In the race to Richmond, Al Eisenberg says he’s seen the finish line before. The question of who should fill the 47th district state Delegate seat left open by the retirement of Jim Almand comes down to “who has the most experience,” said Eisenberg. “Who has the strongest ties to the community? Who has the longest record of accomplishment that fits this particular job? Who has the ability to pursue the issues that matter to the state based on a knowledge of those issues?” he asked.
Eisenberg, a former four-term county board member, isn’t lacking in experience. For over 20 years he’s been involved in Arlington politics, founding the Arlington task force on affordable housing and chairing the tenant-landlord commission.
“He’s in sync with the tenor and outlook of a majority of Arlington citizens, as evidenced by his regular reelection to the county board,” said Susan Prokop, Eisenberg’s campaign manager.
MAJOR ELEMENTS of Eisenberg’s platform include tax reform, education, environmental protection, transportation, health care and civil rights.
Republican opponents have criticized Eisenberg’s stand on tax reform, saying the Democrat will push to raise taxes in Richmond and will butt heads with the conservative majority in Richmond.
But Eisenberg said delegates from both parties are warming up to serious tax reform. “These are statements being made by Republican members of the General Assembly,” said Eisenberg.
Still, he admits his agenda would suffer setbacks in Richmond. “A lot of these things are not going to happen overnight, but if you don’t start the ball rolling now, it will never reach its destination.”
“We’ll just look forward to having him in there fighting for Arlington,” said Prokop.
EISENBERG HAS HELD federal positions, including legislative assistant for the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy in the U.S. Department of Transportation. He said his current position as Vice President of Government Relations for the Greater Washington Board of Trade has given him a working knowledge of the ins-and-outs of the state legislature.
“I’ve worked in the General Assembly, and I’ve lobbied the General Assembly for years,” he said. “This is not strange territory for me.”
Name recognition is no small benefit in this race. “He started out with an advantage because Al’s well known and well-versed with Arlington and state issues,” said Dan Steen, chair of the Arlington Democratic Committee.
HIS OPPONENTS SAY those years of experience come at a price. Local Republican activist Rob Hagman has also lobbied at the federal level and is one of many in the GOP to claim Eisenberg will suffer from conflicts of interest.
“Having worked on the Hill myself, I don’t see him being able to be impartial down there,” said Hagman.
As a highly-paid lobbiest for the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Eisenberg represents “one of the most anti-Arlington organizations in Richmond,” said David Avella, chair of the Arlington Republican Committee.
If elected, Eisenberg has said he will remain employed by the Board of Trade, but will take three steps to ensure he keeps his legislative duties an arm’s length from his employer’s interests: a leave of absence when the Assembly is in session; a cut in pay; and recusal from all involvement with the Board of Trade’s Virginia political action committee.
The Assembly will vote on numerous issues of interest to the Board of Trade, Eisenberg said, but he will need to recuse himself only from those votes that would present a direct financial benefit to the Board of Trade.
Rather than a conflict of interest, Eisenberg’s position simply adds to his level of experience, said Steen. “It gives Al a great knowledge of regional and business issues that Republicans should be glad to have,” he said.