Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-11-07
|BIevins Ekes Out
Win Over TuthiII
AIM Takes County Board Seat
By llo-Vote Margin in Arlington
BY MARY LOU WERNER

DR.. l.. H. Blevins eked out
bare majority over Curtis Tut
hill in the Arlington County
Board race yesterday. guaran-
teeing at least one more year of
control by the conservative Ar
Ilington Independent Movement.
This bitter contest, fought
primarily over segregation and
county school policies. ended
with an unofficial 1893 votes
for DR.. Blevins, AIM candidate.
and 1884 votes for Mr.. Tuthill,
nominee OF the more liberal Ar
Ilingtonians for a Better County.
No other election in the area
had such a distinct pro and con
segregation flavor. DR.. Blevins
had characterized his foe as an
ally of the National Association
for the Advancement Of Colored
People, and Mr.. Tuthill in turn
sought to link DR.. Blevins with
the pro-segregation Defenders of
State Sovereignty and Individual
Liberties.
Hardly Settles Question
But the 119-vote margin of
victory hardly settles the ques-
ton Of segregation sentiment in
Arlington with any finality, and
certainly presages even hotter
county board elections next year
and the year after that when
ABC again will have crack at
winning control.
BY a greater majority, Ar
llington voters approved the
conservative-sponsored freehold
ers amendment that will give
property owners veto power over
future bond issues. The vote was
1881 for the amendment, and
l15,094 against it. The outcome
means that future Arlington
bond issues will have to be APP
proved by majority of property
Owners in addition to a major
lily of persons voting.
DR.. Blevins, a dentist and civic
worker, will begin his four-year
term January /. replacing George
i Rowzee, Jr.. a Republican and
AIM leader who did not seek re-
election. The other AIM board
member is Mrs. Leone Buchholz
and Democrat Wesley Cooper
normally votes with AIM.
Representing ABC on the
. board are Ralph Raul and David
! Krupsaw.
AIM Control Board
Thus, AIM will enjoy control
: Of the county board-at least
until the next local election roll:
around a year from now to re-
place or re-elect Mr.. Cooper
/ whose term expires December
81. 1857.
81 That is the same time Tx
, terms of E. r. Draheim and L
: Clark Heating expire on tht
; county school board. creating
the first vacancies to be fillec
-lby county board appointment.
The filling of those vacancie:
was major talking point in the
county board contest, with DR.
, Blevins warning that Mr.. Tut
hill would name advocates Of
indignation and Mr.. Tuthil
! pledging appointment of mem
! bers to continue the progressive
education program fostered by
the incumbent elected school
. board.
AIM can hardly rest on Its
/ oars, however, since winning thu
, opportunity to say who replace:
Mr.. Draheim and Mr.. Heating
The lettering division between
Arlington's liberal and conserva-
tive forces is apt to keep the
school board-county board mem
berships see-sawing back and
forth for years to come.
Shapes Up This Way
1t shapes up this way: After
the terms of Mr.. Draheim and
MIR. Heating expire, there won't
be any more vacancies on the
school board until December
1859. when the terms of Bar
Inard JOY. James @. Stockard
and Mrs. Barbara Riches end. In
the meantime, Abe will have two
more chances to get a majority
grip on the county board--in