Traffic, Criticism, Affordable Housing: Manassas Mayor Shares Priorities

MANASSAS, VA — Patch recently sat down with Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger in late September to discuss topics from downtown development and the airport's upcoming commercial service and traffic to budget uncertainties, refusing the mayoral pay increase, and being a non-voting member of council except to break ties.

In 2018, Davis-Younger became the first woman of color to be elected to Manassas City Council. Two years later, she made history again as the first person of color, woman and Democrat to be elected mayor.

Davis-Younger and her parents have always lived in the Manassas area. She grew up in the Manassas area of Prince William County, attending Tyler Elementary School in Gainesville, Marsteller School within city limits and Stonewall Jackson High School (now Unity Reed High School). Because her family didn't have the money to send her to college, Davis-Younger balanced working full time with college work at home. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Strayer University.

Now in her second term, Davis-Younger is working to fulfill goals while continuing her human resources consulting business. She's also grappled with the loss of her husband and both parents in recent years.

Below is an abbreviated version of part two of two from Patch's interview with the mayor. You can read part one here.

What do you think are some strategies that the city is doing to both add new and maintain existing affordable housing?

We have housing trust funds that we put $2 million into, and we've now formed a housing advisory board. We hired a housing coordinator, and we were just in closed session. We're so excited talking about that very thing, affordable housing. And we have some possibilities coming that we are very, very excited about. And the project over on Prince William Street with the veterans, with the American Legion Post 114. That is still coming along, and we're looking at that as well. And that's veterans preferred affordable housing. It's 12 duplex units that we're looking at standing up with People Inc and that Post 114 so that's that's one of our first cracks ad it.

This housing advisory board is being formed right now. We have had over 30-some applicants, which is great, and they're not all city residents, which is fine, because we want perspective from all over. We know the county's done some great things with affordable housing. We've done it slow. We gotta do it right, because we're only 10 square miles, and when we come out and we do something, it's gotta be right. It can't be thrown the wall and see if it sticks. We've got the housing advisory board come getting set up right now, and then we've got some projects that we have been looking at, and that's where I'll leave that right there. But we are definitely all over it and making some great, great strides with it.

With new development that's been happening here and in surrounding areas might come more traffic. So what are some ways that the city can address the increased traffic?

As it happens, we just have to respond. We put out an on the move traffic report where people can see what streets are being worked on, what's being done, how long it's going to take, and all of that. But certainly it's a continuous process. We fix that street now. It's going to happen with more development, but it is about keeping continuously monitoring how things are progressing, and if there's more accidents at this intersection.

We have secured $12 million for a roundabout [at Centreville Road, Sudley Road and Prescott Avenue]. That's going to help with the traffic at Mathis Avenue. It's going to help with the flow and getting into downtown a little bit easier. So those sorts of things are always being looked at, and I'm so glad I'm a part of [Northern Virginia Transportation Authority] so that way I can stay in the forefront of what our needs are.

But it's just an ongoing thing that we are constantly looking at to monitor is traffic flow and get the ease of traffic around the city. Our surveys have come back pretty decent with that, but that's again, before development The Ashbury opens, and they cut through Bartow [Street] all the way. We'll see, because people are still now complaining about people jumping, they're coming down Wellington and then going flying up Main [Street]. And Maine's only 25 [mph] when the school is there. People are just doing kind of crazy stuff. So that comes to us at council meetings.

We do what we can when we know about things. I don't know about every traffic situation. So it's good when people come and say, "I had to sit through this light 12 times." We're resignaling our lights because they do that. I found it out the last council meeting. They said they do a resignaling every five years, and it is time for it to be done now, because people said they sit at this light forever. But it's little things like that that you just have to constantly stay up on that are getting done."

What's been happening with data center development and how it's impacting the city?

Nothing's happened. I mean, you know the one with the bank and they don't pay. The others are being built. They're not online yet. So, I mean nothing really to tell there. There's only four total that are coming. One's already working. The other three, we're hopeful that they'll get going soon because we want the money. Really nothing new to report there at all. We're waiting for them to be productive and producing what we need.

What has been happening with Manassas Regional Airport, and how that's going to contribute to the economy when the commercial flights are coming up?

Avports, our partner there, had a turnover. Their CEO Jorge [Roberts], he left, and now they have a new guy, Mark [Ricks]. I'm going to be meeting with him in October.

Rod Hall is the chair of the airport commission, and he's former FAA, amazing guy, and he's keeping things just running. Juan Rivera is our director, and we call it the Republic of Juan out there, because it's his own little city.

But everything is on track. As far as the airport itself, everything I know, it's on track — for commercial they were saying by the end of 2026. That may be delayed a little, but I think we're looking good.

At least in my term, I'm hoping I can take that first inaugural flight. I'm really excited. It's going to be great. I still don't know the airlines. They still won't tell us whose coming. They just say the lower budget ones.

What have been your highlights for being mayor, and what else are you looking forward to in the future?

Back there [on her office shelf], I think I look back there every day at all the awards that I have been given as mayor and I invite people in here. This is your office. This is what you've done. You put me here to do that, to raise the profile [of Manassas]. The initiatives that I've brought as mayor, first "If I Were Mayor" essay contest. I set up the mayor's advisory board, veterans advisory board, first time ever done where a mayor works with veterans. "My Mayor Looks Like Me," that's my heart, the midday with the mayor lunches that I've done, just put myself in the middle of the city museum at lunchtime. Just come talk to me.

So for me, the highlights are when people say, "Oh, I saw you in the utility bill. I saw you in the Connection [city newsletter]." But when people say, "you're doing the job," or they say, "we saw you at so and so," because I go to all the festivals and I put in appearances, and it isn't just about a photo op, it is about, how are you doing? I'm here to show you that I support you and I support this function. It's important. It was so important for me to do that, and then it got turned on me, and they started calling me, "Mayor Me Me" saying that I was thinking everything about me, when that is just exact opposite what I was doing. It is about raising the profile of the city, and everything that I do was Manassas was the White House, Manassas was in the VP mansion, not me. I just have to represent the city.

The chair [of Prince William County] and the Manassas Park mayor and I [have] a quarterly breakfast. We sit down and go, "what's going on in your world? Is your world as crazy as my world?" It's three women. That's amazing, because we can stick together and build each other up that way.

I think the highlights are the legacy that I've created with being the first woman, first person of color, and inspiring women and then people of color, just to know that you can do this too. It's not set up for the rich, white old man that owns a business, that you can do it, but you gotta have a supportive family. You gotta have money to sustain you. Doesn't pay much, and so you gotta have all those things, but it's more a desire to serve. And so I think reaching the community, working with schools, building relationships and building bridges. By not staying on one side. I don't care what party you're in. If you're willing to work with me, I'll work with you.

The lows are just the people that don't know you and lie about you and say all sorts of things about you, and they don't know you. They never had a conversation. They never sat down and talked to me. It takes guts to do what we do and to put yourself out there and be ridiculed and mocked and called names. Professional meeting attender is what I'm called in a lot of places, and it's hurtful when my heart is not that at all. I don't do that to people. I don't run folks down. I don't need to. I don't deal well with that at all. I just have to shut that off and not let it affect me, and what I have to do as mayor.

And the mayor doesn't vote, and that's one thing that is really just bothered me so much that people don't know how it works. I only break ties, and so they blame me. And it's like, "well, you have influence." I didn't vote for it. "ut you still took the money." No I didn't. It's people not being educated about how this works. And that is one of the lowest things.

The kids are definitely my high points. When the littles come and hug, and the moms coming over [saying] "she's been talking about you, she wanted to meet you." I think the relationships that I've been able to develop have been real highs.

In the future, I don't know. I'm still deciding if I'm gonna run again. Three terms, that's a lot of your life. But it will be 10 years because two on council and eight as mayor. It's a decade of your life and living in a fishbowl is a lot. But it's early. Still got a ways to go on this term. I got pulled on to run for delegate. And I'm like I'm not trying to do any of that stuff. I like my little 10 square miles. I can't even imagine being on a bigger level. I think I'm good right here. So this is flattering to be asked, would you consider running for this? Thanks for asking, I think I'm good though.

At that time, my parents were still alive, and I was caretaker to them. That was a lot taking care of them and being there and working, and it was a lot on my plate. So when they passed away, it was relief but I miss them terribly. They lived with me. I called them my elderly toddlers because it was just like having toddlers with the walkers and the crutches and the canes. I missed him terribly, and then dying seven months apart, it's a lot. I lost my husband in 2023, my mom in 2024 and my dad in 2025. It's me and my son, and I have my daughter at Virginia Tech.

I've been blessed and I'm thankful for the opportunity to have served as mayor. Who knows where I'll end up, but for now this is good.