Politics & Government

Mayor Lederer Won't Seek Another Council Term

He announced his decision Wednesday night.

Fairfax City Mayor Rob Lederer announced last night that he will not seek another term on the city's council.

He served on the council for four terms in the 1980s, then came back for another two terms from 1998-2002.

Read the note he emailed to friends and fellow council members:

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"With the holidays upon us and the New Year just around the corner, it is appropriate to turn our attention to the future. With this in mind and after much thought and consideration, I have decided that I will not seek re-election as your mayor.

This was a difficult decision, largely because I have given thirty years of service to our City and strongly believe in public service.   I love the City of Fairfax and I’m honored that you allowed me to serve as your mayor since first elected in 2002. However, I have accomplished much of what I set out to do and believe this is the right time for a transition to new City leadership.

Over the past several years, we have been recognized for three significant achievements in local government:
  1. Forbes Magazine ranked the City of Fairfax one of the top three best places to live in the United States.
  2. Achieved AAA bond status - the highest credit rating attainable, citing the City’s budget management, strong reserves and conservative management.
  3. The National Recreation and Parks Association awarded the City of Fairfax a Gold Medal at its National Congress.  Only four jurisdictions have won this award in Virginia since it’s inception in 1965.
While the recession and sluggish economy have taken a toll on our community, my priorities as mayor have remained consistent and clear – promote intelligent growth, ensure the lowest overall tax burden in Northern Virginia and continue to provide superior city services while preparing our community for the future.

When you elected me mayor in 2002, we united in a vision to revitalize our historic downtown.  While the struggling economy has slowed our progress at times, we have seen great progress over the last several years. I’m pleased to report that 85% of our downtown will be occupied by the time I step down on June 30th.       

As your mayor, I promised to be a good listener and involve the community directly in the decision making process.  In an attempt to implement that commitment, I have held literally hundreds of citizen outreach meetings and public hearings. I believe that every voice should be heard before decisions are made by the city council.

Our residential neighborhoods have never been stronger.  We continue to focus on the residential character of our community by protecting our neighborhoods from cut through traffic, promoting livable communities and ensuring that development was consistent with its surroundings and appropriate in size and scale.

Our infrastructure has never been in better shape.  Through voter mandates and citizen support, we renovated our schools and our public facilities and created over 56 acres of additional open space. The Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center has also been built and opened thanks to the generosity of the Sherwood family.

None of these important accomplishments would have been possible without your strong support.   I have lived here my entire life, chose to remain in the City, and have raised my three daughters here.   It’s because of these deep roots in the community that I believe we have been successful in our shared vision for the future of our City.  

As the spring election approaches, it is my sincere hope that you will stay engaged and get behind a candidate for mayor that has the integrity and leadership skills to unite the citizens and move our great City forward.

These remain challenging times, but by continuing to work together, the City of Fairfax will remain the best place to live, work and raise a family."

Check back for more information.


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