Independents Clement and Vihstadt Decisively Win CivFed Candidate Forums

Hello,

Several Arlington residents who contribute to this blog attended the Arlington Civic Federation's annual Candidate Forum last night. Their consensus reports - Independent Candidate for School Board Audrey Clement and Independent Candidate for County Board John Vihstadt decisively defeated their Democratic opponents for County Board and School Board.

First to Audrey Clement - While her Democratic opponents Barbara Kanninen and Nancy Van Doren mouthed platitudes and promises Dr. Clement has a clear plan for improving the quality of education for Arlington K-12 students at less cost to taxpayers,

Rather than spending hundreds of millions building more Taj Mahal Post Modern schools advocated by APS's VIP architects Dr. Clement advocates adaptive re-use of office buildings and construction of modular classrooms, as Alexandria Public Schools have been doing for several years, at substantial savings to taxpayers, with the same or better quality of classroom education provided to students.

John Vihstadt kept his promises to make Arlington Government more efficient and less costly to taxpayers. Mr. Vihstadt's opponent, Alan Howze, wants to gold plate the Pike streetcar but wouldn't, or couldn't, provide estimates of how much that would cost. Mr. Howze also misstated that Mr. Vihstadt voted against Arlington's 10 year CIP when in fact Mr. Vihstadt voted for the CIP, minus funding for the Pike streetcar. It became obvious that, if elected, Alan Howze, will take Arlington Government back to the tax-borrow-spend Zimmerman era.

No contest. Anyone who's rational about County Government and APS viewed Audrey Clement and John Vihstadt as the decisive winners of their respective candidate forums.

Cindy

Arlington Police Facilitate 'Drive Kids to School Day'

Hi Yupette,

Received the County's 'Car Free Diet' brochure in the mail on Saturday. Just in time for the Arlington Public School System's 'Drive Your Kid to School Day' today. This year facilitated by not one but two Arlington police officers at our elementary school. Oh, no one dared to ride a bicycle to school because of the traffic.

Why do APS and County Government waste our time and money with these charades? The traffic to and from our schools is worse than ever. Only difference is.the arrival times are spread out and the cops are on the scene to keep the traffic moving.

No Howze am I going to vote for another Democrat for County Board or School Board. Every year we pay more for less because of the Democrats' Stupid Growth.

Thanks for your blog.

Karen, 22206

Scrap the Streetcar - Use the State's $65 Million for ART Bus Service Everywhere in the County

Hey Yupette,

I just received the County's 'Car Free Diet' brochure in the mail. Produced by DES Staff who don't live in the County and commute to 2100 one-per-vehicle from their bicycle-free outer suburbs.

Like tens of thousands of Arlington residents I am never going to ride a bicycle again. For one thing, the streets and even the sidewalks in my neighborhood (Ballston) are too dangerous. Who wants to ride a bicycle in the Winter?

The Pike streetcar is a complete waste of meney, and the tracks would be dangerous to several thousand who would ride bicycles on the Pike.

Instead of spending any more for the stupid Pike streetcar, I want the $65 million the State would provide for a dozen Pike streetcars spent to extend ART Bus service everywhere in the County.

I'm sick and tired of having to cater to the wants of a bunch of Elitist Democrats and their wealthy corporate and non-profit cronies, aided and abetted by a bloated bureaucracy most of whom wouldn't live in Arlington if you gave them a million dollar home or condo here.

Thanks for your blog.

Mark, Ballston