Candidate Profile: Roy Baldwin For Vienna Town Council

VIENNA, VA — Roy Baldwin, a Vienna Town Council member elected in 2023, is seeking re-election to Vienna Town Council in the Nov. 4, 2025 general election.

All six Vienna Town Council seats and mayor are up for election in 2025. Before 2023, Town Council seats had staggered two-year terms with elections in May.

There are seven candidates for six Vienna Town Council seats, and Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert is unopposed in her re-election bid.

Baldwin is running for Town Council along with incumbents Sandra Allen, Chuck Anderson, Jessica Ramakis and Howard Springsteen. Newcomers Doug Francis and Dann Nash are also running. Councilmember Ray Brill is not seeking re-election.

SEE ALSO: Vienna Town Council Forum Set Before November 2025 Election

In addition to the town elections, Town of Vienna voters will have Virginia governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and Virginia House of Delegates 12th District on the ballot. There are also Fairfax County public school bonds up for a voter referendum.

Early voting for the general election began on Friday, Sept. 19. 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 J. Baldwin

Office Sought

Town of Vienna Council Member

Campaign Website

roybaldwin.net

Age (As of Nov. 4 election)

Currently celebrating the 37th anniversary of my 37th birthday

Education

BA in Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1973; JD from George Washington University Law School, 1976

Occupation

Principal attorney in The Baldwin Law Firm, LLC, a general practic firm concentrating in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, and family law in Oakton, VA.

Family

Married to Sharon 45 yrs, father to Nathaniel (now an associate in my firm), and grandfather to Nicolas, age 2

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Previous public office positions or appointments

Vienna Town Council 2024-present; Vienna Member on the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance; Member & Chair, Vienna Board of Architectural Review; Member, Vienna Town-Business Liaison Committee

Why are you seeking this office?

Vienna holds so much promise for its residents and those who come here for work, school, entertainment, shopping, and dining. The experience, knowledge, and contacts I have built up in the 20 months I have been on the Town Council, as well as the 20 years I have served on Town boards and commissions, have prepared me to be of help in realizing that promise.

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

I have been able to use my legal background on a number of occasions to help clarify issues that have come before the council. Other than that, I don't believe I have any major differences with Council Members Howard Springsteen, Chuck Anderson, or Jessica Ramakis - each has a unique life story and outstanding professional training and skills that they draw on for the benefit of the town. The same goes for new candidates Dann Nash and Doug Francis, each of whom promises to be a great addition to the council. There are major differences between myself and Council Member Sandra Allen. My belief is that council members should be truthful and respectful in our comments about other council members, our mayor, and our town employees in our meetings and in our postings on social media; use our best efforts to attend all work sessions (including interviews of applicants for town positions); and work with other council members to establish a realistic source of financing so that town residents will be able to enjoy a new facility on the Annex property (the vacant lot next to the Police Department) before 2030 rather than after 2040 (or not at all).

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

(1) How best to use the Annex property; (2) what to do with the other vacant properties owned by the town, such as the Beulah Road lot (I favor more parks as well as affordable housing); (3) how to continue to oppose a casino in Tysons (I will return to Richmond during the upcoming General Assembly session to lobby against it); (4) how to position the town to ride out what seems likely to be a coming period of severe economic instability; (5) how to help the hundreds of town residents who have lost their federal jobs courtesy of DOGE; (6) how best to humanely reduce our deer population; (7) how to force the owners of the vacant lot at 444 Maple Ave, W (formerly the site of the Vienna Wolftrap Motel) to either start building on the property or lose it; (8) how to maximize the effect of the new Tree Advocacy Committee (which I helped to create) to preserve our signature trees; (9) how to force Dominion Energy to make up for the clear cutting they inflicted all through Vienna along the W&OD Trail; (10) how to encourage affordable housing alternatives so that our young people and seniors can stay here (I helped to create our new law which allows accessory dwelling units attached to single-family houses); (11) how to complete the traffic light synchronization on Maple Avenue to reduce congestion; and (12) most important of all, how to keep Vienna what it has been for my 45 years in the town - a safe, friendly, and well-managed small town with a town government dedicated to service to our residents, businesses, and visitors.

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

I am proud of my record of giving of my time and talents to the Vienna community, whether as a member of the Town Council, the Board of Architectural Review, and the Town-Business Liaison Committe, or as a member of the Vienna Business Association, the Vienna Elementary School PTA, and the Vestry of Church of the Holy Comforter, or as a scoutmaster, volunteer for Viva! Vienna, Oktoberfest, and the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, and as a booster of Warhawk sports. I'm proud to have been a member of a team that has, for the last 20 months, steered the Town Council in ways that have always sought to benefit all town residents. I have not been influenced by any special interest or developer.