When it comes to the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s vote to retain its School Board caucus, I was not surprised by the result but was surprised (though perhaps I should not have been) by the lopsided nature of it.
More than 80 percent of those eligible to vote — more on that later — voted to keep the caucus, the party announced yesterday. That result came a day after both proponents and opponents of the selection process, and some who were in between, had their say at the monthly Democratic Committee meeting.
The overall electorate was rather limited, as it traditionally is when dealing with party matters. Party leaders, elected officials, precinct captains and a few others were the ones deciding the matter, and given that these folks have a very vested interest in maintaining the Democratic dominance in local politics, it’s not much of a surprise four in five voted to keep the status quo.
But given the voices of criticism, we’ll have to see what changes, if any, Democrats make to the 2022 caucus (rules likely to be set next month) to make it more palatable to those who do not like it.
Never a dull moment in local politics, not even during a gray February.
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- Scott McCaffrey