A bill that passed the Virginia legislature would allow Arlington County to restructure its government, addressing concerns that its current form created racial and social inequalities.
Arlington is the only county in Virginia that uses a county manager form of government, meaning all the board members are at-large representatives and voters do not elect an executive like a mayor or board chair.
In the 1930s, when Arlington's population was about 20,000 people, the county established a five-member board of countywide representatives without an executive position.
State Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington County, says there was a very specific reason why Arlington was structured that way.
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“That was part of Jim Crow's legacy, to dilute people of color's ability to vote for the people that they want,” he said. “To suppress the vote."
Hope says it worked.
In 100 years, there have been four Black board members and one Hispanic board member in a county where Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans make up about 38% of the 230,000 people who live there, Hope said.
"We're very concerned about the representation that is there currently and would like to make sure that all citizens, especially citizens of color, are also represented," NAACP Arlington Branch President Rev. Dr. DeLishia Davis said.
Hope got a bill through the Virginia General Assembly and to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk that would allow the Arlington County Board and voters to restructure their local government.
If passed, it would allow the Board to ask voters three ballot referendum questions:
- Should the county elect a Board chair every four years?
- Should the Board be allowed to grow and add members?
- Should the Board also be made up of members who represent specific districts within the county?
The current County Board isn't entirely on board.
"This bill was not solicited by the Arlington County Board,” lobbyist Elizabeth Parker testified. “The County Board believes there should be a thorough and inclusive public process, led by Arlington County, on our form of government."
If the bill passes and the Board doesn't act on it, the bill includes another pathway for voters to get it done. If 10% of registered voters in the county organize and sign a petition in support of it, it could move forward without the Board's support.
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