Dear City of Fairfax Friends and Neighbors,
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and the future of our city is on the ballot
This is your chance to choose your future. Make your voice heard in the decisions that will shape Fairfax for years to come.
Budget Deliberations Begin Four Days After the Election — Experience Matters
On Saturday, November 7, just four days after Election Day, the City begins its next round of budget deliberations.
The City's next Mayor must be ready to lead from day one.
Our budget affects what residents pay in taxes, the services we provide, and the investments we make in our future. The challenge is substantial: controlling taxes and keeping the City of Fairfax affordable while protecting schools, public safety, essential services, and our environment, maintaining infrastructure, and investing wisely in our future. These decisions require balancing competing needs, improving efficiency, and making difficult choices with real consequences for our community.
For the past two years, I have played an active role in these decisions as your City Council Member. Working collaboratively with colleagues, I helped:
FY2026: Reduce the advertised 12-cent real estate tax rate increase to 2.5 cents.
FY2027: Reduce the advertised 4-cent increase to 1.75 cents.
Willard-Sherwood: Reduce the projected annual homeowner tax impact by more than 55% while advancing this important project.
Efficiency and accountability: Advance a comprehensive review of City operations and expenditures, examine cost-saving alternatives, and support innovation and productivity improvements while protecting essential services.
One of the things that distinguishes me as your candidate for Mayor is my extensive experience in budgeting, finance, economics, and helping diverse groups reach agreement on complex decisions.
I bring 44 years of leadership experience across government, business, nonprofit organizations, and academia; an MBA; a master's degree from Duke University focused on economics and policy; and service as a federal economist and White House Senior Advisor, including at the Council of Economic Advisers.
As Mayor, I will apply that experience to facilitating constructive Council deliberations, examining alternatives, and helping reach informed, responsible decisions that serve our community.
On November 3, you are choosing who will help lead important financial decisions affecting your home, your family, local businesses, and the future of the City of Fairfax—beginning just four days later.
Please Vote on Tuesday, November 3!
With early voting now closed, 6,161 Fairfax City voters have cast ballots—51% more than the 4,080 early votes cast in the entire 2022 midterm election, according to VPAP's early-voting tracker.
If you haven't voted, please make your plan now! Please encourage your friends, family, and neighbors to participate.
EVERY VOTE COUNTS ON ELECTION DAY.
Polls are open 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Fairfax City's six precincts:
Precinct 1: Fairfax Presbyterian Church — 10723 Main Street
Precinct 2: Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center — 3740 Blenheim Boulevard
Precinct 3: Daniels Run Elementary School — 3705 Blenheim Boulevard
Precinct 4: Fairfax City Hall — 10455 Armstrong Street
Precinct 5: Fairfax High School — 3501 Lion Run
Precinct 6: Christ Lutheran Church — 3810 Meredith Drive
Please vote at your assigned precinct. Confirm your polling location here.
I'll be visiting the polls with other Common Ground candidates throughout Election Day. Please contact me if you need assistance getting to the polls or have questions about voting procedures.
We Still Need Election Day Volunteers
We need volunteers to greet voters and provide campaign information at the polls on Tuesday.
Even an hour or two would be a tremendous help! Simply reply to this email with the times you might be available. We will follow up to help you get signed up and provide the information and guidance you'll need.
A Heartfelt Thank You
As I send my final newsletter before Election Day, I want to express my deepest appreciation for your support.
Whether you've displayed a yard sign, contributed financially, delivered neighborhood letters, hosted a gathering, volunteered at the polls, offered an endorsement, or helped spread the word, your support has meant more than I can adequately express.
I’m proud that our campaign’s endorsements have come entirely from within the City of Fairfax and that our financial contributions have come exclusively from individuals, without contributions from political parties or PACs.
The conversations I've had throughout Fairfax have been incredibly meaningful. I've listened, learned, and been encouraged by the commitment residents have shown to our community.
Thank you for everything you've done to make this campaign possible.
I'm optimistic about Fairfax's future and grateful for the opportunity to serve on your City Council. This is my final newsletter before the election, but I look forward to sharing more updates with you afterward.
I hope to see you on Tuesday!
