And then there were two.
In the 2021 General Assembly session, three members of the Arlington delegation held committee chairmanships. But with the Republican takeover of the lower house of the legislature, the ranks have been denuded by one.
Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) lost his chairmanships of the House Committee on Public Safety to the GOP’s Robert Bell (R-Charlottesville).
In the state Senate, where there were no elections in 2021 and where Democrats continue to hold a slim (21-to-19) majority, Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston-Arlington) continues as chair of the Committee on Finance and Appropriations, while Sen. Barbara Favola (D-Arlington-Fairfax-Loudoun) continues to chair the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services.
Howell is the Senate’s second most senior member, having served since 1992. Sen. Dick Saslaw (D-Fairfax) is king of Senate seniority, having been in office since 1980.