Our Vice-Chair to Arlington County and the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, Mike Coletti, attended the recent Arlington County Board meeting in July to see what’s going on in the neighborhood. Here’s what he saw.
Main Draw: Pickleball!
By far the most entertaining portion of Saturday’s board meeting: While showing the
overwhelming strength of the pickleball community; local advocates persisted with
proposals of additional pickleball lines and courts added through the Parks and
Recreation department. I’ve never seen such a turnout, and have a much greater
appreciation for this time-honored pastime.
Hottest Buttons: Right of Way Program and Columbia Pike
Local resident, Eric Rickert made his voice heard with concerns over the Right of Way
Program being implemented on I 19th Street. Not much information was provided at the
time of the meeting, and next steps are to be determined.
LPNOVA-endorsed County Board candidate (and LPNOVA Chair) Adam Theo
lambasted county leadership for their failure in oversight for a series of expensive bus
stops along Columbia Pike. These custom “modular” bus stops have suffered their second
major structural design issue and were about to cost over $750k each. The county has
finally decided to go with prefabricated options that will save over $7 million from the
project. To learn more about this issue and Theo’s campaign, you can visit his website.
Notables: Lifeguard Shortages, Bag Taxes, Small Business Grants, and a New Logo
Brought to the board by local resident, Tina Ghialdi – There is a growing frustration over
the lifeguard shortages in small condos. This shortage has been associated with a zoning
ordinance found in Chapter 24.1.4 – A section which advocates wish to modify the
chapter to apply to public pools and not residential pools serving multifamily residences
consisting of 50 or less units. As a possible alternative, Tina requested additional training
be made more accessible to high-schoolers looking to become lifeguards. This issue
raises yet another case of overregulation leading to avoidable interference in day-to-day
activities. For more information on this issue, you can visit this page.
The county has officially voted to approve both a 5 cent bag tax, as well as the
much-hyped Small Business Grants 2.0 program. While both have potential to make
considerable impacts in the community; it is still too early to tell if this effort will be
worthwhile, or a mismanagement of taxpayer funds.
There has been a decision made on the new county logo, replacing the previous rendition
of Confederate General Lee’s home. The new logo highlights the county’s proximity to
the District.
September Arlington County Board Meeting: Full Video
Fact checking is important. Was something factually incorrect or misinterpreted?
Questions about the ongoings of Northern Virginia, and/or how libertarianism can and does benefit? Send me a message at arlington.alx.fc@lpnova.org!
Mike Coletti
Vice Chair, Arlington and the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church
The Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia affirms that individuals have the ability
and sole responsibility to evaluate the risks and consequences of their actions and
decisions about their own property. As knowledge is dispersed among all people,
individuals are much better equipped to determine the appropriate precautions to
take or not to take in any given situation, as opposed to the heavy hand of
government.
The Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia recognizes that any rules or restrictions
placed on businesses will necessarily have a greater negative impact to small and
family-owned businesses relative to large corporations, due to a large corporations
greater political and financial ties allowing them to more easily acquire the capital
needed to continue to operate. These rules and restrictions will also
disproportionally impact the working class, who, unable to perform their
professions from home, imperils their livelihoods and unjustly impoverishes them
as a result of the restrictions.
The Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia recognizes the danger of suspending
individual liberty, especially in a crisis, as if politicians are able to suspend the rule
of law in a crisis, they will exacerbate the severity of a crisis in order to suspend the
rule of law.
The Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia also affirms that the First Amendment of
the Constitution of these United States and Article I Section 12 of the Constitution
of the Commonwealth of Virginia recognize and guarantee the right of free
assembly and provides no exceptions for emergencies.
The Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia also affirms that the First Amendment of
the Constitution of these United States and Article I Section 16 of the Constitution
of the Commonwealth of Virginia guarantee the right of religious liberty and
provides no exceptions for emergencies.
The Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia also affirms that Article I Section 11 of
the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia demands just compensation for
both lost profits and lost access to private property. We also recognize that while these terms may be defined by the General Assembly, the current circumstances
qualify under § 25.1-230.1 of the code of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and may
not be redefined by the Governor.
Given this, Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia resolves that they condemn
Governor Ralph Northam’s actions in threatening Virginia residents with fines and
misdemeanor charges for engaging in acts of free assembly, exercising religious
liberty, and exercising their rights over their property; and by doing so is infringing
on these individual rights in an unprecedented manner.
The Executive Board,
Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia
On behalf of LPNOVA I would like to express our appreciation for Young Americans
for Liberty (YAL) finally taking the steps to remove people from leadership positions
whose ethical behaviors are called into question. We take seriously allegations of
sexual misconduct at all levels. Unfortunately, sexual harassment had plagued the
liberty movement for quite some time and it’s great to see organizations taking
steps to prevent further harassment. We strive to be an organization that embodies
trustworthiness and justice for its members and to that end we will keep the
identities confidential of anyone who is a victim of sexual harassment.
This is an uncomfortable situation, and no one should fear coming forward.
LPNOVA has been making a conscious effort to make sure everyone feels
comfortable attending our events. We do not condone any form of harassment,
sexual or otherwise. We hope to continue to be a safe and welcoming environment.
I and the rest of the board are here to listen and support anyone who had been put
in an uncomfortable or inappropriate situation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out
with any concerns. I would urge you to join LPNOVA in condemning sexual
harassment in the liberty movement.
Karrington Greenlee
Fairfax County Vice Chair
Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia
