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November 1, 2012

Candidates-County-Board

Photos: campaign websites. Illustration: Steve Thurston

Matt Wavro (R), Audrey Clement (G), and Libby Garvey (D), are running for county board.

Before every contested race at the county level in Arlington, the Mercury sits down and interviews the candidates. These are extended interviews and get the  candidates off their normal talking points. In this case, the rough interviews lasted between 25 and 35 minutes and have been edited here to about 15 minutes, or fewer. We maintained what we thought were the most news worthy portions.

Early voting is already open. Election day is next Tuesday Nov. 6.

In these interviews, we spoke with Democrat incumbent Libby Garvey who is running to keep the seat on the county board, a seat she won in a three-way race during a special election last March. One of her opponents this cycle, Green Party Candidate Audrey Clement ran against Garvey last March and garnered 7 percent of the vote to Garvey's 49 percent. (Republican Mark Kelly took 43 percent).

For this race, Garvey and Clement are joined by candidate Matt Wavro, a Republican in his first run for countywide elected office.

The questions for these interviews were based on the candidates' websites, policy statements, other news stories about them, and what they have said at various debates and forums.

We intended to have these interviews posted by Tuesday morning at the latest, and then Hurricane Sandy hit. We apologize to the candidates and their staffs for the delay.

The Candidates

The interviews took place on Wednesday Oct. 24.

In the interview with Audrey Clement, the discussion turned to her wish for a housing authority in Arlington, how she would make reality a campaign promise of rolling back a recent tax hike, and why she believes the county would do better with voting districts rather than voting at-large for county board.

In the interview with Libby Garvey the discussion turned to keeping a neighborhood's character, to development along Lee Highway, her decision to abstain in a vote regarding the Columbia Pike streetcar project and her subsequent public choice of Bus Rapid Transit for mass transit along the Columbia Pike corridor, among other topics.

With Matt Wavro, the discussion turned to Market-rate affordable housing, how he would get more civic activism on the board, and his choice of articulated bus service for the Columbia Pike corridor, and why he thinks the county board needs to revisit that topic.

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November 1, 2012

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Comments (8)

Comment Feed

A Version of the Status Quo is Not a Vision

Attention County Board Candidates and News Blogs:

Your version of the County Board's more of the same and worse 'planning' for the County is not a Vision Statement.

Cindy 197 days ago

Just the Truth, Please

Libby Garvey says she is for bus rapid transit on the Pike but voted to spend $4.5 million for Pike streetcar system design at the last County Board meeting.

22204 198 days ago

EFC

That's what happens when Arlington has one party control for 32 years and every one of an increasing number of "Gimme Groups" has to go long with the County Board's program to receive its annual taxpayer-funded gimme from the County Board.

Local Media go along with the charade and the brainwashing to obtain advertising and access to local officials for exclusive interviews.

Peter 200 days ago

East Falls Church Metro Project

I wish that the candidates would re-consider the County Board's approval of the East Falls Church Metro Project. The project would turn our residential neighborhood into another Ballston. The County Board plans to build 8 story buildings on the site of the current parking lot is and develop the nearby area. It's ridiculous that the County spent so much money "selling" the project when the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), which owns 90% of the commuter parking lot, is against removing it.

Glenn Schatell 200 days ago

More Brainwashing

Another campaign, same old brainwashing from the Repubs, Dems, and Greens. They go along with the bi-partisan Civic Federation Revenues and Expenditures Committee which focuses on a few totally outrageous projects while rubber stamping a budget that is full of unnecessary, extravagant, and wasteful spending. Like funding hundreds of social services and human services programs in a county with 3% unemployment and where the median household income is over $100,000. What's worse, the media and blogs are also brainwashed into serving as propaganda channels to brainwash the sheeple into paying so the elitists and their special interests can play tax-borrow-spend Arlington into bankruptcy.

Ted 201 days ago

Same Old...Same Old

Same old, same old from the Democrats, Republicans, and Greens.

They should be going through the entire budget determining what benefits we are actually for our taxes. Instead they focus on the most egregious examples of waste, like the Artisphere.

Artisphere should be shuttered immediately. Why all the procrastination by the Republicans and Greens?

With the County's unemployment at 3% why do we have a huge social services and human services bureaucracy?

Another election, same issues, same poor choices among candidates.

Peter 201 days ago

We've Been Brainwashed

Agree. We have been ruled by the same bi-partisan in-group for so long (check out the CivFed - old Elitists are being replaced by young Elitists) and local media that serve as propaganda outlets for the bi-partisan in-group that we've been brainwashed. Statements by the candidates prove it.

Terri 201 days ago

All are Republicrats

All three are Republicrats. None has a vision for Arlington (have you noticed?).

The amount of waste in County Government annually could (literally) fund the operation of two small counties downstate. Real estate taxes could be reduced by 10% with no impact on schools and essential services.

Our suburban quality of life is being overwhelmed by massive urbanization, planned by non-residents, something all three tacitly endorse.

None of the three mention that there are almost no members of minority groups active in their respective political parties, and their respective party leadership lives in upscale areas of the County.

Moreover, none of the three is comfortable being around working class and middle class whites who aren't college educated.

That's what we get after 32 years of one-party rule by Limo Liberal and Country Club Republican refugees from the Rockefeller-Scranton-Weicker Rust Belt.

Ted 201 days ago

Vote 2012