Herndon Mayor Keven LeBlanc will be joined by an almost entirely new town council next year, as voters handed all but one seat to first-time candidates in yesterday’s election.
Sabrina Bruce, a U.S. Space Force veteran forced out by the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members, led a crowded field of 12 candidates vying for six open seats with 12.8% of all votes cast, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
As the highest vote-getter, Bruce is now in line to become Herndon’s new vice mayor, succeeding Clark Hedrick, who received 9.4% of the vote and was the only incumbent on the ballot to win reelection.
Believed to be the first openly transgender person elected to office at any level in Fairfax County, Bruce campaigned with three other self-proclaimed progressive candidates who will all now join her on the new council: Fairfax County government worker Yasmin Shafiq, Herndon Planning Commission Vice Chair Meron Yohannes and New Virginia Majority activist Josif Ezekilov.
The quartet had joined forces after finding common ground on many priorities, including affordable housing, pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements, and an approach to public safety focused more on social services than policing. All four candidates expressed opposition to the Herndon Police Department’s use of Flock Safety automated license plate readers — an issue that has gained traction regionally and nationally in recent months.
“We aimed to deliver a Herndon that is easier to afford, easier to get around, and easier to trust. Voters have demanded change here in Herndon and they are putting their trust in us to deliver that,” Bruce said in a statement to FFXnow. “I look forward to working with everyone to deliver that. Our government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. By working with every resident of town, that is how we will deliver.”
Shafiq described the slate’s success as an affirmation of the power of “working collectively,” adding that developing an affordable housing policy similar to Fairfax County’s and expanding Herndon’s tax base to ensure “a high quality of life for all Town residents” will be priorities for her when she assumes office.
The current town council had authorized staff in March to start crafting a long-term policy requiring affordable housing in new development as part of a broader update to Herndon’s comprehensive plan for 2050.
Yohannes says her priorities will include supporting an “inclusionary zoning plan for affordable and diverse housing,” identifying a new town manager within six months after Dan Hoffmann was unexpectedly terminated at the end of September, and establishing a new vision for Herndon’s downtown as the town continues its legal battle to regain ownership of land ceded to Comstock Companies for a redevelopment project that failed to materialize.
“Our vision for a more affordable, inclusive, and accessible Herndon resonated. This win shows that integrity and hard work pay off,” Yohannes said. “I’ve always appreciated my hometown’s diversity but inclusivity is what makes every place feel like home. So electing our town’s first African American, transgender, and Bangladeshi women to the council shows that Herndon is a place where everyone is welcome. We’ll keep working to make it a home for all of us.”
Ezekilov tied the Herndon Town Council election results to a nationwide shift in favor of Democrats, who are poised to gain control of both chambers of Congress and made inroads in longtime Republican strongholds like Texas and Georgia.
While races in reliably blue Fairfax County were less competitive, Democrats in Virginia prevailed in passing constitutional amendments supporting reproductive health care access, same-sex marriage and automatic voting rights restoration for people convicted of felonies after they exit incarceration.
“Voters in Herndon, just as voters nationwide, demanded progressive leadership that will address real issues with competence and transparency,” Ezekilov said. “In voting for us, our neighbors saw a team that is ready and able to work together to address our affordable housing crisis, to improve the town’s public services, and deliver a vision on how to grow our town smartly and sustainably.”
Rounding out the new town council will be Deltek marketing director Justin Britt, who emphasized his background as a community volunteer and small business owner in his first-ever bid for elected office. He edged out four-time Councilmember Cesar del Aguila by fewer than 300 votes based on preliminary results.
Britt didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on his victory, but he thanked supporters of his campaign in a video posted shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday).
“I’m super-proud of the race that we ran,” he said.
Del Aguila was Herndon’s longest-tenured council member, seeking a fifth two-year term after winning his first election in 2018. Incumbents Kelvin Garcia, Michael T. Lloyd and Alex Reyes, who are all currently finishing out their first terms on the council, also fell short in their reelection bids.
“It’s a new day, and more change has come to Herndon, but my concern is families and Latinos may not have a strong voice in its future,” del Aguila said when asked about the election results. “Time will tell.”
Del Aguila told FFXnow that he plans to remain involved in local politics and is contemplating a future run for mayor or the Virginia General Assembly, though he wants to “carefully consider the situation” before committing to a potential 2027 campaign.
“I have secured a record number of initiatives adopted by the town, and I’m confident the wider region would benefit from my ideas and experience,” he said.
In the mayoral race, LeBlanc will serve a second term after running unopposed. He thanked voters for reelecting him and congratulated the new council members, while also recognizing the service of the outgoing members.
“The work begins today,” LeBlanc said in a video statement released this morning. “I promise you that I am working to help orient everyone to their new roles. We will begin to address the current state of the town and where we are going forward. I am excited to continue to serve you and this town that I call home and that I love and cheerlead for every single day.”
As of noon today, approximately 6,902 votes had been cast in the mayoral election, while 34,561 votes have been tallied in the town council races, where voters could select up to six candidates, per Fairfax County’s unofficial results.
The unofficial results don’t include all provisional ballots or mail-in ballots, which can still be counted as long as they arrive at the Fairfax County Office of Elections by noon on Friday (Nov. 6). The results must be certified by Virginia’s State Board of Elections by the first Monday of December.
