Time for Barbara Donnellan to Retire

Hey Yupette,

So Nada Tejada is retiring. To join his bud Zimmy at Smart Growth International? Soon to be followed by Pub Crawl Mary Hynes announcing her retirement? We can only hope.And Chief of Reactive Policing Scott is retiring in March.

But the one person in County Government who should retire, right now, is County Manager Donnellan.Every County Board meeting she gets worse.This past County Board meeting it was like she was elected County Supervisor and the County Board members were appointed by her.

Then there are the poor decisions and no decisions Barbara is responsible for that make her title an oxymoron....ranging from million dollar dog parks and bus shelters to welfare for wealthy corporations and non-profits to a bloated economic development bureaucracy that's been so spectacularly unsuccessful that homeowners are bearing the increase in the cost of County Government next fiscal year. But Barbara's worst performance involves fiscal management and the County's lack thereof. I have to wonder what's going on when, with all the slush funds Barbara controls, she vehemently opposes an independent internal auditor who reports to the County Board, to the point that the County Board has to go to the General Assembly for permission to hire one.

So I thank Barbara for her many years of service to the County but it's really time for her to retire.

Pike Rider, 22204

Crystal City Streetcar "Under Active Consideration" by County Board

Hey Yupette:

In the event you missed yesterday's County Board corporate welfare giveaway for the redevelopment of 400 Army-Navy Drive (Regular Agenda Item 33) you also missed the exchange between a local activist and Board Chair Mary Hynes over references to streetcar infrastructure contained in the redevelopment staff report for 400 Army-Navy Drive.

"Pub Crawl Mary" denied that a Crystal City streetcar line is in the works at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. However, community activists who grilled the 400 Army-Navy Drive developer and County Transportation Staff have learned that a Crystal City Streetcar System, to be paid for from a number of revenue sources, is indeed under consideration by the County Board. How much will be siphoned from transportation infrastructure funds to pay for this project which could cost $300 million? Moreover, according to County Transportation Planning Staff a number of streetcar planners remain employed by the County, although the County Board stated on November 18th that all planning work on Pike and Crytstal City streetcar systems would be ended  How much is that costing taxpayers? Where's the much-improved bus service we're supposed to be obtaining as the result of streetcar planning being "ended"? Already-aggravated taxpayers want to know.

Thanks for this blog.

Adam