Fairfax City Mayor, City Council, School Board Sworn In

FAIRFAX CITY, VA -- The City of Fairfax Mayor-elect, City Council-elect and School Board-elect were sworn in to office Thursday at the Veterans Amphitheater at City Hall, 10455 Armstrong St., the City announced in a news release Friday. The 2016-18 term begins July 1. Here's more about the newly sworn-in City leaders, information courtesy of the City:

Mayor and City Council

• R. Scott Silverthorne is serving his third term as Mayor. He previously served nine terms on the City Council, from 1990-2008, as well as a partial term from 2011-12. Silverthorne serves as chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) and vice chair of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. As Mayor, Silverthorne has led the City Council in a number of strategic decisions, notably the city’s partnership with Fairfax County Water Authority and the Zoning Rewrite, the comprehensive overhaul of the city's zoning ordinance. He has played an active role on many issues, including economic development, tax and budget matters, and public safety. He was the lead sponsor of the city's open space referendum in 2000, which created a dedicated funding source for preservation of open space in the city and added 45 acres of open space for public enjoyment. He also served as co-chair of the city bicentennial celebration in 2005.
• Michael J. DeMarco is serving his third term on City Council. He serves on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Metropolitan Air Quality Committee and Aviation Policy Committee; the Virginia Municipal League Community and Economic Development Committee; and the Potomac Watershed Roundtable, among others. He previously served as chair of the City of Fairfax Economic Development Authority. A member of the Regional Board of Advisors for HSBC Bank USA, DeMarco also is a local recruiter for the Columbia Business School and a student mentor for Penn State University.
• Jeffrey C. Greenfield is serving his twelfth term on City Council. Greenfield serves on a number of boards and commissions, including Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, Local Emergency Planning Committee, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors, COG Metropolitan Development Policy Committee, and the COG Human Service and Public Safety Committee. A member of the 1993 Bond Referendum Task Force, Greenfield also served as the vice chair of the Fairfax 2020 Commission and was a member of that committee's Economic Development Subcommittee. He served as vice chair of the city's Park and Recreation Advisory Board and was vice-chair of the city's Task Force for a More Livable City of Fairfax.
• David L. Meyer is serving his fifth term on City Council. As a Councilmember, Meyer has served on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), as well as on the MWCOG Transportation Planning Board. Meyer has served on the board of directors of Historic Fairfax City, Inc. and is a co-author of the book Fairfax, Virginia: A City Traveling Through Time. He was a member of the Livable City Task Force and the City of Fairfax Bicentennial Committee, and he served as president of the Old Lee Hills Civic Association. He was on the design committee for Daniels Run Elementary School and served as president of the Fairfax High School PTSA. A city resident since 1981, he has actively supported the Appalachia Service Project and the Fairfax Police Youth Club.
• Janice B. Miller is serving her third term on City Council. Miller served her first term on City Council from 1992-94, and was elected for her second term in 2014. Miller serves on numerous regional boards, including the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Human Services & Public Safety Policy Committee and the Virginia Municipal League Human Development and Education Committee. She was first appointed to the School Board in 1977 and served 11 years as an appointed member. During her 30-year tenure on the board, she was an active leader both as board chairman and vice chair. She also provided leadership to both School Bond Committees that supported additions and renovations to city school facilities. Miller has served as the secretary for the Friends of Fairfax and as a member of the Virginia School Board Association (VSBA). She is a member of Historic Fairfax City, Inc. and Historic Fairfax Neighborhood Association.
• Eleanor D. Schmidt is serving her fourth term on City Council. She represents the city on regional boards including the Virginia Municipal League Finance Committee. Schmidt has served on the board of directors of Historic Fairfax City, Inc., as chair of the Independence Day Celebration Committee and in various positions on the Industrial Development Authority, City of Fairfax 2020 Commission, Festival of Lights and Carols Committee and Chocolate Lovers Festival Committee. She also served as the color commentator of the Independence Day Celebration Committee.
• Jon R. Stehle, Jr., is serving his first term on City Council. Stehle, a city resident since 2007 who has served as president of the Oxford Row Civic Association, has chaired the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. He also served on the Green Acres Feasibility Study Committee and City of Fairfax Branding Advisory Committee.

School Board

• Jon Buttram is serving his seventh term on the School Board. He has been active as member, vice-chairman and legislative liaison for the School Board. In addition, he has provided leadership as the chairman of the Northeastern Region of the Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) and in support of the most recent School Bond Referendum Committee. He has been active in city schools through multiple PTAs, as an instructor for after school activities (Hands-on-Science), as a high school science fair judge, and Odyssey of the Mind coach and judge. He has also been active in a number of city and community organizations, holding office with the Park and Recreation Advisory Board and the Southeast Fairfax Citizens Association (SEFCA), as well as serving on the Elementary School Consolidation Task Force and two Southeast Fairfax Traffic Calming Task Forces. He also has served with the ad hoc committee for the disposition of Green Acres, whose purpose was to seek an appropriate community-oriented disposition for the former Green Acres Elementary School.
• Carolyn Pitches is serving her fourth term as a School Board member. She has served as Vice Chair of the Fairfax City School Board for three years and is the Fairfax City Schools representative to the Washington Area Boards of Education. During her tenure as a math teacher in Prince William County Public Schools, she was awarded the Teacher of Excellence Award for Prince William County Public Schools. She also served as co-chair on two Prince William County Public Schools committees: the Substance Abuse Committee (Core Team) and the At Risk Committee, where she planned, designed and wrote grants to provide a program for students in need of additional support.
• Bob Reinsel is serving his second term on the School Board. He lived in the City of Fairfax from 1969 to 1993, then returned to the city in 2006 so his children could benefit from the outstanding educational opportunities available in the City of Fairfax schools. The Fairfax High School graduate has served as president of the Mosby Woods Community Association, and was appointed to the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and the City of Fairfax Steering Committee for the Parks and Recreation Strategic Master Plan
• Toby Sorensen serving her fifth term on the School Board, and was the Board Chairman from 2014-16. She has represented the city on the county superintendent's Business and Community Advisory Council for three years. She is a past PTA president of Fairfax High, Lanier Middle, and Layton Hall (now Daniels Run) Elementary schools. She has served as the Country Club Hills Civic Association treasurer and newsletter editor and is currently a block captain. She was also co-chair of the City School Board Facilities Planning Committee and a member of the Fairfax Community Coalition.
• Mitch Sutterfield is serving his fourth term on the School Board. A resident of the City of Fairfax since 1964, he began a 32-year career as a teacher (English) and a coach (football and wrestling) at Fairfax High School, retiring in 2009. He has been inducted into the Fairfax High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Virginia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was selected by Rotary International as its Teacher of the Year (among the four city schools). In 2003, he was the Virginia Wrestling Coach of the Year, awarded by the Virginia High School League Coaches’ Association.