The most consequential event that impacted Arlington was the inauguration of Donald Trump as our 47th president on January 20, followed by his numerous executive orders, and a torrent of actions that are too numerous to list. The most immediate impact involved the wholesale firings of federal workers. Arlington has always had a large number of federal workers within its population – a published news report in March estimated that 25,000 federal workers lived in Arlington. Several of our local organizations, and politicians, responded with job fairs and other resources to assist the many residents who were fired.  In similar fashion, in response to the federal administration’s chaotic deportation actions, critical resources were also provided to the immigrant community. 

The most visible response involved an extraordinary number of public protests. Some examples would be the weekly protests at the Tesla dealership in Arlington; the “No Kings Day” protest that covered all of Langston Boulevard; and the “bridge brigades” over I-66 and 395, with some creative signage. 

Beginning in April, our non-profit organizations experienced drastic cuts in funding. As just one example, Aspire Afterschool Learning faced significant financial challenges due to abrupt AmeriCorps funding cuts. The organization lost approximately $400,000 in funding, but our local community responded by raising $350,000 to bridge the gap. Through these efforts, Aspire was able to hire back AmeriCorps members as permanent staff for the summer and the school year. 

Our public school system attracted the ire of federal officials, as the Department of Education withdrew funding for Arlington Public Schools (APS) for allegedly violating federal law with its supportive transgender policies. APS has sued the Department of Education to protect their policies and funding. The litigation is still winding its way through the court system.  

For our specific local matters, there is the ongoing saga of the Missing Middle lawsuit, which had been filed in the spring of 2023, with no end in sight. At some point perhaps our community will be able to assess “lessons learned” from all of this. I might offer the (perhaps obvious) observation that citizen unhappiness is often a common by-product of government action. The Columbia Pike street and sidewalk renovations significantly disrupted life for people and businesses on the Pike this year, leaving a residue of bitterness toward the way the County handled the construction process. Legislative decisions regarding zoning and land use approvals also resulted in dissatisfaction with process, and with the results. One might say that such unhappiness has motivated a push to change our form of government. The year has ended with the County Board considering how to start a study of possible changes. Their last meeting of the year was devoted solely to this issue, drawing a remarkable number of public comments. 

I don’t want this review to be all doom and gloom, as there are many good things happening in Arlington. In the broader picture I could cite the many ways that Arlington achieves high rankings by various state and national organizations. In a recent AARP “Livability Index” ranking of U.S. large communities (100,000 to 499,999 people), Arlington came out on top (followed by Alexandria, Cambridge, and Salt Lake City). Their metrics included transportation, health, and engagement. 

I wish I had room in this column to cite many of the good things happening in Arlington, both large and small.  Some examples include Fire Station 8’s Grand Reopening on Langston Boulevard; the “Memorializing the Enslaved” project; and the excellent outreach to our teen community by our Parks and Recreation Department. 

I am amazed at Arlington’s long history of citizen involvement. I have noted a theme simply in the names of its many ad hoc groups which have formed as coalitions over the years, such as the Better Government League (1930); Arlingtonians for a Better County (1950s); and Committee for a Better Arlington (2010). The historical trend seems to be a consistent plea that “we can always do better.”