Viviana Smith/Fourth Estate

Fairfax City Council is the most diverse it has ever been with Mason graduates at the forefront

BY PHILLIP KIM, STAFF WRITER

Former Mason students and faculty members dominated the 2024 Fairfax City general elections.

Democrat incumbent Catherine Read was re-elected as the mayor of Fairfax City. She increased her margin of victory by eight times compared to 2022 when she became the municipality’s first female mayor.

“I am grateful to every voter who participated in this historic election,” Read said in a statement. “While I am very disappointed at the results at the national level, I know that we will continue to protect our progress at the local level.”

Mason alums will also make up a majority of the city’s six-member legislature. Recent graduates Billy Bates and Anthony Amos won their second and first terms for Fairfax City Council, respectively, while former Mason faculty members Stacey Hardy-Chandler and Tom Peterson were also elected. Other Mason graduates running for City Council included Kate Doyle Feingold, Rachel McQuillen and Taylor Geaghan, in addition to former faculty Amini Elizabeth Bonane.

“This might be the youngest council we have ever had overall and also our first female-majority council,” said Amos, who just earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy at Mason in May 2024. “We also have our first African American woman on council.”

Elections are a group effort. When Read first ran for mayor two years ago, she had the help of numerous candidates she helped elect over the years as a local activist. Amos received donations and policy advice from professors such as Dr. Stephen Ruth and Dr. Anne Holton and found campaign volunteers in his friends, all of whom he met during his time at Mason.

“My entire campaign team was Mason students,” Amos recalled.  “A lot of people came together to support me.”

For relatively young candidates, connections made in college from participating in various organizations can go a long way. However, outside help from an industry veteran is also crucial.

“When I joined the Bridge at Mason, they had connections with other student organizations and student government… you gotta go out and look for it,” Amos said. “Hiring a good campaign consultant is probably your first step. They can be very flexible on payment because they know people start from different places. Find what works for you but make sure you have a team behind you.”

Amos plans on using his insight as a former Mason student to help create affordable housing, strengthen the connection between the city and the campus and promote nuclear energy.

Democracy depends not just on voters, but also those elected. One big takeaway from Fairfax City’s results is that people are demanding young leaders. For those who have the desire and dedication to serve their community, the door to politics is wide open.

“I think they [constituents] want to see leaders who are from the community,” Amos said. “I’d like to see more and more of our youth get involved and say, ‘Let’s try to figure things out.’”