Fairfax County is taking a new approach to economic development, one that it hopes will place a greater emphasis on results rather than process.
By replacing the long-standing Economic Advisory Commission (EAC) with a Council for Economic Opportunity (CEO), the county’s Board of Supervisors can modernize its efforts to encourage county-wide economic growth, Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck says.
Storck chaired the EAC, which was established in 1992 and last met on July 18, 2023. Jointly with Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, he proposed in June that the commission be replaced, contending that a more focused approach is needed during the county’s “current period of economic transition.”
“It’s essential that we understand not only our existing economic drivers of Fairfax County, but even more importantly, the future, likely drivers of economic vitality and development of Fairfax County,” Storck told FFXnow. “Listening and identifying, connecting with those business leaders will give us some insight and understanding that we wouldn’t otherwise have.”
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on July 30 to establish the new council, ushering in a new process that would create a more focused approach to economic development by limiting outside voices. The EAC included more than 70 different members, for example, while the CEO will trim that number down to 29.
Senior executives from different “industry clusters,” from tourism and hospitality to security and defense, will make up the council’s 12 at-large voting members. The remaining members will include the county’s chairman and nine supervisors, along with seven local business and education leaders who will serve as non-voting advisory members.
“That’s really the key part of focusing us more specifically on the business community and less on people who have a strong interest in the economy and economic development, but maybe aren’t on the cutting edge, or aren’t even necessarily in the business community,” Storck said.
The new council has been charged with advising the Board of Supervisors on “policies, strategies, and programs to support long-term, economically sustainable growth and development,” including ways to expand the county’s shrinking commercial and industrial tax base, according to the resolution approved by the board in July.
When it formally launches on Sept. 17, the council will initially work to develop operating procedures before it begins to evaluate and advise on economic opportunities.
“I think the core of that first goal is to welcome folks and identify how the CEO will be differently focused than the past committee, and that — not only for the board, but for others — is to ensure the focus is not on existing things that the county may be doing,” Storck said. “It’s really what’s truly the focus for the future.”
