Wikipedia

Pat Herrity

Patrick S. "Pat" Herrity (born 1959 or 1960[2]) is an American politician from Virginia who has been a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from the Springfield district since 2007.

Pat Herrity
Member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
from the Springfield district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2008
Preceded byElaine McConnell[1]
Personal details
Bornc. 1959–1960 (age 64–65)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
ParentJohn F. Herrity (father)
Alma materVirginia Tech

Early life and career

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Herrity was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Springfield, Virginia, where he graduated from West Springfield High School. He is the son of former longtime Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Jack Herrity.[3][4] He obtained a bachelor's degree in accounting from Virginia Tech.[5]

Herrity has held senior management positions in a number of Northern Virginia government contracting and technology companies.[5][6] He and his wife Nancy have two children.[6][7]

Political career

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A member of the Republican Party, Herrity was first elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2007.[3] In 2009, Herrity ran in a special election for the position of chairperson vacated by newly elected congressman Gerry Connolly. He lost to Democrat Sharon Bulova by a close margin of 1,206 votes out of 103,972 cast.[8][9][10] In 2010, Herrity ran in the Virginia's 11th congressional district election against Connolly, but lost the Republican primary to Keith Fimian, a more conservative candidate.[11][12]

Herrity was reelected in 2011 and 2015 without major-party opposition.[10] In 2019, he narrowly defeated Democrat Linda Sperling by around 600 votes out of more than 40,000 cast.[13] Since 2020, Herrity has been the only Republican on the Board of Supervisors.[14] In 2023, Herrity was endorsed by The Washington Post editorial board and Democratic state senator Chap Petersen.[15][16] He defeated Democratic challenger Albert Vega by 14 percentage points.[17]

In October 2024, Herrity revealed he was strongly considering running in the 2025 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election.[4]

Political positions

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Herrity was described by The Washington Post in 2019 as a "voice of fiscal restraint on the board".[13] In office, Herrity advocated for reforming Fairfax County's employee compensation and pension programs, and for increased law enforcement funding.[2][6][18] He vocally opposed a proposed 4 percent county tax on prepared food and beverages, which voters defeated in a 2016 referendum.[6] In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Herrity supported allowing for optional in-person learning in schools[19] and opposed Northern Virginia easing restrictions later than the rest of the state.[20]

In 2022, Herrity was the only member of the Board to not vote for a climate resilience plan, abstaining due to concerns about its cost.[21] He voted to put a list of reproductive health resources on the county's website in 2022, and called for the list to also include adoption resources and support for full-term pregnancies.[22] Herrity was one of two board members to vote against a 30% member pay raise in 2023.[23] In 2024, Herrity called on Fairfax County to end sanctuary county policies for undocumented immigrants and honor detainment requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Fairfax County Supervisor - Springfield General Election: Nov. 4, 2003". VPAP. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  2. ^ a b Serre, Jared (2024-11-21). "SCOOP: Pat Herrity mulling run for lieutenant governor, could decide in coming weeks". FFXnow. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  3. ^ a b Woolsey, Angela (2019-10-18). "Springfield candidates debate need for experience". Fairfax County Times. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  4. ^ a b Martz, Michael (2024-10-08). "Fairfax supervisor Pat Herrity mulls GOP run for lieutenant governor". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  5. ^ a b "Supervisor Pat Herrity's Biography". Fairfax County. 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  6. ^ a b c d Woolsey, Angela (2019-03-01). "Pat Herrity launches reelection bid; eschews run for chairman". Fairfax County Times. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  7. ^ "Candidates for Chairman of Board of Supervisors". Washington Post. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  8. ^ Somashekhar, Sandhya (2009-02-05). "Close Loss Cheers Republicans". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  9. ^ Olivo, Antonio (2018-12-06). "Fairfax board chair Bulova to retire, launching new political era in Va.'s largest jurisdiction". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  10. ^ a b "Pat Herrity". VPAP. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  11. ^ Pershing, Ben (2010-06-09). "Republicans tap Fimian, Hurt in Va. primaries for U.S. House". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  12. ^ Hunt, Albert R. (2010-06-13). "Republican Party's Biggest Fight Is With Itself". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  13. ^ a b Olivo, Antonio (2019-11-06). "Democrats pick up one board seat in Fairfax but GOP's Herrity hangs on". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  14. ^ Koslof, Evan (2019-11-25). "What it's like to be the last remaining Republican lawmaker in Fairfax County". wusa9.com. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  15. ^ "Keep the lone Republican on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors". Washington Post. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  16. ^ O'Connell, Michael (2023-10-10). "Democrat Petersen Endorses GOP Supervisor Pat Herrity In BOS Race". Burke, VA Patch. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  17. ^ Woolsey, Angela (2023-11-08). "BREAKING: Herrity is lone GOP victor as Democrats dominate Fairfax County elections". FFXnow. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  18. ^ Olivo, Antonio (2017-01-27). "Rising pension costs a growing problem in budget-weary Fairfax County". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  19. ^ "Fairfax school enrollment drops nearly 5%; taxpayers unlikely to get a break". WTOP News. 2020-10-14. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  20. ^ Suderman, Alan (2020-05-11). "Northam says most of Virginia still set to reopen Friday". AP News. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  21. ^ Fenston, Jacob (2022-11-01). "Fairfax County Adopts Climate Resilience Plan". DCist. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  22. ^ Graf, Heather (2022-07-01). "Fairfax Co. is latest local jurisdiction taking action in response to Roe v. Wade reversal". WJLA. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  23. ^ Olivo, Antonio (2023-03-22). "Fairfax County supervisors raise board salaries amid opposition". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  24. ^ Minock, Nick (2024-07-29). "Fairfax County Supervisor calling on county leaders, sheriff to honor ICE detainers". WJLA. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
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