Origins of Arlington’s County Manager Plan: 1927-1931

Virginia is one of those states where local government only has powers given to it under state law. In 1930 the General Assembly authorized and Arlington voters approved the adoption of what is called the County Manager form of government and voters elected the first 5 Member County Board in 1931. With only a few minor changes that form of government is what Arlington has today, 96 years later.

The County Board is studying the question of whether changes should be made to our current form of government. One issue that has arisen concerns the historical context in which the 1930 changes were made. John Milliken has done a deep dive into the history of that time to find out: Why was this system adopted back then?

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