Arlington's Economic Development Office (AED) also made a presentation at yesterday's Arlington County Board - County Manager FY 2015 Budget Work Session.
The Arlington Economic Development Office is a $10 million per year County agency which promotes business development, real estate development, travel and tourism, and cultural affairs. In FY 2015 AED's budget will increase by 8 percent to $10.9 million and AED will add two full-time employees, bringing the total to 63.57. AED occupies a luxury office suite on Glebe Road in Ballston.
So what are Arlington's taxpayers getting for $10.9 million next fiscal year? According to statements by AED's staff during yesterday's work sessions we are getting an expensive bureaucracy that's saddled with arts organizations in constant need, stagnant travel and tourism, increasingly unhappy non-profits and for-profits (to the point where the County Manager recently appointed a Business Ombudswoman), and increasing citizen resistance to AED's long time Smart Growth redevelopment agenda.
Consequently AED is looking to attract corporations and non-profits from areas like Silicon Valley and around the D,C. Beltway where the cost of living and doing business are comparable to Arlington's. AED is partnering with Arlington's Department of Technology Services (DTS) to install an extra-high capacity "Connect Arlington' LAN around Arlington which the County will own and operate.
One AED initiative, begun by recently-deceased AED Director Terry Holzheimer, is to try to bring CIA and NSA activities and CIA and NSA contractors to Arlington by offering access to vast amounts of surveillance data (including HD video images) obtained from a compliant resident population (tens of thousands of Arlington residents work for national security organizations and contractors). NSA and the CIA would use Arlington to model a future National Security State, assuming silo and stovepipe problems can be resolved.
In the meantime, Arlington's 'growth industries' are new and used vehicle sales, bars, restaurants, and upscale retail.
Linda
14 comments:
Arlington as a 'Model National Security State'? I wondered why I keep seeing crews installing fiber, fiber, and more fiber around the County.
I would say that, at least in the B-R Corridor, the two growth industries are bars and used car lots.
Meanwhile, AED has taken a 'wait and see' approach to travel-and-tourism and the taxpayer funded arts infrastructure.
Does that mean we keep bailing out the Artisphere, Signature, etc., forever?
County Board LOVES that sales tax on luxury new and used vehicles and LOVES that meals tax
Terrorists are everywhere. My soon-to-be-an-IPO LLC is developing some awesome facial recognition software. How do we hook up with Arlington Government's "Connect Arlington" LAN?
What do Arlington's taxpayers get from a used-car lot that sells upscale used cars vs. a mixed use redevelopment office building where the commercial tenants hire tax attorneys and tax accountants?
We get high powered gas guzzlers, Jay Fisette gets the sales tax and car tax to fund his pet projects.
County Board gets sales tax and personal property tax to fund their corporate welfare program for REITs that build 800 vehicles parking garages under their 800 foot buildings. Spare change goes to fund the Car Free Diet Program.
Your soon-to-be-IPO wants to use Arlington residents as research subjects for anti-terrorist software? Call Arlington's Department of Technology Services at 703-228-3220 and ask for Stovepipe Jack.
Potholes are everywhere. We could sure use some of that high technology to keep our street from disintegrating.
Arlington Residents as Research Subjects? Why should they care? The people on County Staff that propose this stuff live in upper middle class enclaves somewhere in suburban Fairfax County.
County Board approved the construction of more than 1,000 parking spaces already this year. Have to keep those parking garages filled with vehicles.
These and other items on DTS's wish list are on the County Board's consent agenda at the April 12th meeting.
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