Hello, Yupette,
Have you noticed that there are only two Regular Hearing items on the County Board's agenda for Saturday? They are East Falls Church 'development for the sake of development' (item 33) and the amendments to the County's towing ordinance (item 34) which the County Board will take up on April 26th. Everything else the County Board will take up on April 16th is on the Consent Agenda. That includes, funding for the Route 1 - Crystal City streetcar system, funding for the Long Bridge Park Aquatic Center, major revisions to the form based code for the Pike, approval of the consolidated plan for FY 2012, adoption of Jay Fisette's fossil fuels forever energy task force report, and the County's loans to the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing for the gentrification of Buchanan Gardens.
The common definition of a consent agenda is: "A tool used to streamline meeting procedures by collecting routine non-controversial items into a group whereby all may be approved with a single motion and vote."
Appears the County Board is going to 'sunset' regular hearing items and put everything on the consent agenda in the near future.
Mark
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
County Board Caves In Response to Citizen Pressure over Budget
Hello, Yupette,
Thank you for your blog. Thanks in part to your blog the County Board caved in to citizen pressure to restore cuts in library hours, fix the Lubber Run Amphitheater, not increase the real estate tax rate, increase the number of police officers, fund homelessness prevention programs, and provide funding for several other programs that benefit County residents.
Unfortunately, the amount being budgeted to restore library cuts, renovate Lubber Run, and so on is insignificant compared to what the County Board will budget for its pet vanity projects, its pet non-profits, its funding the poverty pimps who help keep the homeless homeless, its gifts to developers and REITs, and the growth of an inefficient and wasteful County bureaucracy.
It says a lot about Arlington County Government that it's only interested in the needs of citizens when it's pressured by citizens. Time for a major change on the County Board.
Cindy
Thank you for your blog. Thanks in part to your blog the County Board caved in to citizen pressure to restore cuts in library hours, fix the Lubber Run Amphitheater, not increase the real estate tax rate, increase the number of police officers, fund homelessness prevention programs, and provide funding for several other programs that benefit County residents.
Unfortunately, the amount being budgeted to restore library cuts, renovate Lubber Run, and so on is insignificant compared to what the County Board will budget for its pet vanity projects, its pet non-profits, its funding the poverty pimps who help keep the homeless homeless, its gifts to developers and REITs, and the growth of an inefficient and wasteful County bureaucracy.
It says a lot about Arlington County Government that it's only interested in the needs of citizens when it's pressured by citizens. Time for a major change on the County Board.
Cindy
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Audrey Clement to Run for County Board
Hello,
Virginia Green Party Co-Chair Audrey Clement has announced she is a candidate for Arlington County Board.
Dr. Clement, a resident of Westover, will run on a platform of fiscal, social, and environmental responsibility. Her platform includes ending taxpayer support for the Artisphere, an end to more vanity projects like the Artisphere, preserving market-rate affordable rental housing, curtailing the widespread use of single-use plastic bags and styrofoam containers, installing solar and other renewable energy on public buildings, and encouraging comprehensive traffic mitigation to reduce the volume of single-occupant vehicles on Arlington's streets and roads.
Audrey played a key role in the Arlington Green Party's recent initiatives to preserve affordable housing and prevent the widening of I-66.
Dr. Clement is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and earned a doctorate in Political Science from Temple University. She served as a Congressional Fellow during the 100th Congress. She is employed as a statistical analyst in the area of Homeland Security.
Susan
Virginia Green Party Co-Chair Audrey Clement has announced she is a candidate for Arlington County Board.
Dr. Clement, a resident of Westover, will run on a platform of fiscal, social, and environmental responsibility. Her platform includes ending taxpayer support for the Artisphere, an end to more vanity projects like the Artisphere, preserving market-rate affordable rental housing, curtailing the widespread use of single-use plastic bags and styrofoam containers, installing solar and other renewable energy on public buildings, and encouraging comprehensive traffic mitigation to reduce the volume of single-occupant vehicles on Arlington's streets and roads.
Audrey played a key role in the Arlington Green Party's recent initiatives to preserve affordable housing and prevent the widening of I-66.
Dr. Clement is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and earned a doctorate in Political Science from Temple University. She served as a Congressional Fellow during the 100th Congress. She is employed as a statistical analyst in the area of Homeland Security.
Susan
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Time for Regionalization, Not More Urbanization
Hello, Yupette,
I grew up in Kentucky where state government has taken a regional approach to providing services and constructing public infrastructure. This saves Kentucky taxpayers billions each year. I am happy to see that Arlington County is going to a regional approach to homelessness treatment, starting with a regional homelessness crisis intervention center, located near Inova Fairfax Hospital.
But why stop there? Arlington's taxpayers could save a hundred million dollars a year (or more) if the County's fat-headed elected elected pols (Mr. Zimmeman foremost among them) and bloated bureaucracy stopped trying to cram everything into one tiny suburban county.
I live in Westover and I am for a total moratorium on any new urbanization, starting with East Falls Church. If Marymount and O'Connell want a lighted team sports center, build it out in Fairfax County where it won't bother anyone.
I find it mind-boggling that so many of the 'decision makers' who are trying to totally urbanize Arlington live in McLean in big McMansions where so much is off-limits to development and redevelopment of any kind. Arlington's Economic Development Office is even helping McLean investors tear down affordable single family homes and affordable market-rate apartments in Arlington.
This started years ago with a County Board that never met a County bureaucracy or a developer it didn't like. Now the bureaucrats and developers have taken over the County Board. When will it end? How many billions will be wasted before we elect County Board members who have fiscal responsibility and common sense?
Mark
I grew up in Kentucky where state government has taken a regional approach to providing services and constructing public infrastructure. This saves Kentucky taxpayers billions each year. I am happy to see that Arlington County is going to a regional approach to homelessness treatment, starting with a regional homelessness crisis intervention center, located near Inova Fairfax Hospital.
But why stop there? Arlington's taxpayers could save a hundred million dollars a year (or more) if the County's fat-headed elected elected pols (Mr. Zimmeman foremost among them) and bloated bureaucracy stopped trying to cram everything into one tiny suburban county.
I live in Westover and I am for a total moratorium on any new urbanization, starting with East Falls Church. If Marymount and O'Connell want a lighted team sports center, build it out in Fairfax County where it won't bother anyone.
I find it mind-boggling that so many of the 'decision makers' who are trying to totally urbanize Arlington live in McLean in big McMansions where so much is off-limits to development and redevelopment of any kind. Arlington's Economic Development Office is even helping McLean investors tear down affordable single family homes and affordable market-rate apartments in Arlington.
This started years ago with a County Board that never met a County bureaucracy or a developer it didn't like. Now the bureaucrats and developers have taken over the County Board. When will it end? How many billions will be wasted before we elect County Board members who have fiscal responsibility and common sense?
Mark
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Kubicki Theater? County Board Set to Pass a Bloated Budget, Then Vote for Vanity Projects
Hi Ms. Yupette,
Your posting about 'Kubicki Theater' at last week's Civic Federation meeting was right-on. But I can go you one better - next Saturday's County Board meeting. County Board is going to pass a bloated budget, raise taxes, give itself a big raise, and then vote to fund its pet vanity projects, the $130 million Aquatics-Indoor Recreation Center, the $140 million Route 1 streetcar, fund non-profits to gentrify the middle class out of market-rate affordable rental apartments, fund the poverty pimps who keep the homeless homeless, approve Jay Fisette's energy task force fossil fuels forever charade, and so on. All on the consent agenda. No discussion wanted. Then the County Board moves on to the main event, redevelopment of East Falls Church. It's all on-line at arlingtonva.us
Cindy
Your posting about 'Kubicki Theater' at last week's Civic Federation meeting was right-on. But I can go you one better - next Saturday's County Board meeting. County Board is going to pass a bloated budget, raise taxes, give itself a big raise, and then vote to fund its pet vanity projects, the $130 million Aquatics-Indoor Recreation Center, the $140 million Route 1 streetcar, fund non-profits to gentrify the middle class out of market-rate affordable rental apartments, fund the poverty pimps who keep the homeless homeless, approve Jay Fisette's energy task force fossil fuels forever charade, and so on. All on the consent agenda. No discussion wanted. Then the County Board moves on to the main event, redevelopment of East Falls Church. It's all on-line at arlingtonva.us
Cindy
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