Transportation planning and funding emerged as key issues when two incumbent House of Delegates members faced off against challengers at an Arlington debate this week.
Democratic incumbents touted the value of seniority, while Republican challengers pressed the need for new thinking.
“I want to think unconventionally,” said William “Bill” Moher III, the Republican taking on incumbent Democratic Del. Patrick Hope in the 1st District.
“Let’s not hamper ourselves with bad transportation decisions. We’ve got to be smart,” Moher said at the Arlington County Civic Federation debate on Tuesday.
Hope, who has spent 16 years in the lower house of the legislature, argued that seniority brings the ability to shape discussions and secure financial support for issues like transportation.
“This is primarily a funding issue,” Hope said.
In addition to supporting motorists, the government needs to be “making sure our roads are safe for pedestrians and bicyclists,” Hope said.
Earlier in the evening, Del. Adele McClure (D-2) and Republican challenger Wendy Sigley tackled the same issue.
McClure, a first-term legislator whose assignments include a slot on the House Committee on Transportation, said she supported current efforts to provide dedicated funding to Northern Virginia mass-transit efforts, including Metro.
Like Hope, McClure said the focus needs to be on pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure, which is “long overdue for upgrades,” she said.
Sigley said that before taking more money out of local residents’ pockets, further efforts should be made to eliminate waste in transit programming.
If elected, Sigley said she would “see if there’s anything we can cut, or make more efficient” to free up additional funds.
“There’s a lot of roads that need to be fixed,” she said.
Arlington is carved into three House of Delegates districts, with the 1st and 2nd incorporating most of the county north of Columbia Pike. In the 3rd District, veteran Democrat Alfonso Lopez is running unopposed.
Sigley is a first-time candidate. Moher, an Arlington native, was the 2024 Republican nominee in Virginia’s 4th Congressional District.
He received about 32% of the vote against Democratic incumbent Jennifer McClellan in the Democratic-leaning congressional district.
Both 1st and 2nd House of Delegates districts typically give strong majorities to Democratic candidates. Running longshot contenders is part of the Arlington County Republican Committee’s strategy to help boost the party’s visibility and, potentially, help the GOP’s statewide ticket for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
The strategy paid off in 2021, when Republicans had candidates for all three Arlington seats in the House of Delegates. Although none of the candidates won, Republican turnout increased and provided a boost to Glenn Youngkin’s successful gubernatorial bid.
In this week’s debates, the Democratic incumbents emphasized their efforts to represent Arlington residents.
“My No. 1 priority has been hearing from and delivering for Arlington residents,” Hope said, asking voters to “send me back to Richmond to be your voice.”
“Most of the legislation I carry is based on the feedback you provide,” McClure said.
Sigley countered that politicians say what they think voters want to hear. “Then, when they get in their seats, they do what they want, not what you want,” she said.
Moher, a career entrepreneur, was a little sharper in making the same point.
“I’m not a career politician,” he said. “I’m not a lawyer — I actually built things for a living.”
The current political system, Moher said, “is failing everyone in this room.”
While Arlington’s County Board race will be run under ranked-choice voting, the legislative races and others on the county’s ballot will be conducted under the more traditional winner-take-all format.
All 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for grabs in the Nov. 4 election. Virginia Senate seats are not on the ballot until 2027.
In each house of the legislature, Democrats currently hold slim majorities.
