ACCOMPLISHMENTS

COVID Response:

  • During the first 6 months of 2020 while Chair, I successfully advocated to the Governor for the distribution of more vaccines and communicated relentlessly with community members to provide information about these vaccines.
  • During the early period of the pandemic, I relayed specific constituent concerns communicated daily with board colleagues and the County Manager.
  • Distributed newsletters via email 16 times during the first 25 days of the COVID Pandemic in March 2020 & continued to communicate regularly on COVID via newsletter to serve residents throughout the pandemic.

Affordable Housing:

  • Supported affordable housing projects to help with geographic diversity of affordable housing such as Queen’s Court, zoning policies to allow for more affordable housing near metros, funding to ensure Barcroft Apartment and the more than 1100 families living there can continue to live there.
  • Held numerous hearings on the Serrano as Chair to support better quality housing for residents.

Inclusive Economic Growth:

  • Worked with the Carpenter’s Union to develop a partnership to prevent wage theft and value work.
  • Passed Collective Bargaining Ordinance and Prevailing Wage Ordinance supported by labor while Chair.
  • Supported two rounds of small business grants.
  • Supported the partnership agreement with Amazon which has resulted in no hotel incentive funding for Amazon from Arlington so far, but has or will lead to more than $500 million in funding for affordable housing for Arlington.

Racial Equity:

  • Supported the County’s 2019 Racial Equity Work by passing the 2019 Ordinance and supporting work and funding to implement racial equity framework and lens for action.
  • Worked with advocates to change the Arlington County Logo from the Lee House, to change the name to Langston Boulevard from Lee Highway, and supported the change to Richmond Highway.
  • Supported subpoena power in the police Community Oversight Board and enacted an Ordinance to implement a Civilian Oversight Board with numerous revisions and additions sought by the community.

Education:

  • Supported additional funding in the Budget in 2019 to help close budget gap due to enrollment growth.
  • Worked with Arlington Public Schools to provide funding for outdoor lunch in 2021.

Climate Change:

  • Successfully advocated for 2025 goals for County Government, 2035 goal of 100% renewable electricity, & carbon neutrality by 2050 during the rewrite of the Community Energy Plan in 2019.
  • Strongly supported solar farm agreement in 2020 that helps reach 2025 goals. 

Hunger:

  • Secured Food Security Coordinator and established Food Security Task Force to help assess and address the problem of hunger in Arlington.

Gun Safety:

  • Voted to enact common sense protections in parks and public spaces in Arlington.