Carla de la Pava, who has served as Arlington treasurer for nearly 12 years, announced Wednesday night (July 1) she would be retiring by mid-month.
Her departure is likely to trigger a special election held in conjunction with the Nov. 3 general election.
De la Pava cited “increasing family commitments” for her decision during remarks to the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
Under state law, the chief deputy treasurer, Kim Rucker, assumes de la Pava’s role. Rucker has served as chief deputy during most of de la Pava’s tenure.
“I could not be more proud of what Kim and I have built,” de la Pava told Democrats. “Kim and I and our fabulous staff have worked tirelessly to serve the residents and taxpayers.”
Rucker observed de la Pava’s remarks from the back of a room packed with Democrats on hand to hear from 8th District congressional candidates at Lubber Run Community Center. Most of those in the room had no idea of the treasurer’s plans; there were audible gasps when she delivered them.
Rucker is expected to compete in the special election. If past county political history is any guide, it is likely she will be unopposed.
“She has earned this, many times over,” de la Pava said of Rucker.
Rucker began working in the treasurer’s office in 1990, and with the exception of two brief hiatuses has been there since.
In her remarks, de la Pava noted the office’s ongoing efforts to reduce the tax-delinquency rate while also giving taxpayers more tools to manage their tax obligations. She also has worked to safeguard county investments during a challenging fiscal environment.
De la Pava was sworn in as Arlington treasurer July 7, 2014, after 30-year Treasurer Frank O’Leary retired. Like Rucker today, de la Pava then was serving as chief deputy treasurer.
De la Pava won a special election held concurrently with the November 2014 general election, then won full four-year terms in 2015, 2019 and 2023. She was unopposed each time.
Her predecessor, O’Leary, had been narrowly elected treasurer in 1983 over Republican County Board member Dorothy Grotos. He then won seven additional terms, seldom fielding general-election opposition.
O’Leary, a Democrat who died in 2024, departed office in 2014 as the third longest tenured elected official in Arlington history.
O’Leary was elected treasurer by just 89 votes over Republican Dorothy Grotos in 1983, then rarely faced significant opposition in seven ensuing elections. He departed office with the third longest tenure of any elected official in county history.
The treasurer’s post is one of Arlington’s five “constitutional offices,” so named because they are specified in the Virginia Constitution. In addition to de la Pava, they include clerk of the Circuit Court (Paul Ferguson), commonwealth’s attorney (Parisa Dehghani-Tafti), sheriff (Jose Quiroz) and commissioner of revenue (Kim Klingler).
All are Democrats.
Terms of the constitutional officers run for four years except for clerk of court, which is an eight-year term. All posts except for Ferguson’s will be on the ballot in 2027, with Dehghani-Tafti, Quiroz and Klingler expected to seek re-election.
Determination of the timing of the special election will be made by Circuit Court Chief Judge Judith Wheat. While there are no party primaries leading into Virginia special elections, county Democrats next month are likely to determine a process for endorsing a candidate.
As news of de la Pava’s decision spread, several current and former leaders weighed in on her achievements in office:
- Del. Patrick Hope (D-1): “Carla has worked tirelessly to modernize the office and deliver historic results for taxpayers, including achieving the lowest tax delinquency rate in the commonwealth. While we will miss her leadership in office, she leaves the office in exceptionally capable hands.”
- Former County Board member Libby Garvey: “She has done an outstanding job, tackling the delinquency rate for taxes with both support and compassion for those who haven’t paid their taxes because of issues like dementia, or illness or misunderstanding. For those who are just shirking their responsibility, she’s been tough and follows through.”
But one party insider, who asked for anonymity to speak freely, told ARLnow it was “gross” for de la Pava to “clear the field” for a hand-picked successor through a truncated election process.
O’Leary “did the exact same thing” in 2014, the Democratic insider said. “Is anyone paying attention?”
County Democratic Committee chair Paul Ruiz, however, focused on the service given by de la Pava to the community.
“You have served our community very, very well,” he said after her remarks.
