Which Herndon mayoral and town council candidates will champion urbanist issues?

Herndon is holding elections this fall. Two candidates are running for mayor, and an original slate of 10 candidates is now down to eight people running for all of the six seats on the town council. The race is officially nonpartisan and most of the issues in town are focused on local events and changes.

The town of Herndon in Fairfax County was first incorporated in 1879 and covers just over four square miles. The town currently has over 24,500 residents. Herndon’s 2035 vision goals are to: “assure high quality, sustainable development that is characterized by enduring and attractive structures and green space. Our residents and businesses embrace a cleaner, greener lifestyle.”

With the rapid growth of surrounding Fairfax County and the impending opening of Phase 2 of the Silver Line development issues are at the forefront of what most candidates are talking about. But historic preservation, walking, biking, and equity are all major issues as well.

The mayoral race

First up is the race for Mayor. With incumbent Lisa Merkel stepping down the race is between current Vice Mayor Sheila Olem and Roland Taylor, a local resident.

Olem is running on her record on the town council and the changes the town has already made in preparation for the Silver Line and changes along the town’s historic district on Elden Street.

Taylor is pivoting to politics, having not served on the council like Olem or Merkel did. In a statement to RestonNow he emphasized he saw a need to ensure residents get a chance to provide input on Herndon’s development plans instead of “developers and realtors” working with “crony politicians”. On his campaign website, he pledges to ensure sufficient parking while keeping property taxes low.

Another big issue in Herndon is the town’s Meal Tax. It’s a sales tax on prepared meals and a similar proposal failed a referendum in Fairfax County in 2016. Olem voted in favor of a recent meals tax increase and Taylor notes that helped motivate him to run.

The town council race

Beyond the mayoral race, Herndonians will be voting on an entirely new council with six seats up for grabs. With eight candidates that means the top six vote getters will be on the council with three incumbents running to keep their seats. The race is officially non-partisan but the Fairfax Democratic Party published an endorsement based on a virtual caucus that took place in August. The candidates are:

Naila Alam
Website | Twitter

Endorsed by Fairfax Democrats. On her website, Alam said she would focus on several things including exploring traffic calming options and improving public transportation, bicycle, and pedestrian routes. In an article on candidates in the Connection she highlighted a priority for her is pedestrian safety.

Cesar A. del Aguila
Facebook | Twitter

The first of the incumbents and endorsed by Fairfax Democrats. In his questionnaire for Reston Now del Aguila cited a need to examine the town’s Historic Preservation Ordinance to ensure the rules helped the town stay affordable as well as creating more housing across the board.

Bessie E. Denton - Ms. Denton doesn’t appear to have a campaign website or questionnaire with Reston Now but in an article from the Connection she is running to be available for town Residents to talk, call and text her about their concerns. (Ms. Denton had no public images or website available at press time.)

Pradip Dhakal
Facebook | Twitter

Another incumbent with an endorsement from Fairfax Democrats. Running his campaign from Facebook he outlines some of his priorities as transparency, investing in the town’s housing and green spaces, and Bicycle/pedestrian safety.

Signe V. Friedrichs
Website

The third and final incumbent with a Fairfax Democrats endorsement she also says she’s running on bicycle/pedestrian safety and environmental sustainability.

Clark A. Hedrick
Website | Twitter

A current member of the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals, Hedrick is running on transparency, budgetary discipline, and zoning reform. In a post on Medium he notes that land-use decisions have been used historically to support segregation and wants to review rules that may reinforce those practices today. (Disclosure: Clark is a personal friend of mine and we attend the same church.)

Syed F. Iftikhar
Website | Twitter

Another newcomer to the race is Syed Iftikhar. The owner of a local driving school Mr. Iftikhar wants to improve the council’s transparency while increasing the number of homes available to low and moderate income households. He believes that can be done while also discouraging commuter traffic and minimizing the impact of development in Fairfax County just outside the town’s limits.

Stevan Porter
Website | Twitter

Porter is the candidate endorsed by the Libertarian Party of Virginia. He’s running on promises to improve transparency and budget controls for the town while dealing with the town’s growth and need for additional infrastructure.

Sean Regan
Website

Another candidate endorsed by Fairfax Democrats, Regan serves on the town’s planning commission. His website notes that his most important issues are improving the town’s vibrancy while improving the walking and biking environment for residents both from improved safety measures and plans to cut down on people commuting through Herndon.

Jasbinder Singh
Website | Twitter

The final candidate (and endorsement from Fairfax Democrats) is Jasbinder Singh. He doesn’t have a campaign website per se but maintains a blog where he talks about town issues as well as the race. In his statement to RestonNow he emphasizes that fiscal discipline and budget control is a big motivation for his run, believing the current council isn’t doing enough.

The general election is Tuesday, November 3. Click for more information about voting registration, absentee ballots, and more information about the Town of Herndon.

This article was updated at 1:10 pm, September 28 to reflect that town council candidates Bessie E. Denton and Syed F. Iftikhar no longer appear on the November ballot.