Fairfax leaders unanimously agreed on Tuesday (Aug. 26) to reinforce existing local economic development work, while criticizing efforts at the state level.
“Virginia’s economy is dependent in no small part on Fairfax County’s success,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said. “Now is the time to double down. If Virginia is not going to step up … we will.”
Board members directed County Executive Bryan Hill to come back, within six months, with options for increasing the county’s competitiveness in recruiting and retaining businesses and to market itself more effectively.
They also called on Hill to gather information from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) on:
- Trends and analysis of actions taken by peer communities
- Opportunities for streamlining regulations
- The effectiveness of financial incentives
- Ways to communicate economic-development successes to the broader community
The goal is not a total revamp of economic development issues, according to McKay.
“We do great work in this area,” he said, but a review will help the local government “make any necessary pivots” in the current economic environment.
During discussion, several supervisors voiced discontent with state’s economic development efforts. Among them was Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk, who spent more than 20 years as a staffer for the county’s economic development authority.
“During the tenure I was there, we had a lot more support from the commonwealth,” Lusk said.
He suggested that assistance has dwindled during the governorships of both Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Glenn Youngkin.
The board’s lone Republican, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, spoke on the same lines.
“We need to improve our relationship with the state,” he said. “We’ve got some challenges we need to address. I’m happy to be a part of that.”
State undermining Fairfax County’s economic development, McKay alleges
McKay said problems with the state government went deeper. He accused state officials of attempting to poach new businesses being wooed by the FCEDA, by offering them incentives to locate elsewhere in Virginia.
“They are literally taking prospects in Fairfax County and encouraging them to go to other parts of the Commonwealth of Virginia by dangling money in front of them,” McKay said. “That is no way to do economic development.”
The board chair took particular offense to a July 28 letter from Virginia Commerce and Trade Secretary Juan Pablo Segura, who castigated county officials for allegedly failing to offer sufficient incentives to attract a power company that would’ve brought 800 jobs.
Noting that Segura has only been working in the commerce department for a few months, McKay called the letter “the most unprofessional, outrageous” communication he had received while in elected office, arguing that state officials need to adopt a better tone.
According to McKay, the allegedly lost jobs went to suburban Maryland, and 50% of those positions are now filled by Fairfax County residents. In addition, the building in Tysons that the unnamed company was considering is already occupied, he said.
“You can see the frustration on this Board,” McKay said.
Since Segura sent his letter, Youngkin’s office has conspicuously not joined the FCEDA in announcing local economic development wins, including a defense contractor’s plans for an office in Merrifield and the opening of a new regional hub for AT&T. In the past, the governor and the FCEDA have issued simultaneous press releases celebrating businesses’ decisions to move to or stay in the county.
At the meeting, Herrity deviated — to an extent — from his past support of Trump administration’s economic policies and ongoing downsizing of the federal government.
“Things aren’t being done as smart as they could,” he said. “I think some of them need to be done, but they clearly aren’t being done in a smart way.”
At the same time, Herrity expressed support for Youngkin’s efforts to cut regulations to encourage economic development, suggesting his Democratic colleagues on the Board of Supervisors should take the same steps.
The county government and its elected leaders are ready to smooth the way for firms seeking to relocate to the county, Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said.
“If you want to do business in Fairfax County, call any one of the 10 people up on this dais. We will work with you,” Bierman said. “… We get it done in Fairfax County, and we’re going to continue to get it done.”
