Vienna is considering more than doubling the salaries for mayor and town council going forward, but the current holders of those offices suggested they will aim lower amid still-high inflation, fears of a recession, and general economic uncertainty.
At a conference session on Monday (Dec. 12), town staff proposed bumping up the pay for town council members from $5,000 per year to $12,000, and from $7,500 per year to $15,000 for the mayor. It would be the first raise for the mayor since 2014 and the first for the council since 2002.
Acknowledging the awkwardness of elected officials discussing their own compensation, Mayor Linda Colbert noted that, based on a rough estimate of the hours she spends on the part-time job, her current salary is equivalent to $7.32 per hour — well under Virginia’s minimum wage of $11.
“Nobody wants to give themselves a raise. We’re public servants. That’s not the first thing on our mind,” Colbert said. “We’re always thinking about the residents, but I do think if we’re going to do this, staff has come up with a reasonable amount.”
If approved, the raises would be in place for Jan. 1, 2024, since Virginia law prohibits salary increases from taking effect during the incumbent mayor or town council’s term.
The suggested new salaries would still put Vienna below the towns of Herndon and Leesburg, which both approved pay hikes earlier this year. For city elected officials, compensation is limited by the state code based on the locality’s population, Vienna Finance Director Marion Serfass noted.
Still, some council members seemed wary of pushing for a significant raise, questioning the proposed $3,000 gap between the mayoral and council salaries compared to the approximately $1,000 difference seen in other jurisdictions.
“I think making a decision on this based on what other jurisdictions are doing in terms of the differential between council and mayor, I just like the optics of that a lot better,” Councilmember Nisha Patel said, suggesting that the mayoral salary should be closer to $13,000.
Councilmember Ed Somers said he’s fine with a bigger gap, considering that there are six council members and just one mayor.
“From a budgetary standpoint, the council collectively costs the taxpayers a lot more than the mayor does,” he said. “So, I am worried about the fiscal issues. I am worried about where we’re headed with the economy, so I still think the spread should be a little bit higher.”
While Colbert argued that Vienna “should be leaders” in terms of setting pay standards, Councilmembers Chuck Anderson and Howard Springsteen sided with Patel in preferring the “optics” of aligning with other localities.
The salary increases are expected to be put on the agenda item for the council’s Jan. 9 meeting before the upcoming budget cycle gets in full swing, according to Serfass.
“We’re going to be making difficult choices in a time when there’s a lot of economic uncertainty,” Anderson said. “We’re probably going to have to ask people to basically make sacrifices, and if we as a council aren’t willing to do that, then I think it’s really tough for us to look staff in the face and ask them to do that.”
Longtime Vienna Photographer Dies — “For decades in the town of Vienna, T.R. Cook was the man who took people’s portraits and photographed business and community events, recording the town’s history. Cook, who died Dec. 11 at age 93, made the town a better place and was a strong advocate of young people, friends said.” [Sun Gazette]
Rape Case Dismissed Over Missed Deadline — “A woman sitting in a Fairfax County courtroom Monday morning was ready after decades to finally confront the man she says raped her as a child. Instead, she watched in horror as a judge abruptly dismissed the case over what was characterized as ‘prosecutorial error.'” [NBC4]
Fire Department Distributes Toy Donations — “[On Monday], along with community partners and @FairfaxCountyPD, #FCFRD distributed over 3,000 toys to kids who would otherwise not receive gifts at Station 11, Penn Daw. School counselors and community groups will distribute throughout the county. #HolidaySeason” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Woodson HS Drummer Recognized by NFL Band — “After hearing about the inspiring story of a Fairfax County Public Schools student who is the first deaf drummer in his band, the Baltimore Marching Ravens recognized Michael Gouin’s hard work and musical accomplishments with a gift at a Monday night concert.” [ABC7]
Local Options for Getting a Christmas Tree — “Get into the spirit by visiting one of these Christmas tree farms in Northern Virginia, Christmas tree lots, and nurseries to get your tree. Northern Virginia not only has the best places to buy a Christmas tree, but also tons of opportunities to create holiday traditions and memories.” [Visit Fairfax]
Teen Developing App to Address Food Insecurity — Nirav Ramchandani, a high school student in Fairfax County who founded the nonprofit Cease Hunger in May 2021, is developing an online app “that connects restaurants and other businesses with food banks and pantries, he said. The app, called Food Box, is in the final stages of testing and is expected to be ready soon.” [WTOP]
Lorton Area Golf Courses Plan Renovations — “Several golf courses in the area are planning — or currently undergoing — significant renovations to improve their facilities for golfers and other guests.” These include the Pohick Bay Golf Course and Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton as well as the Fort Belvoir Golf Club. [On the MoVe]
New Wolf Trap Shows Announced — “On Tuesday, Wolf Trap announced its final shows for the Barns, which has a season extending into spring 2023. One of the two newly-announced shows is Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives on April 6 and 7…The other performance is by singer and songwriter Karla Bonoff on April 19.” [Patch]
It’s Wednesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 40 and low of 26. Sunrise at 7:21 am and sunset at 4:49 pm. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County is seeking more state support for education, a return of $39 million for regional transportation projects and more in its recently approved legislative priorities for next year.
At a meeting last week, the Board of Supervisors approved the adoption of the county’s 2023 legislative programs for both state and federal lawmakers. It passed by a 9-1 vote with only Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity opposing.
The approval on Dec. 6 was, more or less, a formality with most of the discussion and debate happening in legislative committee meetings throughout the fall.
In addition to trash collection changes, here are a few of the most notable priorities in this year’s agenda:
Increase state support for education
Jointly with Fairfax County Public Schools, the county wants the state to better address the differences between “high cost-of-living jurisdictions like Fairfax County” and other Virginia localities when funding public education.
State education funding is based on complex formulas and varies from year to year. The county has long argued that the formulas don’t adequately account for its higher cost of living compared to other areas.
“Public education funding in the Commonwealth is enshrined in the Virginia Constitution as a joint responsibility of both state and local governments, so it is essential that the state fully and appropriately meet its Constitutional responsibility to adequately fund K-12 education,” the state legislative program says.
Also, both boards oppose “budget cuts that disproportionately target or affect Northern Virginia” and “policies which divert K-12 education funding away from local public schools and toward non-public options.”
Allow traffic safety measures
Local elected county officials have maintained their call for more local authority from Virginia, where localities only have the powers explicitly granted them by the state.
As crash fatalities mount, the county is advocating for General Assembly legislation that lets localities create and post signage requiring motorists to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.
Legislation is also needed to clarify that counties can reduce speed limits below 25 miles per hour on state-maintained roads that lie in residential districts, according to the program. Without that authority, the county’s options for addressing speeding are limited.
Restore regional transportation project funding
The state diverted $102 million away from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) in 2018 to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to cover Virginia’s share of Metro funding.
In the several years since, $63.5 million has been restored, but the NVTA is still looking for the remaining nearly $39 million to support road repairs, facility maintenance, and other transportation projects in Northern Virginia.
“This [money] will ensure that transportation projects continue to advance in Northern Virginia after decades of state underfunding,” Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who chairs the board’s legislative committee, said in his motion at the Dec. 6 meeting.
Boost state funding and support for behavioral services
The state’s support for behavioral health services is underwhelming, Board Chairman Jeff McKay said at November’s legislative committee meeting.
“The state is dramatically underfunding behavioral health services and they need to be much more robust,” he said. “…They’ve got to start to provide funding. I mean, let’s be honest with ourselves here. The starting point leaves plenty of room for improvement.”
Additional resources are needed to implement a Marcus Alert system that adds mental health specialists as responders to certain 911 calls, increase the availability of psychiatric beds and crisis services, provide training to law enforcement, and other initiatives, per the legislative program.
The county also opposes “any state actions which disproportionately rely on local funding for service implementation.”
Relocate FBI headquarters to Springfield
The effort to bring the new FBI headquarters to Springfield has been ongoing for at least a decade. At times, it’s gotten rather competitive, with McKay recently accusing WAMTA of tipping the scales in favor of alternate sites in Maryland.
In its Congressional program, the county is keeping up the full-court press on why the site in Springfield would be the best choice. McKay noted at the November meeting that the proximity of Quantico and the TSA headquarters should be major selling points.
“I do think we need to turn the temperature up a little bit. We need to be a little more proud and pound our chest a little bit more here,” McKay said. “Hopefully, we are in the lead here and we can close this deal.”
Expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program
The county hopes the federal government will expand a program that provides tax credits to developers for acquiring, rehabbing, or constructing rental housing targeted to lower-income households.
The county says the tax credit has resulted in thousands of affordable homes.
“In Fairfax County, approximately 10,000 affordable homes have been constructed, preserved, or rehabilitated utilizing the LIHTC program,” the strategy package for Congress reads. “The ability to encourage private investments in affordable housing through tax credits is critical to helping meet the demand in the County.”
Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross said there might be an inaccurate perception that Fairfax County residents aren’t using the program.
“People do not think of Fairfax County as needing this program, but we know we really do because it serves thousands of people,” Gross said.
County officials met today (Dec. 13) with local General Assembly members to discuss their priorities and will meet with local members of Congress at a later date.
Talks are underway to design a street-level crossing across Route 123 at Tysons Blvd, a daunting challenge that would — at least in theory — improve access to Tysons Corner Center for pedestrians, bicyclists and others.
Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Macerich, the mall owner and developer, are currently hashing out an agreement for the crossing as an alternative to the existing pedestrian bridge that links the mall’s plaza to the Tysons Metro station on the other side of Route 123, also known as Chain Bridge Road.
“We’re not there yet, but we are diligently working to find the best and safest street-level crossing there as well, because just that bridge is not the best way to have a crossing,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said when sharing the news at last month’s World Day of Remembrance ceremony honoring pedestrians killed in vehicle crashes.
Exactly what a safe Chain Bridge Road crossing might look like remains to be decided.
According to Palchik, the discussions began in the wake of 74-year-old Annandale resident Filadelfo Ramos Marquez’s death in a crash on Dec. 30, 2021.
At the time, police noted that Ramos Marquez wasn’t using a crosswalk when he got hit by the driver of a 2010 Toyota Camry going south on Chain Bridge. However, the closest crosswalk to the mall is two-tenths of a mile to the south at International Drive. Reaching it means crossing a bus entrance for the Metro and multiple gas station driveways on a narrow, sometimes uneven sidewalk.
The Metro walkway isn’t particularly convenient either except for those actually planning to take a train, and it’s not open 24 hours a day like it was supposed to be, Palchik told FFXnow.
“We’re still figuring that out,” she said when asked what a safe crossing would look like. “I think VDOT has one idea of what it would be, we have one idea, Macerich has another idea.”
Palchik says the crossing should include a pedestrian refuge in the middle of Route 123 so people at least have a place to stop, and lights will “definitely” be needed. Right now, the Tysons Blvd intersection only has traffic lights to direct vehicles with no signs or signals to indicate pedestrians might be present.
A VDOT spokesperson confirmed the department “is planning pedestrian enhancements due to the volume of pedestrian traffic and proximity to transit,” but no design details are available yet since the project “is still in early stages.”
VDOT also said Macerich is planning to modify a part of an intersection at the mall. When asked about its plans, a spokesperson for the real estate developer directed comments instead to Palchik’s office and the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, which didn’t respond to an inquiry by press time.
The developer’s proposal to replace the now-vacant Lord & Taylor store with a mixed-use tower was revised again last month to include “a grand portal” through the tower that will better connect Tysons Corner Center’s elevated plaza to the street below.
The mall’s next phase of development will also include a 10-foot-wide trail from the Metro bus bays to International Drive, according to the updated application filed with Fairfax County on Nov. 21.
The proposed staircase and additional streetscaping were added in anticipation of a future street-level crossing at Tysons Blvd, the Washington Business Journal reported.
Acknowledging that congestion can be a concern on Chain Bridge, both going north to the Capital Beltway and south toward Vienna, Palchik says a safe, more accessible crossing is still necessary, as walkability remains a challenge in Tysons.
“We do want to continue to build that as an urban city and core, and that means people walking [and] rolling across not just internal streets, but Route 123 and Route 7,” Palchik said.
The former Zoës Kitchen in Vienna won’t remain vacant for long.
Just days after the fast-casual Mediterranean chain shuttered on Nov. 30, signs appeared on the building at 418 Maple Avenue East indicating that its parent company, Cava, will be moving in.
Cava will open there in the spring of 2023, the company confirmed to FFXnow. However, no other details are available for the time being, including whether the restaurant will be completely new or a relocation of the existing Cava less than a mile down the street at 176 Maple Avenue West.
That Cava arrived in April 2016 as part of Vienna Shopping Center’s grand reopening, and it’s still listed on the center’s leasing website.
Either way, the switch doesn’t come as a huge surprise. Started in 2010, the D.C.-based Cava acquired Zoës Kitchen for $300 million in 2018 and shared last year that it will convert and rebrand the older company’s 261 locations.
A Zoës Kitchen in Alexandria that closed in June is also slated to transition into a Cava, leaving the Ashburn location as the only one left in Northern Virginia. The Texas-based chain began in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1995.
Zoës Kitchen didn’t provide a reason in a sign announcing the closure of its Vienna store last month, according to Patch. The building is also home to a Potbelly and The Frame Market.
Including the existing Vienna restaurant, Cava has nine locations in Fairfax County, including ones in McLean, Tysons, Merrifield and Reston. The business serves build-your-own pita wraps and rice and salad bowls — a slightly less extensive menu than Zoës, which also has sandwiches and other platters.
All-Day I-95 Toll Lanes Proposed — Northern Virginia leaders, including Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, say the I-95 Express Lanes should be open to both northbound and southbound drivers throughout the day. The lanes currently only operate during rush hours, with drivers going into D.C. in the morning and going out during the afternoon. [NBC4]
Police Arrest 94-Year-Old in Pedestrian Hit-and-Run — “A 94-year-old Fairfax City man was arrested Friday morning in connection with a felony hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian on Nov. 29 in Fairfax City, according to a police release…The pedestrian was taken to INOVA Fairfax Hospital, where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries.” [Patch]
Election Successful Despite Issues, Board Secretary Says — “Erroneous mailings, a flood of address changes and provisional votes, a new registrar and delayed redistricting lines from the state kept Fairfax County election officials on their toes this year.” [Sun Gazette]
Filipino Restaurant Opens in Annandale — “Paolo Dungca has long been pushing the boundaries of Filipino cuisine at places like the late Bad Saint and Wharf restaurant Kaliwa — and recently at his own string of pop-ups and restaurants, including the popular Pogiboy near Dupont Circle. Now, the rising star chef has expanded to Annandale with a new fast-casual concept: Sari Filipino Kusina, an all-day comfort food spot that opened over the weekend.” [Washingtonian]
Hearing on Fairfax Supportive Housing Project Continues — “A proposal to redevelop the Hy-Way Motel on Fairfax Boulevard and replace it with affordable housing returns for a second public hearing in two weeks at Tuesday’s Fairfax City Council meeting…About a third of the people who spoke at the Nov. 29 public hearing owned businesses in the Fairfax Circle area and opposed the project.” [Patch]
General District Court Gets First Female, Asian Judge — “Honored to be a part of the investiture of Judge Dipti Pidikiti-Smith, the 1st AAPI woman on the Fairfax General District Court. An immigrant, former @VA_LegalAid attorney & advocate for marginalized people, she will serve w/ compassion & ensure all have equal access to justice” [Kathy Tran/Twitter]
Fairfax County Public Library Hosts Program on Hamilton — “Many are familiar with Alexander Hamilton from the hit musical, but how much was true about the actual man? In this one hour presentation, Marti Londal will examine some myths from the musical and go beyond the lyrics to learn more about the ten-dollar founding father.” [FCPL]
It’s Tuesday — Clear throughout the day. High of 43 and low of 28. Sunrise at 7:20 am and sunset at 4:48 pm. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County has now committed $45 million of the COVID-19 relief funds it received from the federal government to supporting affordable housing projects.
The Board of Supervisors approved the latest allocation of $15 million at its meeting last Tuesday (Dec. 6), and more could be on the way next year, if the board opts to dip into a reserve fund to further its goal of creating 10,000 more affordable units by 2034.
Only Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity voted against the joint board matter sponsored by Chairman Jeff McKay and Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust.
“While we’ve been through and used a lot of these funds for emergency purposes, part of recovery is a recognition of the need for affordable housing and how lack of affordable housing played a role sadly and unfortunately in the health outcomes of people who could not find safe and effective affordable housing,” McKay said. “So, I’m happy that we’re able to use this…to help keep up the momentum that we have in producing that goal of 10,000 affordable units.”
Citing a recent memo from County Executive Bryan Hill, McKay and Foust said in their board matter that the county has “a robust current pipeline of affordable housing development projects which clearly demonstrates the need for significant capital funding in the coming years.”
In his memo dated Nov. 4, Hill reported that the board had dedicated $30 million of the $220 million it received from the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program to affordable housing production.
Signed into law in March 2021, the federal stimulus package created the SLFRF program to assist localities in responding to and recovering from the pandemic. The money can be used to replace lost public revenue, address the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19, provide bonuses for government workers, and improve water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.
Prior to last week’s vote, all of the funds that Fairfax County designated for affordable housing had been committed to specific projects — with $10 million and $19 million, respectively, going to the planned Dominion Square and Somos developments in Tysons.
Hill recommended that the board devote an additional $15 million to affordable housing, noting that ARPA set a Dec. 31, 2026 deadline for spending affordable housing loans financed with Covid relief money.
“Our ongoing investment of local and federal dollars continue to be essential toward achieving our affordable housing goals,” he said, calling the proposal an “effective use of the one-time ARPA resources.”
In addition to approving Hill’s recommendation, the board matter by Foust and McKay suggested that the county consider allocating a portion of a general fund coronavirus pandemic reserve fund to affordable housing as a third-quarter adjustment to its current fiscal year 2023 budget.
As of Nov. 18, the county had $50 million in unallocated ARPA funding, though after last week’s vote, that has gone down to $35 million. There is also $21.3 million left in the pandemic reserve, which has been used to provide basic needs assistance for residents and some relief grants for businesses.
“Based on the current trajectory of the pandemic, the one-time nature of this reserve, and an existing balance remaining in the County’s ARPA allocation for other priorities, I believe that this reserve may be a useful resource for affordable housing,” Foust said in the board matter. “It is also important to note that since these are local funds, these dollars would provide maximum flexibility for Housing staff as they make resourcing decisions for affordable housing development.”
Much has changed in the landscape of Tysons and people’s travel habits since Capital Bikeshare first pulled into town in 2016.
As a result, Fairfax County plans to relocate some of the bicycle-sharing company’s 15 established stations in the area to new spots that better accommodate Tysons’ growing residential population and the rise of remote work accelerated by the pandemic.
“When Tysons wasn’t as urbanized as it is today…we didn’t have a lot of choice but to essentially go into office parks,” said Zachary DesJardins, the county’s acting active transportation manager. “As you might imagine, during the pandemic, those areas have not done very well. People just aren’t going to the office very much.”
As part of a larger expansion of its Bikeshare network, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation has proposed installing 14 new stations in Tysons, including three that would be relocations of existing stations.
Detailed in a virtual public meeting on Dec. 5, the sites being suggested are mostly near housing or other areas with the density to generate more trips. For instance, stations by grocery stores have done well during the pandemic, according to DesJardins, so one could go on Silver Hill Drive, down the street from The Boro’s Whole Foods.
The availability of infrastructure to support Bikeshare is also a consideration. A space has opened up at the Greensboro Metro station for the first time with the completion of a concrete pad six months ago, and FCDOT wants to put a station at Old Meadow Road and Cathy Lane to take advantage of the recently opened pedestrian bridge over I-495.
Elsewhere in the Providence District, the county plans to add four more stations in Merrifield, including one in a garage at the Mosaic District, and five in the Vienna Metro station area, which will connect to the network that Fairfax City is expected to introduce next summer.
The expansion is being funded by a federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant for 12 stations and electric bicycles and a Northern Virginia Transportation Commission grant for nine stations and classic bicycles. Local funds will be used to move the existing stations in Tysons.
Combined with plans for Bikeshare in the Franconia District, DesJardins said the county will purchase a total of 95 electric bicycles with the federal grant in anticipation of Capital Bikeshare phasing out its current black e-bikes in August 2023.
Currently provided for free, e-bikes make up 6% of the county’s network but are used for 15% of trips, according to FCDOT. Unlike Capital Bikeshare’s traditional bicycles, they can be locked into standard, public bicycle racks.
The county is eyeing new e-bikes a lock, reflective materials and GPS that could be used to track them if they’re stolen, DesJardins said. They cost four times more to buy than a traditional bicycle and are more expensive to operate, but FCDOT says the expenses will be covered by the federal grant and user fees, respectively.
“I’m personally very excited about the e-bikes,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said. “As you said, hills make difficult the use of regular bikes for most of us, so that’s a great addition.”
FCDOT is accepting public feedback on the proposed new Bikeshare stations until 5 p.m. Friday (Dec. 16).
Comments can be submitted online, by mail (FCDOT, Capital Bikeshare Program, 4050 Legato Road, Suite 400, Fairfax, VA 22033), email to [email protected], and by phone at 703-877-5600.
Last week, Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors authorized a grant that aims to help protect local Jewish organizations from hate crimes.
The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) is applying for a $150,000 grant (page 244) from the Department of Criminal Justice Services’ Combating Hate Crime Grant Program. The funding will be used to better secure local congregations against hate crimes.
The application comes amid a notable upswing in antisemitic hate crimes nationwide. A new state report showed a rise in antisemitic harassment and vandalism — though the report also conflates opposition to the Israeli government with antisemitism.
“Generally, while the Commonwealth has not seen antisemitic assaults take place since 2018, there has been an increased frequency of antisemitic harassment and antisemitic vandalism at levels which have remained constant from 2018 to 2021,” the report said. “In 2021, 411 reported antisemitic incidents impacted residents of the Commonwealth. These incidents showed a 71% increase over the 292 reported incidents in 2020.”
Fairfax County releases reports on bias crimes over three-year periods. The latest report, covering 2018-2020, said there had been an uptick in “bias crimes and incidents” in recent years.
“The aggregate total of all bias crimes and incidents for 2018-2020 was 320,” the report said. “This represents a 65.8% increase over the previous 3-year total of 193 incidents encompassing the years 2015-2017.”
Anti-Black bias comprised around 40.6% of the aggregate total. The second most prevalent was a general “other ethnicity/national origin” category at around 11.3%, while anti-Jewish bias crimes represented around 6.9% of the aggregate total.
Calls for “suspicious events” represented the most frequent incident at 25% of the aggregate total. Disorderly conduct accounted for the second most common category, representing 21.6% of the aggregate total.
A staff report said the grant funding would make the following locations more secure:
- Bethlehem Lutheran Church
- Congregation Olam Tikvah
- Gesher Jewish Day School
- Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area
- Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia
- Temple Rodef Shalom
Dranesville District school board member Elaine Tholen will not run for reelection in 2023, while several of the other members haven’t yet declared their own intentions.
Tholen confirmed to FFXnow that she won’t seek another term on the Fairfax County School Board and instead plans to step down at the end of her term on Dec. 31, 2023.
She initially shared her decision with supporters and colleagues in October, but this is the first time Tholen has made it public:
It has been my honor and pleasure to serve as the Dranesville District School Board member since January 2020. Serving on the School Board has allowed me to give back to my community and repay the school district that has given my family so much.
I have decided it is time for me to step away from the School Board, and to return to a role closer to our classrooms and to our students. So after careful consideration, I am officially announcing that I will not seek re-election to the Fairfax County School Board in November 2023.
My life’s passion is working with young people to expand their horizons and engagement in learning, and to introduce them to the magic of our natural world and the science behind it. I love to work with those that build and promote this work; the teachers, and the principals that change the lives of children for the better every day.
I am focused and excited as I finish my term to work with the board and Dr. Reid as we move forward during this time of setting strategy for the future of our school district, and as always will continue to do my best to support every one of our school communities through the end of my current term on December 31, 2023.
We have accomplished much in the past few years as we navigated a global pandemic, supported each and every student in academics and wellness, and tackled difficult facility issues. We have started work on new ways to look at development in Fairfax County, we have increased our sustainability efforts and more. I know there is still much work to do, and I know that Dranesville families will work with a new School Board member to continue to better our school district.
I will be hard at work for and with all of you until the end of December 2023 when my current term is complete. Thank you for trusting me with the responsibility of representing you on our School Board, and please know that I will still be a part of our community.
Tholen was first elected to the school board in 2019 after serving as a director for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. She’s also a certified middle school science teacher.
Last year, there was an effort to recall her from the board over her support for Fairfax County Public Schools starting the school year virtually. Petitions against her and Laura Jane Cohen, who represents the Springfield District on the school board, were dismissed in August 2021 and this past February, respectively.
Cohen is also not running for reelection, because she’s seeking to join the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the newly created 15th District.
She told FFXnow that, while on the school board, she saw “first hand the barriers that our students and families face.”
Time and again, our Commonwealth has refused to adequately invest in our communities. Whether it’s continuing to burden our students and staff with more and more standardized tests, trying to rewrite our history, attempting to undermine public education, or refusing to address the much needed mental health and substance abuse crisis, the buck stops in Richmond. I look forward to continuing my service to our community and working together to tackle these and other problems that not only impact our families in Fairfax County, but families across the Commonwealth.
No candidates have emerged yet to challenge for the Dranesville or Springfield school board seats.
One School Board Member Confirms Reelection Bid
Conversely, Hunter Mill District Representative Melanie Meren is running again in 2023.
A former U.S. Education Department worker, she first won the seat in 2019 after longtime school board member Pat Haynes retired. During her term, she has advocated for stronger security measures at schools and policies to improve student health, such as recess in middle schools and a greater focus on the importance of sleep.
As one of two Jewish school board members, she criticized at-large school board member Abrar Omeish last year for comments the board’s only Muslim member made about Israel and Palestine.
“I believe that strong schools make a strong community,” Meren wrote in a statement. “The students, families, staff, and residents of Fairfax County deserve to be represented by an experienced public servant like myself, who improves access to opportunities for all students in FCPS to fulfill their destinies for success in life; strengthens public policy that frames how FCPS uses public resources; and fosters trust, civility, and respect in public service during a turbulent time in American democracy — and engages the community.”
Not Publicly Decided
Other school board members told FFXnow that they aren’t ready to announce their 2023 plans.
Providence District Representative Karl Frisch, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for 35th House District delegate earlier this year, said he will announce his intentions “in the weeks ahead.”
Mason District Representative Ricardy Anderson said she will announce in “the coming weeks,” while Sully District school board member Stella Pekarsky said to expect an announcement in January.
Braddock District Representative Megan McLaughlin, who’s served on the school board since 2012, said in an email that she has yet to make a decision on her fourth term as well.
The school board’s other five members have not responded to FFXnow’s repeated inquiries.
Earlier this month, five county supervisors confirmed they will run for reelection in 2023, while both Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust and Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross have announced they will step down.
Three supervisors remain publicly undecided: Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith, Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, and Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity.
