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Fairfax City’s newly elected leaders took office Jan. 14 with a call to move beyond campaign divisions and work together during the next two years.

Mayor Catherine Read, elected to a second term in November, was sworn in alongside Councilmembers Anthony Amos, Billy Bates, Stacy Hall, Stacey Hardy-Chandler, Rachel McQuillen and Tom Peterson. Bates is the Council’s only returning incumbent after three previous members declined to seek reelection and two others lost their races.

Former Fairfax City School Board Chairman and former Councilmember Janice Miller delivered a message about cooperation before the ceremony, telling the officials that public service requires listening, learning and putting the community ahead of individual priorities.

“Being an elected official is about serving the community we all love,” Miller said. She acknowledged that governing, collaboration and finding common ground can be difficult, but urged the group to “put ‘we’ before ‘I.’”

Speaking to a standing-room-only crowd in the Council chambers, Miller thanked the departing Councilmembers and everyone who ran for office. She encouraged them to remain involved in city affairs and told the incoming leaders that the community supported them and wished them success.

Drawing on decades of service in Fairfax, Miller said she found City Council issues more contentious than those she encountered on the School Board. With community conflicts increasingly difficult to resolve, she said leaders should begin by concentrating on their similarities.

The new governing body spans three generations, with two members in their 20s, two in their 40s and three in their 60s. All seven officials live in different parts of Fairfax.

The election also marked several milestones. Hardy-Chandler became the first African American woman elected to the Council, while Amos became the second African American man to serve on it. With three female Councilmembers and Read as mayor, voters also elected the city’s first female-majority governing body in Fairfax’s 63-year history.

Miller highlighted the officials’ shared connections to Fairfax schools and George Mason University. Bates attended local schools and graduated from Fairfax High School, while Read’s and Peterson’s children are also Fairfax High graduates. Hall and McQuillen have children enrolled in city schools. Read, Bates, McQuillen and Amos attended George Mason for undergraduate or advanced-degree programs.

The group also brings extensive experience from local boards, commissions and civic organizations. Hall and McQuillen each spent two years on the School Board. Peterson, Hall and Bates—who participated as a student representative—served on the Environmental Sustainability Committee.

McQuillen served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Hardy-Chandler on the Commission for Women and Amos as an appointee to the GMU Advisory Board. The officials have also participated in PTAs, civic associations, the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

Miller cited Read’s advocacy for a more walkable city, park bathrooms, free transportation on CUE buses, diversity, equity and an inclusive community.

She challenged the new team to decide whether its term would be difficult because members failed to cooperate or challenging because they sought information, pursued solutions and worked with city employees and residents.

“For the sake of our community, let’s make the next two years work,” Miller said.

Rick Herrington, secretary of the city’s Electoral Board, then presented framed election certificates to Read and the six Councilmembers. City Clerk Melissa Shinaberry administered the oath of office.

After the ceremony, Read thanked Miller for her service and advice. She reminded the audience that Fairfax’s elected officials are also neighbors, residents and taxpayers who use the same roads, parks and restaurants as everyone else.

“We decided to step forward to become your local government,” Read said, describing the system as a citizen government that depends on ordinary people accepting public responsibility.

Read acknowledged that officials will not always easily find the best compromise or path forward, but said each member had taken an oath to do that work together. She asked residents to remember the people behind decisions they might oppose.

“Try to love the people, even though maybe you don’t love the decision,” Read said, promising that the seven officials would do their best for the 717 days they would serve together.