Welcome Back to the New Arlington Way

Hello Yupette,

So the efforts of Arlington's Lexus Liberals to impose their mega zillion dollar pet projects on Arlington taxpayers only succeeded in getting taxpayers mad enough to elect a fiscal conservative to the County Board? What to do now? County Board's  Democratic majority figured it was time to revitalize The Arlington Way.

In the event you are new to Arlington and have not experienced the classic "Arlington Way" it works like this:  A special interest aligned with the Arlington Democratic Party secretly lobbies the County Board until the County Board pre-approves a program, project, whatever the special interest wants. County Staff are brought on board to facilitate. Various citizens committees, commissions,  boards, etc.,  formed from the usual Democratic Party stalwarts rubber stamp whatever is proposed, with cosmetic changes. A charade approval process is set in motion which culminates (often years later) with the County Board approving what the special interest wants with great fanfare.

So why am I not surprised that  "Pub Crawl Mary" Hynes proposed revisiting The Arlington Way and forming a citizens advisory committee to facilitate a revival. Why shouldn't they? The Arlington Way charade worked for years and made lots of Democrats (like Jay Fisette) rich. Why not again? Can you blame them?

22201

"Diner" -- Signature Flop Subsidized by Arlington Sheeple

Hey, Yupette,

I'm as unhappy as anyone else who's not a performing arts fanatic about the Signature bailout. In the event you missed Signature's adaptation of the 1982 film "Diner" - it's a flop. Never mind the Post's review.

Having grown up in Baltimore in the 1950's and 60's I can attest that Baltimore in 1959 was both grimy and grim. Baltimore then was a steel town and my father was a steelworker employed by Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows Point. There was a very long strike by steelworkers in 1959 and we went hungry for weeks. But you won't see any of that in the 1982 urban hipster film "Diner", nor the urban hipster musical adaptation currently playing at the Signature. I have to wonder whether anyone involved with producing 'Diner" at the Signature ever spent more than an afternoon in Baltimore.

My experience attending a performance of "Diner" a week ago was it felt as dated as a late Rogers and Hammerstein musical. Why anyone would put so much time, energy, and money making something so dated "work" as a musical was puzzling, until I realized that it's OUR money, and a lot of it,  that Signature is using making "Diner" ready for prime time, meaning Broadway.

The clueless County Board has yet to realize that it hasn't seen the last of the Signature. Thanks for exposing this performing arts country club for what it is. And thanks for your blog and enlightening taxpayers about who's ripping us off.

Joan 22207