Flynn, Underhill Sworn In; Take Seats Next Month

The Falls Church City Council and citizens of Falls Church bid farewell to three giants of lengthy terms of care and governance of the Little City Monday night as, following a recognition of the passing of the City’s four-term and first woman mayor Carol DeLong, current Mayor David Tarter and Councilman Phil Duncan were hailed in a lengthy and emotional ceremonial changing of the guard.

At the same time, the event, which occurred at the opening of the meeting Monday following an hour-long reception in the City Hall hallway, was keyed by the swearing in of two two new and one incumbent City Council member, Erin Flynn and Justine Underhill being the new ones and Letty Hardi entering her third four-year term. They will begin to assume their new duties in the first business meeting of the New Year on January 8.

DeLong passed away at age 93 last week (see story elsewhere this edition) and it was noted that flags at City Hall were lowered to half-mast in her honor.

While Tarter and Duncan are leaving after serving the exact same length of time on the City Council, both having run for the first time in 2012, Tarter leaves after eclipsing DeLong’s tenure as mayor, concluding 10 years in the role. His remarks, which are also published elsewhere in this edition on Page 21, are a retelling of the formidable achievements of both he and Duncan over the last decade. Most of the time, but not always, they voted the same way, especially when it came down to the numerous projects that have defined the past decade as one of head-spinning progress.

Now, going forward, with the new City Council being seated in the new year, the makeup of the Council may maintain a similar disposition toward reasonable growth, but the look will definitely be new. If DeLong was the first woman mayor, the next Council will be the consequence of her trailblazing, consisting of six women out of seven total members (veteran Councilman David Snyder, who faces the decision of whether or not to run for an unprecedented ninth term in the next election cycle, being the lone surviving male).

The News-Press has learned that the new Council will take a different approach to its leadership, with one member saying emphatically that as good as Mayor Tarter’s steady leadership has been, “Never again will we have one person as our mayor for that long.” She said that the four women who’ve been on the Council to this point have been meeting to decide how to share leadership, including who they will decide should be the next mayor when that comes up for a decision on January 8.

At Monday’s Council meeting, Duncan’s brief but emotional remarks, culminating with, “Thank you for hearing me out all these years,” were underscored by Tarter, who said that for Duncan, who has rarely missed any meeting, “This has been a labor of love for him.”

Hardi said, “It won’t feel the same” without Duncan and Tarter on the Council. She hailed Duncan’s “eternal optimism” as one “who pours his heart into the job.”

Snyder noted how Duncan’s “long term service to make the City better” included “serving the City from his hospital bed” following lung transplant surgery earlier this year.” Council member Caroline Lian added, “Phil, you definitely get around the City.” City Manager Wyatt Shields, who noted that both he and Duncan “met our life partners playing softball on the national mall,” said that Duncan’s “bravery and commitment set a new standard” for Falls Church.

Shields said that both Tarter and Duncan have been committed to making democracy work in Falls Church, where “we have the most engaged citizenry in the world.”

Councilmember Marybeth Connelly noted that both Tarter and Duncan are coming off the Council at the same time just as both joined it at the same time 11 and a half years ago, and that all their promises of 2012 have been kept.

Councilmember Debbie Hiscott hailed the efforts of the last decade to “build up the commercial corridors of the City,” and noted Duncan’s commitment to always making sure there were snacks at the countless meetings.

Adding his comments to this, former City of Fairfax Mayor David Meyer was present to hail Tarter for his leadership on a regional level especially during the Covid pandemic in the period before there were vaccines, when regional leaders met virtually every Monday at noon. “Falls Church has been very fortunate to have the quality of leadership” Tarter represented, Meyer said.

Both Flynn and Underhill, upon being sworn in, made brief remarks, Underhill thanking Fairfax Supervisor Penny Gross, also leaving this fall after decades of service, for sharing her advice as it came to her as a young lawmaker from Sen. Wayne Morris of Oregon during the contentious Vietnam War to always stand for your convictions.

Another recognition at the meeting included the acknowledgment of Margarette Shovlin for her service on the City’s Electoral Board.