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.
Northern Virginia Democrats were in high spirits at the inauguration of Gov. Abigail Spanberger this weekend, looking toward new opportunities for a variety of bills held back by the previous administration.
Legislators and political observers expect fewer vetoes and more collaboration with Democratic policymakers — including those in Northern Virginia — under Spanberger, a centrist Democrat who emphasized bipartisan solutions to issues like housing and health care costs on the campaign trail and in her inauguration speech.
Representatives of both the business community and organized labor voiced skepticism at a recent forum that an end to Virginia’s right-to-work law is on the horizon for 2026.
“Right to work is not a big thing to us right now,” said Don Slaiman, political coordinator for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26.
Aurora Hills Library will be the lone Arlington polling place for Democratic voters to choose a nominee for February’s special election tomorrow (Tuesday).
Polls in the firehouse primary to replace State Sen. Adam Ebbin, who announced last week that he is taking a position in the Spanberger administration, will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the library, located at 735 18th Street S.
Several Democratic policymakers have high hopes for a bill to crack down on assault weapons once Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger takes office.
Legislation to outlaw any sales or transfers of new “assault firearms” passed both chambers in each of the last two legislative sessions, but was vetoed upon reaching the desk of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
The race is on to succeed State Sen. Adam Ebbin, who announced Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 7) he would resign in February to take a post in the Spanberger administration.
In the hours after his announcement, one current and one former member of the House of Delegates launched bids for the seat.
The unexpected departure of a major pro-transit voice in the Virginia General Assembly has created a void that an Arlington legislator appears primed to fill.
Del. Adele McClure (D-2), who sits on the House Committee on Transportation, has provided a key voice in various recent discussions on transit. In the 2026 General Assembly session, she could step into the shoes left behind by former Del. Mark Sickles (D-17), who is leaving his elected post to become Virginia’s next Secretary of Finance.
A Democrat is taking over for a Republican on the Arlington Electoral Board in the new year.
David Leichtman, a veteran political activist, will succeed electoral board vice chair Richard Samp, a Republican whose term expires Dec. 31.
Changes to a law restricting liquor sales at Virginia restaurants are still on the mind of at least one state legislator representing Arlington.
As Del. Patrick Hope (D-1) prepares for the General Assembly in 2026, he told ARLnow that he is “open to revisiting” a law that mandates that no more than 55% of a restaurant’s sales can come from liquor or mixed drinks.
The Arlington County Board is throwing its weight behind a region-wide proposal to provide more funding for Metro.
County Board members on Tuesday voted unanimously to encourage General Assembly action on the regional DMV Moves plan for sustained increases in transit funds.
State Sen. Barbara Favola (D) is stepping into a new role as chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee on the other side of a recent battle with cancer.
When the Virginia General Assembly convenes in January, Favola, who announced in May that she had been diagnosed with uterine cancer, will be only two months removed from the end of chemotherapy treatments.
Candidates seeking to become Arlington’s next Democratic chair made their pitch to the party’s rank-and-file last week.
Tony Weaver and Paul Ruiz are vying to succeed Steve Baker, who has been at the Democratic helm for four years. Voting in early January will decide the race.
