The incumbent County Board chair and four candidates seeking to oust him each say the county government needs less bureaucracy and more creativity in supporting the business and development communities.
“Our processes are not efficient enough,” Board Chair Matt de Ferranti acknowledged at a June 23 candidate forum sponsored by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
Arlington Republicans have voted to oppose three state constitutional amendments in November, focusing most efforts on fighting a measure to codify abortion access.
After some debate and a voice vote on Monday night, the county GOP opted to oppose three ballot measures that would provide formal constitutional support for reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and voting rights for felons.
Falls Church could consolidate all Election Day voting in a single location, if the General Assembly supports doing so next year.
The city currently is divided into three voting wards, with two voting in different parts of the Falls Church Community Center and the third at Oak Street Elementary School.
Arlington Republicans are deciding on whether to take a position on upcoming referendums connected to several controversial topics.
The local party is expected to decide on Monday, June 22 whether to take a public stance on amendments approved by Democratic majorities in the General Assembly.
A mix of familiar faces and new names will serve in Arlington County Civic Federation leadership for 2026-27.
Federation delegates on June 9 reelected Nicholas Giacobbe (Aurora Highlands) for a second one-year term as president, and also re-elected Jean Henceroth (Leeway Overlee) as vice president.
David Sisson has become the second independent to qualify for the County Board election in November.
Sisson — a member of the county’s Transit Advisory Committee and executive vice chair at the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA) — joins perennial protest candidate Audrey Clement in having filed paperwork and the requisite 125 petition signatures.
Democrats challenging incumbent Matt de Ferranti are criticizing the County Board for what they see as putting government spending ahead of tax relief.
Echoing a theme long trumpeted by Republican and independent political challengers to the county’s all-Democratic Board, candidates James DeVita and Julie Farnam each used the June 3 Arlington County Democratic Committee candidate forum to accuse the Board of excessive spending.
All three Democratic candidates for County Board say they support at least some district-based representation on the governing body.
While the five seats on the Board are all currently at-large, some advocates have called for creating voting districts as part of potential future governance changes. Current County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti and challengers James DeVita and Julie Farnam endorse the concept, at least to some extent.
The clock continues ticking as Arlington Republicans work to find contenders for County Board and School Board races.
Chris Wright, who heads candidate recruitment for the local GOP, said that so far, efforts have not paid off.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) has come close to achieving a clean sweep of re-election endorsements from Arlington’s local elected officials.
Among those formally supporting his bid for a seventh two-year term, according to a release from the Beyer campaign:
As she mulls over her own political future, Arlington’s senior state senator is seeking to help Democrats pick up seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Despite the Democratic redistricting map being overturned by the Virginia Supreme Court, Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40) believes her party has a chance in November to flip several of the five Virginia congressional seats currently held by Republicans.
The three Democratic candidates for County Board are all in favor of extensive community input on a proposal for a new behavioral health facility in Glencarlyn.
“You need to listen — it needs to be community-first,” challenger Julie Farnam said at a debate hosted by the Arlington County Civic Federation on Tuesday.
