Arlington County Board members appear disinclined to impose a “second-signature” requirement on property owners having improperly parked vehicles towed from their properties.
A final vote won’t take place until Tuesday evening (Nov. 19), but county staff have recommended that Board members follow the recommendation of the government’s Trespass Towing Advisory Board, which unanimously recommended against a requirement that there be a real-time signature before a tow can take place.
Arlington’s tree canopy may be on a slight upswing, according to county officials.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean there are more trees in the community.
Final action on policies related to deer-culling, towing and residential-to-commercial conversions will be on the agenda when Arlington County Board members meet this Saturday (Nov. 16).
At the meeting, Board members are slated to take final action on zoning changes required to permit the use of sharpshooters to kill deer on public lands in the county.
They’ll be back in 2025, local leaders of the Forward Party declare.
Despite the party’s four endorsed candidates in Arlington and Alexandria races not pulling out any victories, the leadership said 2024 was just the start of a multi-year growth plan in Virginia.
Efforts to expedite the conversion of outdated Arlington office buildings to residential uses have moved another procedural step forward.
Planning Commission members voted 8-0 Monday (Nov. 4) to recommend County Board approval of a number of staff proposals aimed at culling aging, often empty, commercial building stock, replacing it with apartments or condominiums.
Democrats in Arlington County Board and School Board races emerged victorious last night by wide margins.
Democratic nominee JD Spain, Sr. claimed 58% of the vote in the race for County Board, according to unofficial election results. This happened in the first round of tabulation, avoiding the need for further tallying under ranked-choice voting.
Arlington and Falls Church residents went to the polls today to vote for president, local offices and everything in between.
As of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, the results show — unsurprisingly — strong support for Democratic candidates across the ballot.
Arlington County Board
In the big local Arlington race for County Board, JD Spain, Sr. will win the seat being vacated by three-term Democrat Libby Garvey.
With early votes now in and breaking 60% for the Democratic nominee, Spain has 58% of the vote to 16% for Republican Juan Carlos Fierro and 12% for independent Audrey Clement. Madison Granger, who is associated with the Forward Party, has 13% of the vote.
In 2020, Garvey defeated a lone challenger — Clement — with 71% of the vote.
Voting in the Arlington County Board general election is being conducted this year, for the first time, via ranked choice voting. But if a candidate gets over 50% of the “first choice” votes — as Spain appears poised to do with only mail-in ballots outstanding — they will be declared the winner and ranked choice tabulation will not be used.
Arlington School Board
In the Arlington School Board race, Democratic-endorsed candidates Kathleen Clark and Zuraya Tapia-Hadley will cruise to victory.
Clark and Tapia-Hadley have 35.6% and 32.8% of the vote, respectively, so far. James Vell Rives, endorsed by the Forward Party, has 14.2% of the vote while independent Paul Weiss has 16.0%.
Arlington Bond Referenda
All five proposed local bonds, including school and Metro bonds, will pass — currently leading by 3-to-1 or 4-to-1.
Falls Church City Council
In the special election for Falls Church City Council Laura Downs has won with 58% of the vote to 41% for John Murphy, and all precincts reporting.
U.S. President
The Democratic Harris/Walz presidential ticket has a substantial lead over the Trump/Vance GOP ticket: 76.2% to 20.7% in Arlington — with all precincts reporting but mail-in ballots outstanding — and 79.5% to 17.9% in Falls Church.
By comparison, Trump received 17.1% of the vote in Arlington in 2020.
Third party candidates — including Jill Stein (G), Chase Oliver (L) and Cornel West (I) — have roughly 2% of the Arlington vote, while 1% of voters wrote someone in for president.
Statewide, Harris currently has 50.4% to 47.4% for Trump. Local political consultant Ben Tribbett, who often projects election night results in Virginia, says he believes Harris has won the Commonwealth.
8:45 PM PROJECTION: KAMALA HARRIS (D) HAS WON VIRGINIA AND 13 ELECTORAL VOTES.
— Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) November 6, 2024
U.S. Senate
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine currently leads statewide with 53.1% of the vote to 46.7% for Republican challenger Hung Cao.
The Associated Press called the race for Kaine around 11:20 p.m.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine won reelection in Virginia for his third term Tuesday, beating Republican challenger Hung Cao. Kaine was widely expected to keep his role as the Commonwealth’s junior senator. Political scientists said there was only a narrow path to victory for Cao given Virginia’s moderate electorate, aversion to Trump in 2020 and Kaine’s salience with voters. Cao is a 25-year Navy veteran who had former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. But the most recent Republican to hold a Senate seat from Virginia was the late John Warner, a centrist who last won in 2002. The Associated Press declared Kaine the winner at 11:22 p.m.
U.S. Representative
Across Virginia’s 8th Congressional District — which includes Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County — incumbent Rep. Don Beyer (D) has 70.9% of the vote to 25.6% for Republican challenger Jerry Torres and just over 3% collectively for independents David Kennedy and Bentley Hensel.
The Associated Press called the race for Beyer shortly before 8:15 p.m.
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Virginia on Tuesday. Beyer won his sixth term after defeating Republican Jerry Torres and two independent candidates. Beyer, a former lieutenant governor and ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, won each of his five previous congressional elections with at least 63% of the vote. The 8th District includes the inner suburbs of the nation’s capital, including Arlington County and Alexandria, and is one of Virginia’s most reliably Democratic districts. The Associated Press declared Beyer the winner at 8:13 p.m.
Turnout
Overall turnout in Arlington was above 70% as of 5 p.m., according to the county elections office. The final turnout may reach around 80%, but is not expected to set a local record.
Despite significant interest in the presidential race, voting in Arlington mostly went smoothly today, with most reports suggesting minimal wait times. Among the issues reported today are some confusion about ranked choice voting and an evening fire alarm at the Crystal Plaza polling location.
Scott McCaffrey contributed to this report
Some say requiring real-time, in-person authorization of tows from private property is a needed consumer protection.
Others, however, believe it can endanger those working in local retail outlets, apartment-management offices and other front-line businesses.
Arlington residents for several years have been following the saga of Missing Middle. Now it’s a case of missing minutes.
Minutes, which give a description of the proceedings of each County Board meeting and chronicle the actions taken, haven’t been posted for public review since April.
The four Arlington County Board contenders now making their final pitches to voters are each positioning themselves as agents of change.
But coming at it from different angles.
The eyes of Virginia soon will be upon Arlington.
At least for those eager to know how the county’s first-in-the-Commonwealth ranked-choice-voting (RCV) general election transpired.
Arlington Independent Media now has new board of directors and the outlines of a battle plan to bring itself back from the brink of extinction.
“We’re not giving up the ghost,” the organization’s outgoing secretary, Claire Seaton, said at the end of AIM’s annual membership meeting, held Sunday (Oct. 27).
