The Arlington County Civic Federation marked its 110th anniversary with a call for continued vocal, but still civil, community engagement.
“We’re not a perfect organization, but we work really hard,” Civic Federation board of directors chair David Smith said at the organization’s annual awards dinner, which on April 24 drew more than 100 participants to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti formally announced his reelection campaign this week, and he has already picked up a challenger in the June primary.
Both de Ferranti and returning candidate James DeVita announced their bids for County Board at a Wednesday meeting of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
Matt de Ferranti is the new chair of Arlington County Board for 2026, while Maureen Coffey is the new vice-chair.
De Ferranti, who was first elected in 2018 and who previously held the chairmanship in 2021, used his remarks last night (Monday) to tout a local government that can be responsive to community needs and fight for local values while being prudent with taxpayer funds.
New tech allowing Metro users to pay their fare by tapping debit or credit cards is receiving good grades from local leaders.
At a meeting last week, representatives on the Metropolitan Washington Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board of directors said the new “Tap-Ride-Go” initiative will benefit both regular and infrequent users of the regional system.
Arlington’s representative on a panel studying D.C. Metro funding is opposing a region-wide sales tax to support the transit system.
Instead, County Board member Matt de Ferranti believes Virginia, D.C. and Maryland should each determine how they will pay for the extra regional costs now estimated at $500 million to $600 million a year.
An Arlington leader is among several local officials opposing a proposal to merge bus systems in Northern Virginia in a quest for greater efficiency.
Though the possibility of merging transit systems came up during DMV Moves meetings late last year, leaders including County Board member Matt de Ferranti expressed skepticism after the concept re-appeared during a meeting last week.
After years of working to expand access to food aid, Arlington County’s food assistance infrastructure is being stretched to its limits as rising living costs drive up demand.
Food insecurity is nothing new to Arlington, and neither are private and public initiatives to combat it. In recent years, the county has hired a food insecurity coordinator and ramped up efforts to connect residents with existing resources.
Northern Virginia leaders, including those from Arlington, are in wait-and-see mode on what Republican victories at the national level could mean for local transit and transportation funding.
“I don’t have a crystal ball,” said Kate Mattice, executive director of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC). “It’s just sort of watching the space and seeing what lands.”
(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) A major rally is being planned for later this week in front of the county government headquarters, in a show of solidarity with recently-unionized Starbucks employees.
The president of the AFL-CIO and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) are both expected to attend, among others.
(Updated at 9:30 p.m.) What many believed would be the most competitive Arlington County Board race in four years has turned out to be another convincing Democratic victory.
The three-way race between incumbent Democrat Matt de Ferranti and independents Audrey Clement and Adam Theo is, at least to some degree, a referendum on Missing Middle housing.
Earlier this week, we invited the candidates running in Tuesday’s general election to write a post about why our readers should vote for them. Find information here on how and where to vote in Arlington on Nov. 8.
Below is the unedited response from the Democratic nominee for the County Board, Matt de Ferranti.
After a driver collided with a child on a bicycle on S. Carlin Springs Road this week, neighbors and advocates are calling for street safety upgrades.
For its part, Arlington County says it has already been working on safety measures for the area, which has narrow sidewalks, little or no pedestrian buffer and a history of crashes. Upcoming steps include reducing speeds near the schools in the area: Kenmore Middle School and Carlin Springs Elementary.
