Former Fairfax County School Board member Rachna Sizemore Heizer was sworn in as a county supervisor during a ceremony Tuesday night, vowing to address concerns about affordability and hoping to restore the public’s trust in local government.
Speaking to a crowded room, with her former school board colleagues and predecessors on the local governing body present, Sizemore Heizer said her family watched from as far as Hawaii and India. She’s said she’s the first Asian American to be elected to the Board of Supervisors.
“Representation matters not as a symbol, but because it tells every child and every family that they belong here, that they are valued, that they bring something to us to make us better, and that their voices deserve to be heard,” Sizemore Heizer told the crowd.
Sizemore Heizer won the Democratic primary and defeated two others vying for the seat.
She secured over 67% of the vote. Republican Ken Balbuena received 29.7% of the vote, and Independent Chet Campbell won less than 3%.
A special election was planned after former Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw was elected to Congress. Walkinshaw won the seat once held by the late Rep. Gerry Connolly.
Now, Sizemore Heizer will serve the remainder of Walkinshaw’s term.
In an interview with WTOP after Tuesday night’s ceremony, Sizemore Heizer vowed to prove to community members that “local government here works for them, that we can solve their everyday problems.”
After knocking on thousands of doors between the primary and general elections, Sizemore Heizer said residents overwhelmingly expressed concerns about affordability, “being able to either age in place. People worried about their children not being able to come back and raise their families here. They want to make sure that the Fairfax County they love, they can stay here.”
Sizemore Heizer stressed the importance of ensuring there aren’t more delays for plans to renovate the Audrey Moore Recreation Center in Annandale.
As for preserving Lake Accotink, she said, “We’ve got to put some fire behind the work. There’s been a lot of task forces. We’ve now started to get to work to find the solution that’s going to work for the community, that’s going to work in the way that we can afford it, that’s going to work to preserve as much of the lake as possible.”
To help offset the economic impact of changes in the federal workforce, Sizemore Heizer said the county should leverage the artificial intelligence and cybersecurity industries.
“We have the people, very well-educated people, lot of incredible federal workers looking for jobs,” Sizemore Heizer said. “So we just have to put in the structure, bring people together to grow those industries, so we become known for entrepreneurship and innovation in industries of the future. So the federal government becomes a plus and not an only.”
Sizemore Heizer joins the board ahead of the budget cycle for fiscal 2027. Addressing the sometimes-contentious budget conversations between supervisors and school board members in years past, she said the way to avoid that is improving communication.
“We all understand that the budget is tight, the economy is tight, and within that, how do we work together to do what’s best for the county and best for the schools?” she said.
Sizemore Heizer is a college professor, attorney and parent of two Fairfax County Public Schools graduates. She served one term on the school board as an at-large representative, and was elected to represent the Braddock District on the school board in 2023.
A special election will have to be planned to fill Sizemore Heizer’s seat on the school board.
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