Arlington County will hold special election to fill Falls Church City Council seat

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — On Thursday, Arlington County Circuit Court granted a Writ of Election, also known as a special election, to fill the vacant seat on Falls Church City Council. This comes after former Council Member Caroline Lian resigned from her position. 

Lian was elected to serve a four-year term on the Falls Church City Council from 2022 to 2025. This position paid her $9,200 a year. Lian resigned after an investigation found that she was working two full-time jobs in addition to her seat on the Falls Church City Council. 

During the investigation, Lian would reportedly take off from her other jobs to attend city council meetings but reported that she worked a full day at her full-time jobs instead of using leave hours. 

In 2022, she also allegedly underreported her income, saying she only made less than $1,000 from Falls Church, though she did submit an amendment and said that she mistakenly picked the wrong category of income on the form.

Lian resigned on August 7. Anyone wishing to apply for the seat must file by August 30. The special election will take place on November 5, during the General Elections.