In Depth
The Coalition for Arlington Good Government (CAGG) is a grassroots collection of civic organizations and concerned individuals who have come together to educate Arlington residents about the damage that would be caused by the adoption of the change of government petition currently being circulated in Arlington. They are urging Arlington voters to Decline To Sign the referendum petition and to keep this misguided referendum off of the ballot.
The CAGG mission states, in part: We do not need to change our entire form of government just to get higher pay for public safety employees. Changing our form of government would have broad and negative effects. We will not sign a petition to immediately force a referendum vote.
Coalition co-chairs Bill Bozman, Judy Connally, Alan Howze and Kris McLaughlin and other CAGG supporters aim to inform Arlington residents about the negative impacts of the proposal behind the petition drive, which has been initiated by some Arlington firefighters and police officers who hope to gain more leverage in lobbying for pay and benefits. The Coalition rejects the premise that the best way to address any group’s personal priorities is by jeopardizing Arlington’s entire system of government.
Hundreds of Arlington residents have joined the Coalition, and CAGG is proud to have the support of organizations such as the Arlington New Directions Coalition, the Alliance for Housing Solutions, and the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
”The petition drive is being driven by a few special interest groups with their own agenda,” said Howze. “It would force Arlington voters into an all-or-nothing choice and impose on Arlington a form of government only used by four rural counties in Virginia. It is not a good choice for our community and its not the Arlington way. We encourage Arlington voters to Decline to Sign the petition.”
Judy Connally, former VA Delegate and School Board Chairman, noted that, “Arlington’s current form of government is unique in Virginia, and keeping it is fundamental to protecting the special powers we have been able to carve out in Richmond. I can’t imagine that a single issue could ever justify this kind of extreme reaction. All Arlington families need to understand how serious the risks are.”
Added Kris McLaughlin, former president of the Arlington Gay & Lesbian Alliance, “People leading this petition drive should have given consideration to the many gays and lesbians who live and work here. With all the frightening rhetoric coming out of Richmond, I rely on Arlington’s unique established powers to remain a progressive leader on equality and human rights. I would never gamble that away on a petition.“
The Coalition has also established a Facebook page (http://tinyurl.com/2apxtzc) with the simple message, “Decline to Sign!”
Bill Bozman, past chair of the Alliance for Housing Solutions and former member of the Partnership for Children, Youth and Families, observed, “It’s no accident that Arlington is a statewide leader in affordable housing and tenant policies, including helping our teachers, police and firefighters to buy affordable homes here. In these areas, the fundamental programs we enjoy today would be destroyed by the change of government proposal. Given my background of 30 plus years in the federal civil service, I am also appalled that this proposal would eliminate our Civil Service Commission, vastly increasing the risks of political patronage in Arlington’s hiring process.”