Community Organizing

New Challenges in Our Area

William Sundwick

Let’s start with some assumptions about 21^st century American politics. Assumption #1: many, many people are poorly served by their local governments; assumption #2: virtually all communities have some people who are quite content, but most others much less so; assumption #3: those who are most content are that way because they have a voice in the political process.

Assumption #4: the political power imbalance requires extra-governmental activity, or organization, to move it. That’s what community organizing is all about. Those who are discontented because they lack access to their local governments can gain more access through these organizing intermediaries.

How is this done? All local jurisdictions in the United States, like state governments, and the federal government itself, have popularly elected representatives and executives. Yet, some elections are less democratic than others, because of voter interference by political parties, or incomplete (or inaccurate?) information made available to voters.

Since community organizing entities are usually 501(c)(3) organizations – they cannot support partisan actors, or lobby on their behalf – they must limit themselves to non-partisan voter information and registration.  Nevertheless, community organizers can easily advocate for ballot initiatives, economic plans (including allocations in public budgets), and even changes to law, without running afoul of those 501-c restrictions.

How do they accomplish this advocacy? Elected bodies in local jurisdictions must at least appear to be working for their constituents if they intend to stand for re-election, so they have an incentive to be responsive to organizations that present public clout, through media exposure and support from influential community leaders – often the pulpits of religious institutions. Advocacy is carried out in these venues, sometimes even including street demonstrations and marches. It often comes down to sheer numbers of bodies – “seat-warmers” at a local county board meeting, or marchers gathered outside with placards (and reported by local media). That’s my usual role!

There is some risk in these tactics. Arrests can be made at demonstrations, and media exposure can be negative from some outlets. Community organizers should always expect that their actions will cause, at the very least, increased tension with those forces who support and benefit from the status quo. A poorly planned campaign for some social good may experience blowback from the targeted groups, which can dull community momentum. And the interests of the marginalized community members must always be paramount -- they must be the final arbiters of any actions.

Fifty years ago, when Saul Alinsky wrote his book Rules for Radicals, he laid out the principles of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), concluding that the strongest community organizations were religious institutions. An interfaith alliance of churches and synagogues could pool their efforts at community betterment around local umbrella organizations. These were the IAF chapters around the country.

VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) is the Northern Virginia IAF affiliate, founded in 2008. VOICE includes an active cadre of Muslim places of worship, along with traditional Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian, and Jewish congregations. But our region, like others, has recently seen a decrease in concentrations of affected communities. Churches in the area have been losing members. Their budgets have been strained. Some of the old congregations have been dropping their VOICE partnership, mostly due to their changing demographics, and consequent challenges keeping up their dues. New clergy and new congregations can be approached. Some new ones are being added (an established Presbyterian church in my neighborhood just joined).

But many marginalized groups leave the area, or at least move farther out – where they can afford to live. Arlington and Alexandria, especially, are becoming more affluent (and white) as gentrification inexorably pushes the less privileged out of the community. The coming of Amazon to Arlington will only exacerbate an already untenable situation for much of the local service sector of lower income families. “The rent is too damn high!”

This has led VOICE to alter its strategy for 2020 and beyond. Expanding on the model proposed by Alinsky, it now seems that religious institutions need to be supplemented by other community allies. Organized labor, shunned by Alinsky as too parochial in its interests, now may be a potential target for outreach. Likewise, teachers (by law in Virginia, non-unionized) have professional associations; these, too, could be VOICE partners. In addition, tenants’ associations for housing issues, and PTAs for school issues.

While the tactics for advocacy remain unchanged – get local politicians to listen because they fear electoral reprisal if they don’t – the changing demographics in the “inside-the-beltway” communities like Arlington and Alexandria make that somewhat harder. Wealthier citizens are now beginning to outnumber the marginalized in these places.

Arlington and Alexandria do have an important service sector, however, including teachers, police, firefighters. Increasingly, these public servants cannot afford to live in (or even near) the communities where they work. Hence, affordable housing remains a goal of VOICE organizing, both locally and in Richmond (the General Assembly will be voting on funding for housing this session). Localities and Richmond also share responsibility for zoning (yes, the Dillon Rule in Virginia, gives the General Assembly potential influence over city and county zoning authority!). “Upzoning” for multi-family development in single family neighborhoods is an important tool for increasing affordable housing availability.

Criminal justice reform and education resources for school counselors and pre-K are also on VOICE’s docket for 2020. Suspension of drivers licenses for non-payment of court costs is an issue in Richmond, as is state funding for more guidance counselors (current rate: 500:1 ratio of students to counselors – VOICE advocates halving it to 250:1).

Whether the venue is the Arlington County Board meeting or the General Assembly in Richmond, the basic principle is still to show up! Numbers are what politicians, and the media, can see and report.

The original Saul Alinsky theory remains valid. Voiceless people need numbers to be heard; numbers have power for elected officials. But the IAF “Iron Rule” still applies: Never do for people what they can do for themselves. It’s about giving voice to the voiceless, not amplifying the voice of those who are already heard!

The Homestead: Next Ten Years

William Sundwick

We’ve been here 35 years, among the old-timers now in our Arlington neighborhood. The house began as a simple center-hall colonial, built in 1947, but grew with our family. Two boys went from birth through high school graduation in this house. Both returned for customary “back-with-parents- after-college” periods in their lives. We didn’t become confirmed empty-nesters until about 2014. I retired the following year. My wife has not taken that plunge yet – she still commutes daily between the house and Capitol Hill.

While there is no official timetable, it seems appropriate to begin speculating on how much longer we’ll be comfortable remaining in our now apparently too-large home. The assumption is that at some point, downsizing will be advisable.

But, the usual reasons for downsizing have not settled in for either my wife or me – yet. We can still both negotiate the stairs easily for all three floors. We enjoy the space, the copious storage (especially, empty bedrooms), kitchen and dining room big enough for our friends and family to gather. And, neither of us foresees a reason why this will change in the near-term.

My wife anticipates her second knee replacement will mean a temporary disability for her, as did her first, “I’ll have to live on one floor for a while.” But I can handle the nursing, fetching, and driving. My own physical health remains astoundingly good for my 72 years.

It looks like plans for improvements, once again, have higher priority than plans to move. This happened twice before, when expansion of living space was the driver. This time, it’s enhancement and beautification of living space and outdoor environment that captures our imaginations.

The next ten years should see both a remodeled basement and reconfigured landscaping. In addition, some details too small to be considered “projects,” like replacement of broken bathroom fixtures (a robe hook) and upgrades to technology (new computers) need resolution soon.  Procrastination is a bad habit for me, as my wife keeps reminding me, “When are you going to replace that robe hook?” A ten-year plan shouldn’t mean that we wait for nine years, then try to do it all!

Improvements generally have their greatest payoff when you get to enjoy them, not simply for increasing resale value. We learned with our previous construction that Zillow, at least, doesn’t support the Cost/Benefit ratio of either of those additions. My wife says, “You know, we’ll never get our money out of it!” Now inured to that real estate fact of life, our final round of improvements will focus on our own ability to appreciate them while we’re still living in the house. Our Arlington privilege makes us feel that we wouldn’t be able to sell unless we address the two major projects – basement and landscaping. “Everybody” in our neighborhood has beautiful homes. Logically, we should do basement first, then yard and plantings.

Basement enhancement

We intend to keep the same footprint for the basement – no new foundation. We now have three rooms and bath under the original 1947 house (crawl spaces for our two additions).

One of these rooms is dedicated to laundry and HVAC installation. Another was originally intended as a bedroom (pre-code renovation, no egress), with nice built-in closet space. The third room, with bath, serves as my wife’s office, but functioned as a family room (“playroom”) when our kids were young. There is pantry storage under the stairs and very cheap paneling from Home Depot throughout (we re-paneled the family room shortly after we moved in, with my father-in-law’s help). And, there is an equally passé drop-ceiling with probable asbestos tiles. A fine home like ours, in a neighborhood like this, surely requires an updated basement living space.

It all needs to go. The bathroom will be reconfigured as a larger powder room (minus shower stall). The laundry/HVAC room and ersatz bedroom will be combined into one large open space, while retaining built-in closets. This should allow minor relocation of HVAC unit for more efficient ducting design, counter space for laundry, and moving the refrigerator-freezer from its semi-accessible location in the small laundry room. Being able to fully open the fridge doors would be a real boon -- that’s where I keep my beer!

A newer, more attractive, family room/office will feature recessed lighting and drywall, and egress window in front -- some excavation will be required here, sacrificing our dead compacta holly bushes which now occupy the space in front of the window well. It should contain a play area for grandkids, with juvenile furniture, as well as desk and computer equipment for wife’s office. “I like it here,” she says. We’ll probably get a futon to replace the broken sofa-bed and TV will remain in place. This is our plan. We made drawings and invited one contractor to give us an estimate. It was high. We stopped, but now it’s time to proceed where we left off.

Landscaping renewal

After we finished work on our second addition (2009), incorporating a large kitchen with master suite above it, more or less swallowing up our backyard, we hired a local landscaping company to give us a usable hardscape patio and walkway from our new addition around to the driveway. Plantings front and rear, and river-stone-filled driveway median completed the plan.

The backyard, especially, was a beautiful, compact, outdoor space with photinia, vibernum, skip laurel, inkberry holly, and azaleas. Liriope ground cover for the beds, and a relatively small lawn. It was nice for about seven years. Then, things started going south. Now, there is no ground cover, virtually no lawn, overgrown photinia and scrawny, but tall, vibernum, dead inkberries and azaleas. Moss grows in the cracks of the hardscape patio. We never use our backyard furniture anymore.

Would a pruning routine, as vigorous as lawn maintenance and weeding, have made a difference?

Perhaps, but there’s a limit to how much time I’m willing to spend simply for external appearance – even in my neighborhood.

In any case, it all needs to be replaced. No plan yet, and I’m ready to search for another landscaper. My original company, although presenting an attractive picture at first, has not been very helpful with maintenance. “It’s much too expensive,” says he. I’m apparently on my own for replacing dead plants.

A realistic ten-year plan will likely be:

1)      engage contractors for the two big projects

2)      continue to close off unused rooms (if climate control costs don’t explode), and:

3)      optimize our large front yard for appearance only – although a usable backyard might be nice.

The little things I should get to right away – of course! Robe hook, new computers; yeah, yeah …

  

Amazon is coming! (reference: "Amazon Comes to Arlington," April 7, 2019 post)

Our House, a History

35 Years in Our Arlington Home

William Sundwick

Our 1983 marriage presented us with two one-bedroom condos in Arlington, Virginia. We chose to live in mine (a tad nicer?), while my wife put hers on the market. The plan was to start shopping for a house, townhouse, or at least a 2-bedroom Fairlington condo, immediately. My completing school and returning to the Library of Congress from sabbatical delayed that search for a few months.

I had already been living in Arlington for ten years by that time, and my wife in her condo on Columbia Pike for five. We had been a couple since 1979.

First big question was: where do we want to live? Next question: what can we afford there? One-bedrooms in South Arlington, in those days, were selling in the mid-$20s to low-$50s. Mine, in Fairlington, was on the high end, hers on the Pike, the low end.

We had some savings, too – and, a promise of help with down payments from both sets of parents. There were no outstanding debts except for a modest car loan held by my wife (on her 1980 Chevette) -- school, a 36-hour master’s program at AU, was, amazingly, already paid up!

Therefore, our real estate agent, Mary Lee Berger, of Better Homes Realty, advised us that we should be looking in the $110 - $130 range. We were cautious about debt, however, and looked askance at the higher end of that estimate. Our limit was the low end – even lower if we could do it. Interest rates on mortgages in those days were topping 13%. As we started looking in Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax County, we soon discovered that going lower might not be possible (in any dwelling we considered acceptable).

There were two almosts, a townhouse off Carlin Springs Rd. and another in a new development called “Alden Glen” way out Lee Highway past Fairfax City. They were both priced in the $90s, but less than favorable locations and construction quality, it seemed.

We were starting to get anxious. Obvious solution, said Mary Lee, be more flexible with the financial constraints! She started mentioning single-family homes in North Arlington and Alexandria. We were skeptical of this risky step. Del Ray neighborhood? Come on!

We didn’t take her seriously but played along. She directed us to a house just coming on the market in a North Arlington neighborhood called “Madison Manor.” Never heard of it. We accompanied her on a visit. It was a pleasant neighborhood near the Westover Shopping Center, with its quaint small-town angled parking on the main through street, Washington Blvd. We knew that strip mall because of the Black Forest Inn, then a noted bakery as well as restaurant, who had catered our wedding cake in January 1983.

We discovered the local elementary school, McKinley, only a block from the house. This seemed like a plus, should we have kids. It was a good school, too, Mary Lee assured us. Another attractive detail about the neighborhood, originally developed in the 1940s as a couple dozen brick colonials and cape cods, was the easy walk to a future Metro station at East Falls Church, scheduled to open the following year. We both thought that walking to Metro, then riding straight to the Library of Congress door, was a major selling point.

Alas, as expected, it just wasn’t in our range – listed at $123,900. Mary Lee, however, assured us that the sellers, a husband/wife Arlington Police couple, were eager. Bargaining possible?

The house was incredible – eight whole rooms (albeit small) in a center-hall brick colonial. And nicely done built-in storage in the finished basement. One large family had lived in the house for several years in the 1960s, finished the basement, and used it for bedrooms for some of their six children -- before code required egress windows from basements. What would we do with all that space? No way we could afford it. But it even had a fireplace in the living room, and “ESIK” (Eating Space In Kitchen -- a bar built into one wall in the galley kitchen, maybe space for a high chair). There was also a spacious yard, front and rear, with lots of azaleas, a dogwood in front, tulip poplar providing shade in the rear, and a gravel dog run connecting driveway with aluminum shed (husband was an Arlington K-9 officer, wife a detective). The front yard was bigger, a pie-shaped corner lot, where one street comes to an end at a “through street” winding down a hill (quotes around “through street” – there are no through streets in Madison Manor). Very pleasant house, very pleasant neighborhood. Surely, Mary Lee couldn’t drive the hard bargain we needed, could she?

She did. We closed the deal for $115K. Still more than we wanted to pay, but it seemed like a veritable dream house to us. And, so it was, when we moved in. That was August 1984.  When our two boys (born 1985 and 1988) started getting bigger, however, and we all started accumulating “stuff,” things changed. But we stayed. So did the neighbors next door, who had bought their house one year before us – raising their two kids in tandem with ours. They have become family. Both families have built on – something Madison Manor (and other Arlington neighborhood) people do.

We engaged in two separate expansion projects. The first one, in 2002, finally made the boys’ bedrooms livable for teenagers, and gave us a “bonus room” (family room and bath) off the living room. Dave Merrill, a neighbor who had a daughter same age as our youngest, was our contractor – outstanding attention to detail, craftsmanship, and sensible project planning. We did make the mistake of not having a surveyor do a new plat, and ran into a penalty (both time and money) when the next door neighbors on the other side (not “family”) ascertained the foundation was outside the minimum setback – forcing us to dig it up and start over. That was on us.

But we have enhanced our living experience immensely from that addition over the last 17 years. I’m writing now from my office in an alcove off that bonus room. Our younger son negotiated his entire high school career from his bigger room, his older brother left for college shortly after completion of the project but did return home for a couple years after college.

The timing of our second big expansion project may have been a little too late for the boys to fully appreciate it, but it has given their parents the opportunity to have the large kitchen, complete with central island, that they always wanted – and, a luxurious master suite with two full closets, two separately located sinks, and vaulted ceiling. This 2009 addition paved the way for a later minor expansion of the shared hallway bath on the second floor into the original master bedroom, now a guest bedroom.

If we could get our act together to furnish the boys’ rooms, we could claim (honestly) a four-bedroom, 3 ½ bath home! We have not. We are empty nesters now, with no young families to visit us– only old people. The boys’ rooms are denuded of furnishings, except for storage. They have both become very large closets.

Next project will be finding a contractor for a final basement redo. We need to get rid of paneling and dropped ceiling. Another part of the plan will be knocking down the wall between the separate laundry room and what we call the “den” (after its original purposing as children’s bedroom with built-in storage). We want to turn a three-room basement into two rooms.

Then will come downsizing. Not sure when, but we must face the inevitable. Much of our planning now is aimed at marketplace issues. What will sell? Maximum return? We didn’t do so well in that regard with our first two additions. Zillow makes it look like we’ve invested more than we’ll get back.

But who knows? Amazon’s arrival may jack up house prices in Arlington, they say.

Amazon Comes to Arlington

Giddiness vs. Foreboding

William Sundwick

The initial local reaction to Amazon’s HQ2 selection was giddiness. Our community would stand to garner a windfall estimated at $4.6B over twenty years. Bring 25,000 high paying jobs into the area, and everybody would benefit, right? Not necessarily.

I’ve lived in Arlington for 46 years, making me an “almost native.” I have no desire to leave. The community has been good to me and my kids. But I know that many are struggling here. In recent years, the public schools have been bursting at the seams with exploding enrollments. Many people who make the county a great place to live (teachers, police, firefighters, service workers) must commute from outside the county, since they can’t afford any available housing here.

How Arlington Works

Arlington’s five-member County Board is elected at large for staggered four-year terms. The chair is rotated annually among the members. They are elected by people like me. People who make the county work, but live outside it, have no say. And, although ground has yet to be broken in the new “National Landing” neighborhood (straddling the Arlington/Alexandria border) designated for the Amazon HQs, already-inflated house prices are still headed north.

The Amazon giddiness, then, comes from a promise of new wealth for the people who already live here, or of higher paying jobs for younger workers which might allow them to move here. Some local businesses will also benefit (restaurants, retail, etc.), but others (tech start-ups) see Amazon as a powerful competitor for needed talent, forcing up labor costs.

While trusting our local officials (or the less responsive General Assembly in Richmond) with the kind of commitments our county needs may be appealing to the lazy, it is not effective. All politics involves pressure. Justice requires giving voice to the voiceless. If Arlington will truly benefit from the coming of Amazon, we must begin agitating now for those commitments. It is not, as some have said, “pushing on an open door” – the challenge is to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Those at Risk

While some will benefit from Amazon’s HQs, those at risk include established communities of color in the immediate vicinity, like the Arlandria neighborhood.  Here, there are many small retailers, bodegas, etc. – and lower income rental housing – that are too easily sacrificed for the greater corporate good with Amazon.

Besides threatened communities in the immediate geographic vicinity, there are the already overburdened infrastructures in Arlington and Alexandria for transportation and public schools. Metro cannot keep up with track maintenance now without shutting down late night service. Increased ridership might break its back unless new commitments of revenue can be secured. It can come from Amazon’s windfall. Even Richmond, in a Dillon Rule state (where the state can override local jurisdictions on infrastructure funding), has now allowed for that. We need to make sure the local authorities follow through.

Public schools in the area expect to see even greater enrollment pressure in the coming years as new young families settle in the county with their high-paying Amazon tech jobs. Some of that revenue windfall from Amazon needs to be earmarked for teacher salaries, school-based mental health counseling, and physical plant. To ensure that happens, someone inside needs to speak for those on the outside.

It's All on Us Now

With the collapse of the Long Island City site from Amazon’s plans, the entire HQ2 thrust will be here. Northern Virginia is not NYC. There is no organized opposition to Amazon coming as there was in the heavily unionized, politicized metropolis up there. Yes, we’re friendlier to corporate interests down here these days. And, the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington has lots of vacant office space since the federal government has largely abandoned it – ripe for refurbishing or teardown! This neighborhood and the adjoining Alexandria Potomac Yards neighborhood (still partially undeveloped) will comprise the new “National Landing.”

While there may be no organized opposition, there are many interested organizations supporting guarantees from the Arlington County Board, the Alexandria mayor and city council, and the local delegations to the General Assembly,  of new affordable housing units – changing some NIMBYs to YIMBYs. There should be scholarship funds created for local students to attend the promised higher education expansion in the area from VT and GMU. Metro must accelerate its track maintenance efforts.

Statewide, there will be blood bath elections this November, with implications for Richmond’s role in Amazon’s plans. Both the House of Delegates and Senate are up for grabs. Tight races dominate in both houses. Community organizing needs to extend to these races, even if it means reaching outside the immediate NoVa region.

VOICE and the Faith-based Sector

Among the interested parties with some experience in mobilizing community strengths for local political action are faith-based groups like VOICE in Northern Virginia (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement). VOICE is currently planning a June 2 forum with Christian Dorsey, the chair of the Arlington County Board, and Mayor Justin Wilson of Alexandria. VOICE’s power comes from its ability to bring people together from many different faith traditions to engage local political leaders and win commitments from them (moral AND material). By the time of the June 2 forum, there will be specific requests prepared – numbers, percentages, timelines. This is the VOICE way. Expect hundreds of attendees from the nearly 50 different congregations represented – Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, both white and non-white, citizen and non-voting immigrant, rich and poor.

All the faith traditions represented share a common theology regarding social justice: there is an important divide between power with and power over.  Power with is what community organizing is all about – it is power close to God. Power over is the flip side, and what social justice movements are always trying to counteract.

How Painful Can a 5-mile-per-hour Collision Be?

Wrestling with GEICO and Koons Body Shop

William Sundwick

This is a No Good Deed Goes Unpunished (NGDGU) story. One sunny, thoroughly pleasant, Sunday afternoon in October, near the end of the fall election campaign, I was eager to get my Arlington Dems canvassing commitments behind me. I had signed up for a three-hour shift that afternoon, showed up at the staging home, collected my turf map, clipboard, pen, and (I thought) my handout materials. It was the same routine I had followed the day before, from the same home base. I checked Google Maps for directions to the turf neighborhood, threw everything in my car, and headed out.

Reaching the neighborhood, not unfamiliar to me in North Arlington, I found a parking space on the street.

As I collected my clipboard, turf map, and began to walk toward the first door on my map, I realized that I FORGOT the handouts! I would have nothing to leave at most of the houses (canvassing always seems to find the bulk of voters not home, or just refusing to answer their door). I knew going back would delay my mission. But, after evaluating how long I thought it would take to cover the turf, I decided to do it anyway to collect my packet of handouts.

That was my fatal error. The delay was long enough for me to feel rushed, and embarrassed, when I retraced my route back to the base. Also, it used up battery range on my Chevy Volt EV, something which inexplicably still causes me anxiety (it shouldn’t, as the Volt has an “auxiliary” gasoline engine which extends range to 200+ miles). In any case, I impatiently set out again for the turf neighborhood following a slightly different route. The sun was getting lower now. It was the 4-way stop at Little Falls Road and Harrison Street that got me.

I was southbound on Harrison. I stopped, let the car to my right, heading northeast on Little Falls, proceed through the intersection. There was a second vehicle behind that one, a late model Toyota Highlander (bigger than me). Its driver had the bright sunlight obscuring her view to her left (me). Virginia rules of the road, which I have always followed, allow for only one car at a stop sign at a time. If vehicles are queued up at the sign, they must advance only to the sign, not proceed into the intersection without stopping. The Highlander behaved as if it were in tow behind the first car and didn’t stop. But I had proceeded into the intersection after that first car. Collision resulted: Highlander front bumper connected to Volt front passenger door and right front wheel well.

Speeds probably didn’t exceed five miles per hour. There were no injuries, no air bags deployed. But, lots of damage to little Volt, very little to big Highlander! 

As we moved out of the intersection, we became aware that a witness had also kindly stopped to assist. This was good for me, not so good for the other driver. As I tried to reach somebody at GEICO, the witness (an attorney with the firm of a family friend) said he “saw it all” and called the police. But they would not send a car. I needed a tow, the Highlander did not.

We were all very polite. I made sure the other driver was all right. Her husband then arrived. After we exchanged information, including a business card from the witness, they all drove away. I called my wife, then waited for my tow. 

GEICO has a desk at Koons Body Shop in Falls Church, within easy walking distance of my house. But it was a Sunday afternoon. So, I rode along, filled out a form, sealed it with my keys in an envelope, dropped it in the after-hours slot. I collected my canvassing materials, walked home, then took them all back to the base in our other car – no canvassing from me that bright October Sunday!

Next day I was contacted by Koons and my GEICO insurance adjuster. By Tuesday, I walked back to Koons, picked up my estimate -- $9000 (Yipes!). I had a $500 deductible, and the adjuster initially indicated a shared liability, meaning I would be out the $500. GEICO allows me $900 for car rental while my vehicle is being repaired. The adjuster did some math in his head estimating how many days that would last. Seemed like I had plenty of time, he thought. He was wrong.

The next serious miscalculation was caused by my own vulnerability in this stressful situation. The Enterprise rental agent managed to sell me a $20/day insurance policy for the rental car. After my experience of the last two days, I felt I couldn’t say no – despite her assurances that the decision was mine, entirely optional. Also, my GEICO adjuster failed to calculate fees and taxes added onto the per day Enterprise rental (which he also underestimated). That $900 allowance would only last a month. I didn’t see my Volt again for seven weeks.

Costs were mounting fast. The first break in my favor came when I insisted that GEICO contact my witness – they had not done so previously. This resulted in the liability adjuster (the other driver was also insured by GEICO) declaring the liability to be entirely on the other driver. Victory! Now, the $500 deductible, at least, would be against her policy. Witnesses are good.

I was left to struggle with Koons Body Shop. Why was it taking so long? Well, they said, the parts had to be shipped piecemeal. Many front suspension components were needed. This took time. But my $900 rental allowance would be running out soon, not to mention the daily rate insurance that I was paying.

All the parts were received and installed, including a new battery for the electric drive. But then the system had to be fully charged (it doesn’t come that way, apparently). This led to another delay when Koons couldn’t seem to charge it. They towed it to Koons Chevrolet at Tysons Corner, where a certified Volt technician could give it a try. But I knew from previous service experience there, the circuit-riding Volt technician is only at their dealer two days per week. When he arrived, he was able to charge the vehicle. Koons Chevy then towed the still unassembled, still unpainted car back to the Body Shop in Falls Church. When I complained about the delays, that I was now paying a daily rate for my Enterprise Ford Fusion Hybrid (economical, yes – but not zero gas like my Volt), Koons offered me a “loaner” (technically another rental, but free). I accepted.

All this time, I had been unable to speak with the Koons estimator who failed to return any of the phone messages I left her. She was “very busy” said her manager, and updates on the status of my car were not forthcoming.

While waiting for completion of all the work on my Volt, I will admit to enjoying that loaner. The Ford Escape with the optional “big” EcoBoost engine was a blast to drive! Of course, the penalty for that fun driving was reduced fuel efficiency compared to the Fusion, but it was just temporary.

One day, returning from an errand on Lee Highway, I was felled by one of those “traffic calming” protruding curbs. Both left tires destroyed! Perhaps this wouldn’t have happened on a car I was more familiar with. It happened to me driving a loaner.  I had long suspected that someday I would be caught by those fiendish safety features Arlington traffic engineers were installing around the county.

I called AAA for a tow to the AAA Service Center not more than a block-and-a-half from Koons Body Shop. They accommodated me with the cheapest tires that would fit, no alignment. I was still out $380. I read the fine print of my “rental” contract only after the tires were already installed. It said I was supposed to return the car to Koons after any such incident – they wanted the money for repairs!

In the end, there was no additional cost to me for violating the terms of my contract. I believe I had extracted enough contrition and apology from the Koons Body Shop manager that he felt he couldn’t lean on me. So, after seven weeks, I finally reclaimed my beloved Chevy Volt. It appeared none the worse for wear. I was out only about $1100 for an accident that was not my fault, but which would have been truly catastrophic without the insurance coverage.

The whole experience did enlighten me about new car choices when I start shopping again later this year. I learned that bigger cars crush smaller cars in collisions. I learned that fun-to-drive dynamics may come with a penalty in fuel economy. But despite the greater fuel efficiency of that rental Ford Fusion Hybrid, and its safety advantage, I’m not too thrilled by big cars. Give me small and maneuverable over hulking tank or limo, any day.

These things I’ve learned. But, venturing out by car to do good works. That remains sacred.

2018 Election Recap

Blue Ripple or Wave?

William Sundwick

It didn’t take long after the 2016 election for organizing to start. The Women’s March the day after the Inauguration was an affirmation of public disdain for the newly elected president and everything he stood for. So angry, yet so positive. The packed Mall was a marked contrast to the nearly empty Mall the day before, for the Inaugural. And, true to form, the new president lied about it, creating his own narrative out of whole cloth. It was the beginning of “alternative facts,” which we would see much more over the next two years.

As expectations headed successively lower for this president, planning for the 2018 midterm elections became a major preoccupation. The first nationwide referendum on the Trump era would be held on November 6, 2018. But it became apparent that not all voters agreed about him. How many would care enough to vote? Which ones? Which specific awfulness would motivate them most? Would there be so many that voters would just throw up their hands in disgust, and refuse to participate?

The Democratic Party needed a strategy. They needed to discover what would motivate voters most viscerally, much as the Republicans (and Trump himself) had succeeded in doing the last two election cycles.

Would it be the piggishness toward women? The semi-overt racism? Charlottesville or Vladimir Putin? How about the attempted repeal of Obamacare? That one was a wider Republican disaster, not just the President’s. Had Bernie Sanders brought enough socialists “out and proud” to make inequality and class struggle cool again? (After 100 years!)

In 2017, something eye-opening happened in Virginia. A huge blue wave was coming toward the Old Dominion. Was it a dress rehearsal for the nationwide elections the following year? In the event, it was more about fresh faces, and women, than about issues. But we have seen Medicaid expansion and dedicated funding from Richmond for Metro despite the wave not being quite complete in the General Assembly. It needs to wait until next year.

In 2018, the two-year-long organizing of the Resistance was about to meet its first real test. There were so many organizations: Indivisible, Our Revolution (the Berniecrats), PDA, PCCC, DFA, OFA, and DSA (Democratic Socialists of America, sounding almost like a third party, but not quite).  Indeed, from the viewpoint of one of those newly “out and proud” socialists, it seemed that the left had not seen better days in the USA for just about a century (certainly not since the New Deal).

The results of the November 6 elections did not, in the end, support such giddy optimism. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a big media splash after winning her Democratic primary but has been punching above her weight class ever since – we wish her the best, but it’s going to be a long, hard slog on Capitol Hill.

The Bret Kavanaugh hearings did galvanize women, likely contributing to many female Democratic candidates’ victories. But there may have been a reverse effect as well, in some races (North Dakota?). 

This year’s results, like last year’s in Virginia, were spectacular in the House, and more than impressive in statehouses and governorships (six statehouse flips, seven governorships so far). Many states, especially red ones, were willing to jump on non-partisan ballot initiatives. Had they relied on a Democratic candidate to push them, many would likely have failed.

A gun control measure passed easily in Washington. Decriminalizing recreational marijuana passed in Michigan, medical marijuana in Missouri and Utah. Minimum wage increases passed with ballot initiatives in Missouri and Arkansas. Voting rights were restored to ex-felons in Florida. All these initiatives passed easily -- even as Democratic Senators went down to defeat in Missouri, and maybe Florida, too.

More than ever, it seems that whether you vote for a Democrat or a Republican depends on where you live and who you are. It isn’t really about issues, it’s about tribes. Tribalism is growing, not subsiding. Sometimes, however, demographics do change. Virginia is now a classic example: it is more diverse, more suburban, better educated than twenty years ago. It’s seen a bluification. But some rust belt and rural states in the Midwest are undergoing redification. They experience a brain drain and decline of their cities and educational infrastructures. This seems to be true of Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri. But, even here there continue to be blue oases within those red states (i.e., cities). House seats can be won by Democrats in such places, and in this year’s elections many were.

Certain indicators can predict accurately how you will vote. And, the myth of telecommunications bringing us closer together was clearly exposed in these last two election cycles. The Internet age has contributed to greater tribalization, not less. The indicators are:

• ·         How old are you? (18-to-29-year-olds are Democrats, if they vote; 65+ are mostly Republicans)
• ·         How close do you live to your next-door neighbor? (if more than 200 yards, you’re a Republican)
• ·         Where did you go to school? (it’s too much to say that only non-college-educated are Republicans, but education does matter)
• ·         What color is your skin? (this one is at the end of the list on purpose, because it’s well-known, but is not as decisive for brown people as you might think)

It would seem this makes pollsters’ jobs easier. But, for some reason, they still crank out those polls every election. Why don’t they just look at Census Tracts? The answer lies in the eternal uncertainty of who will show up to vote!

This election, turnout was huge – rivaling presidential years. But, contrary to Democrats’ assertions, large turnout, in some states at least, went against them. You can’t assume that “the people,” when engaged, will vote Democratic. See the list above. Many people in many states are afraid, afraid of a future where they may not enjoy the privileges they have always known. They live in anticipation of an ebbing of their influence. They’re old and dying, as is their way of life. And they are still voting. They vote for candidates who project their fears, “Make America Great AGAIN”. 

These people didn’t vote for or against health care, breaking up big banks, the minimum wage, or even “socialism”. They just wanted to be younger! They wanted things the way they used to be.

But, then, many looked forward rather than backward. They likewise didn’t vote for specific issues, just the future in general. For both groups, it came down to personalities, and a non-rational message of hope. It may have been delivered by either an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or a Steve King.

In the end, and it hasn’t ended yet (recounts still going on), Democrats will likely pick up more seats than any time since the post-Watergate midterms of 1974. Perhaps, even more seats than Republicans flipped in 1994 or 2010. And, with pick-ups in governorships and state legislatures, the 2018 midterms were clearly more than a ripple. Those ballot measures were all leftish (except some new taxes, which failed). Looks like a wave to this observer!

Locally, the Virginia Congressional delegation, formerly seven Republicans and four Democrats, reversed to seven Democrats and four Republicans. Deep blue Arlington flipped its sole County Board seat not held by a Democrat to a newcomer, young Matt de Ferranti. 

Whatever losses Democrats incurred in the Senate, after all recounts, can probably be made up in 2020, when Republicans must defend some difficult seats, just as Dems did this time. Beto O’Rourke can try again vs. John Cornyn. And, the field of Dem candidates will only increase.

In the meantime, the House can investigate the administration, looking at Elijah Cummings as chair of the House Oversight Committee. It can block legislation, yes, a “do nothing” Congress might be the right prescription in these times. And, Nancy Pelosi, as presumptive Speaker, is at least as talented a politician as Paul Ryan.

Most important now, Democrats must frame a message that can resonate with voters in 2020 to burnish their brand – even in those red states -- if they want the wave to continue.

Grocery Angst

Choosing Where to Shop in Opposite of “Food Desert”

William Sundwick

Retail food shopping is very competitive  in many places these days. If you have access to a car and live inside the beltway in Northern Virginia like I do, there are many choices. No food desert here.

Indeed, there are so many choices that sometimes I make arbitrary decisions. I can easily stipulate that all the stores where I will shop must fall within a ten-mile radius. And even among those, the closest stores get the highest priority when I plan my trips. There are other factors -- quality of fresh foods, certain brand preferences, a friendly, helpful staff. But the clincher is usually that I’m not getting any younger, and gas is not getting cheaper!

I don’t mean to minimize the social/economic problem of food deserts in America. I understand that I am part of a privileged class in this country – the class of people that can afford to live in affluent neighborhoods and communities, places profitable for grocery chains to exploit. There is much competition to provide services for communities that are willing to pay. Not so much, places where there isn’t a sufficient consumer base with disposable income. Food deserts do exist, rural to be sure, and in urban neighborhoods that have not seen much gentrification of their population. Grocery angst comes not only from a plethora of choices for me, but my knowledge that many Americans don’t have those choices.

Having a car also enables far more choice. I would not be in the position of deciding which supermarket to put on my semi-weekly “medium-size” grocery trip if I had to walk or take Metro. Much less a bus. The size of my larder governs the size of the trip more than my ability to transport the goods. Not so for many – although Internet food delivery services are growing exponentially. Competition for my time is the luxury I can afford. With fewer choices, others must just make time!

Here are my choices in major supermarket chains -- arranged by proximity to my house:

·         BJs Wholesale (0.8 mi. – but, limited selections)

·         Safeway (1.2 mi. to nearest – and biggest)

·         Target (1.4 mi.)

·         Shoppers (1.5 mi.)

·         Harris Teeter (two stores to choose from, 1.7 or 1.8 mi.)

·         Giant Food (2.8 or 3.0 mi. – two stores)

·         Trader Joe’s (2.9 mi.)

·         Whole Foods Market (4.1 mi.)

·         Aldi (4.8 or 5.1 mi. – two stores)

·         Costco Wholesale (6.7 mi.)

·         Walmart Supercenter (8.4 mi.)

·         Wegmans – too far (outside my maximum 10 mi. radius)

Ranked by convenience, BJs should be at the top of my list. I could walk there if I weren’t planning on buying much. But, therein lies BJs greatest weakness – small quantities of many brands (both private and national) cannot be found in their big warehouse store! Also, I don’t have home storage capacity for huge quantities of most items, something that seems to be a BJs specialty.  Target’s grocery department, on the other hand, is developing, but so far has fewer choices and less fresh food than either the local Safeway (in the same mall) or the two Harris Teeter’s within two miles. Hence, if I must drive, the first choice for my semi-weekly trips will either be Safeway, which is a superstore by Safeway standards – virtually all amenities and brands of any competitor – or, one of the two equidistant Harris Teeter stores. It is hard to choose between Safeway and either of those Harris Teeters.

My rationale for consolidating the grocery trips, despite what many would consider extreme geographic convenience, is that I feel that competition for my time. I must include exercise, walking to garner my requisite 10,000 steps, reading and writing (Warp & Woof!), frequent babysitting for my grandson, seasonal activities like yardwork and politics, occasional social interaction – and, of course, eating and sleeping. Don’t want to make lots of annoying short trips to get this or that thing I forgot to put on my last grocery list. The semi-weekly model works well for my schedule and my food storage capacity. 

Neutralizing the convenience factor, I usually choose between Safeway and H-T (my elder son calls latter “The Teat”) based on other characteristics. All the staples of my regular life can be found at either chain. My wife feels that produce at Safeway is often fresher than either Harris Teeter store I frequent, but I tend to consider that evidence anecdotal. There is also no evidence that a longer trip to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods would significantly increase that freshness probability, either. Farmers markets in the area are limited in duration (one day per week for each – hard to schedule).

Then, there are the intangibles – friendly staff, store organization, amenities. Between Safeway and the two Harris Teeters, I have to say staff friendliness and professional dedication seem equal – with a few extra points given to H-T for having more staff available in aisles restocking while I’m shopping (more opportunity to ask questions, make comments, etc.), and some humanitarian points going to Safeway for employing a couple of special needs baggers (one of whom went through elementary and middle school with my younger son in Arlington Public Schools). My interaction with staff occurs mainly at deli counters, fresh meat and seafood, or checkout, and all three stores excel in those areas.

Store organization is something you get used to in any store where you are a regular customer. However, in one of these three cases, the Harris Teeter at Lee-Harrison Center in Arlington, a recent store remodeling has caused an unnatural (for me, at least) division between upstairs and downstairs – the two-level design of the store may be basically flawed, anyway. Since that redo, this store often loses out to the other two for the semi-weekly staples trips – although its garage does have a free EV charge station!

Amenities are related to store layout and organization, but these days all major chains seem to have wi-fi, café seating area, Starbucks, salad bars, fresh bakeries, and full-service pharmacies. If I were interested (which I’m not), the Broad Street Harris Teeter in Falls Church even features a wine bar and sushi bar!

Even so, I have a small spark of curiosity to try other stores, perhaps farther afield, because I hear so much from friends and family who use them. Perhaps I should try Shoppers? They may have the large tubs of Utz pretzels that both Safeway and H-T are lax in restocking. Could be that Target carries Land-o-Lakes spread in tubs, which Safeway and Harris Teeter seem to have dropped. Trader Joe’s might be fun for snacks or frozen food.

But, it’s unlikely that I would change my regular shopping patterns for any of these reasons, unless my wife gets tired of the choices that the “big two” chains offer. When she accompanies me to any of the main three stores – relatively uncommon – I find we buy things NOT on my predetermined list. Is there a future for more boldness in my grocery choices?

Recently, I made the discovery that reduced fat peanut butter is not healthier, or lower calorie, than regular peanut butter. My research was prompted by the disappearance of all reduced fat varieties of chunky peanut butter from both Safeway and Harris Teeter shelves – this made me wonder. Indeed, the Internet provided the answer. “Reduced fat” was a scam for peanut butter, all along! I might similarly be surprised by further research into other disappearing products from my favorite store shelves. Do the major supermarket chains know best? Could be …