In response to several requests, A,Y. recently researched Arlington's VIP County employees to determine how many actually live in Arlington. The answer - very few. By VIP we mean the County Manager, her deputies, assistants, and department heads with key decision-making authority over plans, projects, and agendas that determine our quality of life. Among the comments posted to this blog are several that stated: "Arlington County is run by non-residents, for non-residents".
It's completely unacceptable to us to have non-residents who live in semi-rural outer suburbs to cram as much density as possible into our tiny county to benefit REITs and developers who live in similar protected enclaves - sometimes in the same enclave. In the event you are unfamiliar with what a semi-rural outer suburb looks like, we enclose a photo of Clifton, Virginia, home of Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan.
Apparently it's too much to ask the County Board to require its VIP employees (many with household incomes above $300,000) to find an upscale home in Arlington and be liable to the same consequences for the decisions they inflict on Arlington residents and taxpayers.
Cindy