Fairfax City Planning Commission Vice Chair Kirsten Sides Lockhart won her race for mayor against current city council member Thomas Peterson last night (Nov. 3), joining four Democratic-endorsed candidates who appear to have won spots on the city council, according to unofficial election data.
Clocking in at just under 55% of the vote to Peterson’s 44.46%, as of this morning, Lockhart brought home a clear and decisive local victory for Democrats in the midst of a nationwide “blue wave.” She will succeed current Mayor Catherine Read, who elected not to pursue a third term.
With all six of the city council seats up for grabs in this year’s election, it appears that Lockhart will be joined at the dais in January by returning members Anthony Amos, Stacy Hall, and Rachel McQuillen as well as newcomers Kelly O’Brien, Sandy Slappey Brown, and María José Padmore.
“Thank you so much to the Election Day volunteers who came from so many aspects of my life to represent Lockhart for Fairfax; to my family for their unflagging support and enthusiasm; to all the candidates, for doing the hard work of motivating people to vote; and of course to all the City of Fairfax residents who asked great questions, gave critical feedback, and showed up to make themselves heard in a big way,” Lockhart wrote on Facebook this morning.
The city reported 11,265 ballots cast, representing 59 percent of registered voters, according to data from the Virginia Department of Elections. That number does not include provisional or post-election absentee ballots, which can continue to trickle in by mail through Friday morning (Nov. 6), subject to certain restrictions.
While the mayoral and council offices are nonpartisan, Lockhart was endorsed by the Fairfax City Democrats, as were Amos, O’Brien, Brown, and Padmore. Hall and McQuillen, who were in fifth and sixth place as of Tuesday, ran coordinated campaigns with other city council candidates and Peterson on a “Fairfax Common Ground” slate.
In a statement shared with FFXnow, Peterson congratulated the winning candidates and thanked the “wide range of voters” emphasizing “bedrock issues of community interest and need” who supported his campaign.
“At the same time, frustrations with national politics were clearly running high, and many voters appeared to express these through party-line voting, even in our local nonpartisan election,” Peterson wrote. “This seems consistent with broader national election results and the widespread desire for a change in national political leadership.
“As we go forward, I hope we can maintain a strong focus on the local issues that matter most to our residents and work together across political perspectives for the betterment of our city.”
Incumbent council member Amos, who led the field of council contenders with a total of 6,362 votes, told FFXnow over email that he was “honored by the continued faith that the residents of Fairfax have placed in me.”
“The next Council will be one built on progress and balance,” he said. “Small business incubation, childcare and education, economic activity and vibrancy — the City of Fairfax will be seen as a place for all people.”
Fairfax City voters were able to select up to six candidates for city council. Closely following Amos, who had the strongest showing with a little over 13% of the total vote, was Kelly O’Brien, vice chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and a Town of Vienna employee.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the residents of Fairfax for putting their trust in me,” O’Brien wrote to FFXnow. “I’ve really enjoyed getting out into the community, meeting people, and hearing what’s important to them. I also want to thank all of the other candidates for their hard work and willingness to serve our community.”
Clocking in with nearly 5,400 votes was María José Padmore, a longtime city resident who works for the Fairfax County government. She told FFXnow that, among other issues, she would focus on expanding residents’ access to affordable housing, translated materials and trained interpreters, and the CUE Bus by maintaining free fares and extending service hours.
“My victory marks the first time a Latina has ever been elected to the city council in the city’s 65-year history as an independent city,” Padmore wrote, noting that she is an immigrant who came to the United States in 1990.
“I’m looking forward to advancing a platform focused on inclusivity, infrastructure, and fiscal responsibility,” she added.
Newcomer Sandi Slappey Brown told FFXnow she was looking forward to serving on the board with the newly elected candidates and is “grateful to everyone who opened their door to have a chat with me, or came to a community event, or welcomed me to a board, authority, or commission meeting.”
“One of my first priorities will be to dive into this year’s budget issues,” Brown said, as she extended an invitation for residents to join her at a meeting on the budget tomorrow (Nov.5). “I look forward to talking with city staff about our fiscal situation and talking with city residents and business owners about their interests.”
In addition to selecting a mayor and city council, voters also approved a referendum allowing the city council to approve a general retail sales tax increase of up to 1% to fund school construction and maintenance projects or public transportation.
A special meeting of the city council is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 17. The current council had expressed support for the tax with the intention of allocating revenue to schools, rather than transportation.
