Where do the candidates stand on the issues?
Return to menuLocal governments in Virginia are limited by something called the Dillon Rule, which means they only have power over areas granted to them by the General Assembly in Richmond. Most of the Arlington County Board’s work deals with reviewing rules and plans for new developments as well as a county budget.
With that in mind, we’ve asked the five candidates yes-or-no questions about hot-button issues that have divided current board members or drawn some disagreement from residents in Arlington or other parts of Northern Virginia.
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Missing middle: Residents and civic groups spent much of 2023 debating a proposal that effectively eliminates single-family-only zoning in Arlington. The county board unanimously approved that plan last March, though some residents are suing to block it. Would you have voted for the final missing middle proposal?
Share this articleShareYes: Peterson, Spain
No: DeVita, Farnam, Roy
More density: The plan allows for the construction of buildings with up to four — and in most cases six — units in neighborhoods long set aside for single-family houses. County lawmakers scrapped earlier drafts to allow buildings with up to eight units. Should Arlington go further and make it easier to build these “eight-plexes” in single-family-only neighborhoods?
Yes: Spain
No: DeVita, Farnam, Peterson, Roy
Amazon HQ2: Amazon in 2019 selected Arlington for half of its much-hyped second headquarters, promising to bring 25,000 new jobs to the county and fill millions of square feet of office space. The company has donated to local groups and opened two soaring office towers in Crystal City, but it has also abruptly halted construction and hiring at its new campus. Is Amazon HQ2 living up to expectations?
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Yes: DeVita, Roy
No: Farnam, Peterson, Spain
Ranked-choice voting: Last year’s Democratic county board primary became the first publicly run election in Virginia to use ranked-choice voting — a system that was met with some confusion and pushback from residents. The board reverted to a traditional “first-past-the-post” voting system for last fall’s general election but more recently voted to keep using ranked-choice voting for all board primaries and pilot its use in this year’s general election race. Should Arlington keep using ranked-choice voting in all board elections?
Yes: Farnam, Peterson, Roy, Spain
No: DeVita
County board structure: Del. Patrick A. Hope (D-Arlington) filed a bill in the state legislature this year that would let the county board consider changing its structure, including adding members, switching to a district-based representation model and letting voters directly elect a chair for the body. But the current board has not put its support behind the bill, which was tabled until next year. Do you support Hope’s bill?
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Yes: DeVita, Farnam, Peterson, Roy, Spain
Board salaries: Arlington board members gave themselves pay raises totaling $32,000 over the past two years. That increase was meant to make the job open to a wider range of people and bring their salaries in line with the county’s median incomes. But a similar pay hike in Fairfax County in recent months was met with some pushback. Do salaries for Arlington board members need to be further increased?
No: DeVita, Farnam, Peterson, Roy, Spain
Pickleball: The drop-in pickleball courts at Walter Reed Recreation Center prompted repeated clashes last year — and many related memes — as players called for more county resources toward this growing sport and neighbors complained about the incessant noise. Should Arlington expand drop-in pickleball hours and locations?
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Yes: DeVita, Farnam, Roy
No: Peterson, Spain
After-school programming: Amid a surge in Arlington teenagers overdosing on fentanyl — and two deaths among county youths last year — community advocates have called on the county to ramp up funding for after-school programs as a way to combat the issue. But persistent office vacancies have hurt tax revenue and created scant wiggle room in the county’s finances. Would you have voted to give another $2 million for this programming, even if it means raising property taxes?
Yes: DeVita, Peterson, Roy, Spain
No: Farnam
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