A community tradition of nearly 90 years continues later this month when the Arlington County Civic Federation presents the 2026 “ARLnow Cup” for outstanding leadership.
The recipient’s name will be unveiled at the organization’s April 24 awards banquet. He or she will be enshrined in a pantheon of civic involvement that dates back to 1938.
Backers of ranked-choice voting (RCV) believe this fall’s congressional races may bolster their case for changing the format of statewide elections.
If Virginia voters approve the congressional redistricting constitutional amendment on April 21, crowded ballots in many parts of the state could lead to future representatives being selected by an unusually small sliver of the overall electorate.
The president of the newly formed Potomac Yard Arlington Civic Association says the organization is ready to make its mark in one of the county’s fastest-growing corridors.
The association was incorporated last fall and has applied for membership in the Arlington County Civic Federation, President Dorian Adeyemi told ARLnow.
Low compliance rates at local parking meters have the Arlington County Civic Federation considering a push for more enforcement.
The proposal to increase enforcement is one of 36 transportation-related recommendations that could be sent to county leaders. The package was introduced at the March 10 federation meeting, with a vote possible as early as next month.
Before Arlington moves to change its form of government, it needs to educate more residents on what the current structure is and why reforms might be needed, one County Board member believes.
“Walk down a street in Ballston, Columbia Pike, anywhere — most folks will look at you like a deer in the headlights” when governance is brought up, Julius “J.D.” Spain, Sr., said at the Jan. 13 Arlington County Civic Federation meeting.
The Arlington County Civic Federation opens the new year with a renewed emphasis on recruiting new organizations and better serving all member groups.
“In the new year, I’m planning to work with members to expand the recruitment strategy and to renew and update the strategy and actions for member support that were developed a few years ago,” the chair of the reconstituted membership committee, Jacqueline Snelling, said in the January edition of The Civic Voice, the organization’s monthly newsletter.
Arlington’s county manager is holding off on a firm stance regarding local control of roads currently controlled by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
County Manager Mark Schwartz told the Arlington County Civic Federation that he hasn’t ruled out the idea of the county assuming responsibility for Glebe Road and Langston Blvd, which are among the network of local roads under state control.
A hearing on whether to study changes to the form of Arlington’s local government is scheduled to take place next week.
County Board members have set aside an entire evening — Wednesday, Dec. 17 beginning at 6 p.m. — to hear from the public and then decide whether to set up a task force looking at the hotly debated issue. Registration is open now.
Several former elected officials in Arlington are expressing caution over moving too fast on potential changes to the county’s form of governance.
At issue at the moment is a proposal to form a working group to study possibilities. It has attracted skepticism from former County Board, School Board and General Assembly members advocating for restraint on embarking on change-of-government planning.
County Board members continue to be divided on how quickly to move forward with a new advisory panel to look at governance issues over the coming year.
As things now stand, there appears to be a 3-2 Board majority to move forward in setting up the panel and determining its responsibilities at a meeting sometime in mid-December.
With election season in the rear-view mirror, Arlington’s civic and political leaders are again turning to potential changes in the county’s form of governance.
But while several local organizations have given the concept their blessing, a key state legislator who supported efforts in the 2025 legislative session has said she wants to hold off in 2026.
County Board members have taken the first steps in considering changes to the community’s 93-year-old governance structure.
The action marks “the beginning of a long discussion, a very long path,” Board Chair Takis Karantonis said at a meeting yesterday (Tuesday).
