By Bill Fogarty

In January, Delegate Patrick Hope, one of Arlington’s representatives in the General Assembly, introduced a bill that provides for the possibility of a revamped governance structure for the County. The proposed changes would give the Board the ability to call for a voter referendum to approve one or more of the following options: (i) an increase in the number of elected officials; (ii) direct election of a Board chair; and (iii) the creation of geographic districts for Board seats. 

The bill is permissive in nature; no County Board action is mandated. But the County Board has refused to endorse the bill. Why? 

A little bit of history sheds some light. 

The current structure of the County government dates to 1930, when County voters approved, by referendum, a form of government referred to as the “County manager plan.” 

The prior form of government consisted of three geographic districts, with one board member elected in each district for two-year terms. From 1870 to 1900, several Black citizens were elected to the County Board and other positions. One Black board member, William Rowe, served as Board chair for two years. 

The 1902 Virginia constitution effectively disenfranchised the Black vote, and only White men were elected to office in Arlington in the first three decades of the 20th century. The County population was growing, but its geographic size began shrinking. By 1930 the City of Alexandria had used its annexation powers to take more than 3,000 acres of land in the southern part of the County. 

The three-district system needed to be revised to re-arrange district borders into equal parts. But the County power brokers decided to use this opportunity to change their governance system. The County’s representatives in the General Assembly passed legislation which provided for a voter referendum to change the County’s governance structure. 

The plan was to expand the Board to five members; to get rid of geographic districts; and to provide for an executive to manage the affairs of a growing county. A complicated referendum was the subject of much controversy, but in 1931 it was approved by the voters by comfortable margins. 

As a result, Arlington today is managed by an unelected County Manager, chosen by five at-large County Board members. As a matter of tradition, board members elect their own chair in each year (usually the member who will be up for re-election). 

The history gets more complicated in ensuing decades, but let’s save that history for another day. Let’s fast-forward to 2025. 

The Arlington County Civic Federation has diligently worked on recommendations for changes to the governance system, similar to the Hope legislation. 

In January, Takis Karantosis was selected to be the Board chair. A challenge facing Karantosis is this issue of a proper governance system for a jurisdiction that looks much different than it did in 1930. 

And yet, at the January 7, 2025, County Board meeting, Karantonis paid only lip service to governance reforms, referring to dialogue “in the longer term” on reforms. 

Delegate Hope has somehow been able to get his bill approved by the General Assembly, albeit with an unusual amendment that requires the bill to also be passed next year. It is not clear what will happen when the current form of the bill gets to Governor Youngkin’s desk. 

But the big question for Arlington residents is this: will the County Board support a permissive bill as shaped by Delegate Hope? If not, why not? 

Stay tuned. More electoral history on this issue, and further updates on the politics of today, will follow in future columns.