Equity and consensus building in focus for incoming County Board member JD Spain, Sr.

Top Arlington County Board priorities including housing affordability and public safety will likely hold steady following JD Spain, Sr.'s victory last week.

However, Spain is seeking to distinguish himself from the Board's current approach to government oversight, engagement and transparency.

The incoming Board member has promised to emphasize equity issues, while also underlining a desire for compromise and consensus making — two goals that could, at times, be in tension, local elections analyst Sam Shirazi noted.

"I think [Spain] is willing to raise issues and bring up topics that might not have gotten as much attention," Shirazi said. "At the same time, he's willing to work through the issues with those who have different opinions. Ultimately it's a matter of listening while also advocating. We'll see how that works with him on the Board."

The Arlington-based analyst also pointed to Spain's background as president of the Arlington NAACP — an organization that has been weighing in on hot issues including the county's Missing Middle lawsuit and a conflict between the Board and the Human Rights Commission.

Referring to the Human Rights Commission controversy, Spain told ARLnow that he hopes to expose any possible "blind spots" on the Board — "but I don't want to go into this and make it confrontational."

"I think there should be transparency from A to Z, but accountability is also are the core of everything I do," he said.

Focus on safety and housing

Many of Spain's biggest priorities track with ongoing county strategies to maintain and improve residents' quality of life.

On the campaign trail, Spain advocated for keeping Arlington's cost of living in check by building more housing. He generally supported the county's current growth strategies and stood behind Missing Middle zoning changes, even after a recent court decision overturning the Expanded Housing Option.

"I want to see what the County Board is going to do, but I'm going to push hard to ensure that we can diversify our housing stock across Arlington," he told ARLnow on election night.

With Spain's win, Susan Cunningham remains the only member of the County Board who has raised substantial objections to Missing Middle. Shirazi predicted some possible 4-1 votes in the governing body's future.

"My sense is JD is willing to push the Board and staff to make sure housing affordability is still on the table, despite the recent lawsuit ruling," the analyst said.

Spain has also zeroed in on public safety issues, calling for continued investment in Arlington's behavioral health services and better pay for police and firefighters.

"We have to make sure that we pay them well," Spain said, referring to first responders. "We also have got to make sure we give them ... enough so they continue to have adequate housing, so they choose to live in Arlington."

Salaries at the Arlington County Police Department and Arlington County Fire Department were a point of contention during county budget discussions this year. The agencies' unions were ultimately unsuccessful in securing a bump in pay, although first responders did receive one-time bonuses of $2,750.

Shirazi noted that there is an art to finding solutions to this core — and perennial — issue.

"Obviously the County Manager will have to make sure there is money in the budget given all the other priorities," he said. "I do think JD wants to make it possible for first responders to live in Arlington given the higher cost of living here. It is an important goal, but there is always resistance to raising taxes so [he] will have to try and balance all those issues."

When faced with competing demands, Spain has consistently cast himself as a consensus maker, warning against "the wrong way to do the right thing."

"I think in leadership, it's going to be critically important that I convey the sentiment of the people of the community, because that's where I come from," Spain said. " I was a community activist for 10 years, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the views that I bring, would be that of a community lens — not so much how JD feels it is, but how do we make equitable decisions in policy and policy shaping?"

Possible conflicts

While many of Spain's policy priorities match the County Board's current approach, the incoming elected official has criticized the Board's handling of at least one recent controversy.

He disagrees with the governing body's decision to dismiss all members of the Human Rights Commission earlier this year, with plans to appoint new members after clarifying the Commission's role. This decision came amid a dispute over the Commission contacting the U.S. Department of Justice about conditions in the Arlington County jail .

"I don't think, you know, we perhaps had a robust enough conversation, publicly, to understand what it actually was the Human Rights Commission was asking for the County Board to do," Spain said. "There may be times when commissions or some folks step outside the scope of their charters, but I think this probably set a precedent which I am not favorable of."

The Board voted 4-1 to dismantle the Commission, with Cunningham casting the lone dissenting vote. The Arlington NAACP strongly criticized the decision, arguing that it was a case of retaliation.

Despite his concerns, Spain noted that there may be limits to his understanding of the Board's perspective.

"I need to get on the Board and see what they've done to move the needle, if anything," he said.

A comfortable win

Spain, the Democratic nominee for County Board, secured a decisive lead over Republican and third-party candidates on election night.

Unofficial results place him with 58% of the vote, with Republican candidate Juan Carlos Fierro standing at distant second with 15%, followed by Madison Granger and Audrey Clement.

That is similar to other Democratic candidates' margins of victory in recent years, though notably below the percentage of the vote received by outgoing County Board member Libby Garvey during the previous presidential election year, when she only faced a single challenger: Clement.

Matt de Ferranti defended his place on the Board in 2022 with 61% of the vote, while Takis Karantonis held his spot with 60% of the vote in 2021. In 2020, Garvey was reelected with 71% of the vote.

Last year, with two seats up for grabs, Democratic nominees Susan Cunningham and Maureen Coffey earned their place on the dais with 39% and 35% of the vote, respectively.