Vol. 35, No. 7 www.arlingtondemocrats.org July 2010

The Moran pioneers new video ber Novem communication with voters Rep. Jim Moran is the first member of Con- But Moran is now an enthusiastic convert. He election gress to join a brand new service broadcasting vid- hopes the videos will help him keep in touch with a eos of him to his constituents via cable television. constituency that is constantly changing; each elec- The new “MiCongress” channel, which tion cycle, 40 percent of them move. The new video may have launched June 17, offers members 30 minutes to service “is really pragmatic,” he said. “I have a con- talk about whatever they choose, from energy policy stituency that is very mobile. I need to reach them, to foreign affairs. and I need to reach them when they’re available. livened Moran told Roll Call weekly that his staffers It’s on their schedule.” had trouble persuading him to participate. When The first segments on his MiCongress chan- locally filming first began, he said, he was “cranky” and nel (pronounced “My Congress”) show him driv- up somewhat uncooperative. ing around his district, talking to constituents and “Ambivalent? I was opposed!” he acknowl- explaining his views in chats to the camera. In one edged. “I’ve learned to be a little camera-shy. I have segment titled “Profile,” he visits a local bagel shop, more than enough empirical experience in this re- gives a speech at National Harbor and tells his view- Each of gard.” continued on page seven our three Change of gov’t debate debatable tes The Arlington League of Women Voters has state legislative delegation, along with four former dida expressed some exasperation with the group push- members of the General Assembly from Arlington, can ing for a change in the county’s form of govern- signed a letter to county voters urging them to de- ment for not engaging seriously in a dialogue about cline to sign the petition. its proposal. The 10 noted that no other county has has The league issued a press release June 21 point- Arlington’s current form of government while four ing out that it had sent a list of questions to both the small, rural counties in the southwestern part of the group opposing a change—Coalition for Arlington state have the form being proposed for Arlington. drawn Good Government—and the group that made the The legislators said that over the years they have change proposal an issue and is circulating a peti- been able to win special powers for Arlington—such two tion to get it on the ballot as a referendum item— as the right to make more stringent requirements for s Committee for a Better Arlington. day care operators and to prohibit discrimination nent The League said both committees agreed to based on sexual orientation—only because Arling- ppo respond, but the latter had not done so. Earlier, Mike ton stands unique in the state. o Staples, who runs the organization and is the main With a change in government form, they said, proponent of change, agreed to join a debate on the any change in powers for Arlington would have to topic at the May ACDC meeting, but then backed be negotiated with those four rural counties—“ju- out just a few days before it was held and did not risdictions with which Arlington has virtually noth- See Page send a substitute. ing in common”—before the legislature would take The League politely said it was concerned “about up any legislation. 3 for all the depth of the public dialogue” on the proposal. They said the proposed change in the from of Staples’ group has until July 15 to gather government “could significantly impair our ability 14,350 signatures (10 percent of the registered vot- to advance Arlington’s interests in Richmond.” the details ers in Arlington) to get the referendum on the bal- In addition to the six current office holders, the lot. The group has not said how close it is to that letter was signed by former Senator Ed Holland and goal. former Delegates Karen Darner, Judy Connally Meanwhile, all six members of Arlington’s and Al Eisenberg. ACDC Voice, July 2010, Page 2

Report from Chairman Mike Lieberman Remember, remember, the 4th of November There was an autumn chill in the air on Bob McDonnell, , and a dis- cation drive ever, knocking on people’s doors Tuesday, November 4, 2008, yet more than appointing Republican slate in November of and seeing what matters to them. That’s why one million people huddled together in Grant last year. we are investing in new volunteer manage- Park in Chicago to witness the historic ac- In Arlington, I am proud to say that we ment tools, to make sure that no volunteer who ceptance speech of our new president, Barack largely weathered this 2009 storm. In this comes through our doors slips through the Obama. same November that yielded disappointing cracks. And that’s why we are constantly Six hundred miles east, a crowd of hun- results across the state, Arlington voters cast striving to improve our communications in- dreds gathered in front of the White House in 66% of their votes for Democratic guberna- frastructure, to make sure we have an effi- , DC – singing, dancing, and her- torial candidate Creigh Deeds. But we would cient and effective way to distribute the alding the change that we had waited so long be naïve if we did not recognize that the same Democratic message to our Democratic vot- to come. Here in Arlington, the Democratic potential for disengagement that plagued ers. Party gathered at Bailey’s Bar and Grille and Democrats statewide in 2009 remains in 2010. As we proceed from here into the heat toasted the hard work of thousands of volun- It is in this environment, though, that I of campaign season 2010, I think each of us teers who had turned Virginia blue in a presi- believe political parties can make a real dif- needs to think back to what it felt like on dential election for the first time in 44 years. ference. When I was elected to as ACDC chair November 4, 2008, and to believe that with It was a night of anticipation; it was a night five short months ago, I talked about the im- hard work, we have the ability to feel that of hope; it was a night of unabashed joy. portance of personal engagement – that apa- same sense of victory and pride again. Re- But as we all know, Election Night 2009 thy can be overcome by getting out into our member, remember the 4th of November—a did not yield the same successes as Election neighborhoods and talking to voters about night that that reminds us what Democrats can Night 2008. Twelve short months after what the Democratic party stands for, and why achieve when they work to their full poten- Obama’s amazing election, statewide in Vir- their votes have made a difference in the last tial. ginia, the wheels came off. Anticipation gave two years. way to frustration, frustration gave way to That’s why this year ACDC is currently apathy, and that apathy led to the election of organizing our largest summer voter identifi- GOP retains two Jerry Botland delegate seats in Computer Consulting special elections Troubleshoot and resolve computer and After a string of victories in special elec- computer related problems. tions, Democrats lost two June ballots to fill Perform upgrades, set-up wireless routers and print servers. seats in the House of Delegates. However, Transfer old files, address book and emails both seats had previously been held by Re- from an old computer to a new one. publicans, so the line-up in the House remains unchanged at 61-39 in the GOP’s favor. Phone: (703) 933-0558 — [email protected] State Democrats thought the party had a real chance at a turnover in the 26th District in Rockingham County and Harrisonburg City in the Shenandoah Valley. Kai Degner, the mayor of Harrisonburg, was the Democratic candidate and sparked broad interest. But, in the end, voters stuck with their old loyalties, Published monthly by the giving Degner 30 percent of the vote to 66 Arlington County Democratic Committee percent for Republican Tony Wilt. 2009 North 14th Street, Suite #612, Arlington, VA 22201 The other district was the 27th in Ches- Tel: (703) 528-8588 Fax: (703) 528-2321 terfield County, the suburbs to the south of http://www.arlingtondemocrats.org Richmond. There was never any expectation Chair: Mike Lieberman —(703) 408-3940 (h), [email protected] of winning that seat, which GOP candidate Editor-in-Chief: Warren L. Nelson —(703) 243-7867 (h), [email protected] Roxann Robinson took with 72 percent to 27 Deputy Editor: Vacant percent for Democrat Bill Brown. Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the ACDC The two seats had opened up when Gov. unless expressly approved by an appropriate Committee Resolution Robert McDonnell appointed their Republi- Copyright ©2010, ACDC, All Rights Reserved can incumbents to jobs in his administration. ACDC Voice, July 2010, Page 3

Next Monthly Meeting November All Dems Invited Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 7:00 p.m. ballot just NRECA Building, 4301 Wilson Blvd Corner of North Taylor and Wilson, just east of Glebe & Wilson got crowded Free parking under building, enter from Taylor Street For awhile it looked like most Arlington candidates would get a free ride in Novem- It is now 20 years since the passage of the landmark Americans with ber and Arlington Dems could devote them- Disabilities Act. How far have we come in realizing its goals? At the July selves entirely to helping congressional can- meeting, we will have a panel to discuss the accomplishments—and the didates around the state face down a sharp unfinished work. The panel will include our own Delegate Patrick Hope, challenge from the right. and Ari Ne’eman, just confirmed by Congress at age 22 as a member of But, no, all three Arlington Democrats the National Council on Disability. on the ballot have now drawn opponents—in fact, two apiece! The opposition includes one indepen- dent, two Republicans, two Greens and one Independent Green. (The Greens and Inde- pendent Greens are separate parties.) Here is how the ballot stacked up after Bumper Sticker candidate registration ended June 8. U.S. Congress Jim Moran, Democrat (incumbent) of the Month Patrick Murray, Republican J. Ron Fisher, Independent Green County Board Chris Zimmerman, Democrat (incum.) Mark D. Kelly, Republican J. Kevin Chisholm, Green School Board Sally Baird, endorsed by ACDC (incum.) Joszet Hudson Johnson, Independent Miriam Gennari, endorsed by Greens ------Congressman Moran has drawn two re- tired military officers. Republican Murray spent 24 years in the Army and is campaign- PC HELP ing for repeal of the “government takeover” Want help with setting up, networking, upgrading, of medical care, although he spent 24 years under a totally government-run medical sys- fixing, or just using your new or old PC? tem. Fisher, the Independent Green, was a captain the Navy who commanded a nuclear Affordable, personalized assistance. missile submarine. In the County Board race, the GOP is Evenings and weekends. Your home or office. running a candidate for the first time in three years. Candidate Kelly was until recently Ron Hicks DBA Systems That Work chairman of the Arlington County Republi- can Committee. The Green candidate was Email: [email protected] until recently the energy manager for the Ar- lington school system. Website: www.systems-that-work.org In the School Board race, Gennari is a Green party activist and Johnson ran as an H/O: 703-528-1009 Cell: 571-217-9949 independent for the County Board in 1997 and 2000, not breaching 2 percent either time. Arlington Chamber of Commerce ACDC Voice, July 2010, Page 4 AYDs join Donkey Ears opposition to Listening to the doings change in of Arlington’s Dems as overheard by form of gov’t Dan Steen and Madi Green The Arlington Young Democrats (AYD) Early detection: “Life’s adventure continues,” commented School Board member Libby have unanimously approved a resolution to Garvey as she announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The prognosis is reject the language found in the Change of very good because it was caught early—and it was caught early, she reminds all women, Government petition, to encourage Arlington because she had regular checkups. “One reason I became more diligent about getting residents not to sign the petition, and to vote mammograms was because of the personal stories other women told.” So, now she is against the change of government proposal telling hers. Libby received a lumpectomy May 17 and faces follow-up treatment later should it become a referendum question. this summer and in the fall, which may limit her campaign activity. “I am likely to take In a news release after passage of the things at a little slower pace for awhile,” she said. As to her other thoughts: “I’ve resolution, president of AYD, explained that always wondered how I’d look in really short hair. And now I’ll find out.” Arlington enjoys a high standard of living and, Stonewall landslide: With an impressive 73 percent of the votes, ACDC Secretary according to Bloomberg Businessweek, Ar- Charley Conrad won election as chair of the Virginia Democratic Party’s Stonewall lington is one of the best places in the nation Caucus of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Dems. Stonewall sounds like a very to ride out a recession. Virginian name, but the terms comes from the June 1969 disorders that followed a police The current form of government, he said, raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. That was the first instance of the gay has ensured that the residents of Arlington community pushing back en masse against repression. The term was adopted in 1999 by have access to county services, including a Rep. Barney Frank as that community organized within Democratic ranks. renowned public school system, and that the And still counting: State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple and ACDC print shop mogul Arlington Young Democrats consider this Tom Whipple celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in June. (That’s the 50th, petition to be bad public policy. The resolu- for all you newlyweds.) Their offspring put on a gala celebration that included all the tion can be read at http://bit.ly/ kids and grandkids plus the members of their wedding party and a cruise. AYDResolution and you can get involved in After a five-decade wait, Mary Margaret finally got to cut into a wedding cake of her the campaign to decline to sign at http:// choosing—traditional white cake with white icing in a mere three tiers, no tower like the www.arlingtoncoalition.org one 50 years ago. County Board Vice-Chair Chris Swift rise: Delegate Patrick Hope, with just a single session in the House of Delegates Zimmerman joined AYD at their June meet- under his belt, has been named Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Transit Association ing to outline transportation issues in Arlington. for his successful effort to get legislation enacted permitting the Commonwealth Transit The discussion was a starting point for a Board to shift some capital funds into the operating budget when operating revenues debate on a resolution on Metro funding. It plummet. should come as no surprise that after receiv- Punishment by humor: The Democratic Governors Association, disgusted at the fear ing word that Governor Robert McDonnell tactics resorted to by the Republican Governors Association, has decided to respond— had threatened to withhold funding for Metro, not in-kind, but with biting sarcasm. It has produced a video in the style of a movie AYD asked members to call the governor’s trailer for a horror film coming your way this fall. To see it, go to http://www.npr.org/ office to tell him to stop playing politics with templates/story/story.php?storyld-4509998 their safety. Passages: Evelyn H. Rousselot, the mother of former ACDC Chair Peter Rousselot, has AYDs were also asked to call Senators died shortly after reaching her 103rd birthday. She had recently attributed her longevity and to advocate for to “Love. And good genes.” She was born in Puerto Rico of German and Danish blood dedicated Metro funding from the federal gov- on her father’s side and Spanish blood on her mother’s side. Two of her ancestors were ernment. presidents of Venezuela. While at Manhattanville College in New York, she was To take action on Metro Funding and to president of the student body for two years. So that explains where Peter got his see what the AYDs are up to, visit http://bit.ly/ interest in politics and Spanish. Her husband, a New Yorker whom she met in Puerto AYDUpdate. Rico while he was studying tropical medicine there, died in 1974. Peter was their only child. Passages: William Lightsey, who represented Arlington in the House of Delegates for Calendar items four years until he was defeated along with Mary Marshall in the GOP landslide of 1969, has died in Arlington at the age of 99. Marshall later regained her seat, but To submit items for the ACDC calendar, Lightsey did not run again for public office. He served the decade 1966-1976 as go to http://www.arlingtondemocrats.org/ executive director of the Regional Parks Authority, a period that saw a submitevent.phtml . tripling in park acreage. ACDC Voice, July 2010, Page 5

2010 ACDC AWARDS Presented at the June 2010 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner

Mary Marshall Outstanding Democrat (For so much of everything) Dan Steen

Herselle Milliken Precinct Captains of the Year (Clarendon Precinct) Conor Marshall James Schroll

Campaigners of the Year (Co-chairs of the Joint Campaign) Krysta Jones Kimberly Klingler Christopher Zimmerman

Newcomer of the Year (Communications director) Arielle Holland

Unsung Heroes (For their work on The Voice) Warren L. Nelson Barbara van Vorst

KNIGHTED — The awardees, as listed above, line up to receive their laurels at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. From left: Steen, Van Voorst, Nelson, Jones, Zimmerman, Schroll and Marshall with Chairman Lieberman. ACDC Voice, July 2010, Page 6 Affordable housing helps greatly to make Arlington the community that it is by J. Walter Tejada Permanent relief comes from affordable County Board Member home ownership. Arlington enables low and Arlington strives to be a diverse and in- moderate income first time homebuyers to clusive community. Ensuring that people of buy homes by providing down payments and all income levels have an affordable place to closing cost assistance through the Moderate live is an important goal that we work hard to Income Purchase Assistance Program achieve. The economic and social (MIPAP). sustainability of Arlington requires a wide The County Board this past year in- range of housing, affordable across a spec- creased the amount of assistance for trum of income levels. In the past, affordable homebuyers to 25% of the purchase price. housing was provided principally by the pri- The Board also adjusted the program to a vate sector (“market-rate” affordable hous- shared appreciation model, which will allow ing), but these days we rely more and more the benefit of homeownership for the pur- on “committed” affordable units operated by chaser while keeping the program sustainable non-profit organizations or public-private for future borrowers. partnerships. Arlington’s commitment to affordable The County has an annual goal to secure housing is not merely a matter of numbers 400 net new committed units that are guaran- and statistics. Our commitment to diversity teed to stay affordable for at least 30 years. and our practical interest in balancing public The County works to achieve this goal service needs have resulted in a practice of through a combination of direct County gov- seeking onsite affordable units interspersed ernment subsidies, special financing options throughout the County. Our economic and by providing builders with incentives to sustainability requires that we create oppor- construct or preserve affordable housing units. tunities for working people to buy or rent A strong housing market has had an im- homes here. pact on market-rate affordable units. In 2000, Arlington has assisted more than 600 roughly 19,700 multi-family rental units were TEJADA households to become homeowners and as- affordable to households with incomes at 60% . . . increasing housing stock sists thousands of others with affordable rental of the regional median. These market-afford- units and/or rent assistance. Through rental able units constituted 52% of the multi-fam- assistance, the County helps ensure that low- ily rental stock. Between 2000 and 2009, financing through the County’s credit facili- income seniors, families and persons with around 13,000 of those units became ties to support affordable housing develop- disabilities can remain in their homes as land unaffordable to households at that income ment. The County Board also has used its values remain high. While affordable hous- level, primarily through rent increases. credit with SunTrust Bank to borrow $34.5 ing will remain a major challenge in our com- Despite the current economic situation million to finalize the purchase of munity, through its array of programs, Arling- and tight credit markets, Arlington added Buckingham Villages III. ton already has helped thousands of residents more than 2,600 committed affordable units The County will maintain a constant and their families find a home. from 2000 to 2010. This brings Arlington’s level of funding for its FY 2011 AHIF. The committed supply to over 6,000 units, which FY 2011 budget provides new AHIF funding is over 14% of the rental stock in the County. of $5.2 million, including $4.0 million of lo- For more than 20 years, the County has cal funding and $1.2 million from the federal made significant annual allocations of tax HOME program. dollars to support its Affordable Housing In- Arlington’s Housing Grant program is vestment Fund (AHIF), a revolving loan fund. the only locally funded rent assistance pro- The County Board has made extraordinary gram in the region. It will provide $6 mil- efforts over the past year and a half, allocat- lion in FY 2011 in rental subsidies for low- ing over $19.1 million in grants and loans to income elderly, disabled and working fami- ensure that projects that have been stalled as lies with children. Critical safety net programs a result of the recession move forward, in- help residents most affected by the nation’s cluding the Views at Clarendon, Macedonia deep recession. The Board has increased Apartments and The Jordan. funding from 2009 to 2011 by over $2.4 mil- Since January 2000, the County has pro- lion for programs providing shelter and tran- vided nearly $100 million in long-term AHIF sitional housing, food and emergency assis- financing and another $67 million in interim tance. ACDC Voice, July 2010, Page 7 Moran pioneers new video link to voters continued from page one A key concern is that, unlike television I believe with MiCongress we can show mem- news segments or newspaper and magazine bers in a new light, how hard they work for ing audience that he fainted the first two times articles, Moran has the final say on what their constituents regardless of party…. he spoke in public. makes the final cut. “When it’s being taped MiCongress can help develop a newfound You can view Moran’s first three-minute [for commercial television], it can wind up appreciation of our members of Congress.” introductory segment showing him chatting being out of context,” he told Roll Call. “Here, Will constituents tune in? That remains while walking and driving around Alexandria I didn’t have that consideration, so I could to be seen. But the number of visits to each by clicking here to go to http:// just talk and relax.” video is recorded so there will soon be real www.iconstituent.com/?sectionid=91. Other The company that created the measures of interest. segments deal with individual issues—such MiCongress channel is iConstituent. President So far, five members have bought the ser- as the environment and military action in Iraq Stuart Shapiro envisions a channel that will vice: Reps. (D-Md.), Heath and Afghanistan—in which the congressman become “as important as C-SPAN,” allowing Shuler (D-N.C.), Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas), just speaks to the camera. Moran’s office calls constituents to hear their member’s views Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Moran. it a “fireside chat” format. beyond floor speeches and sound bites. Edwards’, Shuler’s and Ortiz’s segments went If you sign up for Moran’s Facebook “I really believe that the floor speeches up a few days after Moran’s; Ros-Lehtinen is page, you will get a message on your wall have a detrimental effect to their image,” he slated to begin shooting on July 1. every time the congressman posts a new told Roll Call. “They need more than 30 sec- The MiCongress services costs members video. You can also view them by going to onds to explain, and they need to be on the a base price of 2 cents per household in their his congressional website (not the campaign big screen, and they need to look into [con- district each month. For Moran, keeping the site) or by signing on through your cable ser- stituents’] eyes.” channel up will cost him about $2,200 vice, either Verizon or Comcast. We’ll give Shapiro told the Associated Press, “The monthly for the 114,000 households that sub- you full details on how to do that in next general sense of negativity that Congress is scribe to cable. But a single mass mailing of month’s issue. getting is, I believe, unwarranted and unfair. a newsletter to every household in the district costs $120,000.

A FIRST — In this grab from his introductory video, Congressman Jim Moran talks as he drives through Old Town Alexandria. ACDC Voice, July 2010, Page 8 California (who else?) wants to bring you a whole new kind of primary Surprise! California is floating the lat- control of a state legislature to deftly draw which way. est proposal for how to move American poli- boundaries to maximize its winning chances Backers of Prop 14 said the beauty of tics back to the center. and shaft the opposition. Ten years ago, for their plan was that candidates of whatever In the June primary balloting, Califor- example, Virginia Republicans shoved most party would have to cater to the center and nia voters approved Proposition 14, which, if Democrats into three of the state’s 11 con- not just to the party faithful to have any chance it spreads nationally, could have a major im- gressional districts (including our own 8th in an all-party primary. The wings would be pact on just how politics, and parties, func- District), creating three Democratic ghettoes, clipped and the center would come alive again tion in America. while the rest of the state was either safe GOP with moderation and compromise coming to Under Prop 14, California will now have territory or at least competitive for the Re- the fore and public policy able to advance an all-party, free-for-all primary in which ev- publican Party. once again. eryone will contend. The top two finishers— One side-effect of such gerrymandering In California, Schwarzenegger got his who might be two Democrats, or two Repub- is that, while incumbent congressmen in the way and Prop 14 passed 54 percent to 46 per- licans, or two independents—will then face ghetto districts rarely face a serious challenge cent, despite the opposition of the leaderships off in the November election. in November, they can face a big threat in their of both the Republican and Democratic par- The theory and the goal is to break the primaries from the fringe in their party. Pri- ties. political power of the far right and the far left. maries draw low turnouts with the strongly After the vote June 8, Schwarzenegger Many analysts agree that this is a problem, committed dominating—and, in many parts said, “We in California have said we’ve got but have a vastly different prescription for the of the country, strongly committed means the to come to the center, we’ve got to bring ev- solution. In Virginia, unlike California (no far right in Republican districts and the far eryone together in order to solve problems.” surprise), reformers have coalesced around a left in Democratic districts. The result is that Prop 14 passed in 56 of California’s 58 proposal to create an independent commis- incumbents are driven to the extremes in or- counties. It failed in Orange County, the shin- sion to draw electoral district boundaries. der to ward off a challenge in the primary. In ing glory of the right, and in San Francisco, But we are getting ahead of our story. November, lacking a real challenge, there is the paradise of the left. To begin at the beginning, in recent years no need to tack to the center. But why did the leadership of both par- computer-assisted gerrymandering (CAG) has To counter that, seven states have cre- ties fight Prop 14? Were they afraid of losing perfected the ability of whichever party is in ated independent commissions that draw dis- power? On the contrary, both parties argued trict boundaries with a view to more competi- that Prop 14 would actually narrow candidate tive elections in which the middle of the po- selection. They said each party would adopt litical spectrum would have more say: Ari- a method for endorsing a candidate before the Democratic Values in Action zona, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, New Jersey, Maine primary. In many places that would be a party and Washington—a mix of Republican-lean- caucus. In other places, the elected leaders ing and Democratic-leaning states, showing of the party would name an endorsee. Either that the commission concept is not really a way, the choice of candidate would be lim- DVA now helps partisan idea. continued on next page In Virginia, State Sen. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee for governor last year, women’s shelter has led a campaign to create such an inde- Democratic Values on Action (DVA), the pendent commission to draw Virginia’s First Sat. Breakfast on non-political arm of ACDC, is making a spe- boundaries. His bill has twice passed the cial summer effort to collect items for the Democratic-controlled State Senate—and 2nd Sat. this month women’s shelter and transition program. twice died in the GOP-controlled House of The Arlington Democrats First Saturday DVA started in June collecting items Delegates, suggesting that the commission Breakfast will be held at the Bear Rock Cafe such as toilet paper, paper towels, handi wipes, idea has been tagged as partisan in some quar- in Shirlington, Saturday, July 10, at 8:30 a.m. towels, wash cloths and travel tooth brush kits. ters of the commonwealth. (That’s the second Saturday because of the The cereal drive for the Arlington Food California came up with a different Fourth of July weekend.) Assistance Center (AFAC) continues. Also idea—surprise, surprise. Governor Arnold The featured guests in July will be DVA will start collecting pencils, new or Schwarzenegger, a Republican who has of- Maureen Markham, deputy ACDC chair, lightly used, for distribution to all Arlington ten clashed with his party’s right wing, pushed and Terron Sims, author, veteran and Demo- middle schools for student use in their spe- Prop 14. Actually, two other states previously cratic activist, discussing his recently pub- cial education initiatives. adopted this all-party primary system—Loui- lished novel. Finally, new or gently used adult cloth- siana, not exactly viewed as a model of po- Join the fun; no RSVP needed. Eat, chat ing is needed for the homeless shelters. Thank litical reform, and Washington, which also has and discuss—what else—politics. Questions you for your support of Arlington Democratic an independent boundary commission and so may be directed to [email protected] Values in Action. is attacking the perceived problem every or 703 835 6614. ACDC Voice, July 2010, Page 9

The Cooch Corner—Keeping watch on our AG Shannon sees major ethics flaw Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has Association, which is under investigation in Cuccinelli has acknowledged later calling been implicated in a possibly very serious other states as a dubious charity suspected of the head of U.S. Navy Vets, Bobby Thompson, ethical lapse—in effect, selling a public policy raising vast sums but not devoting much to and asking for more. Cuccinelli said he was not position to a major contributor. its supposed charitable purposes. asked to do anything for the added contribution, Steve Shannon, who was the Democratic At the time of the contribution, the state which came to $50,000, 10 times more than nominee for attorney general in last year’s consumer affairs office, which is part of the Thompson gave any other candidate. election, laid out the charge point-by point in Department of Agriculture and Consumer Three weeks after getting the $50,000, an article he wrote for The Virginian Pilot of Affairs, had told the association it was no Shannon said, Cuccinelli called a news con- June 24. longer exempt from a requirement to file an- ference where he again advocated shifting the Shannon said Cuccinelli had accepted the nual reports on its charitable work with Rich- consumer affairs office to the attorney gen- huge campaign contribution of $55,500 and very mond. eral. soon took a position that could have helped the Last June, four days after Cuccinelli re- In his article in The Virginian Pilot, contributor avoid oversight by the state. ceived the money, Shannon and Cuccinelli Cuccinelli argued for a much stronger ethics “I think the timing is devastating,” Sh- were in a campaign debate and Shannon said law in Virginia, noting that just last year a state annon said. “You receive huge contributions, Cuccinelli then advocated moving the con- legislator was found pressing for the General and then you stake out policy positions.” sumer affairs office out of the Agriculture Assembly to create a new university center Shannon wrote that Cuccinelli first re- Department and into the Office of the Attor- while negotiating for a job that would open ceived $5,000 from the U.S. Navy Veterans ney General. up if the center were created. Do you want to buy this from California? continued from previous page He says that will encourage them to be more against Prop 14. moderate. ited to fewer people. Feinstein says candidates able to raise But Stern argued that candidates in open Ron Nehring, chairman of the Califor- “more and more money” will be the same old primaries might be more concerned with rais- nia Republican Party, said, “Ninety-nine per- players. He says that’s how it has played out ing more money to appeal to more voters, cent of the Republicans that were involved in in the two states that previously adopted the which could leave them more beholden to choosing our candidates are now excluded open primary. And it’s not surprising to him special interests. from choosing our candidates,” because the that the people most able to buy elections in And Stern said smaller parties won’t be party primary is dead and gone. “In the fu- California — major corporations — were the able to get enough votes in a wide-open pri- ture, this decision will be made by no more ones that funded this campaign behind Prop mary to place their candidates on the general than a few thousand [in a caucus] and, in most 14. election ballot. cases, a few dozen [where a county commit- Stern notes that in Washington state’s The Green Party’s Michael Feinstein, a tee anoints a candidate].” first all-party primary, all the incumbents still former mayor of Santa Monica, fought In California, the all-party primary ap- won. plies to races for statewide offices, the state legislature and the U.S. House and Senate. Local offices in California are non-partisan by law. In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell en- dorsed the concept of an independent bound- ary commission during last fall’s gubernato- rial race. He has not supported any legisla- tion since taking office, however. Bob Stern with the Center for Govern- m