Last week’s announcement by County Board member Katie Cristol, that she would be stepping down six months early to take a leadership role in a Tysons-advocacy group, certainly adds a wrinkle to the current Arlington political/governance scene.
(As an aside, we think Cristol is well-suited for the role she will be filling. At the same time, we suspect that after a few months swimming in the much larger pond that is Fairfax County, she’ll come to realize that the big players in the region may not necessarily have the same high regard for Arlington’s leadership as Arlington’s leaders seem to believe they enjoy. But back to the main attraction ...)
Cristol helpfully timed her departure – July 4 – so there would be no need for a special election to fill the remaining six months of her term. Instead, under the vagaries of Virginia law, the remaining four County Board members will, after soliciting applications and holding a public hearing, select the individual to serve out the term.
Between now and then, the biggest political parlor game in Arlington will be guesses on who eventually will be selected. The names already have started bubbling to the surface, from up-and-comers to those who already have served their time and, perhaps, would like to come back for one last hurrah.
We presume – and urge – that the selection will NOT be one of the candidates on the November ballot (Democrats will have chosen their two nominees by then). Otherwise, the field would seem to be wide open; the guessing game will be a good way to keep political junkies happy during the early summer months.
