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From YouTube: Jay Fisette on the Journey to Today's Arlington
Description
Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fisette's opening remarks at the Board's annual organizational meeting, January 1, 2014.
A
It's
not
news
that
2014
will
bring
changes
and
challenges.
Change
is
the
only
constant
in
life
we
in
Arlington
Neville
was
welcomed,
change
carefully,
managed
with
broad
community
involvement
and
thoughtful
review.
Sound
planning
and
adaptability
are
two
of
our
Civic
strengths.
It
won't
surprise
you
that
my
focus
for
the
year
will
be,
broadly
speaking,
on
sustainability,
the
ability
to
prosper
through
change.
A
Everything
we
do
should
be
judged
by
how
it
advances
our
goal
of
building
a
community
that
will
stain
sustained
Arlington
ians
for
generations
to
come.
We
have
such
a
strong
foundation
to
build
on
when
I
moved
to
arlington
in
1983
31
years
ago.
It
was
a
somewhat
sleepy
place
with
an
uncertain
future
from
my
rented
apartment
in
the
River
House
complex
I
walked
on
a
dirt
path
through
a
field
to
reach
the
newly
completed
pentagon
city
metro
station.
That
field
today
is
fashion
center
and
pentagon.
A
Row
filled
with
people
shopping,
working,
dining
and
ice
skating
on
the
plaza.
At
that
time,
the
most
common
landmark
in
the
Rosslyn
Boston
quarter
was
a
used
car
lot.
Many
of
them,
the
Sears
automotive
center,
had
not
been
transformed
into
market
common.
The
long
bridge
park
was
an
industrial
wasteland,
shirlington
was
dominated
by
the
best
big-box
store
and
a
huge
surface
parking
lot.
Many
of
our
schools
and
parks
public
buildings
were
in
need
of
repair.
A
We
had
made
the
commitment
to
transit
as
our
prime
engine
of
redevelopment,
but
were
not
sure
how
far
it
could
take
us
now,
after
years
of
persistence
of
patience
and
sound
investment,
the
results
are
clear
between
1972
and
the
end
of
2013.
We
have
added
about
40,000
homes,
40
million
square
feet
of
office,
space,
four
million
square
feet
of
retail
and
services,
and
yet
traffic
on
many
of
arterioles
is
decreased.
A
A
We
have
won
many
awards
for
smart
growth,
but
more
important
than
plaques
are
the
people
who
have
been
attracted
by
our
exciting
urban
villages,
our
strong
neighborhoods,
our
transportation
options
and
our
walkable
bikable
streets.
Today,
Arlington
has
the
nation's
highest
concentration
of
25
to
34
year
olds.
A
We
are
the
location
of
the
creative
class
I'm,
particularly
proud
that,
through
all
this
growth
and
change,
we've
maintained
the
very
best
characteristics
of
a
small
town.
Our
crime
rate
is
low,
our
streets
are
safe,
neighbors
help
neighbors.
We
continue
to
embrace
diversity
and
to
care
for
the
most
vulnerable.
Among
us,
we've
maintained
that
connectedness
and
a
strong
civic
culture
where
the
Arlington
way
continues
to
thrive.
Even
through
the
worst
of
the
recession,
Arlington
maintained
a
strong
social
safety
net
and
continues
to
invest
in
our
future.
A
Our
development
policies
have
created
a
broad
property
tax
base
that
is
well
balanced
between
commercial
and
residential
assessments,
so
the
tax
burden
is
more
equitably
shared,
instead
of
being
disproportionately
borne
by
homeowners.
Thanks
to
strong
fiscal
management,
Arlington
has
been
able
to
keep
its
tax
rate
among
the
lowest
in
the
region.
We
have
also
maintained
our
coveted
triple
triple
a
bond
rating,
one
of
only
a
handful
of
jurisdictions
in
the
United
States.