Treasurer Frank O'Leary is good at collecting taxes and at safekeeping County funds, with a focus on quality customer service.  Singing?  Not so good.  He is, however, an amazing political strategist, having helped numerous Democratic candidates in Arlington (including me) and across the state in their election bids.  Frank rocks!  hanks for your post and for your support, Lowell!

I very strongly support Bob James for treasurer of Arlington County.  He has a wealth of experience in local politics with the Democratic Party and he is a proven leader. It truly is time for a change. O'Leary has served for quite long enough and we need a Treasurer who will bring new ideas and implement them succesfully.

James has a stellar education (2 masters degrees including an MBA from Univ of Pittsburgh and a Georgetown Law degree) and he has had a very successful career as a Bond lawyer. He now wants to devote his unique skills to the position of Arlington County Treasurer.

James has wide support which continues to grow every day. He decided to run for this office because many Democrats like myself are not happy with the status quo.

right now?  Personally, I'm very proud of Arlington and think it's a great place to live.  I also think it's one of the best run counties in America.  What do you believe is "broken" that needs "fixing" exactly?

Fine, Bob James is a good guy.  But how are you unhappy with the status quo?  The current treasurer is ranked number one in the country.  They don't get any better than that, pal.  And don't give me that "he's been there long enough" BS.  You don't fix what ain't broken, Joseph.  That's the oldest rule in the book.  You use the phrase "Time for a change" when they're screwing up.  O'Leary is definietly not screwing up.

What's your real reason for backing James?  It can't be because of quality, because O'Leary is of the finest.  And as for Bob James "wide and growing support"... well, from what I've heard, the primary could be quite lopsided up there.  I've spoken with tons of people, and you are the first person who has supported James. 

I eagerly await this persons' answers...

I have yet to hear one good reason why Bob James is running.  I don't like to bash Democrats, and I believe that if an incumbent does a lousy job, he should be replaced.  However, if you want to replace Frank O'Leary, you'd better come up with some damn good initiatives, initiatives that are better than O'Leary's.  By the way, O'Leary's office is used as a model in the state, the country, and even in other countries.  I am told that every year he receives tax professionals from Europe, Asia and Central America, because they want to learn how to do the job. 

Bob James, on the other hand, has spent many years with the DC government, a government that does not function so well, now does it?

It takes management skills to run an office like the Treasurer's office.  It also takes innovative ideas, commitment to customer service, commitment to staff, and commitment to pursuing delinquent taxpayers to make a good Treasurer.  Frank O'Leary is committed to all those things and then some. 

Oh, one reason that Bob is running, they tell me, is that we need more minorities in elected office.  Well, O'Leary was one of only a few Democrats in Arlington to support a Black person for County Board.  I think he actually managed the Honorable Bill Newman's (now the Chief Judge in Arlington) campaign for County Board, and went door knocking with him.  Then he helped elect the late Charles Monroe for County Board, and then in 2003, he supported Ingrid Morroy (an immigrant of color) for Commissioner of the Revenue.

And, Joseph, where were you and other Bob supporters when Mrs. Whiting, a Democratic incumbent, was running the Commissioner's office into the ground?  Hm?

Again, if you want see an incumbent unseated, pick someone who does a lousy job.  "He's been there too long" is not a good enough reason.

I think its nice to have a diverse set of elected officials but its more important that they are qualified. Great thing about Bob is that he is a QUALIFIED MINORITY!

I'm 50% in agreement with you, indeed he is a minority.

So, Mr. James IS running as a "minority" candidate.  When I suggested this to someone close to his campaign, they denied it.  But here we have proof.  Nice that they cleared it up for the rest of us.

What do you mean running as a "minority candidate?"

is check out this guy's website.  Says his news release "because the Office of the Treasurer once collected poll taxes which were enforced to bar people of color from the political process during segregation." 

Tell me this guy is not running as the minority candidate?

Can someone please explain to Bob James' supporters how the Virginia Black Caucus feels about him?
To say they dislike him is an understatement.

Can someone who worked for a corrupt and dysfunctional jurisdiction make an excellent Treasurer of Arlington County? I think NOT!

How often does he attend local NAACP meetings?
Only when it's convenient and beneficial to him; when he's running for office.

How come he's never available when Arlington Democrats need him for GOTV efforts in black areas?
No personal rewards I guess.

Bob's got it all figured out: as treasurer he can provide special favors to a special bond law firm and receive generous kickbacks as a result. dayyyuuuum, this is the perfect plan, why didn't I think of running for treasurer?

Let's face it, Bob James has no proven track record.

Fact: Frank O'Leary has done a lot more for minority candidates than anyone in the Arlington Democratic party(a record Bob James cannot match)
ooo he's a dayyumm good treasurer too!

I have to admit that Bob has a great reputation among the Amfrican Americans that I know. He actually put together several Family Reunion celebrations that were awesome. He brought together powerful African American leaders from across the state. As an African American female, Bob has been a great resource and a mentor to me.

And do you know who paid for all of those family reunions?  Not his Latitudes Group, I know that.  He submitted a bill to another group and FORCED them to pay it, threatening them with action if they didn't.  Shall I spill the beans here?

I worked on that event and was never under the impression that is was being done under the banner of Latitutes.

Latitudes

eloquence6: you misunderstood Arturo.  He simply stated that Mr. James charged another organization (not Latitudes Group) for the cost of the event. 

By the way, I work in non-profit, and I had never heard of Latitudes Group in the non-profit world.  Then I looked them up, and there it was: Latitudes Group, founded by Mr. James, but it hasn't been a non-profit since December of 2005.  What's going on here?  Is this one of those fly-by-night organizations that people set up to hide their assets and income?  And this guy wants to be Treasurer?  Give me a break!

...."Bob has a great reputation among the Amfrican Americans"..
I have a great reputation among, caucasians, latinos, greeks, irish, and arabs yet it will take a lot more than that to qualify me for the job of Treasurer

.."He actually put together several Family Reunion celebrations"..
I have organized events that brought latinos, caucasians, and arabs together yet that still does not qualify me to be Treasurer of the county.

"He brought together powerful African American leaders from across the state"
Been there and done that with leaders from many ethnical backgrounds, but does that make me an excellent candidate for Treasurer?

"Bob has been a great resource and a mentor to me"
There are many people who have told me that I have been a great mentor to them, but that still doesn't qualify me for Treasurer of the county.

It looks like Bob's got his job cut out for him: Events Organizer/Teacher/Mentor.
 

And he thinks he's qualified to be treasurer? How so?

Besides, given that O'Leary was named the best treasurer in North American what improvements can Bob James bring to the table? O'Leary's office is the standard by which all others are measured.

That should be North America (no n) (Guess I need to use the preview button:( )

shortly after moving to Arlington.  IT was a celebration of Mary Margaret Whipple getting elected to the County Board.  Then board member John Milliken is my college classmate, and had helped connect me with local Democrats.  I can still remember the people singing "Mary Margaret, we salute you..."  We met Frank and Linda as my wife and I were dancing next to them.

I got involved in Frank's 1983 campaign.  I knocked on a ot of doors with him (not as many as Amy), helped with some tactical advise, taught him a bit about campaigning at a Metro stop.  Later, when my wife and I were thinking about buying a house, and started to look in Reston, Frank got us a good local realtor (Libby Ross), and we stayed in Arlington.  Frank and his son Brian helped us move into our house in 1984.

We have stayed friends ever since.  Back when Frank's St. Patrick's day bashes were somewhat less flashy I used to tend bar for him.  When I worked in the County government we used to have lunch every couple of months. 

I worked in the old Office of Technology and Information Services for 8 years.  I had a lot of occasion to deal with the Treasurer's office.  Frank has done a wonderful job of using technology on behalf of the taxpayers, and he has done as equally a good job of collecting from delinquent taxpayers, which of course saves the rest of us from having to pay their share.

I see no reason to replace him, and I really cannot imagine the idiocy of someone challenging him in the primary.  Let's be clear - there is a reason that the Republicans don't bother to put up a challenger against him.  Unless the gentleman enjoys taking a huge beating, please explain why he would do this?  What issue does he have to bring to the voters to persuade them that Frank should be replaced?

Anyhow, I am proud to be one of the people who go back with Frank to that first caompaign.  And I will be with him in the next, should he need me.

I had the pleasure of meeting Frank O'Leary (and Ingrid Morroy) when I ran for treasurer in Norfolk in 2005. I'm telling you - what he has done with that office puts most, if not all, of the treasurer's offices in the state to shame. When campaigning, I mentioned that Norfolk needed to try to do X and got laughed at. That is, until I pointed to Arlington as the example.

On top of that, Franks's a good guy.

There is no reason anyone in Arlington should be upset with Frank's running of the Treasurer's office.

I feel compelled to post this comment because I had the experience of working with Bob James in DC Government for approximately 8 years (before recently leaving for private industry) and even though I don't live in Arlington, I want to share my frustrating experiences. My position in DC Government was in a similar capacity to his, and as such I had to interact with him on a regular basis. It became very clear very early on that while Mr. James might be adept at policy making, he was enormously ill-equipped to handle operations-related responsibilities. He was often unresponsive to requests from me or my staff, and frankly my agency, as well as many of the other agencies that reported to the CFO's office, learned to work around Mr. James, because it was easier and more productive for us to bypass him altogether. He was terrible at process and was unable to make decisions in a timely manner. He was a nice man, but I think if the citizens of Arlington were to make the terrible mistake of electing Mr. James treasurer, he would be in way over his head. I am sure the tax-paying citizenry deserves much better than that.

This does not bode well for Bob James.

I think it is interesting that Joseph has still not replied, as to why he feels Bob James would make a good candidate, for Arlington County Treasurer.  The things that I have read so far here and on other blogs, about Bob James are certainly not promising as far as I am concerned. I am also still waiting with bated breath for his website to become operational, so I can see if there is any information forth coming as to why Bob James feels he would make a good Treasurer. 

So let me ask this, friends of Frank O'Leary.  What exactly was Frank O'Leary's role in the USA Today negotiations?  What actions did he take during those negotiations?  It really smelled when USA Today pulled out of the county.

Dear JJ2003:

Thank you so much for bringing this up.  I will elucidate this issue, so that everyone will understand what happened to USA Today.

Firstly, the Treasurer has no role to play in any negotiations with businesses regarding County Board policy decisions or assessment decisions by the Commissioner of Revenue, the real estate assessor, or the Police Department (in the case of parking tickets).  Remember, the Treasurer MUST collect whatever the Commissioner of Revenue or the real estate assessor or the Police Department assess.  Former Commissioner of Revenue Gerri Whiting should have negotiated with USA Today, and she failed to do so.  Here is what I mean: Commissioner Whiting assessed USA Today erroneously.  When this was brought to her attention, she refused to correct the assessment.  This resulted in the Treasurer having to collect the tax, although it was based on an incorrect assessment.  Let me repeat: the Treasurer MUST collect whatever is assessed by the Commissioner.  It is the responsibility of the Commissioner to correct erroneous assessments.  That did not happen in the case of USA Today.  Commissioner Whiting acted irresponsibly.

Secondly, USA Today was looking for a campus-like environment, which Arlington could not provide.  It was an additional reason for their move to Fairfax.

Since someone is apparently feeding you flawed information about the case of USA Today, I will add this for your edification: two large businesses left Arlington as a result of erroneous assessments by Mrs. Whiting's administration: USA Today (Gannett) and AMS.  You may hear about the latter from your sources, so let me assure you that it was much of the same with AMS: incorrect assessments and irresponsible behavior by the previous Commissioner were the reasons for their departure.

I invite you to come to my office and take a look at the boxes full of court cases and complaints by the business community against the previous Commissioner; cases and complaints that my staff and I settled during my first year in office (2004).  All of these cases involved phony assessments against Arlington businesses.  All of these assessments were corrected.  For more than twenty years, Treasurer Frank O'Leary was blamed for the failures of Commissioner Whiting. 

If you want more information about some truly dishonorable behavior by the previous Commissioner and her administration, I will be more than happy to fill you in.

In closing, I want you to know that my office and that of Treasurer Frank O'Leary are the most transparent offices you have ever seen.  Your charges against Mr. O'Leary will not fly.

Ingrid Morroy
Commisioner of Revenue
Arlington, VA

That should be "Commissioner" of Revenue...(underneath my name).

I am very concerned that our Commissioner of Revenue has time to blog. I like to think that my elected officials are out doing the work of Arlington County. 

I am glad that elected officials get some free time too!  If you had paid attention, you would have noticed that I blog late at night after visiting your neighborhood looking for tax evaders.

I did notice the time Ms. Morroy. Thank you.

so you are saying you noticed Ms Morroy posted at 9 pm but you think she should be out doing county business at that time? Guess you think the term public servant literally means servant.

No need to get snippy there eloquence6.
I encourage all elected officials to read and write on blogs. In doing so they engage in the community they serve, a concept that is apparently completely foreign to Bob James and his fans.

FYI elequence6, since you seem to be new to the world of blogging, delegates Chris Amundsen, Bob Brink and many other elected officials DO blog!

Can we consider the above information as part of Bob's vision?
So now we're gonna blame Frank for Gerry Whiting's mistakes?
It appears Bob's friends are seriously or deliberately misonformed. Go figure!

Does anyone have information yet on Bob's "innovative vision"(s) ?
Does Bob have a program where he outlines how he's going to improve the Treasurers Office? If so can he make it public?
A new face does not necessarily mean new ideas.
We're still waiting to see how he compares to Frank O'Leary.

I am concerned that the more posts I read from supporter's of Bob James, the more I wonder if they (or he) understands the role of the Treasurer. So far, it looks like not only do they not have their facts straight and are blaming Frank for the problems created by the previous commissioner, but there is no articulated vision. But I guess if you don't understand the role of the treasurer it is hard to articulate a vision. And can someone please tell me what qualifies Mr James to be treasurer as there is no information posted on his website and I think we can all agree that even if he had worked for bond attorneys longer than a couple of weeks it is not related to being a treasurer. Nor does working in the chief financial officer's office qualify one to be treasurer. I've read that Mr James said he had a vision but have yet to read anything that articulates that vision. As a voter, I think these are important questions that need answering.

that Bob James is not quite sure what he running for.  Last night, a friend of mine told me that in January Bob James announced that he was running for Clerk of the Court.  In April, he announced that he is running for Treasurer.  What will it be in May?  And in June?  Is this man serious?  And what of his website?  Where's the beef?

I think its great that Bob James is running. We need a new voice here in the Treasurer's office. One thing I do not understand is why we have a decal. We get the decal before we pay taxes. Fairfax no longer has a decal and Alexandria is getting rid of theirs? Can someone fill me in????

Treasurer Frank O'Leary has long advocated to get rid of the decal AND the car tax.  Read his article on his website http://www.frankolea...  I will educate you on a minor issue: the Treasurer does not have the authority to get rid of the tax or the decal.  It is the County Board that has the authority to do so.  The Treasurer can only be an advocate, which Frank has been for a long time, to get rid of the decal and car tax.  You are learning a lot here, aren't you?

Please caution him against stealing ideas from his opponent, it just isn't cool.
Getting rid of the decal is nothing new to Frank O'Leary.

Furthermore, increasing lending in underserved communities is not the  Treasurer's job.
The Treasurer has NOTHING to do with lending in any community. Bob James does not understand the Treasurer's
function. He's making a fool of himself.
Bob James should have researched the job carefully before he considered applying for it.

It is definitely looking like maybe Bob James does not know what he is getting into. I definitely feel, that running for Treasurer or any political office would not be a walk in the park.(That is, of course as Arturo commented, if Treasurer is the office he is really seeking) Also seriously, I agree, what of his website! 

I do find it interesting that while Bob James does not seem prepared, some of his possible supporters are ready to sling mud. I felt that the comments regarding USA Today, to be quite ridiculous. I was always told from a young age that you should always research and ask questions first, so you do not make an inaccurate accusation or give a wrong answer! Ingrid Morroy had no difficulty pointing out that the situation with USA Today was certainly not the fault of my father, Frank O'Leary. 

I find the comments made by (Change is gonna come) to be quite interesting. I will be happy to repeat some of them here below:

"I think its great that Bob James is running. We need a new voice here in the Treasurer's office"

Yes, we all feel it would be just wonderful if Bob James would use his voice and explain why he feels he is suited to be Treasurer.

 

God Bless America!

It is our country's freedom of speech that permits underinformed individuals to spew historical inaccuracies about James and other candidates who wish to improve upon  the current leadership.

More importantly, in our Democracy,  voters and only voters select our leaders. Only in this system could James have the opportunity to replace O'Leary as Arlington Treasurer on June 12th.

It is most certainly time for a change in Arlington!

God Bless America!

Can you just tell us specifically WHY your candidate would be an improvement over Frank O'Leary, and why it's "time for a change in Arlington."  Most of us out here don't see that...

are.  Thanks.

There's been a lot of ink about this Treasurer's campaign in Arlington and it's shaping up into a real race to the finish.  The incumbent hasn't met a qualified challenger like Bob James in all his 24 years in office, and it's clear that this race will be won when voters learn more about Bob James.
Here's what I know about Bob: He is a good and hardworking, courageous man who is very well qualified to be our next Treasurer.  He hold two Masters Degrees from University of Pittsburgh (one is an MBA) and he obtained his law degree from Georgetown University.  The Arlington County Board appointed Bob James to serve on Arlington's Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission, and he additionally serves on the George Mason University Metropolitan Relations Advisory Board. 
Bob James has the vision to lead Arlington County as Treasurer, and his integrity is unmatched.  Bob is well-respected in the municipal bonds community, and he was an integral part of a professional team of financial professionals that turned around a local jurisdiction's finances.  He's worked hard in the nonprofit sector to bridge education and economic development gaps among underserved, and often unrecognized communities.  His opinions are often sought after, and his management experience will serve Arlington County very well as our next Treasurer.
In meetings with voters and community groups all this week, Bob outlined his vision for Arlington and how he will provide transparencey in how the Treasurer's Office collects, invests and spends the taxpayers monty.  His positive message for change is meeting with wide approval from rank and file voters who work hard for our Arlington community.
This election is about the future.  Bob James is a candidate who will lead Arlington like we would expect from a 21st century leader.  Bob, we'll be there for you on June 12th!  VOTE BOB JAMES!!!

I am sure that Bob James is a nice guy.  So is my nephew.  But that doesn't qualify my nephew to be Treasurer.

If your candidate didn't function well in the Washington DC government environment (see comment by DCGovtWorker above), what makes you think that he can function in a fast moving environment like the Arlington Treasurer's office?

And, which underserved communities in Arlington were served by his non-profit when his non-profit was still a non-profit?

I still have no clue what needs "fixing" in the Arlington Treasurer's office right now, and how Bob James would do that better than Frank O'Leary. 

Only in a democracy can David go toe to toe with Goliath,  by the power of the voters!
God Bless America!

on your candidate.  What is all this ALL CAPS and "David and Goliath" garbage?  Give me specifics or give me...nothing.

Just stop giving us generalities, we already get a lot of that from Telemarketers.

Give us Bob James' relevant experience, achievements, and accomplishments that will relate to the function of Treasurer.
That's all we want to know.

You won't hire a plumber to do your taxes, right?

Salam Aleikum and Namasteh, may the blessings of Allah, Buddha and Krishna be upon you.

I see that Mr James has finally put up his website, but I feel I have less information now than before. I thought he used to work for DC govt, but nowhere did I find that on the website - is he trying to hide that? and I keep reading about this non-profit Latitudes but haven't been able to find out anything about it or what it does. And I heard Mr James just started his job as a bond attorney within the past month but he is already looking for another job? what's up with that? I just have more questions about who this challenger is, while on the other hand keep reading great things about Mr O'Leary. So I am really wondering why voters would want to vote out someone who is doing, by all accounts, a great job, just to elect someone new? Just because?

I guess O'Leary doesn't have the respect of the county board or the political clout to do something as simple as get rid of the decal. That's a shame... after all these years. Well at least we know he likes to sing (per photo above). It's time for a change! 

You don't seem to know how things work in Arlington.  And neither does your candidate.  Maybe your candidate should run for County Board.

I haven't heard any proposals from Mr James about what income would be used instead if the decal goes away. Maybe from his non-existent non-profit?

I thought Bob James founded Latitudes, a non-profit?  Oh wait, it has no Board of Directors, no tax exempt status, which means that he has to pay taxes, it has no financial reports, no accountability and no integrity (those are his campaign buzz words, by the way).  Where did the money go?  And does this fake organization pay taxes?  In Arlington?  In DC?  At all?  No?  And Bob James wants to be what?  Arlington Treasurer?  Hahahahahaha!!

Is that all you people worry about?  A stupid decal?  I think it's much more important that every person in Arlington pays their taxes. I don't mind paying for County services through taxes, but I hate it when my deadbeat neighbor gets a free ride. There is no better way to deal with these deadbeats than the O'Leary way. His office has become a model for the rest of the state.  Take that, Bob James! 

Mmmm, I am beginning to wonder what your candidate's obsession is with those decals...