On the Issues
True Accountability & Engagement
Fully Fund the County Auditor ∙ Ranked Choice Voting ∙ School Transparency ∙ Police Oversight ∙ Better Communication from the County
In 2015, with the hard work of (then) County Board member John Vihstadt, Arlington established a County Auditor office to serve as the eyes, ears, and voice of the county’s taxpayers. Since then, all other County Board members have left it underfunded and barely staffed. It’s time to fully fund the County Auditor office and empower it to uncover information and release public reports on any fraud, waste, and abuse it uncovers.
In addition to the budget, we must ensure full transparency and independent accountability of the entire county including our police department, county jail, affordable housing programs, the public school system, as well as ethics and behavior complaints.
However, true reform of our government’s operations starts at the beginning of an elected leader’s political career: our elections. We must have strong election reform of our local officials with Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) – a method of electing public officials that makes it easier for new voices to be heard and rewards broad coalition-building instead of relying on a small voter base. The County Board must also commit to adopting as many recommendations as possible from the Civic Federation’s TiGER team.
Smarter Spending for Public Safety
COVID Recovery ∙ Safer Streets ∙ Flood Management ∙ Criminal Justice Reform ∙ Focus on Violent Crimes
There’s a lot to public safety – more than most people realize. It’s an issue that touches every resident, job commuter, and tourist as well as every sector of our local economy. Sadly, our county leadership is often distracted from much-needed public safety solutions and siphons limited funds into expensive luxury amenity projects. Let’s change that!
We cannot tackle public safety without dealing with COVID prevention and emergency management of increasingly damaging flooding. We must help offices, restaurants, and other facilities improve sanitation, install air purification, implement remote work options, and increase vaccination of employees to not only bring COVID to an end but also become more resilient against future pandemics. Unfortunately, too many of the county’s current COVID efforts have neglected our lower-income residents and non-English speaking immigrant communities, causing lasting harm for years to come. Upgrading our infrastructure, establishing more effective networks with local non-profits, and forming better regional governmental partnerships will be critical for disaster management.
We need to have Every Street Designed for Safety to protect pedestrians, cyclists, bus riders, people with disabilities, and even auto drivers themselves in order to achieve “Vision Zero” goals. Safety of our streets and transit is just as important for our busy urban areas as it is quiet residential neighborhoods – especially near hospitals and schools. Additionally, Arlington’s leaders must finally stand up to pressure Metro (WMATA) to fix its chronic safety issues.
Public safety is also implementing Police and Criminal Justice Reform to help our local police focus on issues they actually need to be dealing with – domestic assaults, robberies, DWI’s, and other violent crimes. Let’s make use of trained professionals in mental health, emergency housing (homelessness assistance), and parking enforcement as more effective alternatives in non-violent situations. Arlington is doing better than many other jurisdictions but there is still room for improvement with civilian oversight, decriminalization, and training so that our law enforcement can protect the public’s safety and their civil liberties.
End the Housing Affordability Crisis
Lower Property Taxes ∙ Allow Missing Middle Options ∙ Affordable Housing Ownership ∙ Reduce Homelessness
Arlington is facing a housing affordability crisis and our current approach to housing is unsustainable.
The first step towards housing affordability is to update land use for the “Missing Middle” to allow plenty of new housing and smarter growth across the entire county. Allowing many more moderate-density housing types (townhouses, duplexes, quadplexes, garden apartments, etc.) is needed for a strong middle class in Arlington. Without it we will follow in the footsteps of San Francisco, Seattle, and Manhattan and become an unsustainable community only for the wealthy while facing huge rates of homelessness and declining diversity.
Next, we must provide relief for homeowners by lowering real estate property tax rates, streamlining permits for renovations, and allowing more Accessory Dwelling Units and short-term rental licenses.
Solving the housing crisis is a multi-level effort and must also include those who are at risk of not having a home of any kind. We can reduce homelessness with emergency shelters and permanent supportive housing while reforming our affordable housing program to better support new ownership models. Although our county does a good job of developing affordable housing, leadership often only implements short-term band-aids without addressing the underlying root causes.
And of course, we must handle all of this while expanding our parks and tree canopy, tackling school overcrowding, and managing traffic concerns. This is the most complex challenge we are facing, and we need strong and clear leadership to get it done.
Latest News
Trees Love Missing Middle Housing
The Missing Middle proposal has set off a firestorm of controversy but what I want to focus on right now is whether Missing Middle housing will result in the loss of our precious tree canopy.
Names Matter for Justice and Historical Accuracy
Robert E. Lee is a figure to be studied but not memorialized. Put up educational plaques and take down inaccurate positions of honor.
Public Comments: Stormwater Mitigation in the CIP
Let’s undo some the damage done by foolishly forcing small streams and creeks into underground conduits. Let’s “re-naturize” Arlington’s small neighborhood waterways.
Way Down the Hole on Golf Courses
Most golf courses lose money for governments. That is very true if the course is owned by the government as a public amenity, but also because it’s notoriously difficult to tax golf courses at market rate value because of lobbying by well-connected customers of those golf courses.
A Green and Beautiful Pentagon City: Comments on the Sector Plan Update
February’s general County Board meeting was an active one with over 100 public comments and the vote on the long-planned Pentagon City Sector Plan update. This revision to the neighborhood-wide framework will result in greater density, walkability, and hopefully expanded green space in the neighborhood immediately around the Metro station on the Blue and Yellow […]
Let’s get more affordable senior housing near Rosslyn!
With hundreds of Committed Affordable Units gained through the proposed Marbella affordable housing redevelopment, I’m particularly excited about 125 of those units being for senior residents.