Fairfax County supervisors commemorated the lives of county’s top legislative staffer and the head of the Roman Catholic Church at their Tuesday (April 22) meeting.
Supervisors also welcomed back a colleague who had been absent for more than a month owing to health issues.
Supervisors celebrate life of county legislative director
Fairfax County supervisors on Tuesday (April 22) honored the life of the county government’s legislative director, Claudia Hantman Arko.
Arko died April 2 at her home in Reston. She was 55 years old and had worked for the county government for two decades.
Much of her work included overseeing county government initiatives during General Assembly sessions.
Arko was “somebody who was respected in every hallway in Richmond,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
“She was devoted to her work,” said Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who chairs the body’s legislative committee. “She made a real difference.”
Arko grew up in Florida and was immersed in politics and governance at a young age. Her godfather was Bob Graham, who served as governor of Florida and as a U.S. senator.
She went on to study at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and earn a master’s degree in international relations at George Washington University.
Arko’s survivors include her husband, Michael Arko, and their three children, Nicholas, Sienna and Allegra.
A number of supervisors and large number of county-government staff attended the April 12 funeral Mass for Arko, held at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church in McLean.
Supervisors salute legacy of Pope Francis
Several Fairfax County supervisors on Tuesday (April 22) lauded the impact of Pope Francis, who died April 21 at age 88.
The pontiff’s impact “reached well beyond the Catholic faith,” Board Chairman Jeff McKay said, saluting his work “trying to always help the most vulnerable.”
Francis was “a beacon of hope,” Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez added.
Several other Board members also spoke about the legacy of Francis, who had served as pope since 2013.
Herrity welcomed back as recovery continues
His colleagues on Tuesday (April 22) welcomed Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity back after more than a month away.
Herrity has been recuperating from complications related to March 13 heart surgery.
“We’re glad to have you back on the dais with us,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said.
“I appreciate it,” Herrity said in reply.
Herrity, the lone Republican on the Board of Supervisors, announced this week he was ending his bid for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor, citing a longer than expected recuperation period.
Herrity had announced his run in January. His departure makes John Reid, the only other candidate to qualify for the primary, the de facto Republican nominee for lieutenant governor.
Photo of Pope Francis via Ashwin Vaswani/Unsplash
