Last week, we invited the candidates running in competitive races in the June 20 Democratic primary to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.

Below is the unedited response from Natalie Roy, candidate for Arlington County Board.

I am running to bring new energy, transparency, and responsiveness to the County Board. It is crucial to have someone on the County Board with experience in the trenches, who knows the county well, and tells it like it is. With me, what you see is what you get. I am not shy about asking the tough questions or challenging the status quo. I will focus on improving our public engagement process and bringing people together.

As a 32-year resident in Arlington, I have decades of community experience including serving as the President of my neighborhood’s civic association, as a PTA president, as an active member of the County’s covid vaccination committee, and as the coach of the Yorktown girls’ varsity tennis team for 17 years.  I also helped organize opposition to a gun store in our neighborhood.

My wide range of professional executive experience includes running two national environmental organizations, one statewide handgun control group, and working on recycling for a state agency and a municipality. As the recycling director for the glass container industry, I worked with union members at glass plants across the country to promote recycling. I founded and still manage a top-performing real estate business in Arlington, which gives me real-world insights into housing and development.  As a lifelong Democrat, I have worked and volunteered on countless progressive national, state, and local campaigns.

At the risk of some blowback from local basketball circles, I am a proud graduate of Duke University.  My husband Nikki and I raised three daughters who all went to Arlington County Public Schools. Nikki and I met 42 years ago working for the same environmental group. He is still saving the world, fighting climate change. We both know that reducing our carbon footprint should be a priority at every level of government.

I got out of my comfort zone and launched this, my first run for public office, because I opposed the County’s recent sweeping zoning changes. Although the new zoning changes likely will benefit my real estate business, they would be harmful to the community, and that is my first priority. This election is about whether we in Arlington want unplanned density for the sake of density throughout the County or environmentally sound, transit-oriented development that meaningfully promotes affordability and diversity. I support smart growth and our community.

Far from the isolated issue some claim it to be, Arlington’s current ‘Up-Zoning Everywhere’ approach with no real goals or guardrails, is a central issue. These density dynamics will affect our County’s economy, our environment and tree canopy, infrastructure, transit, schools, and emergency response for decades into the future.

This watershed election is a vote on who has the best vision for Arlington. I have the requisite experience, high creativity, strong leadership skills, and deep community roots to serve on the County Board and hit the ground running on day one. I have no political aspirations other than to serve on the County Board to provide the unifying leadership and transparency critically needed now.  I would be honored to receive your #1 Vote.