County Would Raid Paygo, Regional, State, Federal Transportation Funding to Pay for Pike Trolley Folly

Hey, Yupette,

It's more than obvious where funding for Chris Zimmerman's Pike Trolley Folly disaster would come from. Take a look at the agreements between the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the County approved at Tuesday's County Board meeting (agenda items 32 and 38). They're going to raid every fund that's connected with transportation, and some that aren't, to pay for Chris Zimmerman's streetcar disaster. You saw a couple weeks ago how they lie like cheap rugs when it comes to providing taxpayers with basic information about what the Fisette Aquatic Center will cost. They secretly purchased Ballston Park Apartments on Tuesday - seen a press release about that on the County's Web site? So look for tens of millions to be siphoned from paygo, regional, state, and federal transportation funds to pay for Zimmerman's streetcar.

Pike Rider

Non-Resident Votes Likely to Determine Democratic Caucus Outcome

Hi Yupette,

Another Democratic caucus, another opportunity for surrogate and non-resident voters to determine the outcome, as happened recently. Appears the surrogate vote will be minor today and Saturday compared to the non-resident Young Democrats who will vote using their parents' address, non-residents who have an Arlington address and ID they use to enroll their kids in Arlington's schools, and so on.

This is a must win for the Democratic Old Guard aka Zimmercrats who want to keep the New Urbanism aka Smart Growth streetcar on the tracks. State Board of Elections won't be watching, so the Caucus will be the usual charade.

Thanks for your blog. No question about who I'm voting for - I'm another Arlington Resident who's voting Cord for Board.

another fed-up Dem

County Board Secretly Purchases Upscale Apartment Complex for Creative Class Housing

Hey Yupette,

Did you happen to watch the County Board Meeting last night? Check out the interlude around 8:30 between the end of item 43 - Pines of Italy and Chris Zimmerman's farewell speech. Just after someone from Pines of Italy calls the County Board 'c***suckers'.

The County Board approved it's secret purchase of the upscale Ballston Park Apartments from the Village of Buckingham Management Corporation. Apartment rents presently range from $1350 for an efficiency to $2400 for a townhouse. Hard to see how this will ever be 'affordable' other than as entry level housing for the Creative Class. Last middle class person in 22201 and 22203 to leave Arlington please turn off the lights before your apartment is demolished or renovated.

Mark, 22201

Cord for Board - Less of the Same

Hey Yupette,

I attended the Democratic candidates forum at Arlington Yuppie Mill next week.

I will vote for Cord Thomas in the Democratic Caucus this week.

Whatever else Cord would do on County Board at least he wouldn't support extravagant, wasteful, and unnecessary programs, policies, and massive vanity infrastructure projects.

No way I would vote for the worst candidate, Peter Fallon, or Zimmy's handpicked successor Alan Howze.

fed-up Dem

Fairlington (and Arlington) 2014 Condo Tax Assessment Increases Are Inversely Proportional to 'Affordability'

Hey, Yupette,

Thanks for this blog.

I live in the Clarendon II townhouse in North Fairlington I purchased for $150,000 in the mid-90's. My assessment increased by $41,000 this year from $364,300 last year to $405,300. I haven't done anything much to my condo over the past 17 years, a few minor interior upgrades (renovated kitchen and new bathroom fixtures, nothing major that requires a building permit), new appliances, new heat pump, and so on.

So, why are ALL the Clarendon II condo units in Fairlington being bumped up by $41,000 no matter whether the owners applied and received multiple building permits for major upgrades or have have made few or no improvements except for replacing appliances? Same for the larger Clarendon I condos in South Fairlington. But their assessments increased by about $20,000 this year. Moreover, having visited the County Assessor's Web site it is most disconcerting to see that the smallest and most affordable condo units in Fairlington were hit with massive assessment increases. And we're talking about 1-bedroom condo units occupied by retirees who have lived here for 35 years.

Appears that the same occurred in other condo communities across the County that have various units with various amounts of interior space. The most affordable condominium housing got hit with the biggest assessment increases in 2014. What kind of Smart Growth is that?

Janet 22206

Smokey Says: Parents - Only You Can Prevent the Arlington Fire Department from Poisoning Arlington's Kids With Toxic Smoke

Hello,

On June 4, 2012 this blog ran a feature about vehicles being burned and explosives being set off during 'training' exercises by the Arlington Fire Department near the old Arlington Fire Academy, in the Arlington Arlington Trades Center, 200 feet from Abingdon Elementary School and close to several residential neighborhoods.

Rather than re-locate the Fire Training Academy to a site where toxic smoke from vehicle fires would pose no threat to human health the Fire Department was allowed to build a new and improved fire training academy on the same site. At the same time a new fire training academy was being planned and constructed Arlington County spent $8 million planning and building a multi-jurisdiction firearms training facility at Dulles Airport.

The Arlington Fire Department has refused to provide information about what hazardous materials will be stored and burned at the new fire training academy - due to be dedicated on Saturday. Based upon what we've been told by 'County Staff' we can expect to hear more loud explosions and smell more toxic smoke from burning vehicles in the near future. However, if enough parents call the County Board offices at 703-228-3130 we may at least be informed about what hazardous and toxic materials will be stored and burned.

Cindy

County Board's 2013 Financial Disclosure - Stamos Rules No Way on Rob-and-Jay Pay-to-Play Disclosures

Hello,

This blog has often criticized the 'revolving door' between Jay Fisette's former domestic partner (and now legally-married spouse) Robert Rosen's consulting firm - Healthy Companies International - and County Board Chairman Jay Fisette's office.

Now that Rob and Jay are legally married, A.Y. was anticipating that Jay and Rob would fully disclose the extent of the pay-to-play activities between Rob's office, at 2101 Wilson Boulevard, and Jay's County Board office, just across the street, at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard. Rob Rosen and Healthy Companies International represent some of the worst fossil fuel polluters in the world, ranging from Boeing to the anti-EPA National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). (In the event you wondered why Arlington is lagging so badly when it comes to installing on-site renewable energy).

According to County Staff, dispensation from reporting their pay-to-pay activities was granted to Rob and Jay, on the grounds that Rob and Jay aren't legally married in Virginia, by Arlington Commonwealth's Attorney Theo Stamos. BTW, appears that Theo Stamos and her spouse and Rob and Jay are tied for first place as the wealthiest elected officials in Arlington, if not the Commonwealth.

Cindy