Matt DeFerranti v. John Vihstadt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congrats, mindless voters. You got what you deserved. I'll sit happy here in NA, but I'm sad today b/c one of the few politicians who actually cared about Arlington got drowned out in your stupid blue wave. Trump minions are bad, but so are you.

Yeah, the “NA screws over SA politically” trope is officially dead now.

SA actually screws themselves over

Or all the childless millennials along the Orange Line screwed themselves ten years from now.

If they don’t build a fourth high school, my only hope is people with more money than me all send their kids to provate school or move.

Yup, also was/am one. Except we just bought a house and it got me really interested in the SA boundary process. Though we tended to pay more attention than most cause we're political dorks, I completely understand why deF won with the number of 20 something apt dwellers who voted straight dem. I almost don't blame them since at the federal level party dictates most of your voting behavior, but until you get local politics you don't get it.

So you’re saying that voters who aren’t old fart homeowners don’t know any better?

I am in the same situation as the PP you responded to. No one said anything about old farts, but yes in general they don’t know any better. Why would they follow this stuff? They don’t pay property taxes. There’s no reason to become invested. I never knew and/or cared before becoming a homeowner. I spent plenty of years as a young childless NA renter voting the Democratic sample ballot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:The reason JV lost is b/c of the stupid sample ballots. People want to send a message of the national level, but don't realize how different politics are at the county level. Uninformed or unmotivated voters take the sample ballot and just check off whatever is on the blue sheet. I know, I used to be like that, too. It's easy, but it sucks.

I keep hearing this, yet I never received nor saw anyone handing out sample ballots. Also, I don't recall seeing party affiliation listed for ACB on the actual ballot.

The gymnastics people are going through over this are entertaining, though.

1. At my polling place, the Dems were handing out sample ballots.
2. At the library (polling place) I visited to drop off a book, the Dems were handing out sample ballots.
3. A friend posted a picture of herself handing out sample ballots at her polling place.
4. When I took my son to gymnastics (another polling place), the Dems were handing out sample ballots.

I don't know how you missed them b/c they come at you like a mattress salesperson.

The only person outside my polling place, both when I went in the morning and when I walked back home at 430PM, was one dude in a purple Vihstadt shirt (standing way too close to the polling entrance) trying to give a JV flier to everyone in the area. No sample ballots, no party line checklists, no ArlCo Democratic Party thugs threatening to knife me if I didn't vote for Matt, despite it being the lawless meanstreets of South Arlington.

NP. My polling place (Walter Reed CC) had plenty of people giving out Democratic sample ballots and always has. Why are you being deliberately obtuse despite every other poster telling you that this happened at their polling place? Just because you didn’t personally see it?

That's my polling place as well and I also saw a person giving out a Dem sample ballot. 9:15 a.m. or so.

Yes, I was there around 5 pm and there were several. Not sure if all were giving out Dem sample ballots but I got approached by one.

[Anonymous]

Dem sample ballot was being handed out Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congrats, mindless voters. You got what you deserved. I'll sit happy here in NA, but I'm sad today b/c one of the few politicians who actually cared about Arlington got drowned out in your stupid blue wave. Trump minions are bad, but so are you.

Yeah, the “NA screws over SA politically” trope is officially dead now.

SA actually screws themselves over

Or all the childless millennials along the Orange Line screwed themselves ten years from now.

If they don’t build a fourth high school, my only hope is people with more money than me all send their kids to provate school or move.

Yup, also was/am one. Except we just bought a house and it got me really interested in the SA boundary process. Though we tended to pay more attention than most cause we're political dorks, I completely understand why deF won with the number of 20 something apt dwellers who voted straight dem. I almost don't blame them since at the federal level party dictates most of your voting behavior, but until you get local politics you don't get it.

So you’re saying that voters who aren’t old fart homeowners don’t know any better?

I am in the same situation as the PP you responded to. No one said anything about old farts, but yes in general they don’t know any better. Why would they follow this stuff? They don’t pay property taxes. There’s no reason to become invested. I never knew and/or cared before becoming a homeowner. I spent plenty of years as a young childless NA renter voting the Democratic sample ballot.

That doesn’t speak well to these voters’ critical thinking skills.

[Anonymous]

Part of me wonders if this thread is the same 3-4 50-somethings posting over and over. Especially with the relentless comments about stupid millennials. I own my home, am in my 40s, have kids, and voted for deFerranti.

I live in North Arlington (22207) close to an affordable housing complex. I support AH and would be perfectly fine to give up a CC or even one of the EIGHT dog parks for more, even right in my own backyard! I am VERY left-leaning and I actually agree that one-party rule is a bad thing. I was offered but did not take a Dem sample ballot, FWIW.

I would like to vote for Vihstadt except...I just don't feel like he managed to accomplish much during this tenure after squashing the streetcar which I didn't think was a great call. In Arlington, anyone who ever says "let's not spend (this much) money on X" is going to sound like a radical but you have to bring more to the table than that.

For all the people handwringing that this will be a disaster, show up for CB meetings and make your voice heard, it's "the Arlington way!" Better yet, run as an independent/"fiscal conservative" yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Part of me wonders if this thread is the same 3-4 50-somethings posting over and over. Especially with the relentless comments about stupid millennials. I own my home, am in my 40s, have kids, and voted for deFerranti.

I live in North Arlington (22207) close to an affordable housing complex. I support AH and would be perfectly fine to give up a CC or even one of the EIGHT dog parks for more, even right in my own backyard! I am VERY left-leaning and I actually agree that one-party rule is a bad thing. I was offered but did not take a Dem sample ballot, FWIW.

I would like to vote for Vihstadt except...I just don't feel like he managed to accomplish much during this tenure after squashing the streetcar which I didn't think was a great call. In Arlington, anyone who ever says "let's not spend (this much) money on X" is going to sound like a radical but you have to bring more to the table than that.

For all the people handwringing that this will be a disaster, show up for CB meetings and make your voice heard, it's "the Arlington way!" Better yet, run as an independent/"fiscal conservative" yourself.

If you think Vihstadt did nothing during his time on the board, you don’t pay attention. Even Katie Cristol acknowledged his contributions, especially that he got the board to start taking a much stronger cost-benefit approach to proposed projects rather than just rubber stamping anything that sounded cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I would like to vote for Vihstadt except...I just don't feel like he managed to accomplish much during this tenure after squashing the streetcar which I didn't think was a great call. In Arlington, anyone who ever says "let's not spend (this much) money on X" is going to sound like a radical but you have to bring more to the table than that.

For all the people handwringing that this will be a disaster, show up for CB meetings and make your voice heard, it's "the Arlington way!" Better yet, run as an independent/"fiscal conservative" yourself.

If you think Vihstadt did nothing during his time on the board, you don’t pay attention. Even Katie Cristol acknowledged his contributions, especially that he got the board to start taking a much stronger cost-benefit approach to proposed projects rather than just rubber stamping anything that sounded cool.

I don't think he did nothing. I just don't feel like he did a lot, either. As I said, anyone in Arlington who suggests spending less or undertaking fewer projects will sound revolutionary bc this isn't the status quo. Meaning, I could run for CB on a platform of "let's spend less" and presumably that would set me apart. I did not feel like he was able to build on that to actually do much or to articulate a vision that went beyond "I'm not a Democrat."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I would like to vote for Vihstadt except...I just don't feel like he managed to accomplish much during this tenure after squashing the streetcar which I didn't think was a great call. In Arlington, anyone who ever says "let's not spend (this much) money on X" is going to sound like a radical but you have to bring more to the table than that.

For all the people handwringing that this will be a disaster, show up for CB meetings and make your voice heard, it's "the Arlington way!" Better yet, run as an independent/"fiscal conservative" yourself.

If you think Vihstadt did nothing during his time on the board, you don’t pay attention. Even Katie Cristol acknowledged his contributions, especially that he got the board to start taking a much stronger cost-benefit approach to proposed projects rather than just rubber stamping anything that sounded cool.

I don't think he did nothing. I just don't feel like he did a lot, either. As I said, anyone in Arlington who suggests spending less or undertaking fewer projects will sound revolutionary bc this isn't the status quo. Meaning, I could run for CB on a platform of "let's spend less" and presumably that would set me apart. I did not feel like he was able to build on that to actually do much or to articulate a vision that went beyond "I'm not a Democrat."

He was a single voice against a 4-person majority, what do you think he could have done? His role on that board was as a moderating force, keeping some of the worst ideas off the table because they knew he’d make noise about it. We need more like him, not fewer, to see broader change. Voting against him was voting to go back to the old way.

[Anonymous]

Also, his platform wasn’t “Let’s spend less,” it was, “Let’s use our money more efficiently and focus on core government services before indulging vanity projects.” He was the only one open to giving APS more funding for school construction, and was very vocal that we shouldn’t be building luxuries like the aquatic center when we’re not adequately funding needs like schools and public safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I would like to vote for Vihstadt except...I just don't feel like he managed to accomplish much during this tenure after squashing the streetcar which I didn't think was a great call. In Arlington, anyone who ever says "let's not spend (this much) money on X" is going to sound like a radical but you have to bring more to the table than that.

For all the people handwringing that this will be a disaster, show up for CB meetings and make your voice heard, it's "the Arlington way!" Better yet, run as an independent/"fiscal conservative" yourself.

If you think Vihstadt did nothing during his time on the board, you don’t pay attention. Even Katie Cristol acknowledged his contributions, especially that he got the board to start taking a much stronger cost-benefit approach to proposed projects rather than just rubber stamping anything that sounded cool.

I don't think he did nothing. I just don't feel like he did a lot, either. As I said, anyone in Arlington who suggests spending less or undertaking fewer projects will sound revolutionary bc this isn't the status quo. Meaning, I could run for CB on a platform of "let's spend less" and presumably that would set me apart. I did not feel like he was able to build on that to actually do much or to articulate a vision that went beyond "I'm not a Democrat."

How do you assess the other CB members’ contributions? If the majority of the hardcore Dems on CB has not blocked Kohn Vihstadt, he could have gotten a lot more done. Even this year, he got blocked out of being chair, a role that traditionally passes to each member. Katie Cristol needs to go - she is a striver and is anti-school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Part of me wonders if this thread is the same 3-4 50-somethings posting over and over. Especially with the relentless comments about stupid millennials. I own my home, am in my 40s, have kids, and voted for deFerranti.

I live in North Arlington (22207) close to an affordable housing complex. I support AH and would be perfectly fine to give up a CC or even one of the EIGHT dog parks for more, even right in my own backyard! I am VERY left-leaning and I actually agree that one-party rule is a bad thing. I was offered but did not take a Dem sample ballot, FWIW.

I would like to vote for Vihstadt except...I just don't feel like he managed to accomplish much during this tenure after squashing the streetcar which I didn't think was a great call. In Arlington, anyone who ever says "let's not spend (this much) money on X" is going to sound like a radical but you have to bring more to the table than that.

For all the people handwringing that this will be a disaster, show up for CB meetings and make your voice heard, it's "the Arlington way!" Better yet, run as an independent/"fiscal conservative" yourself.

I hope you're out there advocating for more AH in your back yard. Perhaps YOU could have more influence. I didn't agree with JV about the streetcar, probably never will. But realistically, what more do you expect him to have done as one of 5 voices? Libby would sometimes support him, making it 2 - 3. JV has been a positive contribution and had as much impact as one could expect given the animosity and Democratically bonded wall of resistance against him as an "outsider" and "one-time anomaly." He helped influence the affordable housing master plan - in response to advocacy - to at least address geographical distribution. That would not have happened without him on the board. He's the only one who opposed the Aquatic Center as fiscally irresponsible in our given situation and climate. He pushed for the independent auditor until they got one. He actually sought-out opinions from non-like-minded people AND implemented those opinions into his thinking and his actions and votes on the Board. NONE of the other board members do that. They came in with their personal opinions and that's what they vote; they cling to like-minds and dismiss differing opinions.

It's unfortunate people still hold the streetcar against JV and therefore retaliated with their vote today. Nobody seems to blame Hynes or Fisette for caving. They still had a majority and could have pushed it through. They are the ones who failed to sell the plan to the community. The only good thing I have to say about Tejada is that he stuck to his guns on the streetcar.

But if you think one-party rule isn't a good thing and still voted for it, that's your right. I'd love to know what you think Matt actually brings to the table - cause from my perspective, it sure ain't anything compared to JV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, his platform wasn’t “Let’s spend less,” it was, “Let’s use our money more efficiently and focus on core government services before indulging vanity projects.” He was the only one open to giving APS more funding for school construction, and was very vocal that we shouldn’t be building luxuries like the aquatic center when we’re not adequately funding needs like schools and public safety.

+1000. We finally got out of Arlington because the power brokers are think-alike Dems who only care about making sure W-L is taken care of and pushing more AH into S.Arl. Vihstadt was the only one around with any common sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I would like to vote for Vihstadt except...I just don't feel like he managed to accomplish much during this tenure after squashing the streetcar which I didn't think was a great call. In Arlington, anyone who ever says "let's not spend (this much) money on X" is going to sound like a radical but you have to bring more to the table than that.

For all the people handwringing that this will be a disaster, show up for CB meetings and make your voice heard, it's "the Arlington way!" Better yet, run as an independent/"fiscal conservative" yourself.

If you think Vihstadt did nothing during his time on the board, you don’t pay attention. Even Katie Cristol acknowledged his contributions, especially that he got the board to start taking a much stronger cost-benefit approach to proposed projects rather than just rubber stamping anything that sounded cool.

I don't think he did nothing. I just don't feel like he did a lot, either. As I said, anyone in Arlington who suggests spending less or undertaking fewer projects will sound revolutionary bc this isn't the status quo. Meaning, I could run for CB on a platform of "let's spend less" and presumably that would set me apart. I did not feel like he was able to build on that to actually do much or to articulate a vision that went beyond "I'm not a Democrat."

He was a single voice against a 4-person majority, what do you think he could have done? His role on that board was as a moderating force, keeping some of the worst ideas off the table because they knew he’d make noise about it. We need more like him, not fewer, to see broader change. Voting against him was voting to go back to the old way.

+100

He did a pretty good job despite being so outnumbered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, his platform wasn’t “Let’s spend less,” it was, “Let’s use our money more efficiently and focus on core government services before indulging vanity projects.” He was the only one open to giving APS more funding for school construction, and was very vocal that we shouldn’t be building luxuries like the aquatic center when we’re not adequately funding needs like schools and public safety.

+1000. We finally got out of Arlington because the power brokers are think-alike Dems who only care about making sure W-L is taken care of and pushing more AH into S.Arl. Vihstadt was the only one around with any common sense.

+2000

I'm 38 and live in South Arlington. This is local government, not the presidency. Schools, sidewalks, transit, safety. The basics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Part of me wonders if this thread is the same 3-4 50-somethings posting over and over. Especially with the relentless comments about stupid millennials. I own my home, am in my 40s, have kids, and voted for deFerranti.

I live in North Arlington (22207) close to an affordable housing complex. I support AH and would be perfectly fine to give up a CC or even one of the EIGHT dog parks for more, even right in my own backyard! I am VERY left-leaning and I actually agree that one-party rule is a bad thing. I was offered but did not take a Dem sample ballot, FWIW.

I would like to vote for Vihstadt except...I just don't feel like he managed to accomplish much during this tenure after squashing the streetcar which I didn't think was a great call. In Arlington, anyone who ever says "let's not spend (this much) money on X" is going to sound like a radical but you have to bring more to the table than that.

For all the people handwringing that this will be a disaster, show up for CB meetings and make your voice heard, it's "the Arlington way!" Better yet, run as an independent/"fiscal conservative" yourself.

People like you are the problem.
- 40 year old home owner in South Arlington