This week, we invited the candidates running in competitive races in the Nov. 7 General Election to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.
Below is the unedited response from Audrey Clement, who is running for the Arlington County Board as an independent.
I’m Audrey Clement, Independent candidate for Arlington County Board. As a 19-year Westover resident, long time civic activist, and past member of the Transportation Commission, I’m running for County Board because the County has pushed harmful policies resulting in:
- excessive taxation
- overcrowded schools
- lack of transparency
- loss of green space and excessive runoff
I also oppose the so-called “Missing Middle” ordinance that the County rammed through earlier this year. Missing Middle up-zoned residential neighborhoods throughout the county, despite massive opposition from homeowners and those like me who believe it is nothing more than a sop to developers.
County Board is pushing for Missing Middle, while actively misleading voters about what it will do. They claim that Missing Middle will end de facto redlining even though in a February 1 letter to County Board, the local NAACP president reported that only 20% of Blacks in the county can afford a Missing Middle unit.
They also say that Missing Middle will provide a way for moderate income residents to get starter homes, even though most of the units will be rental and the prices prohibitive.
If Missing Middle is upzoning on steroids, plans for Clarendon Presbyterian Church at 1305 North Jackson Street is upzoning on crack. The congregation wants the County to rezone the .89 acre site on which its historic church is located from single family residential to high rise apartments. Even under Missing Middle zoning the site would be limited to 3 6-unit multiplexes or 18 units total.
If, however, the County approves the church’s application for a “spot” amendment to the General Land Use Plan (GLUP), the sky is the limit. The deal will also set a precedent whereby every other church property in the County — 85 in number — can be re-glupped for high rise development.
The Democratic Party candidates are waffling on this issue now. Once elected they will be forced to go along with the program. The only way to stop Missing Middle and re-glupping church property throughout the county is to end one party rule by voting for Independents Clement and Fierro for County Board on November 7.
If elected, I also pledge to:
- Seek immediate tax relief for residents and businesses.
- Demand full transparency in the deals the County cuts with developers.
- Convene a task force of housing experts and civic associations to study reasonable alternatives to Missing Middle.
If you share my agenda, then:
- Spread the word about my candidacy.
- Donate to my campaign.
- Help make the “Arlington Way” more than an empty phrase.