Former Congressman Tom Davis Joins Anti-Streetcar Movement

Former Congressman Tom Davis and Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey will be the featured guests at a fundraiser this month for a group opposing the planned streetcar along Columbia Pike.

Davis is a Republican and one-time chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee; Garvey, a Democrat.

The pair will appear at a fundraiser for Arlingtonians for Sensible Transit for "a late afternoon of wine, light food and conversation" from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 17 at a home on North Monroe Street. Contributions to get in range from $30 to $1,000.

Garvey announced the event in a a post-Election Day email to supporters.

"I see hope," she stated. "Since joining the County Board, I have found that infrastructure debates in our region, and particularly about the Columbia Pike streetcar proposal here in Arlington and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the region, provide very fertile common ground. Despite disagreements, I see Republicans and Democrats often working together to come up with cost-effective transit solutions. Every time I talk to Arlingtonians about the streetcar project, I find more people opposed to it no matter what their party affiliation."

Garvey has been the lone opponent to the planned streetcar on the Arlington County Board since she joined in March 2012.

The project has moved along despite her efforts, though the streetcar is losing its top advocate, Chris Zimmerman, early next year. Zimmerman's departure opens the door for streetcar opponents to try to place an ally for Garvey on the board.

Davis has gotten involved in Northern Virginia transit debates before, opposing Metro expansion plans in Vienna near his home in 2005 and weighing in on the Metro line running through Tysons Corner the following year, according to Washington Post stories from the time.

Davis served as chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1991 to 1994. He decided not to seek re-election to Congress in 2008, in part, due to the growing partisan divide in Washington, according to the New York Times.

Davis currently works as director of government relations at Deloitte. He was succeeded by U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat, in the 11th Congressional District.

For more information on the Arlingtonians for Sensible Transit event, email info@sensibletransit.org or call 703-539-2154.