Tom Ross Not Seeking Re-Election To Fairfax City Council In 2024

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Fairfax City Councilmember Tom Ross announced Tuesday night that he would not be seeking re-election in November for a seat on the Fairfax City Council.

"A great quote by Yogi Berra, who's a great baseball player, but also a great philosopher, said once, 'When you come to a fork in the road, take it,'" Ross said, at the end of Tuesday night's regular council meeting. "That quote describes my announcement tonight that I am not going to seek re-election to another term on the City Council this November."

Ross told Mayor Catherine Read and his fellow councilmembers that the decision was not an easy one to make, but one to which he'd given a lot of thought and talked over with his family.

"Aging is a normal process of life," he said. "And, I came to grips with the fact that if I sought re-election and won, I would be serving until I was 80. It seems to me, that's a point where there are challenges or potential challenges, not that I have any right now, although others may disagree."

Ross moved to Fairfax City 44 years ago and first became involved with the city as a member of a Bikeways Committee with former Mayor John Mason. From that, he went on to be elected to two neighborhood associations and served on a range of boards and commissions.

"In 2020, I was first elected to the city council and re-elected in 2022," he said. "It has been a real honor to serve this community and help frame and make decisions that I believe will have great significance for future generations."

In a phone interview on Wednesday morning, Ross told Patch that he had two accomplishments that he was most proud of that occurred during his time on the council. The first was using American Rescue Plan Spending funds to pay for and expand the city's capital improvement program.

"We're building a new community center," he said. "We're about to undertake an effort to redo our schools and update them. We've invested in our city workforce, and other things that will continue to provide quality services and efforts into the future. That's been my focus, future generations. It's not what we're doing today, but it's how we invest in the city and continue to make it a good place to live."

The second achievement Ross was most proud of is helping the city to maintain a strong, underlying fiscal foundation.

"We are triple-A bond rated by Standard and Poor's and Moody's, which means we save costs anytime we borrow money for various projects," he said. "I think that is a very important foundation to have for the future."

In 2008, Ross stepped down as the assistant director for recreation and conservation with the National Park Service. He retired again in 2011 from the Maryland Parks and Recreation Association. Just because Ross is retiring from the city council doesn't mean he's going anywhere.

"I will stay involved with the community," he said. "I'm very active in Fairfax Rotary, which is an incredibly good service organization nationwide, but in particular in the City of Fairfax. I will play a leadership role in Rotary. I will stay active and involved in speaking out on issues that I believe in and I'll look for opportunities where I could be involved."

The following is the full text of the statement Ross read at the end of Tuesday night's city council meeting, which was also posted on his Facebook page.

"If you come to a fork in the road. Take it."

That quote from the late great philosopher and baseball player Yogi Berra describes my personal announcement tonight that I will not be running for re-election to City Council this November. But while that decision will end my service as an elected official, it will not end my commitment to this place we call home for the remainder of this term and beyond.

Forty-four years ago after moving to Fairfax, I became involved in city affairs, starting on a bikeways committee chaired by the late Mayor John Mason, then going on to serve as Presidents of the Fairview and Old Lee (now Daniel’s Run) Neighborhood Associations and a range of boards and special commissions. I learned a lot!

In 2020, I was first elected to City Council and re-elected in 2022. It has been an honor to serve this community and help frame and make decisions that I believe will have great significance for future generations. In short, I believe our future is bright!

I want to express a special thanks to my wife, Barbara, and my family for supporting me as I have served as an elected official, but also the many years I have served elsewhere in the community. I want to offer my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the incredible and dedicated staff of this city. We are truly blessed to have city staff who care deeply about this place and work tirelessly to make it better.

Finally, a thank you to my friends, colleagues and the voters of this community who have supported me. You have been my inspiration and my strength in challenging times. I want to share a moment of personal reflection. I have had the opportunity to live in and visit places in our country and overseas during my lifetime. We are truly blessed to live in a community that has so much to offer and to celebrate. There is great opportunity here and a future that is bright, but we need to work hard to maintain that promise. We will not succeed if we don’t value ourselves as a community and instead are parochial in our thinking or not open to positive change. We are a part of a dynamic and exciting region where people want to live. Be optimistic about our future!Finally, to every citizen of this City. Please take the time to get involved, learn what issues are before us and listen thoughtfully and carefully to all sides. Serve in your neighborhood, volunteer for a board or commission, attend public discussions and meetings with an open mind and an open heart. Consider running for office! Our future depends on it!

Tom