Virginia At Issue - November 2017
Democrats Make Massive Gains in Virginia Elections
As widely reported, Democrats took victories in all three races at the top of the ballot. Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam won election as Governor against Republican Ed Gillespie for Governor. Democratic candidate Justin Fairfax defeated Republican State Senator Jill Vogel to become Virginia’s next Lieutenant Governor, and Mark Herring (D) won reelection as Attorney General. AOBA’s Virginia Metropolitan Political Action Committee endorsed Herring in his reelection bid, recognizing his strong support on issues including transportation funding and utility regulation. The PAC declined to make an endorsement in the races for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. However, AOBA has a longstanding working relationship with Governor-elect Northam during his role as Lieutenant Governor and as a member of the Senate of Virginia prior to that.
While Democrats were expected to make gains in the Virginia House of Delegates, most pundits predicted that roughly 4 to 6 seats were likely to flip from Republican to Democratic control. As this newsletter is written, it appears that the Democrats have gained a whopping 16 seats, with four more races within 200 votes and likely to go to recount. Republicans currently hold a 66 to 34 margin of control over the House of Delegates, making 17 the magic number of seats that Democrats must flip to gain control of the legislative body.
Even if the Democrats fail to pick up the additional seat to gain control over the legislative body, their gains will likely affect significant changes not just in terms of an enhanced voting bloc, but also proportionality of membership on Committees. Should party control switch hands, Democrats will also gain control over leadership posts and assignment of Committee positions.
An even split or a Democratic takeover are still possible with three seats pending recounts. In Portsmouth, Delegate David Yancey (R) holds a 10-vote lead over challenger Shelly Simonds. Recounts are also pending in Stafford where Republican Bob Thomas holds an 84-vote lead over Democratic candidate Joshua Cole in the seat vacated by retiring Speaker of the House Bill Howell, and in Clifton where House Majority Caucus Chairman Tim Hugo (R) holds a 115-vote lead over challenger Donte Tanner (D). Current House rules would dictate a power sharing arrangement with Committee co-Chairs and even distribution of voting seats should the elections result in a 50-50 split.
Governor-Elect Northam campaigned on a pledge to continue the policies pursued by the McAuliffe administration. While generally positive, this likely signals that proposed legislation being advanced by the McAuliffe administration to mandate energy benchmarking and disclosure will be introduced in 2018.
In the House of Delegates, several prominent friends of AOBA lost in their bids for reelection. These include Delegates Jackson Miller (R-Manassas), Rich Anderson (R-Woodbridge), Randy Minchew (R-Leesburg), Tag Greason (R-Ashburn) and Manoli Loupassi (R-Richmond); all of whom have served as patrons of AOBA-initiated legislation in the last few years.
Not only did the Republican caucus shrink in size, but many of the more moderate members were defeated. At the same time, many of the victorious candidates on the Democratic side of the ballot ran on progressive platforms. As such, an increase in partisanship can be expected and many initiatives, long considered immovable in the Virginia legislature, may now be viable.
Should party control over the Virginia House of Delegates switch hands, the Northern Virginia delegation, comprised almost entirely of Democrats, stands to gain power. This could potentially include several leadership positions and Committee Chairmanships, not to mention coveted Committee and Subcommittee assignments.
AOBA will continue to provide updates and analysis in the coming months as our advocacy team works to build relationships and educate new members regarding our industry’s issues.
Arlington Incentive-Based, Market Rate Affordable Housing Preservation Proposal Unveiled
Over the last several months, Arlington County staff has been developing a proposal to establish an incentive-based program to encourage the preservation of market rate affordable housing units in identified districts throughout the County. AOBA has been supportive of the concept, but we are anxiously awaiting details of the proposal. After months of anticipation, a staff report was unveiled, detailing the proposed policy, to be incorporated into the Affordable Housing Master Plan, a component of the County’s General Land Use Plan.
The plan already appears to have been fast-tracked for consideration by the County Board before the end of the year. Public hearings on the proposal will be held before the Planning Commission on December 4 and the County Board on December 16.
While generally consistent with its billing as an incentive-based plan, one provision has raised concern among developers. As part of the proposed amendments, County staff suggests removing the townhouse option as a by-right use in designated districts. It would instead become a special exception use. Some in the development community fear that this may have unintended consequences, affecting the financing of projects and removing any leverage that property owners possess in the site plan review process. The ultimate result of this change may be to discourage the redevelopment and rehabilitation of such properties, driving them into a state of disrepair.
The proposal is being developed as an amendment to the Affordable Housing Master Plan, a component of the General Land Use Plan. As such, it will basically serve as a guide for all future site plan consideration and likely affect all residential properties at some point.
AOBA staff is reviewing the staff language and developing an organizational response. Additional information will be shared with multifamily owners/managers with interests in Arlington County in the coming weeks.
AOBA Staff Member Receives Appointment to Leadership Position in Arlington
AOBA is pleased to announce that our very own Manager of Government Affairs, Bismah Ahmed, has been appointed to a position on the Arlington County Landlord-Tenant Commission. In this role, she will serve as a representative of the industry on the Commission, which hears grievances and facilitates disputes between tenants and housing providers; advises the County Board on policies and programs; and proposes legislation for the County Board’s recommendation to the General Assembly.