The Arlington Way

It must be Arlington everywhere these days. And look at what the trigger is - streetcars!  Damascus, Lake Oswego, Clackamas County, Tigard, Stafford, and countless other communities throughout the country (and world) are not the congenial, collegial  places to live that they once were.  I wish they were.  But I also don't want the back room deals and secret power trips that turn average citizens (aka taxpayers or ATMs) into pawns.  Government has gone too far and this is the response.

I give kudos to the current City Council members for working together for the good of the community, but if this trend does not continue, the old ways will come roaring back.  This article will remind us where we were and where we don't want to go.  Despite the new tone in City Hall, past conflicts are still there - waiting.  What will Lake Oswegans decide to do?

How do we get government back on track to serve the public and the not the developers and powerful outside influences?  Forget what they want, what does the public want from its government?  Which direction will give us the most liberty and keep the most money in our pocket?

A Streetcar Route Drives Typically Calm Arlington County into Conflict

Governing Magazine, August 2013  |   By Alan Eherenhalt

The wealthy Virginia county outside Washington, D.C., has been free of the nasty political environment home to its neighbors – until now. Causing the controversy is a proposed streetcar, which nearly a dozen cities are building.

What may be most important is that local politics has changed, and seems unlikely to change back anytime soon. Political conflict that was long submerged under the peaceful aegis of the Arlington Way has now broken into the open, and bottling it up again will be difficult. That may be a shame, but it was also probably inevitable that some issue would surface and break the spell, even one as seemingly benign as streetcars.