The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (Aug. 25) paused to honor the legacy of former state Sen. Janet Howell (D-32), who died Aug. 2 at age 82.
“She was an institution,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said. “She spent three decades serving the residents of Fairfax County in many ways.”
He pointed to a legacy that included Howell’s work on budget issues, mental health reforms and protections against family violence.
Howell “was listened to and respected by people of both parties,” McKay said.
Howell’s involvement in Virginia politics and civic life began in Fairfax County, where she served as a PTA president and, later, as president of the Reston Community Association.
“She had a real impact in the community,” said Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn.
First elected to the Virginia Senate in 1991, Howell represented the 32nd Senate District, which included Reston, Tysons, Wolf Trap, northern Chantilly, and portions of McLean and Arlington County at the time.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, starting in 2019, she wielded enormous power, sometimes using it to support local projects, such as the Washington & Old Dominion Trail pedestrian bridge over Wiehle Avenue in Reston.
Alcorn credited her for “making an incredible difference for the county and the community.”
Howell represented the 32nd Senate District from 1992 until 2024. She did not seek reelection in the 2023 general election, departing at the same time as Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, perhaps her closest political colleague and one of her few peers in the Senate.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, a Republican, said Howell, a Democrat, transcended the confines of party politics to work for the betterment of the commonwealth.
“She was quite the leader,” Herrity said.
