Kathleen McSweeney

“JD Spain is my #1 choice in this County Board election. JD’s life has been one of leadership, integrity, and service - first serving his county as a decorated Marine, Congressional Fellow, and as an investigator in the DoD Office of the Inspector General, and serving Arlington as a Commission member, Board member on non-profit and education boards, and member of Leadership Arlington’s Class of 2022.

While he is known by many in Arlington for his past leadership of the Arlington Branch of the NAACP, people may not be aware of his work to lift up other voices and issues that impact many in Arlington. He worked with many in the Latino community to shed light on poor living conditions and advocate for improvements, with faith communities to make sure people are registered and have a way to the polls, in secondary and higher education spaces to expand reach and access through a variety of ways including scholarships, advocates for climate change initiatives including expanding our tree canopy, and has studied our office vacancy rate and has championed innovative approaches to reducing those vacancies and restoring the balance between our residential and commercial tax bases.

In my opinion, JD’s most important attributes are his curiosity, positivity, and commitment to fairness. He is constantly seeking information - he engages in conversations with people across Arlington and makes a point of seeking out people with different views to engage in deep and meaningful conversations. He is a respectful and savvy listener. He is curious, not judgmental. He seeks solutions and finds common ground. He believes that Arlington’s best days are in front of us and will work hard to implement policies that don’t leave anyone behind.

For these reasons, I am confident that JD is the best candidate for County Board and his prior leadership and service to our nation and community means he has the experience to be effective on day one.”