The Coalition for Arlington Good Government (CAGG), formed to actively oppose a proposed change in Arlington County’s form of government, is calling on supporters of the change-of-government referendum to submit the signatures they have gathered early.
Citing an ARLnow.com story in which a volunteer signature-gatherer commented that supporters have already gathered the necessary 14,350 signatures, CAGG co-chair Alan Howze wrote:
It’s Pride Week In Arlington — June 7-13 is Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Week in Arlington. County Board Chairman Jay Fisette, Virginia’s first openly gay elected official, signed the proclamation on Wednesday. Arlington’s pride week is timed to coincide with the larger Capital Pride Week. An Arlington “Pride Social” will be held at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant (555 South 23rd Street) from 6:00 to 9:00 Friday night.
AGLA Board: “Decline to Sign” — The Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance is urging supporters to “decline to sign” the hotly-debated change-of-government petition. The AGLA and other petition critics say a change in the county’s form of government would, as a result of the Dillon Rule, eliminate Arlington’s ability to stop discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Update on 6/6 — An insider confirms to ARLnow.com that paid signature gatherers have been supporting the change-of-government petition drive for the past several weeks. The insider says that using full-time signature gatherers is not uncommon in politics and is necessary due to the large number of signatures (14,350) required to get the issue on the ballot.
It looks like change-of-government supporters may be bringing in some hired guns to help with the daunting task of collecting more than 14,000 signatures by July 15.
Arlington’s entire delegation to the General Assembly in Richmond has come out against a proposal that would change the county’s form of government.
In a letter to Arlington County voters, lawmakers argue that changing from a county manager form of government, to a form that gives more executive powers to the county board, “could significantly impair our ability to advance Arlington’s interests in Richmond.”
County Board Chairman Jay Fisette did not mince words when responding to a public comment about the proposed change in Arlington’s form of government at Saturday’s board meeting.
“It is certainly my view that this would be a step backwards for Arlington,” he said of the proposal. “I think the message is, if you’re asked to sign that petition, please decline to do so.”
Change-of-Government Petition Issues — The Sun Gazette reports that the Arlington County registrar’s office may have a difficult time processing the thousands of signatures being gathered for the Committee for a Better Arlington’s change-of-government proposal. Officials are worried that the county may have to hire temporary workers and pay overtime in order to verify all the signatures. In a separate article, a Committee for a Better Arlington spokesperson says that the group will probably not honor any requests by petition signers who have reconsidered and now want their name removed from the list, saying it’s “not required by the law.”
Final Jeopardy for Arlington Contestant — Despite a valiant comeback and a down-to-the-wire finish, Arlington resident Liz Murphy placed second in last night’s semifinal round of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions, which means she will not advance to the finals.
Members of the Arlington County Democratic Committee voted unanimously last night to oppose an effort to change Arlington’s form of government.
By a vote of 74 to zero, committee members — including members of the county board and the school board — sent the message that the party’s brass will be active and united in their opposition to the proposed change.
This morning we ran a story on Committee for a Better Arlington chairman Mike Staples declining to participate in a planned debate over the group’s change-of-government proposal. Since there will be no “debate” tonight, we decided to ask two fresh voices from each side of the issue to make their case to Arlington residents here, in 400 words or less.
As a preface: it’s looking like this is a debate that will only get louder in the coming weeks and, possibly, months. The Committee is facing the daunting task of collecting 14,340 signatures by July 15 in order to float the proposal as a ballot initiative. Staples, however, says his group is “on track” to collect the needed signatures.
The Arlington County Democratic Committee is holding a forum about the proposed change to Arlington’s form of government tonight, but the person billed as representing the “pro” side of the debate says he won’t be there.
Mike Staples, president of Arlington’s firefighter union and chairman of the Committee for a Better Arlington, which supports the proposal, says the group is refusing its invitation due to unreasonable terms of participation.
