of crisis.

3. Will you commit to fiscal discipline as we recover from these challenging times?

Keeping the tax rate as low as possible is a key component for economic recovery. Beyond the costs on housing for our residents, many of whom have lost a job or could in the future, we must keep downward pressure on rents for our employers as well. It means designating 100% of any closeout funds to this purpose for the foreseeable future. It means the Board must also identify and fund only the most essential things in the budget for the next year or two to reduce the need for taxpayer revenue. And it certainly means a delay on the aforementioned pay raise for the Board.

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

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

Last fall, Virginia voters gave Democrats total control of all levers of power in Richmond.

Delegate Alfonso Lopez had bragged that they could complete the work of a lifetime in “two afternoons.” It turns out that it took the new majority a little longer than that to tackle their agenda. In fact they had to take the unusual step of extending their session by a day to get their work done.

So the questions is, did they fulfill their work of a lifetime?

Redistricting was a top platform issue for the party. While some of us still hold the opinion that the redistricting reform measure will not take politics out of the every 10-year line-drawing process, it finally passed the Virginia General Assembly at the last minute and heads to voters in the fall. It should be noted that it passed despite overwhelming opposition from Democrats in the House of Delegates. Only nine of the 55 Democrats in the body voted for it despite running on the issue over the past several election cycles.

Two questions remain. First, will the Democrats who tried to stop redistricting reform, presumably in order to draw districts they like more, actively oppose it when it reaches the ballot in November? The likely answer here is no.

The other question is whether this is one of those issues voters say they care about when responding to public pollsters but does not actually move their votes when choosing a candidate? I suspect that while the voters are likely to approve the change this November, that this issue moves very few votes when it comes to candidates. But, we will find out in 2021 when the Democrats flip-floppers in the House face re-election.

House Democrats did unite around other items on their agenda. They removed the requirement to provide identification in order to vote while also voting to provide driving cards to undocumented immigrants. They approved casino and sports betting in order to raise revenue for new spending priorities. They increased the gas tax and the minimum wage. They removed restrictions on abortion procedures including requirements that doctors provide the procedures. They passed new restrictions on buying firearms.

They also passed a bill that is the first step toward unraveling Virginia’s status as a right to work state. The new collective bargaining law will allow local governments to engage in the practice with their employees. According to the blog, Blue Virginia, Katie Cristol and Matt de Ferranti support the effort. So, it will be interesting to see if, or when, the County Board votes to do so here.

Ultimately, the voters decide these questions. And, Virginia Democrats now have a record to defend.

Mark Kelly is a 19-year Arlington resident, former Arlington GOP Chairman and two-time Republican candidate for Arlington County Board.

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

Last week Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz unveiled the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The budget includes a record $550 million for Arlington Public Schools. It also includes raises for all Arlington County staff, including larger raises for public safety employees. And it grants more paid family leave as well as increases dependent care benefits.

The budget also includes the first of what is proposed to be three annual, and substantial, pay increases for County Board members. The goal is to increase the Board’s pay from about $57,000 to $90,000 by fiscal year 2023.

Last June the Board voted to raise the pay cap to that level, but was careful to remind us at the time that the vote did not actually increase their salaries. They suggested that just because they raised the cap, they may not raise their salaries all the way to the new cap.

While they are not raising the salaries to the new cap all at once, the Board is using the annual budget process to increase their pay without taking a separate vote on it. While the annual budget move was widely expected at the time, it is disappointing that the Board does not have the political courage to go on the record with an up or down vote on the raise itself.

Tonight, the County Board will vote on what tax rates to advertise in the lead up to an April 2nd public hearing. County Manager Schwartz suggested no tax rate increase. In the past, however, the Board has often advertised a higher rate than the County Manager’s proposal. While some Board Members would welcome more revenue to spend, advertising a higher rate is often done in the name of “flexibility.”

After increasing the tax rate by two cents last year and increasing spending by more than 6%, the Board may not even feint at going for more this time around. Tax revenue is already projected to be up by 4.6% in the Manager’s proposal. The average homeowner will already see their tax bill go up by 4.3%, or about $400 if you own the typical single-family home.

And we know that based on past practice of underestimating revenue, that revenue will almost certainly climb by as much as 2% higher than the current projection. When paired with the fact that the county regularly does not spend all it budgets, tens of millions of dollars will available to spend again this year in the annual closeout process. You can read more about it here or here or here.

While the Board has been engaging in the practices of carrying over a larger portion of these closeout funds to offset the next year’s spending, they should consider giving taxpayers a break on the front end. Tonight the Board should advertise a rate decrease of the two cents they charged us last year. If they cannot find just $200 of tax relief for the taxpayers in the budget, then they should put their plans to raise their own pay by more than $30,000 over the next three years back on the shelf.

Mark Kelly is a 19-year Arlington resident, former Arlington GOP Chairman and two-time Republican candidate for Arlington County Board.

The Right Note is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

Thumbs down…

To Delegate Hope’s bill proposing instant run-off voting. This is an attempt to prevent third party candidates from having any real influence on an election. In Arlington that would often mean a Green Party candidate siphoning off votes from Democrats. If a Democrat in Arlington is incapable of achieving a plurality of the vote, maybe it should be accepted as a way that the public is telling you they want a change in leadership.

To the General Assembly Democrats who are dragging their feet on redistricting reform. When faced with the possibility of drawing their own preferred maps in 2021, the new Democrat majority in Richmond pumped the brakes on the bill that passed the House of Delegates on a bipartisan 83-15 vote last year. While there are many (myself included) who do not think changing who draws the lines will make it any fairer or less controversial, the Democrats should rightly be accused of rank hypocrisy if they fail to accomplish this key plank in their platform.

To Christian Dorsey for resigning the WMATA Board rather than paying back the $10,000 union contribution he failed to properly report. Dorsey claims he could not pay it back yet because he has had trouble raising money. As a reminder, Dorsey was the Chairman of the Board as a member of the dominant political party in Arlington but only raised a little over $41,000 for the year. A Democrat who has trouble raising money in Arlington in the year they are up for re-election can only be explained as being unwilling to put in the work.

To the County Board for adding a $200 fine to certain speeding tickets. Someone ticketed for going 30 miles-per-hour in a 25 zone now could face a $296 ticket, which is almost certainly going to strike ticket recipients as excessive.

And finally, two thumbs down for the Arlington School Board. First, for voting to start school a week earlier without a majority of staff, students, or parents thinking it is a good idea. Second, for announcing they would wall off their superintendent search from the public. Community input is now off the table until the Board emerges with their choice. Both of these moves fall into the category of “just because you can do something, does not mean that you should.”

Mark Kelly is a 19-year Arlington resident, former Arlington GOP Chairman and two-time Republican candidate for Arlington County Board.

The Right Note is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

The School Board this week unveiled a long-anticipated proposal to start the school year before Labor Day this August.

The change comes after the General Assembly granted more flexibility for school districts last year, and it also comes despite low public support. In fact, according to the APS survey just 25% of parents, 24% of students and 39% of staff like the move.

All indications point to this being the first stop toward starting two weeks before Labor Day next year. For parents who liked to take advantage of late season summer rates for vacations, those days will soon be gone.

The reasons given for starting earlier center around allowing a few more days to prepare for exams that take place in the Spring. It seems little serious consideration was given to eliminating a handful of in service days or early release days instead.

It would be good for the School Board to produce a study that demonstrates an earlier start date produces better scores. It would also be good to see a plan by APS officials on how they will track student achievement the first year to see if the change really matters.

Many researchers have suggested that one way to improve student performance is to start school later in the day for middle and high school students. Getting more sleep not only helps school performance, but it makes adolescents healthier overall and less likely to engage in risky behaviors. While science may back up the idea of starting these schools at 9 a.m., it is unlikely that APS would seriously pursue such a plan.

Speaking of elected officials doing things just because they can, the County Board last weekend approved big raises for their most senior employees. County Manager Mark Schwartz is now making a salary of $282,489, a 4.5% raise, and County Attorney Stephen MacIsaac will receive $261,933, a 3.5% raise.

Up next for the County Board is whether they will raise their own pay and by how much. Last June, the Board voted to cap salaries at $89,851 for Members and $95,734 for the Chair effective January 1. If they opt to go to the maximum this year, it would represent a 63% increase in pay.

The Board has not said when it would pass a pay raise. They have indicated this year’s budget may pass without a tax rate increase in April. This decision would not be a heavy lift as property assessments are up 4.6% over last year. The assessment increase should present an opportunity for the Board to lower the tax rate, but no property owners I have talked to are holding their breath expecting that to happen.

Whatever the Board ultimately does with their own pay, they should hold a straight up or down vote on it before they pass a budget that will almost certainly have increased taxes on homeowners by more than 9% over the past two years. The Board should not bury a pay raise in the annual budget or wait till June to pass it as they did with the pay cap.

The Right Note is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

The “no longer a New Year’s Day tradition” Arlington County Board organizational meeting once again gave our elected representatives an opportunity to lay out their priorities for the year.

Much like cabin air on a flight, the speeches you receive at the County Board’s annual organizational meeting are in many ways recycled.

This is especially true when it comes to the issue of affordable housing. According to our Board, 2020 is going to be the year when the County Board makes significant strides toward defeating market forces and making housing affordable in Arlington — just like 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, etc.

There were a two nuggets from incoming Chair Libby Garvey’s speech that hinted at things we could see in 2020.

First, a consulting firm will make a pretty penny from a joint contract with Arlington and Montgomery County, Maryland to fight airplane noise. It may make elected officials feel better to say they are doing something about this, but airplanes and helicopters are likely to remain noisy as they fly over populated areas.

Second, this year’s CIP process may see a greater emphasis on stormwater management. Many community activists, and more than one Republican candidate for County Board, have argued basic infrastructure needs like this have been neglected for years.

At the same time, this newly rediscovered desire to address infrastructure will almost certainly be paired with ongoing school enrollment challenges to justify the level of revenue the Board will take from taxpayers in April. In other words, do not hold your breath for a tax rate cut this spring in the face of what many believe will be a robust revenue boost from assessments.

Looking back at 2019, outgoing Board Chairman Christian Dorsey summed up his main priority this way:

“That is why I prioritized advancing equity as a central framework for governance last year. By developing the capacity to recognize the barriers that marginalized and vulnerable populations face in trying to thrive, we can deliver public policy that is responsive to all and not only to those with power and influence.

I am excited about what we are doing right here in Arlington, but my aspirations in: housing, transportation connectivity, sustainability, resilience, and human development exceed our ability to achieve needed results alone. I will look to multiply our efforts through collaboration with our fellow Northern Virginia jurisdictions, our neighbors in the national capital region and with our state government.”

While it is hard to point to a lot of policy changes the Arlington County Board made in this regard, Dorsey did put forward an equity resolution in the fall that Garvey promises to honor. For decisions moving forward, the resolution outlines an approach that is effectively what government officials should already be doing — determining who policies help and hurt before you pass them.

As with all of the County Board’s priorities, we will wait and see how it plays out in reality.

Mark Kelly is a 19-year Arlington resident, former Arlington GOP Chairman and two-time Republican candidate for Arlington County Board.