The basic structure of Arlington’s local government is set by the state Constitution and statutes adopted by the legislature. 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?
- What issues drove the specific elements of the approved plan?
Find out now what the history is as the county grapples with the question: What kind of government should Arlington County have today?
The Honorable John Milliken has been active in Arlington civic and political affairs since the early 1970’s and was a Member of the County Board from 1981 to 1990. He stepped down to become Virginia’s the Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia. His activity resumed when he returned from Richmond in 1994 and continues today. He is now a Senior Fellow in Residence at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Recently he was the lead editor and author of The New Dominion: The Twentieth Century Elections that Shaped Modern Virginia, published by the University of Virginia Press (2023).
This July 30, 2026 event will be held at the Marymount University Library Auditorium and via Zoom.
This event is one of the monthly series of free public programs sponsored and hosted by the Arlington Historical Society. USUALLY our monthly events are on the second Thursday of each month BUT this month our program is on the FOURTH THURSDAY.
This event is part of our VA250 series of events throughout the year and complements our Arlington Historical Museum’s temporary exhibit: “Who Decides? Governing Arlington Through Time.”
DRIVING DIRECTIONS and FREE PARKING:
Attendees planning to attend the event in-person should enter the Marymount University campus at the library gate on N. 26th Street.
- From Glebe Road going north, take a right onto 26th Street.
- Pass through the stop light at the intersection of 26th and Old Dominion Drive.
- Pass the intersection with Yorktown Road
- Enter the campus through the next gate on your left. The library is to your left as you enter the campus.
- Free garage parking is just past the library at the bottom of the small incline. (Handicapped parking is immediately to your right as you enter through the gate onto campus.)
If the university has lowered the garage gates, push the button and let them know you’re here for an Arlington Historical Society event in the library. To leave, push the button and they’ll raise the gate.
Zoom Available
If you can’t be there in person, you can zoom in, but you must register by the end of Wednesday, July 29, 2026 to get the zoom information. Click here to register: https://forms.gle/aTS2hEr5ztQF5dc99
You’ll get an email on the morning of the event (Jul 30, 2026) with Zoom details.
This event is hosted courtesy of the Marymount University politics program’s American Heritage Initiative. For more information, please email: info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
