More than half the money Arlington County Board member Barbara Favola has raised for her state Senate campaign has come from local real estate developers, campaign finance records show. About $34,000 of the $60,692 Favola raised since Jan. 1 is from developers, including $25,000 from John Shooshan, president of the Shooshan Company, a local developer with several properties in the Ballston and Virginia Square neighborhoods.
The contributions are legal in a state that sets no limit on campaign giving. But Favola’s fellow Democrats note that county board members have agreed not to accept contributions from developers and griped privately that accepting that cash is “not the Arlington way.” Republicans are complaining publicly, charging that public officials should avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
“It’s troubling that a sitting member of the Arlington County Board could accept such a large contribution from someone who clearly has pending business interests before the board,” Charles Hokanson, vice chairman of the Arlington County Republican Committee, said. “Whether or no there is anything improper is up for the voters to decide.”
Favola defended her fundraising, saying all’s fair in a race for the state Senate.
“Everything I’m doing is absolutely legal. I’m reporting it all, and it is what it is,” said Favola. “I’m going to give myself every advantage to get my message out.”
Board member Mary Hynes defended Favola.
“These [state] races require an awful lot of money,” Hynes said. “That’s just the nature of the beast, and it is a different level than what we have to do when we run at the county level.”
The Shooshan Company manages and is developing several commercial and residential properties in Arlington along the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor. Neither the company nor Shooshan family members have given more than $1,000 to any previous candidate, financial records show.
Calls to John Shooshan were not returned.
