2023 Candidates
General Assembly Candidates
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Senator Favola is a whip in the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus. She chairs the Virginia Senate’s Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee, as well as serving on the Local Government Committee, Transportation Committee, Rules Committee, and Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources Committee. She is a member and former Chair of the Virginia Advisory Committee for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Chair of the Senate Women's Health Care Caucus, and a member and former Chair of Virginia’s Commission on Youth.
She served on Governor McAuliffe’s Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission and served on the Disability Commission and the Joint Committee to Study the Future of Public Education. Senator Favola serves on the Advisory Board of Virginia Tech's School of Public and International Affairs and is a former member of the Board of the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind.
Prior to her election as a State Senator, Barbara Favola served on the Arlington County Board for fourteen years (1997-2011) and chaired that body three times. During her service with the County, Senator Favola was the Board's leading advocate for children, youth, and families, and her contributions to the community include establishing mental health services in the public schools.
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State Senator Adam Ebbin has represented Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax in Richmond since 2004, taking office in January 2012 after serving for eight years in the House of Delegates.
Adam has been a leader in the General Assembly in advancing progressive priorities including preventing gun violence, standing up against LGBT discrimination, and protecting the right to vote. He has been a steadfast champion for increased access to early childhood education, criminal justice reform, and workers’ rights.
Adam chairs the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee and serves on five other Senate committees: Commerce and Labor; Privileges and Elections; Transportation; Rules; as well as Finance and Appropriations.
He is a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, the Cannabis Oversight Commission (which he chairs), the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission, and co-chairs the General Assembly’s Gun Violence Prevention Caucus.
A native of Commack, New York, Adam has resided in Alexandria since 1989 and is a 1985 graduate of American University. He was a Fellow at the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership in 2000 and at Harvard University’s Kennedy School program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government in 2012.
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Delegate Alfonso Lopez is a lifelong Democrat and activist with over 30 years of federal and Virginia legislative experience on issues critical to the people of Arlington County, Alexandria City, and Fairfax County. He has served as an Obama Administration political appointee, Kaine Administration cabinet-level appointee, and a six-term member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the people of the 49th District. Delegate Lopez has been the Patron, Co-Patron, or the Chief Co-Patron of over 150 bills that have been signed into law. These bills have addressed a wide array of issues, including the environment, renewable energy, small business, criminal justice reform, immigration, sensible gun violence prevention, and protecting the social safety net. As the former Majority Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, Delegate Lopez also worked to, among other things, increase teacher salaries by 5%, secure a dedicated source of revenue for METRO, ban the death penalty in Virginia, create the first State Voting Rights Act in the South, and, perhaps most importantly, expand Medicaid and health protections to over 500,000 Virginians.
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Adele is the daughter of a resilient early childhood educator and a Filipino immigrant who served in the U.S. Army. Adele was raised on Richmond Highway in Northern Virginia where she experienced poverty and periodic homelessness not far from where she currently lives in Arlington, an experience that has made her a fierce advocate for vulnerable populations. Through the lens of her community activism and her many lived experiences, Adele has worked with advocates and members of the Virginia General Assembly to draft, pass, and implement legislation that breaks down systemic barriers, expands human rights, and improves access to services for people in Arlington and across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Adele’s lived experiences combined with her policy expertise and experience in the state legislative and executive branches make Adele ready to hit the ground running on the first day. She would serve as the first Black and Asian person to represent Arlington in the Virginia General Assembly.
Adele McClure is running to represent the needs of the people in Arlington and build upon the progress that we’ve made together.
County Board Candidates
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Maureen Coffey is a public policy expert, a union member, and lifelong Northern Virginian who is proud to call Arlington her home. She is running for County Board to fight for progressive policies that unify our community, address institutional bias and discrimination, and ensure that all Arlingtonians are able to thrive. Maureen’s priorities include housing, transportation, education, mental health, the environment, and economic development.
Maureen currently works at the Center for American Progress, a progressive policy think tank dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans. Her work is centered around designing public policy that understands and supports the real needs of families with an emphasis on gender and racial equity. She was appointed by Gov. Ralph Northam to the Virginia Family and Children’s Trust and she previously served on the board of the Arlington County Civic Federation.
Maureen is an active community organizer and member of the Democratic Party. As President of the Virginia Young Democrats for two years, she navigated the organization through the pandemic and 2020 election. She served on the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Steering Committee, the 8th Congressional District Democratic Committee, and was an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2020.
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Jonathan Dromgoole is a progressive advocate focused on increasing diverse representation through policy and public service.
Jonathan is running for Arlington County Board to bring diverse voices and perspectives to the policy conversation. His community-driven policy priorities are centered around small business opportunities, climate resiliency, housing access and affordability, sustainable infrastructure and transportation, and inclusive communities.
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Jonathan's family immigrated to the U.S. in search of opportunities. Jonathan’s professional and personal achievements have focused on social good and people-centered policies that enhance diverse representation from international development practices to local activism. He has experience guiding policy decisions made by community leaders, local and state officials, and the White House.
He is a first-generation double graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and McCourt School of Public Policy and a graduate of UVA’s Sorensen Institute. He has successfully led local, statewide, and national efforts on behalf of the Democrats most notably through the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia (DLOV). In 2021, Jonathan was appointed by Governor Northam as an inaugural member of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board.
From Ballston, Rosslyn, to Pentagon City, Jonathan and his husband, Juan, have felt welcomed and proud to call Arlington home.
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Julius D. (JD) Spain, Sr. is a proud Arlingtonian and a lifelong public servant. In 1990, he began a 26-year career in the US Marine Corps, retiring in 2016 after 26 years of honorable service.
JD gained valuable leadership experience working on a diplomatic assignment with NATO, served as US Senate Congressional Fellow, a senior Pentagon legislative advisor, and a former federal investigator. In addition, he has devoted himself to building up Arlington and ensuring everyone in our community has a voice. For over a decade, he served in institutions that are the bedrock of our County, such as PTAs, neighborhood associations, commissions, and the NAACP.
JD recently completed a second two-year term as the President of the NAACP Arlington Branch with over 1000 members, where he tirelessly led a team of volunteers. JD is eager to continue to serve the people of Arlington. He has a vision for our community, the experience to lead, and the drive to fight for our shared values. JD is running to serve on the Arlington County Board and would be grateful for your support.
JD is married to the former Adriana Contreras, also a veteran, and they recently celebrated 30 years of marriage and are blessed with three wonderful children (and a grandchild!).
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Tony Weaver has been a community leader and small business owner in Arlington for the last eight years, driven by the conviction that everyone in the county should be ensured the opportunity to succeed, regardless of background. Through his volunteer work as president of the Arlington Rotary Club, he has gained a deep appreciation of the challenges many community members face, including food insecurity, educational deficits, and insufficient access to healthcare and affordable housing. As a member of the Committee of 100's Board of Directors, he has helped build a forum for discourse addressing many of these issues.
As the owner of a rapidly growing business Tony has experience working with and employing members of the Arlington community. He serves as a commissioner on Arlington County’s Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission, drawing on his professional experience to advise the County Board on financial and budgetary issues. His diverse experience working with nonprofits, county government, and businesses in Arlington has given him a unique opportunity to develop effective policies. He is committed to listening to the needs and concerns of his fellow Arlingtonians, and to working to make Arlington a place where all residents can thrive.
Commonwealth’s Attorney
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Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has a 20-year record of reforming the criminal legal system as a public defender, an innocence protection attorney, and a law professor. Elected in 2019, she promised our community would become a model for a criminal legal system that provides safety and justice for all. In three years, in the midst of a global pandemic, in the face of resistance from the forces of the status quo, and fighting against a right-wing recall, she delivered on her promises.
Parisa stopped asking for cash bail; established a restorative justice program, behavioral health docket, and conviction integrity unit; expanded drug treatment diversion, treated kids like kids, reduced the jail population, instituted open file discovery, addressed racial disparities, stopped using peremptory strikes in jury selection and much more. Her vision, leadership, and commitment to her community have earned her a national reputation, and she is featured in the first historical account of the reform movement: “Change From Within: Reimagining The 21st Century Prosecutor.”
Parisa came to the US as a child. She lives in Arlington with her husband, a Haitian immigrant, civil rights lawyer, and law professor. Their two children attend Arlington Public Schools.
Clerk of the Court
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Paul Ferguson has served as Clerk of the Circuit Court of Arlington County since 2008. Prior to this role, he was a member of the Arlington County Board from 1996-2007, and served as Chairman in 1999, 2003, and 2007.
During his tenure as Clerk of the Circuit Court, Paul has implemented a number of initiatives that have greatly improved the efficiency and accessibility of the court system. These include reducing the length of jury service to one day/one trial, back scanning of all deeds and marriage licenses, and the ability to transmit all fees to court by internet. He also implemented electronic case files for court records, with automated workflows and order generation, which received the County Manager’s 2014 Excellence award. In addition, he redacted Social Security Numbers from all land records documents and provided an information packet in English and Spanish with sample forms for self-represented parties seeking an uncontested divorce. Bilingual assistance for the public is also available in all sections of the Circuit Court office.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Paul is also involved in the community. He has served as the President of the Virginia Court Clerk’s Association in 2018 and is currently serving on the Virginia Access to Justice Commission. He is also the current Chair of the Arlington County Bar Foundation, the Community Criminal Justice Board (CCJB), and the NOVA Parks Board of Directors. He is a member of the Wakefield Alumni Educational Foundation, the Arlington Kiwanis Club, and the Leadership Arlington Founding Class of 1999. He received an Equality Award from AGLA for his support of Same Sex Marriages before they became legal in 2015. He is married to Karen Keyes and has two adult sons, Tim and Daniel Ferguson.
Commissioner of Revenue
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Treasurer
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Sheriff
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James is a native son of Arlington, product of Arlington public schools, and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison – with assistance from an ROTC Scholarship. Upon graduation, James received his commission as an Army Infantry Officer.
He returned to Arlington and joined D.C.’s Police Department, serving in Southeast DC and becoming a Field Training Officer – instructing the next generation of officers. He joined Arlington Police in 2019, and has been serving his hometown ever since.
Concurrent with his civilian service, James was assigned to a unit of the Virginia National Guard, where he served as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer for a 160-soldier light infantry company.
When not at work, James enjoys his time at home with his wife Alyssa in their South Arlington duplex. Additionally, James is a rowing coach at Washington-Liberty High School.
As an Army Officer, Police Officer, and coach, James has always valued transparency, and looked for innovative ways to educate and motivate those he is responsible for. He has been in public service since the age of 18, and has never shied away from a challenge.
As Sheriff, James would work to improve health and safety of those in custody, and revamp recruiting and retention efforts to address the staffing shortages that are harming public safety programs.
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Wanda Younger is a career public servant who has dedicated her life to Arlington County and its residents. She began her 31-year career with the Arlington Sheriff’s Office as a summer youth intern, eventually taking a job as a secretary with the Sheriff’ s Office until graduating from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy. Wanda rose through the ranks, ultimately retiring as a Lieutenant and Director of Pretrial Services.
Calling Arlington home for nearly three decades, Wanda has dedicated herself to serving our community outside of the jail by volunteering with the Arlington Food Assistance Center, Arlington County Democratic Party as a poll greeter, and as the Branch Secretary of the NAACP Arlington Branch.
Wanda holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration and an A.A.S. in Administration of Justice from Northern Virginia Community College. Wanda obtained Jail Manager Certification and completed the Department of Criminal Justice Services Core Competencies for Local Probation and Pretrial Practices Training Program. In addition, Wanda is a graduate of Leadership of Arlington Class of 2015.
Wanda and her husband, James, live in Douglas Park, in the same house that her grandfather purchased in 1969. Wanda has two sons and three grandchildren.
School Board
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Note: Candidate information is arranged by type of office, then alphabetically by candidate. House of Delegates seats are listed in numerical order. Senate District 40 is listed first as it comprises all but 6 precincts in Arlington.
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