Current Issues
Arlington County has suffered from three generational shocks in the last six years: COVID which has led to significant telework, a generational inflation shock post-COVID, and the loss of our largest and most dependable employer, the Federal Government. Many of the needed reforms that would improve our community have been stalled due to the backstop of the Federal Government as an employer. This is no longer a reliable solution. Federal jobs will for years to come be unreliable as an avenue for supporting our prosperity. We need to become the stewards of our own destiny through policies that make us more independent, prosperous, and resilient.
My Policies
I will focus on local issues. National issues are out of the County's control. In the face of funding cuts and punitive Federal actions, that can best be described as trolling, the best we can do is build a diverse economy that does not depend too much on any one funding source and secures the future of our community.
Economy
Arlington, as well as Virginia, tax policies are relatively favorable in the DMV. I would like to lower business tax rates to give businesses stability and incentive to fill out our vacant office buildings. I would also like to lower the meals tax that was recently increased. This will help local business and reduce the cost of a night out with friends or family.
Housing
This is the most urgent issue that inflates the cost of everything in our community from groceries to childcare. Years of half measures have resulted in a critical housing shortage. We need to increase dense housing developments along our transit corridors by reducing zoning restrictions, streamlining permit and design approvals, and eliminating parking minimums. Rent, childcare, a beer at the local bar, groceries, even your energy and internet bills could stabilize with significant amounts of new, dense housing. And we must lead on this at the local level, if not, Richmond will continue to step in and override local decision-making.
Transit
I do not have (and have not needed) a car in the five years that I have lived in Arlington. I thank Arlington County and WMATA's previous leaders for that privilege. Public transportation is a key driver of opportunity and economic development. We need to leverage the Metro system by focusing as much development around the Metro stations as possible. We can build new housing without adding to traffic when residents have good public transit within walking distance. The one area where Arlington needs to improve is connecting North and South Arlington. WMATA rail and buses, as well as Ominiride, do a good job connecting Arlington East to West and the DC, but the ART bus system needs to be optimized better for intra-Arlington transit North to South.
Education
Ban as much technology as possible in schools. We allowed the largest unapproved social experiment in history on our children over the last two decades; we let tech companies test their algorithms on the children of America with impunity and get rich doing it. Now we are seeing the results: increased anxiety, ADD, depression, suicides, anorexia, gambling additions, illiteracy, the list goes on and on. Robust legislation to regulate tech companies must come from states or the Federal government, but until that happens, it is our responsibility to protect the children of Arlington as best we can. Norway is already leading in this endeavor due to a significant reduction in literacy after giving every student an iPad.