With now less than a week to go before the deadline to appear on the November ballot for City of Falls Church School Board or City Council, it appears that the School Board may have three candidates seeking the three open seats, and the City Council will have four candidates seeking three open seats.

According to City Registar David Bjerke, the four candidates who have qualified to run for City Council are vice mayor Letty Hardi, and first time candidates Tim Stevens, Erin Flynn and Justine Underhill.

For the F.C. School Board Bethany Henderson, incumbent Jeff Anderson and Annie Murphy have submitted their paperwork.

Meanwhile, next Tuesday Democrats will choose their nominees for State Senate to run in November for the 37th District seat between Sen. Chap Petersen and Saddam Salim while the GOP has filed for Kenneth Reid to be its candidate. Democrats will also choose between incumbent Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and Josh Katcher. Already, according to Bjerke, over 700 have cast their votes in the Democratic primary.

This week, Council candidate Flynn submitted her statement of candidacy to the News-Press, which follows:

Statement of Erin Flynn

I am excited to announce my candidacy for City Council. For those of you who don’t yet know me, I moved to Falls Church a few years ago with my husband Charlie Lord, who grew up here and graduated from the high school 25 years ago, and our son, who went to preschool at Dulin and is finishing his kindergarten year at Mount Daniel. Before that, we regularly spent time in Falls Church visiting my in-laws, who have lived here for more than 35 years.  

Falls Church is a special place that enjoys a strong sense of community and small-town feel, successful local businesses and excellent schools, and walkable, tree-lined streets. As a member of the City Council, I will bring an independent and moderate view to issues affecting our City. I will prioritize delivering reliable City services, preserving green spaces, enhancing street safety, protecting the pedestrian experience, addressing traffic congestion and speed, and maintaining dedicated affordable dwelling units.  

I have 13 years of federal government experience as an attorney and supervisor, and I’m proud to work with colleagues on cases that secure the guarantees of the Nation’s civil rights laws. I understand the important role local decision makers play in our everyday lives, and I’m confident that I can contribute immediately to the work of the City Council.

Through my job, and by natural inclination, I am committed to listening to the community on issues of importance and weighing competing interests before acting. As a Council Member, I will engage residents and local businesses from the outset of an issue or project, listen and respond to community concerns, take those views into account when making decisions, and strive to take actions that enjoy strong community support, if not consensus. I view it as my charge to represent the interests of City residents and secure the best possible results for our community.