APS: who is the best CB candidate on schools issues?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Dorsey and Cristol campaigned on the promise of more coordination with APS. I asked them and they both talked about it. Of course, Cristol didn't really say anything, it was all non-committal consultant speak, literally.

Vihstat is the only one who questions county spending, to include CAFs, aquatics etc. So, perhaps if he had been more than just ONE vote all the extra budget money at the end of the year (like $11 million or so) could have been used for schools, or something (like flooding in certain neighborhoods). Think of all the end of the year money that goes to the AFIH fund, like $10million a year. Over 4 years that a new elementary school! An underground parking garage!

The County wants to spend money to keep lower income families in Arlington, I get that. But that isn't leaving enough money for them to have a real seat in a real classroom.

+100

What I'd vote for is anyone who commits to requiring developers who add housing density to also put in money for school construction funds. Ridiculous that they'll get them to pay for public art instead of schools.

Yes!!

[Anonymous]

The current candidates and board members keep saying that they are “preserving” lost affordable housing as an excuse to build more cafs. “Preservation” is losely defined and not really saving apartments from destruction.

That isn’t what is driving growth in north Arlington outside of buckingham, but it has in south Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Vihstadt is the only way to go. We don’t need anyone bowing down to KC. She is the worst!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a South is who was livid about the cancellation of the streetcar.
That’s water under the bridge. Vihstadt all the way.

Sock puppet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a South is who was livid about the cancellation of the streetcar.
That’s water under the bridge. Vihstadt all the way.

Sock puppet.

Umm... no. I was very upset about the cancellation of the street car, but will
Happily vote for Vihstadt. Deal with it.

[Anonymous]

De Ferranti is nice enough, but seems to be another AC/DC striver looking to pad his resume for future bigger political aspirations. I find it strange that he served on the APS budget advisory but doesn’t have kids and couldn’t explain what motivated him to serve on that committee when I asked. I’d like him better than some of his other AC/DC brethren on the CB, but no way will I vote for him in the primary. Vihstadt is the only one willing to question the AC/DC affordable housing addiction,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a South is who was livid about the cancellation of the streetcar.
That’s water under the bridge. Vihstadt all the way.

Sock puppet.

I'm a liberal democrat in south Arlington, opposed the streetcar, voted for JV for that reason, and will happily vote for him again. He was the first and AFAIK the only county board candidate to visit my neighborhood this year, asked me in person what my concerns were. My precinct is the most dem leaning in the entire county. He prob won't win here, but came here anyway.

If you read their January speeches on the CB website you really can see the differences in priority. The dem base in Arlington is mostly older people with grown children or none; and developers and similar who work but don't live here. Civic assns are similar; old people who generally don't give a hoot about schools except to complain about traffic. Board members need to go door to door to hear an alternate point of view and JV does it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a South is who was livid about the cancellation of the streetcar.
That’s water under the bridge. Vihstadt all the way.

Sock puppet.

I'm a liberal democrat in south Arlington, opposed the streetcar, voted for JV for that reason, and will happily vote for him again. He was the first and AFAIK the only county board candidate to visit my neighborhood this year, asked me in person what my concerns were. My precinct is the most dem leaning in the entire county. He prob won't win here, but came here anyway.

If you read their January speeches on the CB website you really can see the differences in priority. The dem base in Arlington is mostly older people with grown children or none; and developers and similar who work but don't live here. Civic assns are similar; old people who generally don't give a hoot about schools except to complain about traffic. Board members need to go door to door to hear an alternate point of view and JV does it.

So, I am all of those things except I was pro streetcar and didn't vote for V last time (I am the "hold my nose" PP). But since that time, while I feel he has not made good on a lot of promises as related to the cancellation of the streetcar, I think he gets the schools issue. I do not want another rubber stamper on the CB. I am pro development and urbanization, but want be CB to prioritize building the infrastructure, which includes schools, at the same time as we are growing. If that means we defer pool palaces and arts funding for a few years, so be it. We cannot put off or defer building schools and the community amenities that come with them. We have to address the needs first, then the wants.

[Anonymous]

Vihstadt all the way.

-N Arlington Democrat with preschool-aged kids.

[Anonymous]

APS needs to control spending. The spending is out of control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS needs to control spending. The spending is out of control.

How do they do that and build more seats?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the primary, de Ferranti, but only because he appears to have at least the vaguest inkling of our schools’ needs while Choun doesn’t appear to have any. Generally election, Vihstadt. He’s the only one who gets that we can’t leep loading up the county with high-density residential (affordable or not) without building more schools.

Yup, definitely Vihstadt overall. The candidates in the Dem primary have no idea what they are doing.

I'll hold my nose and vote for V. I didn't vote for him last time, but I'm not seeing anything from De Ferranti that makes me believe he will push back against the insanity of inviting thousands of families to live in CAFs, approving upzoning in GLUPs, and approving SFH lot subdivisions, and then pretending the kids are not here, or are just a temporary blip on the radar. The only way they will get the message is if we don't vote for their guy. No swim palace. I was fine with the idea, in theory, and voted for the bond. But nobody told me that my kids might have to go to HS in shifts at the time so that we could operate a swimming facility that will lose money every year.

+1

Well said.

If arlnow would simply ask county officials for a best guesstimate on what the fees will be to join or attend the aquatics center, the project would come to a grinding halt. Most of the county is fine spending hours 100 million of other people's money to build it but would be aghast at what it might cost them personally to go there regularly. Even if Schwartz didn't cancel the project, voters would be incredulous and take it out on board members.

[Anonymous]

Just saw a Clement ad on fb and she says schools not trailers or something. Not saying support her but she is advertising she is for schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just saw a Clement ad on fb and she says schools not trailers or something. Not saying support her but she is advertising she is for schools.

If you've ever seen her at a meeting, you would not feel comfortable voting for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS needs to control spending. The spending is out of control.

How do they do that and build more seats?

Something is wrong with APS when they spend so much more per student vs MoCo and FCPS and there is little to show for it.