Guest column by Kellen MacBeth and Michael Pruitt
Arlington County has an opportunity to develop critical policies to address the ongoing negative impacts of over 100 years of racial segregation and discrimination in our housing market.
Opinion
A busy news week, with a pair of County Board meetings to report on, is set to give way to a busy news weekend, with a snowstorm bearing down on the D.C. region.
As we await the storm, here are the most-read Arlington articles of the week:
This year every campaign finance reform bill is expected to die in the General Assembly. That is extremely problematic considering we aren’t even aiming for federal standards.
Federally, candidate committees have a $2,800 limit on donations from individuals per election or $5,600 if there is a primary and general election that year, and corporations are banned from contributing at all. Nonaffiliated PACs (thanks to Citizens United) can accept $5,000 from individuals per year and corporations are able to contribute.
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Arlington is flying blind regarding the costs of future critical capital expenses, including seats to accommodate APS enrollment growth and the increase in the ratio of Arlington’s population to permeable green space available for parks and storm water absorption.
The County Manager has warned correctly that our budget is under severe stress from COVID-19 impacts, and some of these impacts may be transformational.
The Right Note is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
In response to School Board Member Reid Goldstein’s column yesterday, let’s talk about schools in Arlington.
Progressive Voice is a bi-weekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
By Reid Goldstein
Even though the bulk of the action was across the river, it was still an eventful week in Arlington.
There’s a new presidential administration and a new balance of power Congress. In one sense, local life in Arlington continues with few visible changes when the political balance of power shifts on the other side of the Potomac. On the other hand, federal policies do have a tangible local impact, and a change in administration often means changes in the job titles of local residents.
The spectacular fireworks display that unexpectedly capped off the 90-minute “Celebrating America” special on Inauguration Day had some extra oomph for local viewers.
While those in Arlington and across the nation watched the musical tribute on TV, many in the D.C. area could actually hear or see the fireworks from their homes.
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It’s been, to say the least, a busy couple of weeks for local news.
At this point next week is not looking any less eventful, though barring breaking news we will not be publishing on Monday on account of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. (Note the county government closures and lack of parking enforcementon Monday.)
Arlington County Board member Christian Dorsey was in the news last year after he accepted, and much later returned, a $10,000 campaign contribution from Metro’s largest labor union.
Dorsey’s original acceptance of this contribution violated Metro’s ethics rules, and led to Dorsey’s resignation from the Metro board.
At this point each year, we have the opportunity to examine the speeches of the five Arlington County Board Members to gauge their priorities for 2021. There was no doubt from those remarks that real challenges lie ahead as we move into COVID recovery.
Arlington has weathered the pandemic better than many communities. Our economy is still largely dependent on the relatively stable federal government budget. We are able to work from home due to access to technology and strong and fast internet connections. Still we saw businesses close their doors. And many more are wondering how much longer they can hang on.
Progressive Voice is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
By Wesley Joe