WASHINGTON — Loudoun County’s new Board of Supervisors chair says that voters in the rapidly growing community are ready for a new outlook and agenda by local officials.
Hammering home the point that the county’s residents want new leadership, voters selected five new members including the first two black supervisors to ever serve in the county’s history.
“I do think it’s a big shift. I think people were ready for a change. I think there were some things that they saw that were disturbing, and I think that Loudoun County is no longer kind of a bed-and-breakfast for Fairfax County. We are a dynamic and a growing county in and of ourselves, and I think people are ready to move into a new time and a new moment,” said Phyllis Randall from her election night celebration in Sterling.
Randall, a Democrat, ousted board Chair Scott York, who is an establishment Republican but ran as an independent, and beat two other candidates to take the county’s top leadership post. She’ll be joined by four other new members of the board including Koran Saines who won his own upset election against controversial Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio.
“Ethics and transparency, the importance of education … full day kindergarten for our students, those types of issues resonated with the people of Loudoun,” Randall said.
She also promised a government that is more open, transparent and that holds itself accountable.
“The first thing we will do is put forth a code of ethical behavior, that will be the first motion I make,” she said.
The county has doubled in size since the 2000 census turning the mostly rural community, home to vineyards and fox hunts, into a bedroom community for D.C. and areas to the east. New residents have taxed local roads, schools and even fire services.
WTOP’s Max Smith contributed to this report.
