Former School Board Member Nominated As Cristol's Interim Replacement

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Board will consider the nomination of Tannia Talento at its meeting on Saturday to fill the seat vacated by Katie Cristol who left the county board earlier this month to head a business organization in Tysons.

Talento would serve the remainder of Cristol’s term as board member, which expires on Dec. 31, 2023.

Talento, currently U.S. Sen. Mark Warner’s Northern Virginia regional director, served on the Arlington School Board from 2017 to 2020, including as vice chair and chair. Talento previously worked in corporate law for 15 years as a legal secretary.

She is a founding member and active steering committee member of the Arlington Schools Hispanic Parents Association and served on the Arlington Civic Federation's Task Force in Governance and Election Reform.

If appointed by the board, Talento would be sworn in at the July recessed meeting on Tuesday, July 18. On Jan. 1, 2024, the board seat will be filled by a county board member elected in the Nov. 7 general election where candidates are vying for two seats on the county board.

Independent Audrey Clement, Republican Juan Carlos Fierro, Democrat Maureen Coffey and Democrat Susan Cunningham are currently on the general election ballot for county board.

Under state law, if a board vacancy occurs within 180 days before the expiration of a term of office, the Arlington County Board must fill the vacancy by appointment by a majority vote of the remaining board members. The appointment must also occur within 30 days of the vacancy and after a public hearing on the appointment.

On May 2, Cristol announced that she was stepping down from her role on the Arlington County Board, effective July 4, which falls within the 180-day provision and triggers a county board majority appointment of an interim Board member, according to the board.

Cristol left the board early to become CEO of the Tysons Community Alliance, a new public-private partnership in the Tysons area.

Talento told Arlington Magazine in 2018 that she does not have a college degree and is a daughter of immigrant parents who came to the U.S. from Guatemala.

RELATED: Katie Cristol To Leave Arlington Board To Head Tysons Community Group