06/03/2025
Dear Civ Fed members,
Now we come to our last general membership meeting of the 2024-25 ACCF season. It’s been quite a year: Across the river, a new presidential administration has attempted to eviscerate the American civil service, a cornerstone of our federal government and employer of many Arlingtonians. Amid many signs of resilience and determination, Civ Fed offered broad support to our friends, neighbors and colleagues.
Keeping our focus appropriately on our county home, your Civ Fed Board of Directors has made significant strides in relating to our local government. In addition to offering regular meetings with the County Manager, both in membership meetings and community-based roundtables, we joined with the County Board in a February joint work session to stimulate discourse on the most contentious issues between county and community.
And perhaps foremost, we continued the process of steadily rebuilding our bedrock committee structure. A great example of this renaissance highlights the agenda for our upcoming annual membership meeting next Tuesday, June 10 in the Hazel Auditorium at Virginia Hospital Center. Our Planning and Zoning Committee will present for a membership vote a resolution that well captures many of the issues that currently roil our community.
Please familiarize yourself with this significant resolution via the text below if you have not already done so.
And as we have in recent months, we offer another packed agenda for this annual meeting. But first:
I am pleased to report that we can again invite our members to join us at 6:30 in the lobby outside the Hazel Auditorium for refreshments and fellowship before the meeting begins. It’s nice to be able to revive this Civ Fed tradition, and I hope you will be able to come a little early next Tuesday to participate with us.
As you’ll see on the agenda, we will lead off with two short presentations of general interest. First, the Arlington Historical Society will brief our membership on plans for Virginia 250 celebrations coming next year. Then, representatives of the Virginia Hospital Center’s Board of Directors will update us on the hospital’s evolving plans for its large site on South Carlin Springs Road. There will be an opportunity for a few questions for both presenters.
Then we’ll dive into consideration of our comprehensive planning and zoning resolution, followed by a vote to approve it. Right afterward, we will be joined for an always informative update by Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn.
Our last meeting of the season is always at least partly a time for review and reflection. This will begin with our annual awards presentation, including the first-ever award of the “ArlNow Cup” by venerable Arlington journalist Scott McCaffrey.
We will then vote to elect our new leadership officers and directors for the new term. I think our Nominating Committee has recruited a great new team that will continue the progress we have made in recent years. As always, also, nominations from the floor are welcome.
Finally, our committees, Board of Directors and leadership will all offer brief reviews of their busy year, full of activity and activism.
As I move on from serving you as president, I wish each of you the very best as we work together to make our community better.
Best,
John Ford
ACCF President
Email from Arlington County Civic Federation The Newsletter of the Arlington County Civic Federation June 2025 | Volume 109 | Number 10 President's Message Dear Civ Fed members, Now we come to our las
