Clement, Middle Class, Taxpayers Win CivFed Debate

Hello,

Several Arlington Residents who contribute to the AY blog attended yesterday's Civic Federation Candidates' Forum.

The only surprise was from Green Party endorsed Independent Charles McCollough, who went after the urban Hipster vote.

No surprises from Erik Gutshall, the Democratic Insiders' hand picked candidate to implement Phase 3 of Smart Growth in Arlington - massive urbanization of both urban and residential neighborhoods to benefit the Democratic Old Guard and Yellow Dog corporate and non-profit crony plutocrats.

No surprises from Audrey Clement. She consistently promoted preservation of workforce housing and reducing taxes through more efficient and less wasteful government during the debate.

Audrey has my vote in November.

Cindy

End the Affordable Housing and No Car Diet Charades

Hello, Yupette,

County Board meetings resume in three weeks. More of the same on the agenda as before the Summer break.

How did this County get into a Car Free Diet program which is putting more vehicles in more new parking spaces and creating more vehicle trips?

How did the County get into an Affordable Housing program which is not building housing for low wage workers? Or students? Or interns? Or elderly persons living solely on Social Security benefits?

If all the County is doing is enriching real estate trusts and automotive dealers, why waste tens of millions every year on programs that are complete charades?

Something to think about before next month's County Board meeting.

Sharon, 22202

What Arlington's Local Media Can Learn from a 60's Local AM Station

Hey, Yupette,

Thanks for this blog.

I grew up in a county of about 5,000 in a rural part of the Midwest and my Dad was a farm equipment dealer. My younger brother runs the business today. Population is still about 5,000.

Where did we go for news fifty years ago? A woman in town published a weekly community newspaper with upcoming events that was distributed to the stores around town (population about 800) with a few ads to pay for the cost of printing.

Current local news and events were broadcast on the county's 500 watt daytime AM radio station. What did the station have in common with local media in Arlington County today? Nothing.

Our local AM station was all about the community. Starting with farm news at daybreak. Perhaps 10% of the station's broadcast time was dedicated to commercials. Lots of music played during the day, a little rock n roll. Interviews and local news were non-controversial and were about topics that directly affected our daily lives, e.g., curriculum changes by the State Board of Education. Someone from the County Board of Supervisors would announce whatever new they had planned for the county and invite everyone to attend meetings and comment. No open meetings to hold closed meetings to approve what was decided in secret meetings, like today in Arlington.

Also, although there were farm accidents and highway accidents the station's emphasis was on accident prevention, not chasing the volunteer fire department around the county to report accidents. There were lots of public service ads for seat belt wearing and getting farmers to replace old unsafe farm equipment. If you wanted to listen to Rock n Roll and the national controversies of the day you could tune to a 50,000 watt station in Chicago or Denver or Des Moines after dark.

Owner of the radio station also owned a big family farm. His father started the station in the 1930's. His son later started an FM station and both the AM and FM station are still broadcasting, with about the same format.

No one had the time to publish the "fake news" the Amazon Post, InsideNova and ArlNow publish today.

Brad - 22207

Media Elite Keeps Us Ignorant - Then Calls Us Stupid

Hey Yupette,

What's worse than "fake news" -- the infomercials published by news blogs like ArlNow and Inside Nova? The Media keeping us ignorant in the news sections of print and blog publications and then calling us stupid on the editorial pages.

Like information about immigration. If you visit the Department of Homeland Security's Web site and look for immigration data you will come across the following: Number of immigrants granted permanent legal residency in the U.S. during 2016 - more than 1 million; number of persons with student, travel, and work visas who overstayed their visas in 2016 - more than 600,000; number of persons who crossed a U.S. border illegally and weren't apprehended - more than 300,000. Why do the Media keep us ignorant of these data? By the way, the number of immigrants granted permanent legal residency in the U.S. has about about 1 million per year, for many years, including during the 2008 - 2013 economic recession.

How about the Media Elite which keeps us ignorant and calls us stupid? New York Times Board of Directors doesn't include any minority group members. Of course, Mexican mega-billionaire Carlos Slim, who financially bailed out the Times in 2009, has a lot to say about what appears, and doesn't appear in the Times about immigration. A search of Amazon's Board of Directors doesn't reveal any minority group members. Amazon owns and operates The Washington Post.

Anyone see any socio-economic diversity on ArlNow and InsideNova?

Dey shu be all White to me, Homey.

John Smith in Nauck (but you can call me Dwayne). RIP Doc Muse.

County's Anti-Small Business Agenda Continues

Hi, Yupette,

Anyone else read yesterday's ArlNow feature about the BrickHaus beer garden's travails with DES inspection services, and the negative comments about DES, Arlingrton Economic Development, and County Government in general? Had to be a first for ArlNow which is usually a shameless County Government booster. Maybe Scott Brodbeck was dizzy from too much eclipse watching.

It's long been obvious to me that County Government hates essential small businesses, especially those that try to grow by renovating existing buildings in low-density neighborhoods. County Government also hates workforce employees who are essential to small businesses and wants them out of Arlington.

I have a cat and took her to NOVA Cat Clinic this month for her 6-month check-up. NOVA Cat Clinic's plans were stalled for years over DES approval of its renovation of the building on Cathedral Lane the clinic's owner purchased from the Catholic Archdiocese. DES finally issued a certificate of occupancy and the clinic is moving from the re-purposed home the clinic occupies on Kenmore Street.

I agree that this is the local government we get when we allow 1-party government to rule us for decades.

Thanks for your blog.

Patricia from Cherrydale

County Board Work Session Boosts 'More Car Diet'

Hi Yupette,

County Board held a work session on August 15th about restricted parking in residential neighborhoods. Meeting was announced a week in advance and there were no open public meetings in advance. Supposedly, the work session was about "fairness" and who gets to park in residential neighborhoods, besides neighborhood residents. Actually, restricted parking was hindering County Government's "More Car Diet" and Smart Growth urbanization.

County Board members can't make secret promises to special interests like sports groups for neighborhood parks re-purposed into regional lighted athletic fields with synthetic turf if parking is restricted in the neighborhoods. County Government can't implement re-purposing McMansions into apartment buildings, child care facilities, and small businesses like yoga spas if parking is restricted in the neighborhoods. County Board members can't promise residential neighborhoods will be used for special events if parking is restricted in the neighborhood.

Consequently, the County Board decreed a complete moratorium on additional restricted parking, including neighborhood applications already in the pipeline.

In fact the "selfish" neighbors who want to restrict parking are only reacting to the reality that their residential neighborhoods were never designed for Smart Growth urbanization.

Again, this is what we get when one political party stays in power year after year for more than 35 years.

Here's a photo of Libby Garvey's and my Fairlington neighborhood which is already parked out while Libby makes more promises to more people and groups for more use of the Fairlington Regional Sports-Recreation-Activity Center.

Terri, Fairlington

Who Is Scott Brodbeck, and What Does He Want from Arlington County?

Hey Yupette,

For several years we've endured the antics of the ArlNow News blog, and its Owner and Publisher, Scott Brodbeck.

Who is Scott Brodbeck? Another Rust Belt refugee (from Pittsburgh) who's growing rich imposing "Smart Growth" urbanization aka "Millennialization" on suburban Arlington. Like Jay Fisette, Chris Zimmerman, Mary Hynes, Barbara Favola, and a laundry list of others, present and past

Like the other local media e.g., WJLA just across Wilson Boulevard from ArlNow's corporate headquarters, ArlNow thrives on hype, hysteria, and hedonism. ArlNow is heavily censored and about 80% of those who are allowed to post comments are Chamber of Commerce and Smart Growth boosters, like Scott. Some of them work for developers and the County's pro-urbanization bureaucracy. Don't like Smart Growth? Don't waste your time posting on ArlNow.

Like WJLA and the other local television stations, ArlNow features "scare the soccer Moms" hysteria. Motor vehicles are routinely demonized, 'cause the County's priority is to work towards a total ban on motor vehicles in favor of bicycles. But Scott's free range urban hipster buds can do anything they want on and off their bicycles. Just don't get caught or Scott will put your photo on ArlNow.

Implications? Consequences? What are they? The County's gonna become an expensive urban mess, so why not make as much money as Scott can helping it happen, running County-supplied press releases as news and packing as much advertising, sponsored content, infomercials, and other paid advertising masquerading as news into ArlNow?

Who's to blame when bad things occur, like flash floods because of massive in-fill urbanization? Audrey Clement, of course. Never County Government, developers, Smart Growth America, or anyone else who's actually responsible.

Thanks for this blog and going after the jerks who are destroying Arlington as a livable county.

J.L., Westover