Arlington County is often considered the gold standard of local governance, especially for its much ballyhooed “Arlington Way” — a political culture in which every “stakeholder” has a say before any major decisions are made. The sometimes maddeningly slow process eventually produces a grassroots consensus, the epitome of participatory democracy.
That’s the theory anyway, but the term has recently taken on some less flattering meanings recently, including these:
» Spending $225,000 to design a recreation center on land the county doesn’t even own. Arlington wanted to build a $135 million sports complex on the North Tract, a prized riverfront parcel south of the 14th Street Bridge, but its land swap deal with Monument Realty fell apart in September. Maybe the design will work somewhere else.
» Planning a new aquatics center with three swimming pools while the county still has anunfinished, boarded-up fire station at Pentagon City. Another fire station promised to Cherrydale residents 16 years ago hasn’t even been started yet.
» Asking voters to approve bond issues on the same projects for the second — or even third — time because County Manager Ron Carlee has total discretion to shift funds. The Arlington County Civic Federation noted that three of five projects listed in this month’s $207 million bond referendum had been submitted to voters in previous bond issues.
» Approving a $35.5 million bond for a community center at Arlington Mill, located just a tenth of a mile from another park that recently completed an 18-month renovation. Meanwhile, the Westover Library — originally approved by voters in 1998 — still hasn’t been built.
» Yammering endlessly about “the need for affordable housing,” then presiding over the loss of 52 percent of the county’s modestly-priced housing stock, with nearly 10,000 apartments replaced by luxury condominiums.
» Misusing federal money specifically intended for foster care programs, resulting in a federal investigation and the loss of millions in state and federal funds.
» Violating the Americans With Disabilities Act so many times that the U.S. Justice Department has to issue a consent decree in May so that “people with disabilities in Arlington will now be able to participate more fully in fundamental aspects of community life … .”
» Sending more money to the public school system each year under a revenue-sharing agreement, thus allowing it to hire 464 additional employees since 1998 despite declining student enrollment.
» Adopting a $1 billion budget this year that’s even higher than the one Carlee proposed; facing a $20 million budget gap next year even though the typical Arlington homeowner’s real estate tax bill increased 114 percent since 2000 and car tax bills went up 40 percent.
But as the real estate market cools, the cost of basic services continues to rise, including an 18.4 percent increase in Arlington’s Metro subsidy and a 4.3 percent increase in its debt service (up from $73.2 million in FY07 to $78.1 million in FY08). Two full paving cycles have already been deferred as sidewalks crumble and potholes sprout in the “urban village” (accent on the urban).
Arlington calls itself “a world-class residential, business and tourist location.” Shouldn’t its county government live up to the billing?
