The Right Note is a weekly opinion column published on Thursdays. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
Evan Bernick, a Libertarian. Bernick strikes familiar libertarian themes, running against County Board over-spending.
Vihstadt is running as an independent against Democratic nominee Alan Howze and libertarian Evan Bernick. Perennial Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy and Stephen Holbrook, a retired FBI agent who ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for the County Board last year, have also filed paperwork indicating that they are running.
Vihstadt now has the endorsement of Arlington Republicans, the Arlington Green Party and several high-profile local Democrats, including County Board member Libby Garvey, Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos and former Arlington County Democratic Committee Chair (and ARLnow.com opinion columnist) Peter Rousselot.
Here is the unedited response from Cord Thomas:
This election is about asking several very important questions:
Here is the unedited response from Alan Howze:
I am running for the County Board to bring a new voice, fresh perspective and years of experience in business, government and community leadership to solving the challenges that we face.
Here is the unedited response from Peter Fallon:
Arlington is a caring community that promotes equality, values diversity, helps those at risk, has great schools, invests in our future, and practices good government. My priorities in this campaign represent these shared values.
Alan Howze, Cord Thomas and Peter Fallon debated for an hour and a half in front of a standing-room only crowd of Arlington Young Democrats in Ballston Wednesday night. AYD President Max Burns told ARLnow.com that it was the largest crowd at an AYD meeting he could remember.
Howze and Fallon advocated for the Columbia Pike streetcar as an economic engine and as a long-term, visionary transit plan while Thomas, who in the first debate said he was “not a fan of the Columbia Pike streetcar,” advocated for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) instead.
Alan Howze, Peter Fallon and Cord Thomas all announced their candidacies for the seat at the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s December meeting, and a nominee will be chosen in an instant run-off vote during unassembled caucuses on Thursday, Jan. 30 at Key Elementary School (2300 Key Blvd) from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1 at Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Road) from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Four of the five planned debates are sponsored by the ACDC, and the fifth will be hosted by the Arlington Young Democrats on Jan. 15.
Garvey is endorsing self-identified Republican John Vihstadt, who announced last week that he would run as an independent in the spring 2014 special election.
Garvey stated that none of the three announced Democratic candidates likely will change the way the current Board members set priorities. She decided to endorse Vihstadt instead because she believes he can provide change.
Vihstadt , a former Planning Commissioner, announced his decision Thursday morning with a press release declaring his opposition to the Columbia Pike Streetcar and the planned Long Bridge Aquatics Center as two of his chief campaign positions.
A Republican, Vihstadt is hoping to secure endorsements from both the Arlington County Republican Committee and Green Party. He has behind him a bipartisan array of supporters, including prominent Arlington Democrats in County Board member Libby Garvey, Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos and former Arlington County Democratic Committee Chair (and ARLnow.com opinion columnist) Peter Rousselot.
Thomas is a newcomer to Arlington politics, having not held a public position before, but after he and his uncle, Hans Hess, sold EnviroCab six months ago, he decided he wanted to do more for the community.
“I don’t have a lot of experience in Arlington politics, but I have a lot of experience in growing Arlington,” Thomas told ARLnow.com. “I know what it’s like to spend money that’s your own. Everyone likes to spend other people’s money, but when it’s their own, they look at it more seriously.”
Krupicka walked away with 75.7 percent of the votes. His closest competitor, Republican Tim McGhee, brought in 20.6 percent, followed by Libertarian Justin Malkin with 3.4 percent.
“Today was a victory for our community. It was a victory for everyone who believes that we should move forward together,” Krupicka posted on Twitter last night. “Thank you to everyone (and there are lots of you) who made this victory possible.”
