Dear Friends,
Saturday’s Regular and Tuesday’s Carryover meetings were the final meetings of my 28-year School and County board career. I gaveled the end of my last County Board meeting at 11:40 pm on Tuesday. We had our regular Board and Manager reports and recognitions, and then broke for a celebratory reception. We came back to handle several regular hearing items and a closed session. Hence, the late hour. Saturday’s meeting was happily not so long.
Rosslyn Gateway Park Master Plan and Guidance
At the Saturday Regular Board meeting, it was a real pleasure to adopt the Rosslyn Gateway Park Master Plan and Guidance at my last Saturday meeting. This will be such an exciting public park for Arlington and for the region with both active spaces for events, quiet places for contemplation, and playgrounds and dog runs for simple fun. Most of the funding comes from developer contributions, not taxpayers. I think it is a great example of what good local government can accomplish. Check out some of the plans.
Recognitions
During the Tuesday recognitions, I got to deliver a proclamation of thanks to recognize the service of Dr. Reuben Varghese, who is a great example of an outstanding public servant. I first met Dr. Varghese in about 2005 when I was on the School Board and we were dealing with the H1N1 flu and needed to vaccinate our students. I remember that Reuben was very supportive and helpful. Both he and the school system were recognized for our work together in getting nearly every student vaccinated by the U.S. Surgeon General. Over the years, Dr. Varghese has not only helped the County population stay healthy, but also championed the issue of health disparities due to poverty and systemic issues around the region. Most significantly he was crucial to saving thousands of lives as we dealt with the Covid pandemic.
I was so pleased to be able to recognize such a long-time colleague and friend in my last meeting. It’s hard to remember how very difficult it was in the early pandemic. We were not sure how Covid was transmitted and needed to take as many precautions as possible to prevent its spread. Masks were not available at first. Then vaccines came and needed to be administered. Nursing homes were often not equipped to keep their residents safe as they often did not have the proper protective clothing or good training on how to prevent infection from spreading. Dr. Varghese and our Department of Public Health stepped in to help provide both. It was a difficult and frightening time and Dr. Varghese was at the center of it for several years, staying on top of the latest information and what needed to be done to keep people safe. He was a rock for those of us in Arlington County responsible for the health and safety of our residents. Dr. Varghese represents local government public service at its best.
Budget Guidance
We adopted budget guidance for FY2026. I will not be on the Board When the budget move through it’s process, but I know it will be a difficult year for everyone. Arlington is facing large economic risks, which it has faced before, but never with such a hostile Federal administration in power. Commercial property values continue to decline steeply as companies continue virtual or hybrid work models. We are making real strides in responding to this changing office situation, but such changes take time. In addition, it’s quite likely many federal safety net programs will be cut or eliminated. The needs, of course, will not go away and the burden is likely to fall more than ever on local governments to manage. Many federal workers who make their homes in Arlington may be facing transfers or job losses. Which brings me to…
The Importance of Local Government
As I have been telling people recently, local government is likely the only functional government we will have for some time. The Federal government will not be there to support us. The State government, at least under Governor Youngkin, is not interested in supporting us either. As we enter challenging times ahead, I cannot think of a better community to be in than Arlington which I explained after a number of people made very kind remarks about me and my career. I spoke about why I have done this work for so long. You may wish to watch the whole event, but I especially hope that you will watch my remarks (begin at hour/minute: 2:04:00), and the 10-minute video from the November 2019 County Board meeting. The video is the Manager’s report about the repair of the huge water main break (65 tons of pressure) at Chain Bridge and North Glebe Road. How the break was repaired and by whom, was an exciting and clear demonstration of the value of good local government and the often unrecognized people who do crucial work.
Thank You
As I said in my remarks, it has been a very real honor and privilege to be a part of Arlington County government working with so many hard-working, professional, intelligent and committed people at all levels.
My focus on supporting good local government will continue in my retirement, just in some different ways. I plan to stay quite involved. With the coming Federal storm, I think everyone needs to focus on how to help their community and step up however they can. As I mentioned in my November newsletter: I plan to use the funds still in my campaign account to start a local PAC, which I will call “Libby’s Local List.” The purpose will be to support good local government with occasional gatherings to talk about local issues and to provide contributions to good candidates and incumbents on a local level and across the region. I’ll be more specific in my next newsletter which will come out some time in January.
Meanwhile, I’m happy as always to hear from my readers and I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.
Best,
Libby
