Oct. 11, 2011 - The Sun Gazette Endorses Tejada, Hynes!

Both Tejada and Hynes have relatively well-defined shortcomings as board members: Tejada focuses on too narrow a range of issues, and Hynes, who came into office with the goal of being a reformer within the system, quickly abandoned that goal and today both goes along with her colleagues (for the most part) and, like Tejada, often gets too stuck in the weeds on issues where the big-picture view is sorely needed.

That said, each also has been largely reasonable on key issues facing the county; despite naysayers from both the left and the right (and this editorial page), the voters seem comfortable with how Arlington is run and the costs involved in running it.

We find ourselves in agreement with Clement on a number of issues, ranging from the lack of necessity for a Columbia Pike streetcar system to the County Board’s phony efforts on affordable housing. But Clement is 180 degrees wrong on other issues, including the popular but laughable Green Party refrain suggesting developers are the real power behind the scene in Arlington governance. It just ain’t so, as many times as Greens repeat it.

Final verdict? Hynes is competent and a hard worker; if she would simply not sweat the small stuff, she would be even more effective. Tejada is engaged on issues that interest him and has been active in representing the County Board on issues ranging from immigration and the census to the current Civil War commemoration, making for a stronger second term than his first.

Clement has proved a good alternative voice, but needs more seasoning; perhaps some time on a key county commission like the Planning Commission or Housing Commission might do the trick. But as for the Nov. 8 election, we will endorse Tejada and Hynes for re-election.