In a recent article in the Sun-Gazette, Arlington Board of Supervisors member Libby Garvey was praised for standing up to Supervisor Christopher Zimmerman in a case of clear conflict of interest. Having closely followed the proceedings which led to the denial of EV Taxicabs bid to win a licence to operate in Arlington by a vote of 2 to 3, I would lay more blame on Mr. Zimmerman than any other county Board member for this fiasco in county political history. Zimmerman was EV Taxicab's chief opponent with a naïve, prejudged opinion, which derived from a failure to even read a line of supporting documentation, leading to his inane decision to fail to support and argue against Jay Fisette's and Garvey's seconded motion. The proposal was to support EV Taxicabs bid for merely 40 new cabs, less than 5% of the overall fleet, in exchange for free infrastructure that the citizens of Arlington could all benefit from at liberty. The equipment EV Taxicabs would have been providing would all have been installed without any taxpayer money being spent, and where Arlington Businesses could have taken advantage by luring in folks like me who drive an Electric Car and would therefore have an excuse to visit the county, as I've written about before. There's a reason the EVA/DC didn't consider meeting in Arlington in 2013 for any of it's monthly meetings and that's more than anything thanks to Mr. Zimmerman's myopic view toward Arlington's better future and financial benefit. So shame on Mr. Zimmerman for failing to take advantage of one of the best deals in County history and thank you to Ms. Garvey for standing behind Mr. Fisette in supporting it.
Incoming chair J. Walter Tejeda, please be advised I know you're trying to keep an opened mind on this whole EV thing so please keep learning because I know eventually with enough knowledge you'll be on our side, standing with Jay Fisette and Libby Garvey against the FUD of Mr. Zimmerman and Mary Hynes. That's why I'd encourage Arlington voters to cease their support for the politician who works against their common interest. Christopher Zimmerman must go!
Please note the opinions expressed in this article are purely those of the author and do not reflect the positions of any Arlington County Board members, the EVA/DC or EV Taxicabs except where explicitly noted.
