Natalie Roy Kicks Off County Board Campaign At Black Heritage Museum

ARLINGTON, VA — Natalie Roy, a local Realtor and long-time county resident, officially kicked off her campaign for Arlington County Board on Sunday at an event at the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington.

Roy, who will be seeking the Democratic nomination for county board in 2024, said Sunday that she believes the five-member board needs a voice like hers advocating for transparency and community responsiveness.

“I will bring that voice. With me, what you see is what you get,” Roy said in her remarks at the campaign kick-off. “The county board’s mantra should be, ‘What can we do for you? Not this is what we think is best for you.’”

Roy, who came in third in the Democratic primary for two seats on the county board earlier this year, is running for the seat held by fellow Democrat Libby Garvey, who said she will be deciding in January or early February if she will run again.

Julie Farnam, who serves on the board of the Arlington Ridge Civic Association, also said she will be seeking the Democratic nomination for county board in 2024.

J.D. Spain and Tony Weaver, both of whom also came up short in the Democratic primary for county board earlier this year, are also viewed as possibilities for entering the race for the county board seat in 2024.

James DeVita, who ran against state Sen. Barbara Favola in the Democratic primary earlier this year, said he is planning to announce his candidacy for county board on Wednesday.

Arlington Democrats have yet to announce whether they will be using a caucus or primary to select the nominee for county board.

The last time local Democrats used a caucus to select a nominee was for the 2020 special election — at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic — to fill Erik Gutshall’s former county board seat. Current Board member Takis Karatonis won the caucus, which used a ranked choice voting process, with 94 votes after two rounds of counting and 149 votes after three rounds.

Roy, who opposed the county’s adoption of the Missing Middle Housing policy, said the priorities of her campaign for county board will include advocating for a community-supported, planning-oriented approach to address the urgent need for ADA accessible-affordable housing and diversity.

She also committed to increasing green space, reinstating glass recycling, protecting the tree canopy, expanding bike lanes, and transitioning the county fleets from gas to electric if elected to the board.

Acknowledging the high commercial vacancy rate’s impact on the Arlington County budget, Roy pledged to conduct a comprehensive assessment and explore creative solutions to convert old buildings for housing or community purposes.

Roy also said she will work closely with firefighters, police, dispatchers, and emergency personnel to “obtain the necessary tools, resources, and community support needed to ensure we all have a safe place to live.”

RELATED: Julie Farnam To Run As Democrat In 2024 For Arlington County Board