Mike McMenamin, the Republican candidate for Arlington County Board, says the panel has lost touch with Arlington residents and civic leaders, and pledged hold the board accountable to community needs.
“There has to be some kind of accountability brought back to Arlington government,” McMenamin told The Examiner in an interview on the porch of his home in Arlington’s historic Maywood neighborhood. “They’ve forgotten about us neighbors in terms of how the county is being shaped in this century.
“I don’t think that the county is really listening to the community anymore.”
McMenamin, 43, who serves as president of the Maywood Civic Association and the Arlington Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, accepted the Republican nomination last week. He will challenge Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman in the general election in November.
Sensible development is a major theme in his campaign, McMenamin said. While new developments such as those in Clarendon and Ballston bring needed money into the county, the concerns of residents over these projects are often ignored by the board, he said.
“Somebody has to think out whatindeed Arlington should look like in the 21st century and still have that core of residents. … The neighbors aren’t forgotten and Arlington thrives,” he said.
The board also has lost site of neighborhood needs when it comes to spending. Despite large hikes in the property and personal car taxes in recent years, the budget for paving roads has decreased by 50 percent in the past five years, leaving some streets in a state of disrepair. McMenamin said a fresh perspective on the board would make it more responsive to needs like these.
The board has “gotten totally disconnected. I think there has to be someone who can take a fresh look at things,” he said. “Somebody needs to go up there with fresh eyes, take a look at this and see where your money is actually being spent.”
Campaign manager Geoff Schwartzman said McMenamin is getting to know voters and civic association members.
He said he believes the campaign themes of responsible spending and input from residents will play well with both Republicans and Democrats.
More details
» Terms on the Arlington County Board last four years.
» Mike McMenamin lives with his wife and two children. He has lived in Arlington since 1994 and in the D.C. area since 1988.
» He works full time in Lucent’s Office of Global Government Affairs.
