SUBJECT: Protect Arlington’s Current Form of Government!

Friends,

As you probably know, there is a referendum petition being circulated in Arlington by the firefighters and police, and the Republican and Green parties, that wants to change our County’s form of government.  There are a number of reasons why this has begun, ranging from concerns about lobbying for pay and benefits to changing County and School Board elections.

Research about the pros and cons of this proposal has been prepared by Jeff Gore, an attorney at Hefty & Wiley P.C., and Arlington’s County Attorney Steve MacIsaac. Links to their materials are here:

http://lwv-arlingtonva.org/files/jeffgore042110.pdf

http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/CountyAttorney/file76036.pdf

After researching and reviewing a number of sources, the ANDC Board strongly urges Arlington residents to reject this initiative, and to not sign this petition.

Many of us have discussed ways our local government could work better. ANDC supports informed and thoughtful dialogue about ways to improve our government and our community. Unfortunately, this petition proposal does not do any of those things – it is one alternative chosen by its proponents, as an “all or nothing” choice that was not examined in the public eye or compared to any other alternatives before signature collection began.

More troubling is that, if successful, adopting the “County Board Form of Government” would completely wipe out some of the critical protections and privileges Arlington has enjoyed for decades, including those at the core of ANDC’s mission, and replace them with far inferior or nonexistent versions that would be nearly impossible to get back in Richmond, given the current climate.

That’s because the “County Board Form of Government” is being used by just four sparsely populated rural counties in far Southwest Virginia (Scott, Grayson, Russell, and Carroll Counties.) Unlike today, our fates would then be tied to theirs in attempting to regain or secure new powers from the state. 

• Overturning Arlington’s current system for governing our schools;
• Replacing strong locally adopted child day care standards with minimal state requirements;
• Rolling back Arlington’s power to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, defaulting to our current Attorney General interpretations;
• Gutting Arlington’s powers to provide affordable housing, protect historic buildings and conduct long-term planning;
• Threatening the delivery of critical social services to our most vulnerable by dissolving Arlington’s combined Health and Human Services department;
• Forcing Arlington to select its health director from a list provided by the Governor;
• Eliminating Arlington’s professional civil service system and giving elected officials direct patronage authority to hire and fire County employees.

ANDC has long focused its effort on the very areas that would be wiped out if this petition were to move forward. That is why we are urging all Arlington residents NOT to sign the petition, and to help get the word out about the risks of the proposal.

We are not alone in this effort. A new coalition of individuals and organizations, the Coalition for Arlington Good Government (CAGG,) has formed to educate voters about the threats posed by this change-of-government effort. Please visit their Facebook page http://tinyurl.com/2apxtzc to read their materials and to join the coalition. You may also contact Alan Howze, one of CAGG’s co-chairs, at alanhowze@hotmail.com.

We will continue to keep you updated and encourage you to tell others about the risks of this petition drive.

Thank you.

The Arlington New Directions Coalition Board of Directors:

Charlie Rinker, President

Todd Endo, Vice President

Ellen Bartlett, Secretary

Marjorie Hobart, Treasurer

Lora Rinker, Newsletter Editor

Mauricio Alarcon

Melissa Bondi

Jack Cornman

Christian Dorsey

Kathleen McSweeney

Max Scruggs