About Us
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Going to need to add a glossary of topics that link to the TLDR summaries on positions and the longform essays.
My Story
My passion for public service began in high school. Where I volunteered in programs that gave dignity to those in need wby helping them where they are. I volunteered in the Labre Program where students cooked food for the homeless and then delivered it to them where they lived, under bridges, in tents by rivers, and sometimes in vans. We didnt just give people food and clothing, we gave them dignity by sitting with them, talking to them about their lives, sports, or politics, whatever they were interested in discussing. In those conversations I learned that we as a community need to give the homeless the one thing so few can, compassion. THey dont need pity. THey need people who believe in them and their ability to live better. I realized it was not just my actions, but my words and my demeanor that could make all the difference. COntinuing that thread I commited to not just donating money to a cause or talking about some government program that could solve the program. I would be part of the change I wanted to see. As a member of a community, we all have a responsibility to treat eachother with compassion regardless of circumstance. Before the 2024 election, I thought that voting and volunteering would be enough to better my community. But now I see that our politicians are not up to the task of delivering a better life to those in ARlington who do not already own a single family home. The Missing Middle movement to increase the supply of start homes has been bogged down for 5 years in court battles. Every action from a new building to banning schools in cell phones takes years of deliberation. We need action and as an outsider I will deliver it thourgh decisive votes and agressive pursuit of initiatives.
Affordability
My ultimate goal is to make Arlington a place where children can afford to be neighbors with their parents in grandparents.
The supply of demanded real estate far exceeds the supply. Everything in Arlington from the price of eggs, to the price of a pint at the pub, to the price of child care is bloated due to our shortage of housing and real estate. Years of overregulation and restrictive zoning policies have prevented the market from filling the need for housing and new development. My goal is to streamline every non-budgetary component of the housing and development process to quickly meet demand.
Infrastructure & Transportation
Our physical environment is the most impactful policy decision, beyond even taxes, in determining the success of a community. Arlington avoided the disastrous car-centric development that destroyed city centers and communities 50 years ago. Instead it chose to welcome a mass transit rail-line, that has become the backbone of development and economic activity in Arlington. Amazon chose Arlington for its second headquarters largely due to our robust mass transit system. I want to continue building walkable, accessible, and most-of-all pedestrian friendly communities. More bike paths, bike lanes, bus routes, bus priority lanes, and dynamic parking fees.
Fiscal Sustainability
Arlington is the crown jewel of the DMV. We have lower local taxes than Maryland and DC, lower state taxes than Maryland and DC, lower crime than DC, a robust business ecosystem anchored by the Pentagon and Amazon's second headquarters, and a great school system. My goal is to keep Arlington that way through sound economic policies that ensure the programs and services Arlington needs are always there for our residents. I will keep taxes the same and increase revenue by increasing the tax base with new residents who contribute more in tax revenue than they receive in services.
Further development along the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines will simultaneously increase the housing supply and tax base. It will also prevent a large increase in traffic by adding capacity where people will take mass transit and void adding cars to the road.
And where possible, I will seek to digitize government services and make them more efficient. Every form, step, or fee we can reduce is a reduction in taxes to the residents of Arlington, whether in time or dollars.
Housing Reforms
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Streamline permitting
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Increase confidence and stability in developments by making community commitments and affordable housing commitments clear and consistent before review
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Remove parking mandates
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Focus on transit-oriented-development
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Increase areas zoned for dense housing developments
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Work with Richmond to make accessory dwelling units easier to add
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Work with Richmond to make commercial to residential conversions easier
Why Run as Independent?
Politics cannot function effectively when there are only two parties. Whether in Arlington or Texas, the political establishment takes on a life of its own to protect itself. In a healthy democracy, bad economic policy that fails the social contract of delivering increasing prosperity to future generations and its citizens would be undone when a challenger with a new set of values and ideas gets voted into office. With the uniparty system in Arlington, we have effectively cutoff the very feedback system that makes democracies work. Every step of the electoral process advantages the incumbent party of the two main parties. I want to be the voice of the people that is not beholden to the entrenched power brokers of Arlington. I want to show that an outsider can change the system. In fact, I believe that an outsider might be the only force in Arlington that can change the system.
I want to be the force that makes the democratic establishment wake up to the reality that it is failing to deliver prosperity to its constituents and be a warning to them that if they do not change their ways, the people WILL vote them out of office.
Every layer of bureaucracy, every land use review, every housing commission review, is an opportunity for graft (Let me be clear. I do not know of anyone, nor do I believe anyone is using these roadblocks as a way to enrich themselves.). We need to reduce the potential for graft by reducing the interference the government has in development. I
Resources to Understand Why American Cities Stuggle
