Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.
By Laura Saul Edwards
Opinion
On June 19, the Arlington County Board unanimously approved County Auditor Chris Horton’s Audit Work Plan.
Serving the independent audit function, Horton prepares performance audits, and reports directly to the County Board (not the County Manager) with guidance from the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee — comprising two County Board members, the County Manager, the Deptartment of Management and Finance Director plus three citizen-volunteers –oversees Horton’s work.
One thing we’ve never asked readers is whether you are Arlington residents or otherwise.
Obviously if you’re reading this site you have a strong interest in what happens in Arlington. But you might only work here, or maybe you used to live here and you’re checking back on the old neighborhood, or you’re Arlington born-and-raised and away at college.
Some more showers are on the way this weekend, though Arlington seems set to avoid a total wash-out if you’re trying to get outside.
Storms will stick around tonight, even though more than a foot of rain has already plagued the D.C. region since mid-May, and could make Saturday a bit dreary as well. Sunday, however, should provide a few rays of sun.
County Board members, in every campaign speech and at the meeting that takes place at beginning of every year, talk about the need to address the affordability of housing in Arlington.
Market forces beyond their control clearly work against the Board, but so do many of the rules and regulations they create and defend. On Tuesday the Board voted unanimously to force a homeowner to pay an additional $20,000 (or more) to replace the roof on their home because it sits in the Maywood Neighborhood Historic District.
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By Lisa Nisenson
This year marked a breakthrough for transportation with a new regional deal for Metro funding. But transit options are only part of developing a mobility system to move people while reducing gridlock. Arlington should consider innovative options from other jurisdictions that would update the county’s longstanding “car-free diet” approach. As it so happens, some of the most exciting opportunities for mobility are rolling out, literally, on two wheels.
In presenting his proposed new Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to the County Board last month, County Manager Mark Schwartz appropriately stressed fiscal prudence and making tough choices among competing priorities.
The Manager also correctly noted the incremental needs in capital spending that have arisen since Arlington’s last CIP was adopted two years ago, including for:
A heat wave is just around the corner, just in time for the weekend (and Father’s Day).
The forecast is set to be gorgeous for the next two days, before things get especially steamy Sunday.
As the minutes ticked by and Lord Stanley’s cup was still somewhere between Dulles and Don Tito’s, we looked up at the CVS Pharmacy across the street and realized something: there was a second floor. It might seem obvious to others, but we hadn’t noticed the windows there before.
What exactly was up there, we wondered?
The County Board this week will vote on the new work plan for the County Auditor. The Auditor is proposing to look at county procurement practices, the use of Economic Development Incentive Funds and the operation of Business Improvement Districts.
The new work plan is certainly more aggressive than the old work plan, and we should be cautiously optimistic about the final work product on these issues. At the same time, we should continue to ask why the County Board is so hesitant to move even faster. If this process is a priority, they should fund it like one.
By Lucy Theilheimer
When I moved in to my Arlington colonial 26 years ago, my neighbors ranged from young families to older residents, some of whom had been in their homes for over 40 years. Over time, I observed the changes that redefined their later lives, like the widow who had to move into assisted living. Having spent my career in the field of aging, health and long-term care, I was acutely aware of how supportive communities might make the difference in helping my neighbors to live their later years with health, dignity and independence.
As ARLnow.com reported last week, severe flooding struck Arlington’s Waverly Hills neighborhood again on May 22.
Garages and basements flooded, and automobiles were inundated or swept away. Many thousands of dollars in damages were suffered.