I attended the CivFed's candidate forum last night and was not impressed by either Jay Fisette or write-in candidate Stephen Holbrook, who showed up dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and handed out copies of his platform, a poorly-written rambling statement against taxes, food stamps, homeless shelters, Medicaid, and so on.
Jay Fisette's presentation also consisted of rambling statements which were not true (fiscally conservative, fair and independent voice on the County Board) and statements promoting his personal beliefs and lifestyle.
(Since ethics in government was a topic of discussion among candidates last night, can Jay please provide a list of his domestic partner's consulting clients who regularly come before the County Board)?
Which leaves Audrey Clement, who presented a list of specific proposals for improving Arlington County Government and residents' quality of life, ranging from imposing fiscal constraints on runaway spending, to improving Arlington's public libraries, to installing solar on all the County's public buildings for electric power and providing hot water for building heating and various uses inside buildings.
No contest. Any fair and impartial observer would have scored Audrey Clement the clear winner over Jay Fisette.
It was disconcerting to observe that the number of persons who attended last night's forum who are not CivFed delegates exceeded the number of delegates.
Later,
K
27 comments:
I, for one, have had it with Jay Fisette, whose performance last night could best be described as "Party's Over Here".
Yes, "vote for me because I'm a progressive gay guy" is not a platform.
Audrey Clement looked good and sounded good. Hard to believe she's 64 years old. She looks about 46.
Who wrote Steve Holbrook's platform? The right wing of the Tea Party?
It's obvious that the County Board has become a Regime that's long overdue for change. Anyone else who attended last night notice the big difference between Jay and the younger Democratic in the General Assembly, Hope, Krupicka, and Lopez?
I am not voting for Jay. I simply don't have the income to pay another 20% in taxes and fees over the next 4 years to support Jay's New Urbanist agenda, even if I wanted to.
'New Urbanism' is not a Democratic value. It's part of Reaganomics.
Agree. I can't afford 4 more years of Jay Fi$ette.
I am not going to vote for 4 more years of taxpayer bailouts for Jay Fi$ette's and Rob Ro$en's wealthy arts crowd friends. They are worth millions from Jay's 'play-to-pay' antics on the County Board. Let them pay to support the Arti$phere and $ignature.
Appeared to me that last night's attendees were 40% CivFed regulars and 60% candidates and their staffs, elected officials and their staffs, the media, and a few interested citizens.
If the CivFed is so dysfunctional that the delegates can't provide more than a couple questions to the candidates why not allow anyone in the audience to ask questions of the candidates?
Because it's The White Citizens Council, that's why !!
Yes, soon to celebrate it's 100th Anniversary. Founded in response to all the excitement generated by the release of "The Birth of a Nation".
How many 'interested citizens' in a county with 200,000 citizens? Maybe 5?
Highlight of the evening occurred before the forum when a local activist cornered Scott McCaffrey and started grilling Scott about the fiscal antics of Richard L. Connor, SG's parent corporation's CEO.
We can't afford another four years of Jay Fisette on the County Board.
Jay embraces the New Urbanism but leads a classic upscale suburban lifestyle in Ashton Hts. with his domestic partner.
I'm not about to go on a car free diet so non-residents can better cut through my residential neighborhood on the way to the 700 vehicle parking garage where they work, one per vehicle, site plan approved by Jay Fisette.
If the Republicans were/are behind Stephen Holbrook they can at least do a re-write of his platform hand out.
Anyone read the comments posted about this event on the ArlNow blog? What has happened to the local blogs over the past year? Insipid, or what?
ArlNow is another Regime.
Only 9 days before the agenda for the September 21st County Board meeting is posted. In the event you want an advance look of what we'll get from four more years of Jay on the C.B.
Insipid local blogs? How much further can Jason Spencer take Patch into Nanny Journalism?
"New Urbanism"? The Reagan NeoCon answer to the Rockefeller Republican "Urban Renewal" of the 1960's. Eagerly embraced by Yuptards like Fisette and Zimmerman. Keeps both trendy downtown and upscale suburbs free of troublesome minorities, except for household servants, and restaurant and retail workers.
ArlNow isn't insipid, it's pathetic.
Yeah, little in-group going back and forth all day every day. I guess County Planning Staff and Economic Development Staff need a break between meetings with REITs looking for corporate welfare gimmes.
I attended a couple meetings of the local Green Party last year. It's run like a club. Audrey Clement has been part of the leadership for almost ten years. A political party can't be about a half-dozen people who live in one neighborhood stoking their egos every year by putting candidates on the ballot and then running hapless campaigns (or no campaigns). Clement is a candidate who earned a Ph.D. in Political Science? Duh.
Yes, the Green Party is run like a club. Currently there's a big conflict between the handful of Greens who want to make the party more diverse and the handful who want the party to remain a little in-group. There are perhaps a dozen active Greens in Virginia (those who attend state party meetings), about half live in or near Westover.
You forgot to mention that Audrey responded to questions at this get together a number of times by agreeing with Stephen Holbrook’s answers to questions. Both Audrey and Jay brought with them hand written statements that they read to the people and neither did not speak from their heart nor did they really say anything. Holbrook never agreed with the others that were talking because they didn’t have anything to say. Where are Audrey’s ideas? You also forgot to mention that Mr. Holbrook took on Audrey on her unsupported position to put geothermal into all of Arlington County Schools without a cost benefit analysis being done. By the way Mr. Holbrook didn’t wear a Hawaiian shirt at that meeting. If you are going to write something please tell the truth. If you have something to say it is always better to tell the person to his face otherwise you are just blowing into the wind. I thank you for your vote. Stephen William Cooper Holbrook
Mr. Holbrook should take courses in writing and public speaking before he runs for office again.
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