Candidate Profile: Jeff McKay Seeks New Term As Fairfax County Chairman

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Incumbent Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay is seeking another term as the Democratic candidate in the Nov. 7, 2023 general election.

McKay was first elected as chairman in 2019 after serving as the Lee District (now Franconia District) supervisor since 2008. McKay defeated Lisa Downing in the Democratic primary and faces Republican Arthur Purves in the general election.

Fairfax County voters will have their district Fairfax County Board of Supervisors representative and Fairfax County School Board representative on the ballot, as well as countywide races for Board of Supervisors chairman, three at-large School Board representatives, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney, Fairfax County Sheriff, and Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. Virginia House and Senate seats are also up for election.

Early voting for the general election begins Friday, Sept. 22. More information on how to vote is available from the Fairfax County Office of Elections.

Patch asked candidates for Board of Supervisors chairman to fill out a candidate questionnaire with the same questions. Here are McKay's responses:

Name

Jeffrey C. McKay

Office Sought

Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Campaign Website

www.mckayforchairman.com

Age (As of Nov. 7 election)

48

Education

B.S. in Public Administration from James Madison University; Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership at the University of Virginia

Occupation

Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Family

My wife and I have a daughter and son, both FCPS students.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My wife works for the federal government

Previous public office positions or appointments

Franconia District Supervisor, 2008-2019; Chairman 2020-present

Why are you seeking this office?

To continue the significant progress we have made over the past 3 years, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. I will focus on improving the lives of working families in the County through investments in education, affordable housing, environmental protection, public safety and the kind of economic development that ensures all have opportunities to live, work, play and grow older in Fairfax County. It is also critically important that Fairfax County remains the safest jurisdiction of its size in the country and continues to build on its strong economy. I would be honored to have the opportunity to lead this County through its full recovery and into its bright future.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?

I bring trusted and experienced leadership to this office. I served as Chairman and, with a County workforce that is second to none, successfully led the County through the worst health crisis of our lifetimes. We also had unprecedented economic disruptions to deal with. As a large, diverse and dynamic community, we needed someone with the experience and knowledge to move quickly to respond to these crises while continuing to make progress on all our goals for our County. Now, with the worst of the pandemic behind us, it's this battle-tested experience that we need to complete our recovery, leaving no one behind.

What do you see as the top issues facing Fairfax County, and how do you address them in your campaign platform?

My top priorities for Fairfax County include supporting our Fairfax County Public Schools - the economic driver of our County - and investing in high quality services through investment in our workforce, meeting our affordable housing goal of 10,000 new units by 2034, addressing the mental health crisis in our County especially for our young people, meeting our ambitious climate protection goals, and protecting women's access to healthcare.

We also need to continue to ensure our economy is strong - we need businesses to come here and grow here to create jobs and to diversify our tax base. We need to invest in more affordable housing so our businesses can fill the over 126,000 empty jobs in the region. We need to invest in our multi-modal transportation network so people can spend less time commuting. We will continue to invest in state of the art public safety. We need to achieve ambitious climate and energy targets and save our environment and keep the County a desirable place to live. All of these are our core values in Fairfax County and we must continue to build on our progress. We can do all this with experienced and tested leadership and our engaged community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I firmly believe my ability to do this job was tested thoroughly during the past 3 years. Fairfax County was a source of consistent and trustworthy health information when the Trump Administration was asleep at the wheel. Then, once vaccines were available, we ran the largest vaccination program in the Commonwealth, saving countless lives. We provided over $100 million in loans and grants to small businesses and non-profits, keeping the doors open and the lights on during a time of unprecedented restrictions. We also were able to double our affordable housing goal, set ambitious yet achievable climate and energy goals, invest in transit and transportation, and maintain a safe, welcoming and inclusive community. Experience matters, especially in leading a county the size of Fairfax. I trust voters to make the right decision on Nov. 7.