Fairfax Welcomes New Mayor, Councilman and Returning Officials

Fairfax City residents welcomed their new council and school board at Veterans' Amphitheater next to City Hall Wednesday night.

Hon. John Frey, Fairfax County Circuit Court clerk, led the new mayor, new council member and returning officials through their vows of office while former Mayor Rob Lederer and others watched on. 

"Some of you have heard me say before that there is no higher honor than serving as member of your city council. Well, that was until this evening," said Scott Silverthorne, the 10th person elected to mayor in Fairfax (not ninth, as Lederer stated*).

Silvethorne emphasized the need for council members to work together to create honest, realistic goals for the future.

"We are a collegial group, with a sense of mutual respect for dealing with the challenges ahead," he said. "I have known most of them for many years and consider them friends. I am certain that we can work together, even when we won’t always stand together."

Other returning council and school board members echoed Silverthorne's hopes. 

"There's an adage. A dream without a plan is a hallucination," Councilman David Meyer told the crowd. He urged his peers to create flexible plans that could change with the city's demographic and economic needs.

Stombres remembered those in the community who worked tirelessly to make a difference. He and a few other council members paid tribute to former Councilwoman Joan Cross, who passed away about a year ago.

"We all come together for the collective community we call home, Councilman Dan Drummond said. He thanked the voters and volunteers for their efforts in bettering Fairfax City.

The newest addition to the city council, Michael DeMarco, described himself as a dreamer and a realist. He went through a long list of hopes for Fairfax City, adding that he might not have time to get through all of them in a two-year term.

Councilwoman Ellie Schmidt said she favored a balanced approach in moving forward. She stressed the need to move into a recovering economy with excitement as well as caution.

"Every issue Congress can't fix we're solving locally every day," said Councilman Jeff Greenfield. He went on to remind the crowd that even the elected officials are fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, people, just like those they serve.

Janice Miller, returning school board chair, outlined the challenges Fairfax needs to overcome in the coming years. She pointed out that there are more young students coming from homes where English is a second language. Children, she said, are not immune to the recession. More students and their families struggle with poverty now more than ever.

Miller and the other school board members noted that Fairfax schools are becoming overcrowded, particularly Fairfax High School.

They asked the community to trust the board's suggestions and to get involved in brainstorming solutions to some of these issues.

"When you see me in the grocery store, don't hesitate to share questions and concerns," said School Board member Toby Sorensen. "Compliments are welcome too."

*Editor's Note: Silverthorne is the 10th person to serve as mayor in Fairfax City. Mayor roll-call: Wood, Prichard, Hamill, Russell (mayor in 70s and again in 80s), Young, F.W. Silverthorne, Snyder, Mason, Lederer, R. S. Silverthorne