Arlington’s Democrats and Republicans have squared off with diametrically opposing positions on the county’s package of bond referendums.
The Arlington County Democratic Committee earlier voted to support the five bonds on the Nov. 5 ballot, while the Arlington County Republican Committee more recently opted to oppose all five.
Republicans are taking “principled fiscal positions” by rejecting the package being put before the electorate, GOP chair Matthew Hurtt said.
But Republicans are facing an uphill battle in convincing Arlington voters to follow them. No local bond referendum has been defeated in Arlington since 1979, and the last time there was a full-scale voter revolt, with multiple rejections, was in 1975.
On the Nov. 5 ballot are bonds for transportation and Metro ($72.4 million), parks and recreation ($25.8 million), community infrastructure ($72.2 million), schools ($84 million) and utilities ($14.2 million).
The Arlington Green Party, which through the years has supported some county bonds and opposed others, was slated to discuss the matter Oct. 2 but has postponed action until later in the month.
While Republicans and Democrats are split on the county’s bond package, both parties are supporting the lone state-constitutional amendment on the Nov. 5 ballot. If adopted, it would expand tax exemptions for surviving spouses of military personnel killed in the line of duty.
