Republican Files for County Board Race — Arlington County Republican Committee Chairman Mark Kelly has filed to be the GOP nominee in the upcoming County Board special election. It’s not the first time Kelly has run for County Board. In 2010 incumbent Chris Zimmerman defeated Kelly 57 percent to 36 percent. [Sun Gazette]
Progressive Group Endorses Bondi — Democratic County Board candidate Melissa Bondi has garnered an endorsement from Virginia New Majority, a statewide progressive organization. “As a long-time advocate of affordable housing and Smart Growth, she was worked tirelessly to ensure that the county’s plans for economic development have not been pursued at the expense of the county’s working and poor families,” the organization said in its endorsement. “And, we expect Board Member Bondi to pursue a transportation plan that won’t encourage displacement of low-income communities.” [Virginia New Majority]
ACDC To Offer Free Trips to Caucus — The Arlington County Democratic Committee is offering free transportation to its caucus tomorrow night. (The caucus is being held to select a nominee for County Board.) “Rides will be available from the Ballston Metro every 15 minutes from 6:45PM to 8:30PM,” ACDC said in a press release. “Voters can meet the Ride Coordinator at the top of the Ballston escalators… next to Tivoli.” Thursday’s caucus is being held at Washington-Lee High School, while a caucus on Saturday is being held at Kenmore Middle School.
Four Mile Run Footbridge to Be Replaced — The bike and pedestrian bridge that connects the W&OD and Custis trails near the East Falls Church Metro station is being replaced. The new bridge should be complete in the next couple of months and, unlike the old bridge, will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. [Greater Greater Washington]
Flickr pool by ddimicky. ACDC is presently an ARLnow.com advertiser.
Related Posts
- Morning Notes January 20, 2012
- Morning Notes January 19, 2012
- Morning Notes December 6, 2011
- Morning Notes October 20, 2010
Progressives have no issue with taxes, except for paying them.
Except the ones that don’t.
It’s great how Bondi is garnering all these endorsements from people OUTSIDE of Arlington.
It’s politics. It’s about who your friends are.
Maybe she might get an endorsment from the Warden if she goes to jail.
Voting twice in the same election is a felony, and she either did that, or she was too lazy to register in Virginia for the past 6 years.
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/13350/melissa-bondi-for-arlington-county-board/#comment-127464
Check your facts. You could really learn a lot by actually investigating absurd allegations.
http://www.icontact-archive.com/c09d6xJ3viyOk-SYH03UDhp0AFu_WwQ9?w=1
This question was answered by the Bondi campaign:
“Allegation: I own a house in North Olmstead, Ohio
Basis: A “Melissa M. Bondi” is listed as the owner of a home at 26971 Sudbury Dr., North Olmstead, OH 44070, which is my home town.
Facts: This is false. My mother and I are both named Melissa Bondi. This is my Mom’s house. (And, for those who have asked: Jane Bondi is my late father’s second wife.)
—–
Allegation: I have voted simultaneously in North Olmstead, Ohio, and in Arlington and have, thus, committed voter fraud by voting in two places at once.
Basis: There is a Melissa M. Bondi on the Ohio voter rolls through 2011.
Facts: This is false. I vote in Arlington, and only in Arlington. The Ohio voter is my Mom, who taught me the value of caring about elections and my government.”
Check the dates Brian. She posted that today, whereas the link I posted was dated yesterday. Or give me the keys to your DeLorean.
See that’s true, but your comment was posted today.
How did you find this link in the first place? I must admit that icontactarchive isn’t on my daily reading list.
I received it through a campaign email. But my point was that maybe before making wild allegations, one could do something strange like pick up the phone and call the campaign or turn on a computer and email the campaign.
Alternatively, we could accept as gospel those things said in the comments on a blog. The internet would never lead you astray.
Have you seen the comments on http://www.notlarrysabato.com? Ben Tribbett endorsed Libby on his blog, but the comments section has an excerpt from the official Ohio voting records. It shows Melissa Bondi voted in Ohio at the same time she lived in Arlington. Can this be true? Aren’t there laws about voter fraud in Federal elections? Are there residency rules about who can run for local office in Virginia? If Melissa voted consistently in Ohio, does that mean she can’t run in Arlington? Can we get some answers?
Answers were provided in the comments, unless you are simply attempting to spread false and malicious rumors.
http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/doh/2012/01/arlington-county-board-endorsement.html#comments
Those same answers were provided just a few comments up here.
http://www.icontact-archive.com/c09d6xJ3viyOk-SYH03UDhp0AFu_WwQ9?w=1
This question was answered by the Bondi campaign:
“Allegation: I own a house in North Olmstead, Ohio
Basis: A “Melissa M. Bondi” is listed as the owner of a home at 26971 Sudbury Dr., North Olmstead, OH 44070, which is my home town.
Facts: This is false. My mother and I are both named Melissa Bondi. This is my Mom’s house. (And, for those who have asked: Jane Bondi is my late father’s second wife.)
—–
Allegation: I have voted simultaneously in North Olmstead, Ohio, and in Arlington and have, thus, committed voter fraud by voting in two places at once.
Basis: There is a Melissa M. Bondi on the Ohio voter rolls through 2011.
Facts: This is false. I vote in Arlington, and only in Arlington. The Ohio voter is my Mom, who taught me the value of caring about elections and my government.”
Also, Ben Tribbet didn’t exactly endorse Libby. He endorsed both Libby and Bondi and said he would “most likely” vote for Libby this time because she was unlikely to run again but that both deserved to be on the Board. Just sayin’. I guess that’s an endorsement, but it isn’t quite as you portrayed it.
Happy to hear Mark Kelly is running for County Board. Arlington deserves a dissenting voice to challenge the status quo.
One vote for him here just on that basis.
Two.
three
FOUR
MInus 1
+1 as much as it hurts me to vote (R)
It’s gonna hurt a whole lot of people quite a bit come November…
Five, on the same basis. Otherwise, I’ll vote for Clement.
This is a very nice sentiment, but think of all the people the Democrats will lure to the polls with free coffee and donuts, and a b bus ride to the polls.
All those you disagree with are stupid losers who just vote for donuts while all those you agree with are noble, intelligent and virtuous.
Doughnuts & coffee? Must sell your votes cheap here. In SW Va , the free trip (seven to nine to a van) always included a stop at the ABC Store.
I guess now everyone can stop pretend supporting Audrey Clement.
Sims is the only candidate NOT endorsed by any past or current member of the Arlington County Board. He is an independent voice.
Actually, Kim Klingler is also not endorsed by any past or present county board member. She too will be an independent voice on the Board and has the private sector experience currently lacking on the Board.
Oh please, you can’t be an independent voice if you have no real policy experience to counter the heavy hitters on the Board. Moreover, what is this with running against the current board in a Democratic caucus? Lots of us happen to like Chris, Walter, Jay and Mary, which is why we reelect them overwhelmingly. If Kim or Terron want to run against the current board they’d better have a reason and an agenda, but they’ve offered nothing, just platitudes about their alleged independence.
Bondi was endorsed immediately by Zimmerman and Tejada. Garvey was endorsed last week by Favola.
Hynes and Fisette are staying neutral and not endorsing.
Sims, Klingler and Fallon have not been endorsed by past or present members of the County Board.
Caucus trip with ACDC = Highway to Hell?
LOL!
Living easy, living free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Asking nothing, leave me be
Taking everything in my stride
Dont need reason, dont need rhyme
Aint nothing I’d rather do
Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too, yeah
Im on the highway to hell
on the highway to hell
highway to hell
im on the highway to hell
No stop signs, speed limit
Nobodys gonna slow me down
Like a wheel, gonna spin it
Nobodys gonna mess me round
Hey satan, payed my dues
Playing in a rocking band
Hey momma, look at me
Im on my way to the promised land
Will they stop at Trader Joe’s? Need me some two Buck chuck to watch caucus election results as votes come in.
Perhaps it will be a real trip to the caucasus mountains! Good luck finding your way back!
At this point, any endorsements of Bondi are laughable at best.
She has failed to answer very serious questions about her judgment.
Reminds me of Wile E. Coyote way past the cliff. Spare me the slick mailings and phone calls and endorsements. I wouldn’t buy a used car from you.
Voting for a Republican for the first time in my life.
Welcome to the dark side.
Welcome to the “non-yes man” side. I can’t stand puppets.
I’m with you.
Prepare to be bitterly disappointed. The Republican party has the market on blind ideologues cornered.
Not every Democratic candidate is a yes-man puppet. Not yet at least.
I really wish I could agree with you but after watching YEARS of ARL CO Board Meetings, I have to disagree. With only slight variation do all of our current Board Members pat each other on the back and vote to support each of their own projects. Give me someone who is going to ask tough questions, challenge the current Board members, ask probing questions (including of Tejada who seems to always add his .02 of BS after hearing a colleague say the same…)
Interesting. However, it should be noted that “their projects” are what turned into our homes, stores, parks, etc.
My home was built in 1940 and will soon be surrounded by low income housing.
As for having the will of free and independent thought, have you ever watched or attended a meeting of the current board? If you have and you still see no merit in my comment, we will never agree.
Agreed. For all the complaints around here about the “status quo,” Arlington sure has attracted a lot of residents.
As if that couldn’t happen anyway.
And those projects were built on the planning done by a county board that had more political diversity in the 1980′s and 90′s.
I always get a kick out of Tejada’s non sequiturs.
but are they on purpose or by accident? i can’t figure that out.
I was referring to the candidates for the open seat, not the current Board.
I do apologize, I see that now. Perhaps I posted in haste.
I must admit I am legitimately shocked at the endorsements of Bondi and I concerned about the judgment of two sitting board members. The only rationale I can think of for getting behind her would be the realization of Zimmerman’s agenda.
Just most of them.
I hope you are right. I’ll wait and see. I’m ready to welcome anyone that will not be a yes-person to the current board, whether that person is a Pub, Dem, or Independent.
You’re kidding, right? Perhaps it is less of an issue at local levels, but the Republican Party as currently operated is about as authoritarian a political organization as we’ve ever seen in this country. Dare to offer an opinion outside the approved platform and you’re toast.
The only question now is who to support in the primary…lolz.
Let’s not bicker and argue over the past. We must look forward to the future…. Remember people, Hope and Change! We are the 99 percent! Be safe out there…don’t drink and drive. Please recycle…. Rock the vote!
you can come out now
“Half of the $240,000 cost is covered by Arlington’s bridge replacement funding, while the other half comes from the pedestrian improvements budget.”
Uh, wow…..
In most of the country, you could build an entire, moderately-priced house for that much money (with many multiples of the the labor and materials that this pedestrian bridge will call for).
Google the phrase pedestrian bridge cost. The cost of this bridge is comparable to that of similar projects.
In all fairness, this is a new bridge, rerouting of the trail, and demolishion & restoration of the old bridge and trail section. Replacing the bridge alone would have been much less.
An engineer commenting on GGW had the same reaction I did, that the costs looked really high.
I haven’t done this kind of work, and certainly not in this area, so I don’t know – What are the costs of ADA compliance certification? Are there any environmental regulations that have to be complied with when working around 4 mile run (is it a wetland or something)?
Having ridden the trail through there dozens of times, I must say I’ve never gotten off there and used that bridge. I didn’t even know it existed. But for Metro people it does look marginally more convenient then getting on at Tuckahoe. Do they have estimates of traffic through there? There are so many ways to access the trail all in a relatively close proximity in EFC.
Also, I stop calling it the Custis once it meets the W&OD. Am I wrong?
Yes, streams are subject to environmental regulation governing construction, not just wetlands.
Since they are tearing up the path and putting in a new path section they certainly need to meet environmental regulations and have costly reviews. It would have been much less, if any, if they had only replaced the bridge and not disturbed anything else.
You can’t just replace a bridge without significant disturbance of the earth. It’s going to be bigger and wider, and that means new footings, etc.
True, but the real disturbance and review comes from trail relocation, trail demolition, and restoration of the old trail. That is the bulk of the review. A bridge exists, it is getting a few feet wider, and it is already approved to be there. It is an easy approval in a review process, while the other work they are doing requires more scrutiny.
I’d believe it’s comparable to costs in other American jurisdictions, that would only mean that many US jurisdictions throw away money carelessly on projects that shouldn’t be so expensive.
Is this because you are the final arbiter of what “should” be so expensive? Or do you have any kind of factual basis for commenting on the cost of this project?
Coming soon… Watch for EZpass-PEDI to collect tolls on walking paths.
I’m just going to vote for a randomly selected name on the ArlNow ad banner.
Jimmy John’s is leading right now.
Like
So, do we vote on 19th and then bottom people get eliminated and then we vote on 21st until someone wins a majority? I do not want to miss my Zumba class.
I think they use some gauge to how well Bondi does in the 19th vote to decide how to handle the 21st votes to make sure she gets enough to win. I am pretty sure that is how it works around here.
not everyone can make one of the times. it is a TWO DAY caucus.
Good grief.
Show up; sign the pledge form; vote on a paper ballot; go home.
Maybe 5 minutes.
It’s just a shame that Ms Favola let the citizens of AC down by failing to resign in a timely fashion – leaving AC citizens under-represented for a longer time than necessary(and Mr Z exacerbating the problem by failure to put a tie-breaker rule in effect to create a political tent to hide under if needed.
I’m still voting for a Democrat, but the ongoing hijinx of Ms Bondi and her supporters have done more to invigorate the Arlington Republicans than anything I’ve seen in 10 years.
That says it all– Democrats = Bondi.
check it out…
more stories…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/bondi-denies-allegations-in-arlington-race/2012/01/18/gIQAE5Ew8P_blog.html
“The gun-shy Bondi…..said in a phone call this afternoon that she didn’t expect such attacks on her and that she preferred to discuss local issues.”
Wow. A politician didn’t expect attacks? Are you kidding me? Total BS.
It’s quite obvious where all that tax money went…to the print shop for the waste of paper we all received this week.