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Hello, Yupette,
Libby Garvey and the School Board are set to approve the new Wakefield Recreation-Sports-Education Complex at tonight's School Board meeting. So if you want a real high school, rather than a sports-recreation complex with classrooms ringed by trailer classrooms, please attend tonight's School Board meeting and speak up. You can be assured Libby will have her pet 'community leaders' there to rubber stamp the School Board's plans. Parent
Hello,
We've reviewed Libby Garvey's tenure on the Arlington School Board and we've concluded that the only thing she should be running for is retirement. Whether it was the near-collapse of Abingdon School (her own neighborhood school) in the late '90's before NCLB and SOL or her focus on recreation and sports today, we've concluded that Libby Garvey is anti-education and pro-gentrification. We don't need or want to continually spend extravagantly for mediocrity. Surely with all the resources available to the Arlington School System we should see the drop-out rate decreasing rather than increasing. It's obvious that Libby Garvey is aligned with Chris Zimmerman's 'final solution'. Rather than providing housing, education, and other services to households that don't earn at least $100,000 per year they embrace the relocation of everyone lacking significant disposable income to the outer-outer suburbs. Susan
Hi Yupette,
I noticed Chris Zimmerman is suddenly all concerned about Arlington's Department of Human Services Headquarters relocation from Clarendon to Washington Boulevard-Ft. Myer, and its effect on the Pike's low-income families. In fact, Barbara Fovola DEMANDED that DHS be relocated. Mary Hynes supported Barbara and Jay Fisette went along. Barbara and Mary do not want poor people in the Clarendon-Lyon Village area, something they have not denied. Jay Fisette doesn't like poor people at all, no matter where they live. Zimmerman and Tejada want to 'economically and ethnically cleanse' Columbia Pike. The local media go along - Post, Sun Gazette, News-Press. So do the upscale churches. The DHS move has so far cost Arlington taxpayers $2 million unnecessarily. Zimmerman's ART route change is an interim step before his 'final solution' the removal of the 'mongrel races' from Arlington to 'relocation zones' in the outer-outer suburbs. Pikester
Hello Yupette,
Nice to see a few corporations and organizations at ACE's Green Living Expo offered products and services that can save Arlington residents a lot of money while saving the environment. High efficiency insulation, replacement windows, and on-site solar water heating are three. But on balance, Arlingtonians for a Green Environment hosted another Green Gimmick Expo in an energy pig of a building - Washington and Lee High School. Why are corporations like Dominion Resources invited? All Dominion ever does is make promises about developing this or that alternative energy source to (eventually) replace coal and nuclear generating plants. Dominion is to Green energy and Barbara Favola is to homeless shelters. Then there's the Sierra Club ;-{ I had to laugh when I asked the guy who was showing off his $41,000 Volt hybrid whether he could recharge the batteries from solar panels on the roof of his garage. He said No. Speaking of Washington and Lee High School, for the 1/4 the cost of all the fancy ironwork...
Dear Mr. Zimmerman:
We are residents of market-rate affordable housing along Columbia Pike, Lee Highway, Route 7, Route 50, and elsewhere in Arlington County. We demand that you cease and desist implementing "Resegregation through Gentrification" in our communities, aided and abetted by your Racist and Elitist "Community Leaders" appointed to your "Plenary Committee", Dover, Kohl and Partners, which specializes in "Resegregation through Gentrification" across America and your own "County Staff" which rubber stamps everything you do and want to do to make Arlington County a place where only wealthy Caucasians from Northern and Western Europe can live. It is obvious you want to take Arlington County back to the America of 1961. Exceptions are, of course, made for a few Latinos and Latinos like Walter "Nada" Tejada who were the foreign exchange students in 1961 who "went along with the program" in the high school environment like the one you've created in Arlington today, along with a few "trusted Negroes." We, therefore,...
Favola, County Board Members Use County Employees to Provide Personal and Political Services
Hello, Ms. Yupette,
I've heard Barbara Favola and Chris Zimmerman vent their anger at County Employees once too often, most recently because last night's County Board Meeting did not go their way. Barbara Favola, Chris Zimmerman, Walter Tejada and occasionally Mary Hynes and Jay Fisette use County Employees to provide a wide variety of personal and political services, ranging from personal chauffeur service to coordinating political events and activities. This is not what we were paid and hired to do, which is constituent service. If you work for the County Board and express reservations about what you're asked and required to do for them, you are abused, and then you are gone. BTW, Chris Zimmerman is a mess and needs a psychiatric consultation, ASAP. Anon. County Staff
Hello, Ms. Yupette,
I live in Williamsburg and I am also associated with Marymount University. Barbara Favola is, in fact, a lobbyist for Marymount and spends hundreds of hours a year lobbying County Government for Marymount, both at Marymount and from her office at the Arlington County Board. I believe she earns between $80,000 and $100,000 a year working for Marymount and $43,000 per year as a County Board Member. Barbara is using the other County Board Members and County Staff to push the Marymount-O'Connell sports field upgrade through over the vehement objections of both the Williamsburg and East Falls Church Civic Associations, and neighborhood residents. Barbara, the County Board, and County Staff have already spent hundreds of hours on 'facilitating' the Marymount-O'Connell sports field upgrade. It appears they will defer the use permit amendment that's coming before the County Board on March 15th until June 15th to give County Staff and their pet 'community leaders' time to wear down Bishop O'Connell's neighbors....
Hello,
We wondered what County Board members do when they are in their offices at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard. So we investigated. Turns out that they are heavily engaged in politics, self-promotion, making secret deals with developers and special interests, meeting with fellow politicians and with selected 'community leaders', making arrangements to attend functions with political and community supporters, rehearsing County Board and other meetings, and being briefed by and giving orders to County Staff about how to facilitate projects like East Falls Church redevelopment and frustrate citizens who oppose mega-development projects like Crystal City, East Falls Church, and O'Connell-Marymount sports complex. Even more troubling is how little County Staff care about the Arlington communities whose interests they are suppose to be serving. Only about 15% of the County Board's time spent outside meetings is related to the actual governance of Arlington County. Susan
Hello, Yupette,
I was appalled by today's County Board Meeting. Appears that the County Board makes its 'planning' decisions in secret based upon secret communications and secret deals arranged by county staff, developers, REITS, consultants, industry groups, and other 'interested parties'. Concerned EFC residents who expressed grave reservations about massive redevelopment of their single-family residential communities (EFC, Westover, and Williamsburg) were totally ignored by the County Board, and were treated like children by Barbara Favola and Mary Hynes. As Arlington Yupette has repeatedly stated, the County Board considers Arlington's suburban residential communities to be 'redevelopment opportunities' for any and all developers, REITs, and other 'interested parties'. Time to Vote the Bums Out. Ted - EFC
Hello, Ms. Yupette,
I live in Cherrydale and I'm exasperated by the Cherrydale Fire Station fiasco. I noticed that the County Board will appropriate another $180,000 on Saturday for alarm, dispatching, and lighting systems (Agenda Item 20). I wondered how much more the County Board will spend on this project and when it will be completed. So here is what I found out from talking to County Staff. The total cost of the New Cherrydale Fire Station will be more than $17 million and the project is supposed to be completed in June. About $5.5 million of the cost went to the Koons Auto Empire for a parking garage in return for the 1/2 acre of land the fire station will occupy. There will be 3 bays in the new Fire Station. One of thee bays will be for the present Cherrydale fire engine, another will be for a heavy rescue vehicle that's a reserve unit. The EMS vehicle will be transferred from Fire Station 4 (Clarendon). So, that's our new fire station. Thought you'd like to know. Paul in Cherrydale
Hello, Yupette,
I had an hour to peruse the latest update to the East Falls Church Area Plan, which is going to the County Board on Saturday. As former County Manager Mike Brown predicted, redeveloped East Falls Church will be another Shrlington, big ugly buildings, a big increase in traffic, big parking garages, no new public open space except for plazas, sidewalks and an "enhanced" Four Mile Run stream bed, little or no affordable housing. Another Shirlington. Another gold mine for another out-of-state REIT. No public benefit for families who moved away from Shirlington to buy single family homes in EFC. Which REIT will Chris Zimmerman choose? We would be better off, much better off with parcel by parcel "by right" redevelopment of East Falls Church with no land use plan changes allowed. Larry - EFC
Hi Yupette,
Check out the 'Proposed Revisions to Arlington's Goals and Targets for Affordable Housing', Zimmy's jive turkey affordable housing charade (Agenda Item 30 on Saturday's County Board Meeting Agenda). It's all the same old promises and little or no action and money spent to ameliorate the huge effects from County Board's massive 'Resegration Through Gentrification' program about to be implemented everywhere in the County. A 'Comprehensive Homeless Service Center to Treat and Prevent Homelessness'? Another promise pushed forward to 2015 while Zimmey spends $3 million this year to design his Pike streetcar system that will cost taxpayers $138 million to put 12 streetcars on the Pike. Time to throw the bums out? You bet. Bethany
Park Shirlington Residents Order Arlington Police, County Gov't, CivFed, Fairlington Community Leaders to CEASE AND DESIST
Hello, Ms. Yupette,
Thank you for your blog. We have had it with Arlington's Racists and Elitists and have sent a CEASE AND DESIST Order to them. We would appreciate it greatly if you could print it in your blog. Park Shirlington Residents TO: Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan, Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing, and Development, Arlington County Planning Commission, Arlington County Civic Federation, Fairlington Citizens Association, Inc., Fairlington Villages Condominium Community, Inc. Subject: CEASE AND DESIST We are a group of law-abiding and hard-working residents of the Park Shirlington Apartments. We demand you immediately CEASE AND DESIST generating and circulating false information, rumors, malicious gossip, racial and ethnic slurs, and other derogatory information about the residents of Park Shirlington Apartments. We demand Arlington County CEASE AND DESIST its illegal "blockbusting" of Park Shirlington Apartments. We demand you CEASE...
Hi Yupette,
I live in the Park Shirlington Apartments, which are located on South 31st Street between Fairlington Villages and Shirlington. I'm an assistant manager of a Shirlington restaurant and I walk to work every day. I don't own a car, don't need one, shop at Harris-Teeter in Shirlington Village and take public transit. I pay $1345 for a 2-bedroom apartment and I have a roommate to share rent. You should be aware that the County's Planning and Housing Divisions are in active negotiations with the landlord to tear down Park Shirlington Apartments, owned by Home Properties, and replace them with luxury condos. I understand this is being pushed by some people in Fairlington who don't want minorities living next to Fairlington. Many of us who live in Park Shirlington walk to work in Shirlington or take public transit (the bus stops in front of Park Shirlington) to the Pentagon and then to D.C. This seems to be another attempt by a County Government that hates middle class and minority workers to gentrify us out...
Hello Yupette,
I attended the School Board's annual charade at the Civic Federation meeting tonight. As usual, the School Board members were long on promises and short on performance. Often heard were promises of some new program to evaluate an existing program. One thing seems sure, there will be 5,000 more students in the Arlington School System in 2016. What does the School Board propose to do about that? Looks certain that class size will grow and there will be many more trailer classrooms. The School Board would rather spend money on sports and a variety of esoteric classes than on the 3 new schools that will be required to educate Arlington's K-12 public school students in 2016. Wakefield Parent
Hello, Yupette,
I am a resident of the Barcroft Apartments, and for years I've been trying to become a part of the so-called "Arlington Way." But I only earn $32,000 a year. And Chis Zimmerman's "Community Leaders" won't let me on any committee, commission, anything related to the Pike. Recently I've been threatened with arrest if I continue speaking out against the total gentrification of the Pike that Mr. Zimmerman proposes. I am not a Latino or Latina. They have been repeatedly threatened anyone who speaks out about the "Zimmerfication" of the Pike with being arrested for speaking out against the blatant discrimination by Mr. Zimmerman's North Arlington Democratic Party "facilitators" that he's appointed to committee after committee to gentrify the Middle Class out of South Arlington. Any suggestions as to how I deal with these repeated threats of arrest by Zimmerman's ward heelers? J,M., Barcroft Apts.
Hi Yupette,
I was recently able to peruse data from Arlington Treasurer Frank O'Leary's office regarding restaurants that are in arrears in meal tax payments and it appears that 30 restaurants in Arlington are least $10,000 in arrears on any given day. Also, the Artisphere is going to be taxpayer-subsidized for many years, according to reports from the County Manager's Office. With the Neo-Cons cutting even essential federal spending what are the consequences of the County Board pursuing the total Yuppification of Arlington County via "development for the sake of development"? The County's economy looks awfully shaky. Peter
Hello Yupette,
Well the FY 12 Arlington School System budget is out. No surprises, more money for more mediocrity, except when it comes to sports. Trailer classrooms? What did you expect from 'Jocko' Murphy? That the school system would build enough classrooms to accommodate students from the County's 'development for the sake of development' agenda? So, looks like we're we're going to become just like wonderful Fairfax County, hundreds of dumpy trailer classrooms surrounded by wonderful state-of-the art athletic fields. Nice to see that Jocko is going to allow parents to rescue the planetarium. And I'm supposed to vote for Libby Garvey for state senate? Lisa - 22206
Hello Ms. Yupette:
Thanks for this blog. I'm very uneasy about the Arlington County Board spending so extravagantly on projects like the Columbia Pike streetcar, which I understand will cost $138 million for a dozen streetcars. I work for a large federal non-defense, non-national security agency and the talk is of one or two unpaid furlough days for federal non-military, non national security employees during FY 2012. That would be 12 or 24 days that we would not be paid. I cannot support anyone in local government who is spending so extravagantly as the Arlington County Board and Arlington School Board members. There is apparently no consideration for taxpayers, only spending charade after spending charade orchestrated by the County Board and School Board, whether the spending is for pet projects like streetcars or pet non-profits like Marymount University. This has been going on for two decades with no end in sight. We are governed by irrational and irresponsible people and it's bi-partisan, Republicans are rubber...
Hello, Yupette,
I have to completely disagree with Chris Zimmerman's self-serving comments on the Post's Local Opinions page in yesterdays's Metro Section. Chris Zimmerman is largely responsible for the need for I-66 widening and HOT Lanes on I-95. Same Chris Zimmerman who approved massive so-called "Smart Growth" redevelopment near I-66 and I-395. At least 30,000 new parking spaces have been constructed in Arlington since 2000, arterials are jammed and tens of thousands of workers have been gentrified out of Arlington since Chris Zimmerman was elected to the County Board. Now we are hearing the same self-serving rhetoric that we heard about WMATA - everyone except Chis Zimmerman was responsible for WMATA's problems. No way do I buy that. Larry - 22201
Hello, Yupette,
Thank you for hosting this blog. Do you want to know how much County Treasurer Frank O'Leary's vehicle decal program will cost Arlington's taxpayers this year? At least $1 million. Most of which will be paid in staff salaries to maintain and promote this program. The rest for printing, mailing, and tracking the vehicle decals. Also, the school system is getting more involved in a contest to choose the most attractive decal. This has become another vanity program that gets more absurd every year. Fairfax County ended its vehicle decal program several years ago and transferred the staff who were messing with decals to personal property tax enforcement. Two hundred fifty years ago Americans were outraged by the Stamp Act imposed by the British. O'Leary's vehicle tax decal is nothing more than a tax stamp. Time to end O'Leary's idiotic program before it becomes a yearly festival costing Arlington taxpayers who knows how many millions. Ted - 22202
Howard Manor Residents: "Mr. Zimmerman, We Are the Classmates of the County Board's Children"
Dear County Board Chairman Zimmerman:
I am a resident of Howard Manor Apartments. I am in my mid-20s. I and most of the residents who live at Howard Manor Apartments are starting our professional careers. Mine is in education. Yes, I earn $49,000 per year. But I also have to pay back $5,000 per year in student loans. Howard Manor is a great place to live. As we related to you at Tuesday's County Board Meeting, we are a highly diverse rental community. You and Ms. Hynes and Ms. Favola have children who are about our age. I am sure that if your children were in a situation similar to ours in another jurisdiction you would be very unhappy that your children were "gentrified out" of market-rate affordable housing by an out-of-state developer with assistance from that jurisdiction's government. Mr. Zimmerman, you and the Arlington County Board owe Howard Manor residents a big apology for the way we have been treated. Most of us are young Democrats and have, until now, supported the Arlington Democratic Party's and County...
Hello, Yupette,
In the event you missed Chris Zimmerman's latest stunt, he had the County Board consider, and pass, a piece of legislation during closed session on Tuesday that would allow federal non-military employees serving in Afghanistan (and only federal non-military employees serving in Afghanistan) to delay paying their local taxes for 90 days. It was news to County Treasurer Frank O'Leary, who attended Tuesday's County Board meeting to promote his 2011 Vehicle Tax Decal program. Last time the County Board pulled a similar stunt was 15 years ago. So, you can expect anything from the REITsFuhrer of Redevelopment, aka WMATA's Master of Metrorail Disaster, aka Arlington's Guru of Gridlock, from now on. Dennis - 22205
Hello Yupette,
If you wondered who wrote Arlington FY 2012 Budget and who set Arlington's tax rate for FY 2012 you should be aware that the Budget was written by Counbty Manager Barbara Donnelan, who lives in Clifton, and the tax rate was set by the County Board based on advice from Bill Bozman, representing the Alliance for Housing Solutions, who lives in Bailey's Crossroads. Very few important decisions that affect Arlington County residents' lives are made by Arlington County residents. The County Board usually ratifies advice and recommendations made by County Staff, Consultants, Non Government Organization Executives, Developers, REIT Executives, and others who are not Arlington residents. Terri, Recently Retired from County Gov't
Hi Yupette,
Despite what you may have seen and heard from the County Board tonight, the Howard Manor Apartments gentrification charade was in the works for months. The tenants are victims of another of Zimmerman's pet developers, this one specializes in making lots of money from kicking out tenants from older apartment buildings and receiving huge subsidies for making the renovated buildings "affordable". The tenants only found out about the plans last night. The charade was so transparent that a couple County Board members were actually laughing. Not funny to the tenants, some of whom have have been living at Howard Manor Apartments for more than a decade. This is a preview of what Zimmerman has in store for the entire Columbia Pike corridor - older rental apartments are not homes for middle-class Arlingtonians, but "redevelopment opportunities" for out-of-state developers. 2100
Zimmerman, County Board Republicans FastTracking Massive Anti-Democrat Rt 29 Gentrification
Hi Yupette,
Thanks for your blog, and for supporting working class Arlington Democrats who the Republican County Board is trying to gentrify out of Arlington. Latest attempt will be the Howard Manor Apartments on Lee Highway, which Mr. Zimmerman and the County Board want to totally gentrify. Agenda item 11 on the February 15th County Board agenda. They want to drive out working class Democrats and replace workforce housing with a Yuppublican hedo enclave. Zimmerman, Tejada, Hynes, Favola, and Fisette want to raise rents 30%, kick out hard-working Latino and Latina families, and actually put present Howard Manor tenants into homeless shelters. Traffic in the redeveloped Howard Manor would be "controlled" by telling residents to ride bicycles, take Metrobuses and ART buses to work - even if they don't live on bus transit routes - and try to find parking spaces on the street. How "Smart" is that? Please attend the February 15th County Board meeting and stop the County Republican Board from removing more Arlington...
Hey, Yupette,
Majority of the County Board is lobbying for a big salary increase, $25,000. Majority of the County Board (not the same Board members) is also Yupscale and they doen't need anymore income. Linda 22201
Hello Yupette,
Anyone who doesn't believe that Chris Zimmerman's agenda for the Pike isn't to drive out all the minorities and middle class non-minorities should visit the County's Web site and see the extravagant plans for the so-called 'affordable' housing to be constructed on the County-owned Arlington Mill site. No wonder you will have to earn $50,000 or so to be 'qualified' to become a tenant. Just right for a recent college grad who's working for a non-profit. Plenty of parking for a pre-owwned or Mom's hand-me-down BMW - zooom. And if one of your Yuptard buds has a problem with controlled substances, there's going to be a recovery center on-site. Mr. Zimmerman thought of everything. Yupeee. Tiffany
Hello Yupette,
A majority of County Board members decided to spare residential property owners another big tax increase on top of assessment increases. However the County Board (including 'business-friendly' Chairman Zimmerman) has decided to hit businesses with big tax increases based on a commercial property assessment increase of over 12%. You can check it out on the County's Web site arlingtonva.us, agenda items 29 A through K on Saturday's agenda (Item 29 will be heard by the County Board on Tuesday, February 15th). 2100
Hello, Yupette,
In a sometimes contentious meeting held on Wednesday evening East Falls Church area residents expressed their dismay regarding County Government's mega-development plans for the area around the East Falls Church Metro Station. Responding to 'don't worry, be happy' entreaties by Arlington Planning Division Director Robert Brosnan and Transportation Director Dennis Leach, residents expressed their unhappiness, skepticism, and anger over the scope of the EFC mega-development and and their fears that East Falls Church will become 'another Shirlington". EFC area residents were especially unhappy about building height and density, traffic volumes on Washington Boulevard, Lee Highway, and I-66; and the capacity of Metrorail to absorb over 100,000 additional commuters at rush hours. Under harsh questioning by Arlington Green Party activists, Mr. Leach admitted that, despite the Transportation Division's optimistic projections, vehicular traffic has significantly increased on Arlington's major arterials. He...
Mr. Zimmerman, East Falls Church is a Residential Neighborhood, Not a 'Redevelopment Opportunity'
Mr. Zimmerman:
We were disheartened to hear your comments at last Tuesday's Civic Federation meeting regarding the economic and population growth of Arlington County. Our neighborhoods in state highway corridors are not 'redevelopment opportunities' for out-of-state developers recruited by county staff who don't live in Arlington and facilitated by 'community leaders' recruited by you. Although HOT Lanes and BRAC development should be a lesson and a warning you refuse to answer critical questions regarding future school overcrowding, overcrowding of Metrorail by future Silver Line commuters, overcrowded parks and playgrounds, and a significant increase in traffic caused by increased parking and increased density. Many of us moved to single family homes in East Falls Church, Westover, and Williamsburg because we wanted to escape your 'vision' for Arlington County: a County totally urbanized and totally redeveloped into luxury housing with a few 'affordable' apartments. The latest manifestation of your 'vision'...
Hello, Yupette,
I share Anne's concerns about East Falls Church 'planning'. I was very disheartened to hear about Chris Zimmerman's statements at last week's Civic Federation meeting. There is no concern by Mr. Zimmerman, or anyone else on the County Board, about overcrowded schools, overcrowded parks, massive congestion at the EFC Metro station, and major traffic problems arising from megadevelopment of EFC. And they want to turn our parks and playgrounds into another team sports complex. Now we are hearing that Mr. Zimmerman will bring one of Congressman Moran's out-of-state developer friends and a big-time Democratic campaign contributor in to coordinate all the development on both sides of the Arlington-Falls Church border. However, there is a big local developer that pays taxes in Falls Church located down the street from the EFC Metro station. And the local newspapers, the News-Press and the Sun Gazette, are endorsing this. The so-called Planning Commission is a group of hand-picked pro-development facilitators...
Hi Yupette.
Our family moved from an apartment in South Arlington to a single-family home in East Falls Church fifteen years ago. My family needed more room. So we purchased a single-family home on a medium size lot in East Falls Church and we've made modest improvements. We live on a quiet street. We have two children and lead a comfortable, but not extravagant, lifestyle. I completely oppose the "Shirlingtonization" of East Falls Church. I am also appalled by the hypocrisy that Chris Zimmerman and the County Board have exhibited regarding EFC re-development. They spent over $1.5 million suing VDOT to protect Shirlington, Fairlington, Claremont, etc. from HOT Lanes. And they are going to spend tens of millions more protecting South Arlington from BRAC traffic. How about East Falls Church? How have we become a "re-development opportunity" for Chris Zimmerman, the County Board, the REITs and the developers? Zimmerman stated at the last County Board Meeting that the EFC community contacted Zimmerman about redevelopment....
Williamsburg Middle School Principal Forced Out for Opposing Murphy-Garvey-Raphael Recreation-Socialization-Remediation Agenda
Hello Ms. Yupette,
Why was Kathy Francis forced out as Principal of Williamsburg Middle School? Because her focus was on EDUCATION, not on Patrick Murphy's, Libby Garvey's, and Abby Raphael's Anti-Education 'Recreation-Socialization-Remediation' agenda. This happened before in Arlington - at Abingdon Elementary School in the late 90's. The then-Principal almost destroyed the school by attempting to make Abingdon School a "Party Zone". With the concurrence of Libby Garvey and Mary Hynes. Only after Abingdon School descended into chaos was the Principal replaced. By none other than Meg Tuccillo. It took YEARS for Abingdon School to recover. Concomitantly, Libby Garvey and Mary Hynes fought SOLs. Now we have a Schools Superintendent who has a Ph.D. in Recreation. This (Arlington Yupette) blog warned everyone what was coming - the New Wakefield High School was designed as a recreation-remediation complex with classrooms. Libby Garvey, Mary Hynes, and Abby Raphael are unfit to hold public office. Patrick Murphy is fit...
Alex. City Council Member Answers Questions About BRAC Traffic, I-395 HOT Lanes
Hello, Yupette.
County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman refused to answer questions about Mark Center BRAC traffic and I-395 HOT Lanes when asked at the January 22nd County Board Meeting. So I asked Alexandria City Council member Rob Krupicka, and here's what he said: "Regarding HOT Lanes, I wrote the city policy opposing them. it was passed at my request by the Transportation Commission and the Council. We are closely monitoring settlement discussions over Arlington's lawsuit in order to make sure Alexandria residents are represented in any final agreements. The Mayor has had conversations with VDOT over this and will continue to the city's point person. I have put a lot of effort into and expressed my concerns about hot lanes many times> I will continue to. If there is something specific you'd like to discuss, please let me know. Regarding BRAC, while it isn't in the location I wanted, we are making progress designing and implementing new traffic systems. We have a robust plan developed with citizen input to guide...
Hi Yupette,
I attended tonight's County Board - Civic Federation joint meeting tonight. No surprises. The County Board will fast-track its pet projects - Pike and Crystal City trolleys, Longbridge Park Aquatic Center, and recreation and entertainment priorities. Funding for the luxuries will be obtained by cutting the basics and raising taxes and fees. It was interesting to hear Jay Fisette state that taxpayers could save a lot of money if the County and Dominion Resources accelerated the replacement of old energy-inefficient streetlights. But that's something that Dominion is not about to let happen. Zimmerman became animated about how many benefits his Pike trolley will bring to the local economy. He isn't worried about the cost, estimated to be between $140 and $200 million. He could care less about current residents being displaced by gentrification. Delegate
Hello, Yupette,
With so many County Staff who live outside Arlington County it's interesting to hear what their take on I-395 HOT Lanes and I-66 widening is. They want both. Or that's what they say around the water coolers at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. Also interesting to see who is playing hardball in the General Assembly with the County Board over I-395 HOT Lanes - Delegate Tim Hugo, who represents the 40th District and lives in Clifton. Who else lives in Clifton and makes the commute to Arlington via I-66 or I-395 every weekday? None other than Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan. And a laundry list of other department heads. Could some (of several hundred) County Staff who live in the Clifton area be complaining to Delegate Hugo about their terrible commute to work via I-66 and I-395? Too bad investigative journalism is dead, or we'd know who from County Staff has been lobbying Delegate Hugo. 2100
Hello, Ms. Yupette:
It's been a worse than average Winter. But the worst part of driving is encountering the people who Jay Fisette encourages to ride bicycles in all kinds of weather dressed in black and riding bicycles with no reflectors or headlights at night. I am not about to "Share the Road" with Jay Fisette's Bicycle Bozos. When I see one of Jay's fellow bicycle fanatics doing something illegal and stupid I flash my headlights and hit the horn button. You should too. Margaret - 22201
Hello, Yupette,
I live near Marymount University and snow removal is unacceptable again this year. My street (which has no parked vehicles) had one lane plowed down the middle of the street. Several dead end streets and cul de sacs weren't plowed at all. What a terrible job of snow removal. Why do we put up with this, year after year? Joan 22207
HI Yupette,
Like many small buinesspersons I'm not a fan of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce which supposedly represents small business but actually doesn't. Unlike the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Arlington Chamber is also anti-minority owned business and anti-renewable energy. The Arlington Chamber's office staff are cheerleaders for the Big Business members. From what I hear in the business community look for the Arlington Chamber to endorse and support Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada for re-election. Mary and Walter support the Arlington Chamber's neo-con Big Business agenda, and make it a priority to attend Arlington Chamber functions. Look for the Post, Sun-Gazette, Examiner, etc. to endorse Hynes and Tejada. The local media are increasingly attuned to the Big Business agenda of non governmental organizations like the Arlington Chamber. The Arlington Sun Gazette has become a propaganda outlet for the Arlington Chamber via it's Editor (and Arlington Chamber Executive Committee member) Scott McCaffrey. No wonder...
Hello, Yupette,
Do you know how much Boss Zimmerman and the County Board are spending on out-of-state planning facilitators for mega-deals like Crystal City, East Falls Church, and the total gentrification of Columbia Pike? According to a planning staffer, at least $10 million per year. So, if you wondered why library hours that were cut because of 'budget constraints' can't be restored, the County Board's insatiable desire to totally urbanize Arlington via mega-development deals and gifts to pet consultants, facilitators, and design charade hosts is one big reason. Larry - 22204
Hi Yupette,
Appears that Arlington School Board Chair Libby "Politics First" Garvey will officially enter the Democratic race to succeed Senator Patsy Ticer. As you may remember Libby was largely responsible for the deterioration of South Arlington schools before SOLs and No Child Left Behind were enacted. Her defense of the deplorable state of Wakefield High School has amounted to a big yawn and a "So What?". We need Libby Garvey in the Virginia Senate like we need Zimmerman's trolley on the Pike. Wakefield Parent
Hi Yupette,
In the event you wondered who else supports Zimmerman's massive Pike gentrification besides the Arlington Democratic Party, Republican Party, and Chamber of Commerce, a majority of the Arlington School Board has also signed on. Massive resegregation through gentrification is the easiest way for the Arlington School System to rid itself of low performing poor and ESL students and boost test scores. The School Board majority concluded that poor and ESL parents will never have the time and disposable income for their children to succeed in Arlington's increasingly elitist school system and the best solution is to remove 'nonconforming' students from the school system altogether. PTA Parent
Hello, Yupette,
Can someone please answer the following question? Why is the County Board continuing its HOT Lanes litigation against VDOT when Zimmerman is going to gentrify out 20,000 low and moderate wage workers who live in South Arlington to Prince William, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and other counties south of Arlington? Cindy
Zimmerman Kicks off Massive Pike 'Resegregation Through Gentrification' Campaign
Hey, Yupette,
After awarding another pet developer with mega millions in bonus density for yuppifying Ashton Heights, Chris Zimmerman proceeded to the Arlington County Trades Center to supervise the real business of the day - the meeting of the Plenary Committee charged with the total (and I mean TOTAL) gentrification through re-segregation of the Pike. Who are the members of the Zimmerman-appointed Plenary Committee? His typical Democratic ward heelers, most of whom live nowhere near the Pike. Zimmy also brought in the usual out of state developers and planners and County Staff who don't live in the County helped coordinate the event. As for the Latinos who live on the Pike, they were not invited. Yupette, what is really scary is that Chris Zimmerman has become such a megalomaniacal nut case about driving the Latinos out of Arlington that he even wants to force the families who've owned rental real estate along to Pike for decades to sell out for redevelopment. And he's had Arlington Economic Development figuring...
Hello Yupette,
I noticed while walking past the glass paneled meeting rooms at the County office building that everyone who attends the advisory commission meetings seems to be upscale and white (once in awhile there's an African American or Latino in a meeting). Well it's true. If you aren't upscale you are not going to be selected to serve on an advisory commission - especially the planning, transportation, and housing commissions. One of the County Staff who coordinates the meetings told me that if you don't have a position that pays at least $100,000 a year and don't support the status quo you should not think of even applying to serve on an advisory commission. Karen S. 22201
Hi Yupette,
As long as you're enlightening us about Scott McCaffrey's major conflict of interest with the Arlington Chamber, how about the County Board's own dealings with the Bushpublicans who run the Arlington Chamber? Except for Chris Zimmerman, the County Board was "comped" by the Chamber for attending multiple Chamber events last year. The Arlington Chamber is way to the right of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber endorses on-site renewable energy while the Arlington Chamber opposes that. So why am I not surprised that the County Board isn't pushing to have solar water heating panels installed on all County buildings, something that would pay for itself within 6 years? Anyone else wonder how "Democratic" the Arlington Democrats who make all the political decisions in this county really are? H.T.
Fisette's Neighbors Object to Founders Square Deal with County Board Pet Developer
Hello Yupette,
I live in Ashton Heights and we are already concerned about the amount of traffic to be generated by Founders Square redevelopment. Now the County Board wants to grant even more bonus density to its pet developer in return for $6.5 million in improvements to Mosaic Park. This is another transfer of development rights charade whereby the County Board rewards a pet developer with big bonus density derived from keeping public parkland public parkland with "improvements" (lighted playing fields). Of course the primary users of the improved Mosaic Park will be the residents of the Founders Square redevelopment. Even Jay Fisette's friends and neighbors in the Ashton Hts. Civic Association are concerned about our historic neighborhood being overwhelmed by traffic. This will be agenda item #25 on Saturdays' County Board meeting agenda. G.L. - Ashton Hts
Hey, Yupette,
Just heard that the Arlington Greens will ask for a total ban on single use plastic (supermarket) bags at Saturday's County Board meeting. They think that the County Board has the authority to ban single use plastic under the authority grated to the County Board by the Commonwealth's solid waste disposal statutes. Later, Jeremy
Hi Yupette,
Annual Statements of Economic Interest, Disclosure of Real Estate Holdings, and Financial Disclosure Statements for 2011 are now available for Virginia's elected and appointed officials. For information about disclosure statements that were required to be filed by Arlington's elected and appointed officials (like planning commission members) by January 15th, call the County Manager's Office (703-228-3110). You have to file a freedom of information act request to see them. 2100 |
