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From YouTube: Engaging with Arlington VA
Description
Some Arlington County residents have served for decades on advisory commissions to the Arlington County Board. In January, 2012, the County Board honored some of the longest-serving commissioners at a County Board Meeting, thanking them for their engagement with the community.
A
B
B
The
participation
of
citizens
means
that
we're
able
to
accomplish
things
that
a
lot
of
other
places
aren't.
We
are
able
to
do
things,
because
very
talented
people
in
our
community
are
willing
to
give
their
time
and
their
effort,
and
often
a
lot
more
because
they're
real
sacrifices
made
to
do
some
of
this
work
for
a
long
period
of
time.
We're
able
to
accomplish
more
because
of
that,
then
we
would
solely
by
depending
upon
political
leadership
or
the
work
of
good
professional
staff.
B
It's
the
combination
of
those
three
things:
good
professional
staff,
strong
political
leadership
but
citizen
based
leadership
and
direct
participation
of
citizens
in
the
policy-making
process.
That
I
think
really
makes
Arlington
the
kind
of
community.
It
is
to
me
that's
really
what
the
Arlington
way
as
people
sometimes
call.
It
is
really
all
about,
and.
C
I
want
to
say
that,
in
serving
on
the
Commission
in
23
years,
the
the
people
on
the
Commission
over
the
years
I
think
of
have
done
as
the
other
members
of
boards
and
commissions.
They
do
it
because
they
love
Arlington.
They
think
it's
the
place
to
be
to
live
and
they
want
to
contribute
whatever
they
can
to
help
making
our
Lincoln
of
a
better
place.
I.
D
Just
want
to
say
that
it's
been
a
tremendous
experience
serving
on
the
Urban
Forestry
Commission.
Many
of
you
probably
didn't
know
there
is
an
urban
forestry
commission,
but
it's
the
advisory
commission
that
tries
to
preserve
our
trees
and
get
more
trees
planted
and
and
take
good
care
of
the
ones
we
have.
Everybody
likes
trees
and
it's
actually
a
big
job
to
try
to
help
the
trees
out
being
a
being
a
tree
in
an
urban
area
like
this
is,
is
kind
of
a
hard
life,
especially
the
street
trees.
D
E
A
former
member
of
the
EDC
approached
me
and
said:
would
you
accept
an
appointment
of
the
Arlington
County
Board
to
be
on
the
economic
development
commission
I
said
tell
me
what
that
is:
do
they
do
what's
your
charter?
He
did
and
I
said
no
and
the
reason
I
said
no,
because
my
professional
background,
my
educational
background,
I,
didn't
think
gave
me
any
of
the
tools.
E
I
could
participate
with
such
a
group
and
assist
and
provide
the
advice
to
the
county
board
that
we
were
charted
to
do
well
after
persistence
from
this
particular
member
I
did
say
yes,
I,
said
I.
I
will
do
yes
or
selfish
reason.
I'm
getting
involved
in
something
I've
never
been
involved
in
my
life.
I
will
learn
how
a
community
works,
how
they
identify
their
problems,
how
they
approach
up
problems,
how
they
fix
their
problems,
I!
Think
of
a
great
education.
This
point
in
my
life,
so
I
did
and
I'm
happy.
F
Thank
You
Walter:
it's
been
my
pleasure
over
the
last
12
13
years
to
work
with
the
county
board
and
do
some
things
that
I
think
have
been
fairly
helpful
for
tenants,
particularly
low-income
tenants,
but
also
I.
Think.
We've
have
striven
to
make
sure
that
there
is
a
good
dialogue
between
tenant
and
low
and
the
property
owner
community
I.
Think
we've
gotten
I
think
we've
gotten
a
lot
accomplished
and
it's
worth
a
commission,
as
you
can
imagine.
F
Sometimes
you
show
up
there
and
there's
40
40
tenets,
who
are
mad
about
something
and
they
show
up
at
seven-thirty
and
again
is
walter
talked
about
like
we've
really
tried
to
make
sure
that,
truly
that
the
Commission
is
one
place
where
someone
who's
new
to
the
country,
maybe
doesn't
really
have
easy
easy
facility
with
the
language
are
able
to
come
and
come
to
a
place
and
talk
to
their
government
and
make
some
complaints
bring
up
some
issues
and
I.
Think
it's
been.
It's
been
a
helpful
venue
and.
G
Everyone
in
this
room
is
really
responsible
for
helping
to
keep
arlington
as
a
good
place
to
live,
work
and
play,
as
we
heard,
and
to
retain
a
sense
of
place.
We
have
places
where
people
lived
where
people
worked
in
a
fabric
of
the
community
that
we
are
going
to
continue
to
weave
into
the
new
community,
and
that's
really
important,
and
everyone
contributes
to
that
and
I'm
glad
that
I
could
have
some
part
of
it.
Thank.
A
Well,
I
think
you
just
had
a
chance
a
little
window
into
some
of
the
wonderful
stories
and
the
wonderful
ways
in
which
people
contribute
to
this
community.
These
folks
chaired
5
of
about
35
or
40
commissions
that
we
have,
all
of
which
have
varying
numbers
of
citizens
who
meet
once
a
month
or
sometimes
even
more,
to
share
their
ideas
and
give
us
their
advice.
And,
as
my
colleagues
have
said,
we
could
not
do
the
work
we
do.