I hope you have been finding a way to stay cool and are enjoying your summer. I've had a great August, first being joined by 70 riders and nearly 200 donors and volunteers for the Third Annual Kennan Garvey Memorial Ride, raising nearly $16,000 for Phoenix Bikes. Then, I enjoyed a family reunion with my children, grandchildren, and some extended family, and I'm looking forward to connecting with many friends and neighbors at this weekend’s Arlington County Fair. As we shift gears from this spring’s primary to November's election, our entire ticket is stronger together. I look forward to … [Read more...]

I’m excited to join in spirit with our convention delegates this week in Philadelphia. I have supported Tim Kaine since his run for Lieutenant Governor in 2001, and I’m delighted that he is joining the ticket with Hillary Clinton, Don Beyer, Nancy Van Doren, Tannia Talento, and me. While national politics has taken a lot of our attention lately, and deservedly so, we also have had a lot going on here in Arlington this month. At our July meeting, we adopted our Transit Development Plan setting the path for more frequent bus service, more late-night and weekend service, better north-south … [Read more...]

I am busy at work preparing for our July County Board meetings and continuing on our general election campaign, but I want to take a break from business and politics and write to you about the Third Annual Kennan Garvey Memorial Ride, coming up on Saturday, August 6th to benefit Phoenix Bikes. This ride, dedicated in memory of my late husband, helps Phoenix Bikes raise money to build a new facility where they will be able to combine space for teaching and working on bikes with storage and work areas to make a community bicycle space that will be one of the best in the nation.  Here is a … [Read more...]

We did it! Thanks to your gracious support, we won! What an election and what a result -- a true team effort. I am proud to go on to November to represent you as the Democratic nominee for County Board. I want to thank Erik Gutshall for running in this election. I've run fourteen campaigns myself, and I know how difficult it is to put yourself out there and to stand for office, especially as a first time candidate. But this election is not about the individual candidates. This election is about all of us. And that is why I have based this campaign, as I have my service, on the idea that … [Read more...]

I believe that Arlington must be a community where people of all economic conditions and at all stages of their life can live and thrive. I speak often on the campaign trail about the importance of maintaining all the rungs on our social and economic “ladder”, and I am particularly concerned for our lower and middle rungs – especially when it comes to the affordability of living in Arlington. Unfortunately, my opponent in this election has taken two votes out of context to suggest that I oppose funding one important tool for expanding our supply of affordable housing. This insinuation is … [Read more...]

In my years of service to Arlington, I am proud of my work on the School Board. During that time, we made enormous progress for Arlington students, especially in closing the achievement gap. This progress also included renovating or rebuilding 15 elementary schools, five middle schools, and two high schools, as well as building the new Carlin Springs Elementary School and obtaining bond funding for the new Wakefield High School. All of this construction had a high price tag, and I always worked to make sure that we could justify our budgets and programs to Arlington’s taxpayers. I am committed … [Read more...]

I work hard for an Arlington that provides affordable living options for all people, of many income levels and at all stages in their lives. We face many challenges in realizing this vision, and one particularly acute one is how to help seniors whose property tax bills are rising beyond their ability to pay because of the ever increasing value of their property. We need to make sure that they can remain in the homes where they built their lives and helped build our community. My opponent in this election recently sent a flyer claiming that I am “threatening the ability of our most … [Read more...]