Historic Cemetery to Become a Dog Park

Hi, Yupette,

I work at 2100 Clarendon Blvd., and am not happy where the County is going. I'm a long-time County employee and bought a nice 3-bedroom 2 bath ranch home in Westover 30 years ago. Now, as I approach retirement, I am finding the assessment increases on my home are going to put me under some significant financial stress once I retire.

Never mind about me. You should be aware that several years ago at least two County Board members promised Ballston-area dog owners that historic Ball Cemetery off Washington Blvd. would be "repurposed" into a Dog Park. On the County Board's Regular Hearing Agenda tomorrow (June 18th),

Until about 30 years ago the Ball Family Cemetery was preserved, but after 'Smart Growth" got started the cemetery was allowed to go to ruin, along with the neighborhood's commercial infrastructure.

So now it's Mixed-Use Redevelopment time for the neighborhood and the cemetery.

If the County Board, and it's Progressive-Socialist-Urbanist cronies, can desecrate a cemetery that has no connection whatsoever to the Confederacy to provide a playground for dogs, the County Board is capable of anything.

Mary 22205

No Pay Increases for County Board Members

Hello,

Based upon AY's perusal of County Board Members' desk appointment calendars over several years, and conversations with employees and former employees who worked in the County Board Offices, AY believes that County Board Members should not vote themselves pay increases on June 18th.

Bottom Line: Service on the Arlington County Board (of Supervisors) is a part-time job which many County Board Members over the past three decades have chosen to make a full-time job.

County Board Members already enjoy a 2-month paid Summer Vacation - July 15th to September 15th. In recent years the County Board placed Consent Agenda items related to appropriations off-limits for citizen comments, ostensibly to 'streamline' meetings.

Four Members of the current County Board work for, consult for, or lobby for non-profits. AY has no information about conflicts-of-interest that may occur or are occurring vis a vis them and County Government. The fifth CB Member is apparently growing his "Missing Middle" residential housing corporation through numerous contacts with prospective clients while on the County Board.

Consequently, AY requests this pay request mess be deferred while being evaluated by the County Auditor...however long that takes. Nobody on the current County Board will apparently suffer any financial harm while the audit is occurring.

AY

Theo Stamos for Commonwealth's Attorney

Hello,

Given the direction Arlington County's been headed since before the last Commonwealth's Attorney election, in 2011, and the very different perspectives of the candidates running this year for Commonwealth's Attorney, the choice for Commonweralth's Attorney isn't difficult - re-elect Theo Stamos.

As one Independent told us: The difference between Theo Stamos and Parisa Dehghani-Tafti is the difference between "Party's Over Here in Arlington" and "Woodstock's Over Here in Arlington".

Theo Stamos's current term of office coincided with the rise and fall of pub crawls in the B-R Corridor, near-universal scofflaw behavior by bicyclists, electric scooter riders, and pedestrians, and almost complete lack of community policing in Arlington's residential neighborhoods away from major arterials. Which we blame on the Progressive-Democrat County Board and ACPD, which would rather chase "bad guys" and earn lots of overtime being a nanny police force for Millennials than engage in any community policing. We also blame the avaricious and reckless local media, especially ArlNow, for putting profits over responsible journalism.

We don't like to think about what a circus the County would become if Parisa Dehghani-Tafti became Arlington Commonwealth's Attorney. Therefore AY endorses Theo Stamos in Tuesday's Democratic Primary.

Arlington's Progressive Socialists - Talk like Bernie...Live like Hillary

Hi,

My name is Cindy and I live in Ballston. I'm an Independent and I have posted various comments on the ArlNow news blog criticizing Arlington County Government and one-party (i.e., Progressive Democrat) control of Arlington County Government for going-on 40 years.

This morning I received a campaign e-mail from Reid Goldstein's campaign for Arlington School Board with a photo of a campaign event held over the weekend. Posting the above photo got me banned from posting anything more on ArlNow.

More than obvious to me that, like their Limo Liberal parents decades ago, Arlington's so-called 'Progressives' talk like Socialists but live like wealthy Democrats in the past and present (e.g., the Clintons, Warners, McAuliffes, Beyers, etc.).

It's also evident that the local media are little more than shills for the status quo, i.e., more of the same "Progressive Socialism".

And it's also evident that local media are shills for more-of-the-same so-called "Smart Growth" aka Mixed-Use Gentrification that's destroying the County's social, economic, and environmental diversity.

Thanks for this blog.

Cindy in Ballston

Work at Home Day - May 17th

Hey Yupette,

This Friday, May 17th, is Bike to Work Day.

A GREAT day to work at home on any number of projects. Thousands of free-range bicyclists, including bicycle cult members, will be riding on the County's streets sidewalks, trails, and plazas, and, as usual, obeying traffic ordinances will be optional. A lose-lose for pedestrians and drivers of 4 wheel motor vehicles.

If you're a pedestrian you can expect lots of bicycles on sidewalks. If you drive a motor vehicles you can expect the police will be out ticketing drivers who fail to yield the right of way to bicycle scofflaws. The pols long ago made the bicycle cult one of their pet special interests. This year you can also expect lots of electric scooters zooming on the sidewalks. Nothing will be said or done about them either.

Best thing to do is stay home and telecommute to work, or just take the day off and do spring housecleaning before summer arrives, any day now.

Thanks for this blog.

Jennifer in Westover

'Progressive' County Board is Increasingly Environmentally Irresponsible

Hi,

Thanks for this blog.

I gotta laugh at the so-called "Progressive" Arlington County Board aka Arlington County Board of Supervisors. They were mediocre before and are much worse since the Board became all-Democrat in January.

Latest environmentally irresponsible antic is rescinding glass bottle recycling. They apparently didn't bother checking out options for reuse, like in building materials and for street paving. Then there's their "More Car Diet". Then there's the continuing loss of the County's mature tree canopy. Then there's the creation of more impervious surfaces everywhere, ranging from paving neighborhood parks to widening trails to benefit their pet bicycle cult. Several of their favorite / pet Socialist Democrat VIPs want to take the golf courses from the country clubs and pave them over.

All a consequence of their so-called progressive planning ideology, 'New Urbanism', which has driven the County's development and redevelopment for more than 35 years.

I no longer believe anything anyone in County Government says. I am skipping the Democratic Primary this year and voting for Independent Audrey Clement and no one else in November.

Karen, 22201

Ballston Streetscape Needs Upgrades

Hi,

I'm a 20-something guy and live with my 20-something GF in a 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment in Ballston. We pay $2260 / month for rent. We use the second bedroom for an office for her so she can work from home. I drive to work in Tysons because where I work in Tysons is not convenient to Metrorail. We own one subcompact hybrid car.

There's a big room with weight and exercise equipment in the building for tenants. Also, a bicycle storage area in the garage. We own two city bikes.

My beef with the County's government is if they want to turn the streets and sidewalks into outdoor recreation space they should fix the sidewalks and streets.

We're going to get married next year and we're looking to buy a single family home, but not in Arlington. Only one of us has student loans to repay but if we want to have kids we're still not going to be able to afford to live in Arlington.

In the meantime, is it too much to ask the County to fix the streets and sidewalks in this neighborhood? And keep them in good repair?

Mike in 22201