Democrats JD Spain, Maureen Coffey To Run For Arlington County Board

ARLINGTON, VA — Two Arlington residents announced their candidacies this week for two Arlington County Board seats opening up as a result of decisions by Board Chair Christian Dorsey and Board member Katie Cristol not to seek re-election in 2023.

Julius (JD) Spain Sr., former president of the NAACP Arlington Branch and a retired U.S. Marine, and Maureen Coffey, a policy analyst at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., and a former Virginia Young Democrats president, will be seeking the Democratic nomination in a primary that will take place on June 20.

In November, Cristol issued a statement saying she would not run for re-election in 2023. Last month, Dorsey announced he would not seek re-election. Cristol and Dorsey are finishing up their second four-year terms on the county board this year.

On Tuesday, Dorsey was unanimously elected as chair of the Arlington County Board and Libby Garvey as vice chair for 2023.

Spain spent 26 years in the US Marine Corps, retiring in 2016. He worked on a diplomatic assignment with NATO, served as a U.S. Senate Congressional Fellow, and a senior Pentagon legislative advisor.

He recently completed a second two-year term as president of the NAACP Arlington Branch.

"JD is eager to continue to serve the people of Arlington. He has a vision for our community, the experience to lead, and the drive to fight for our shared values," his campaign said in a statement.

Spain is married with three children and one grandchild.

Coffey has focused on racial and gender equity during her work as a policy analyst at the Center for American Progress. She previously served on the board of the Arlington County Civic Federation.

In a news release Thursday, Coffey said she is running for the Arlington County Board in order to promote progressive legislation that strengthens the community, combats institutional bias and discrimination, and ensures the well-being of all Arlington residents.

As president of the Virginia Young Democrats for two years, she navigated the organization through the pandemic and 2020 election, according to her campaign website.