Candidate Profile: Roy Baldwin Runs For Vienna Town Council In 2023

VIENNA, VA — Roy Baldwin, an attorney and chair of the Vienna Board of Architectural Review, is running for Vienna Town Council in the Nov. 7, 2023 general election.

All six Vienna Town Council seats and mayor are up for election in 2023 due to a new Virginia election law. Previously, Town Council had staggered two-year terms with elections in May.

Baldwin is running for Town Council along with incumbents Charles "Chuck" Anderson, Howard Springsteen and Ray Brill and newcomers Sandra Allen, Jessica Ramakis, and Shelley Mountjoy. Mayor Linda Colbert is also running for re-election and does not have a challenger. Elizabeth Korondy is no longer running for Town Council, and Beth Eachus has a write-in campaign, according to the Gazette Leader.

Town of Vienna voters will have the Town Council and mayoral elections on the ballot, as well as Fairfax County races, Virginia House 12 and Virginia Senate 37. The Fairfax County races in the Town of Vienna include Hunter Mill District Board of Supervisors member and Fairfax County School Board member, as well as countywide races for Board of Supervisors chairman, three at-large School Board representatives, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney, Fairfax County Sheriff, and Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District.

Early voting for the general election began on Friday, Sept. 22. More information on how to vote is available from the Fairfax County Office of Elections.

Patch asked candidates for Vienna Town Council to fill out a candidate questionnaire with the same questions. Here are Baldwin's responses:

Name

Roy James Baldwin

Office Sought

Member, Vienna Town Council

Campaign Website

www.roybaldwin.net

Age (as of Nov. 7 election)

72

Education

B.A. in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, J.D. from the George Washington University Law School

Occupation

Attorney with The Baldwin Law Firm, LLC in Oakton, VA

Family

Wife Sharon, son Nathaniel (also a member of The Baldwin Law Firm, LLC)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Previous public office positions or appointments

Vienna Town-Business Liaison Committee (2003-2006), Vienna Board of Architectural Review (2006 - date, currently the Chair)

Why are you seeking this office?

When my wife Sharon and I were looking for a place to settle down back in 1979, we chose Vienna because we were charmed by what a nice little town it was. Forty-three years later I still see a nice little town that attracts new families because of its excellent schools, safe neighborhoods, a vibrant but locally owned business district, and a responsive local government.

I’ve been a scoutmaster, a PTA board member, a Sunday School teacher and vestry member, a fundraiser for the fire department, and served on many committees and boards in the Town.

I’m currently the chair of the Board of Architectural Review, which I have served on since 2006. The BAR reviews all design proposals for commercial properties and for multi-family developments. I’m proud to have teamed up with fellow members of the BAR many times to do everything we can within the Town Code to keep developers from turning Vienna into a big town.

I hope to bring all that experience to the Town Council to help guide Vienna through a new set of challenges - new developments along Maple Avenue and Church Street, encouraging small shops and businesses to settle in and stay in the Town, and doing everything we can to encourage affordable housing. I want to make it so that when young families look at Vienna years from now they will still say that “Vienna is a nice little town”.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate(s) seeking this post?

I have a history of service on Town boards and committees dating back to 2003 for which I was appointed by each successive Town Council. This is similar to four of the other candidates on the ballot. By contrast, two candidates (Shelley Mountjoy and Sandra Allen), have yet to serve on any Town boards or committees, and don't appear to me to have enough experience serving the people of Vienna to recommend their elevation to the Town Council at this time. For this reason, I am recommending to all my friends that (in addition to myself, of course) they vote for incumbent Council members Howard Springsteen, Charles Anderson, and Ray Brill, as well as first-time candidate Jessica Ramakis (who serves on the Planning Commission), and in addition that they write in the name of Beth Eachus, who is the Chair of the Transportation Safety Commission and the Bicycle Safety Committee.

What do you see as the top issues facing (your town), and how do you address them in your campaign platform?

1. Maple Avenue Development. Now that the new town building code is in place I want to make sure that we have right-sized development along Maple Avenue that does not sacrifice the rights of those living near to the new developments.
2. Tree protection ordinance. I will press for passage of the proposed tree preservation ordinance that will require developers to do all that is necessary to preserve signature trees from demolition.
3. Vape stores' illegal sales to minors. At a recent town hall event hosted by Del. Holly Seibold, parents stated that their teenage children are able to obtain vaping products at the two vape stores on Maple Avenue, as well as at other convenience stores, and our town chief of police stated there is little the police can do to stop these sales. It is time to bring all the resources of our town to bear on insisting that these stores follow the law about sales to minors and suffer the legal consequences if they don't.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As a member of the Board of Architectural Review I have been part of a successful years-long effort to encourage local businesses to modernize their buildings and signs while sparing town residents from inappropriate or garish developments. I am particularly proud of our votes denying efforts by the developers of the Vienna Market condos (where the Marco Polo Restaurant used to be) to get by with cheaper design features that would have severely downgraded the look of the buildings.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will be a responsive voice for all residents of the Town, and a reliable vote in favor of keeping Vienna a well-managed, safe, welcoming small town with a town government dedicated to service to the Town’s residents, businesses, and visitors.