County Web Site Details Massive 'Welfare for the Wealthy' Giveaway to Signature Theater

Hello,

In the event you haven't seen it by now, Arlington residents and taxpayers should visit Arlington County's Web site, arlingtonva.us and read the terms of the County's outrageous 'Welfare for the Wealthy" proposed giveaway to the Signature Theater.

Why outrageous? Because the Signature's Honorary Trustees, Directors, Directors Emeritus, and Signature Council are all wealthy people. At least a dozen are incredibly wealthy and have extensive backgrounds in management, finance, commercial real estate, entertainment management, public relations, and management consulting.

But don't believe A.Y. Visit the Signature's Web site:  www.signature-theatre.org/board-of-directors and see for yourselves.

Any ONE of the dozen incredibly wealthy people on the Signature's Board can write a check to pay off all the Signature's indebtedness. That includes County Board Chair Jay Fisette's (aka Giveaway Jay) spouse, Robert Rosen. Oh, BTW, Rosen is also owner and CEO of a successful management consulting firm named "Healthy Companies International". That leaves the rest to cough up the cash to keep the Signature's budgets in the black.

The County Board already bailed out the Signature twice, once by paying the Signature's utility bills for several years and again by paying the Signature's back taxes.

It's obvious what the Signature was, and is, and always will be...a taxpayer-subsidized party zone for the Inside-the Beltway Elite.

Signature doesn't need or deserve a dime of tax dollars, and never has.

County Board / FC City Council - Lee Highway Will be Another Clarendon. Primary Mode of Public Transit Will be Bicycles

 

Hello,

The Arlington County Board and Falls Church City Council held a joint meeting at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. last night. Discussion was about planning the mixed-use redevelopment of the Lee Highway corridor on the Arlington / Falls Church border.

No surprises, the planning staffs in both jurisdictions call for Lee Highway / North Washington Street to become another massive mixed-use redevelopment, like Clarendon.

Discussion was for the East Falls Church Metro Station to become a major multi-modal hub.

What was both interesting and appalling is there was no mention of public transit for the redeveloped area other than more parking garages for motor vehicles, better pedestrian safety, and bicycles, and more bicycles, in new bikeshare stations all over the area. Brought to Falls Church by the same Arlington  streetcar proponents (Fisette, Tejada, Hynes, and Planning and Transportation Staff) who tried to inflict the Pike streetcar on us.

Arlington Transportation Director Dennis Leach admitted that Bikeshare returns 70 cents for every dollar spent because few ride bicycles in Winter. Again, no mention at all of ART bus expansion.

In fact, there was no mention of any improvements of any kind to non-arterial neighborhood infrastructure for current residents, only the "vision" of the area as another urban hipster enclave.

Cindy