Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan stands in the center of a group of county staff leaders along with the Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington commanding general, Karl R. Horst, and the JFHQNCR/MDW joint interagency coordinator Arnaldo Claudio(far right) at Fort McNair March 3, 2011. Donnellan was briefed on the mission and capabilities of the JFHQNCR/MDW.
The county manager is the principal administrative officer of the county and is responsible for carrying out policies determined by the County Board, and for the day-to-day operations and management of a broad range of county services.
During the 1930 session of the Virginia General Assembly an Act was passed permitting counties with a population of more than 500 to the square mile (in effect only Arlington) to adopt a County Manager form of government, provided the electorate approved. With this vote Arlington became a pioneer in the County Manager movement, as it is considered to be the first county in the United States to adopt by popular vote any kind of a County Manager system.
Over the years, as new demands were placed upon it, the county government structure was enlarged and became more complex. Even in the early thirties, however, concentration of responsibility in a single head resulted in more efficient government. In addition, the fact that the Magisterial Districts had been abolished and the County Board elected at large meant a governing body more responsive to the needs of the county as a whole.
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