Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-09-10
81 Million Cut
Off Arlington
Bond Issue
Boards Action
Based on Fear
Of Voter Revolt
BY JOHN BARRON
Star Staff Writer


fearful of another voter revolt
against bond issues, yesterday
slashed 81 million from one
which will be proposed in a
November referendum.
Voting 40, it agreed to seek
$6.5 million rather than the
SIS million issue which county
administrators had recon-
mended be borrowed to finance
new highways, sidewalks, parks,
libraries. storm sewers, land
acquisition. fire-fighting and
school facilities.
Wiped out in the cuts were
$4,000 for purchase of public
land, 1925, 900 for a gymnasium
at Washington-Lee High School
and 100000 for construction
of multi-purpose rooms for
three elementary schools.
Other CategOries Up
These reductions were par
TALLY offset by additions in
other categories. The board
also indicated it would pay for
at least two of the multi-pur-
pose rooms out of next years
current budget.
Before it acted, a political
exchange erupted, during which
retiring member Herbert Brown
delivered a lecture to Repub-
lican County Board candidate
Kenneth Ludwig.
Arlington voters in May, 1860,
Unexpectedly, but decisively, re-
jected a $7.5 million bond issue
which enviSioned much the
same expenditures for which
approval will be requested in
November.
Ludwig Accuses ABC
Mr.. Ludwig advocated that
nearly $1.8 million be Topped
off the bond issue.
While I certainly feel that
each of the proposed cuts actu-
ally represents a needed county
improvement, we all know from
experience that a defeated
bond referendum serves no USE
full purpose and makes the
next one even harder to pass"
he said.
Mr.. Ludwig then accused the
board, dominated by the nom
partisan coalition. Arlington
ianS for a Better County, of
driving business away from the
county.
Indignantly, Mr.. Brown re-
torted that the charge of ABC
hostility to business represents
a "moth-eaten, diScredited
point of view. then added:
BE extremely careful Of
your research or it will come
back to haunt you as this
surely will four of your
predecessors have had their
brains beaten out on this issue,
and it is certainly your priv
ilege to run on it if you wish"
Negroes Ask New School
Another controversy arose
over the school board plan to
add % rooms to the all-Negro
Drew Kemper elementary
school, for which $750,000 is
included in the issue the board
decided to submit.
Representatives of the Negro
community vehemently opposed
enlargement on the present
site, contending that the re-
sultant school would be too
large and unwieldy. They urged
that an entirely new school be
built at a separate location to
accommodate children now at
tending classes in makeShift
facilities.
In the referendum, the board
will request $2.531, 900 for high
ways, 100000 for storm sew
ers, $475,000 for sidewalks,
$497,OO0 for libraries, S475 900
for fire-fighting facilities,
$500,000 for land acquisition,
$226,O00 for parks and recrea-
ton, 100000 for school land as
we'll as the $750,000 for Drew
Kemper.
Board member Ralph Raul,
who had to leave early to catch
a plane for a European vaca-
ton, predicted that this time
the bond issue will pass. He
noted that since the last one
was approved in 1858. the
county has eliminated some SIS
million in bonded Indebtedness.