A Message From Pat Herrity
Dear Friends,
From the outset of this campaign we were deemed to be underdogs - unable to win in a now “blue” Fairfax County and competing against an incumbent with 21 years on the Board of Supervisors. We well outperformed expectations but in the end we fell just short (1%) in the final vote tally. There were however many bright spots - wins in four magisterial districts - Dranesville, Mount Vernon, Springfield and Sully, we won the absentee ballot campaign, we had a large and energized grassroots campaign and we ran a clean and honest campaign filled with promise for a better Fairfax County.
In addition, we were successful in extending and elevating the dialog on the pressing needs of Fairfax County. While I will not be leading the Board, I will continue with my resolve to fix the County’s financial crisis and you have my pledge that your support was not in vain.
Too often campaigns come down to negatives or slogans - - we can be proud that our focus was on solving problems, not tearing down our opponent. We can be proud of a strong grassroots campaign and the hundreds of local volunteers that traipsed through snow and ice to engage the electorate. We can be proud of a campaign that was largely funded locally by the people of Fairfax County.
I am thankful to the many volunteers that gave their all. I am grateful to the many contributors that funded the campaign. I am also forever grateful to the campaign team and my family for supporting me during this sprint.
Today I am proud to continue to represent Springfield District. The process of moving the County forward continues and I remain committed to our priorities:
- Setting sound spending priorities
- Making government more efficient and transparent
- Reducing the tax burden on our homeowners
- Proactively addressing our transportation congestion
- Investing in our classrooms and teachers but cutting the administrative waste
- And protecting our neighborhoods
The future success of Fairfax County is not preordained - we have a lot of hard work to do and I am no stranger to hard work.
I have spoken with Chairman-elect Bulova and congratulated her on a hard fought victory. I look forward to working with her and the others on the Board on the important issues ahead of us.
Let me leave you with one final thought - - stay engaged in the process of making Fairfax County the envy of the Nation. Let your voices be heard. Go back to your schools, churches and communities and stay involved. You are needed now more than ever.
Thank you for the outpouring of support.
