Few people have had a more significant impact on the National Capital Region during the past 30 years than my friend and colleague, Congressman Gerry Connolly, who passed away last week from esophageal cancer at the age of 75.  Our paths first crossed in 1980, when Gerry joined the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, then chaired by my boss, Senator Frank Church (D-Idaho).  Gerry and his wife, Cathy, known as “Smitty,” moved to the St. Albans precinct in Mason District for a few years, but eventually made their “forever” home in Mantua in Providence District. 

It was in Mantua that Gerry first made his mark.  As president of the Mantua community association, Gerry was a leader in the fight to force Texaco and Star Enterprises to clean up the massive oil and gasoline spill that occurred over many years from the tank farm on Pickett Road.  The toxic plume affected hundreds of homes and made some uninhabitable.  The companies finally reached a settlement that required them to spend millions of dollars for clean up as well as purchasing dozens of affected properties at market value.  In 1995, when the Providence District Supervisor seat was vacated by Kate Hanley’s election to chair the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Gerry won the March special election.  He ran again that November for a full term, which also marked the beginning of my tenure on the Board as Mason District Supervisor.  I think Gerry always was just a little jealous that it was my election, not his, that turned the board “blue” with six Democrats and four Republicans. 

Chairman Hanley placed Gerry and me on the left end of the curved dais, where we spent the next eight years as seatmates, occasionally getting into “mischief.”  When he described his vision to transform the edgy Merrifield industrial area into what today is the Mosaic District, I told him he was crazy, that the idea would never work.  A quarter-century later, Gerry’s vision is the envy of most other magisterial districts as an example of a successful mixed-use approach that makes communities more affordable and walkable, with housing, retail, and office opportunities.  After two terms as Providence Supervisor, Gerry ran for chairman in 2003 and introduced a broad variety of new budgetary and environmental initiatives.  Under his tutelage, the board eliminated the hated annual car tax decal and reduced the real estate tax.  Gerry authored the county’s first Environmental Excellence Vision and appointed me to chair the Environment Committee.  When I asked him how aggressive I could be, he responded “I’ll tell when to stop.”  He never said “stop” and the Board adopted the vision in June 2004.  Ten years later, I still chaired the Environment Committee and led the effort to update the vision, including adding a chapter about Climate Change.  By then, Gerry was in Congress and “summoned” me to his district office to discuss the update.  He wanted to be sure that his environmental vision and legacy were secure; I assured him that they were!

In Congress, Gerry was known as a fierce fighter for his constituents, including many federal government employees and contractors.  He was a strong supporter of telework long before the Covid pandemic forced remote work, seeing it as more efficient, taking vehicles off the road and improving the region’s air quality.  Television interviewers appreciated his deep knowledge of issues, his sense of humor, and his ability to provide an ad lib quote that pierced to the heart of any topic.

Gerry had just been re-elected to a ninth term in Congress when he received the deadly diagnosis of esophageal cancer.  Medical therapies forced the cancer into temporary remission but, in April, it returned aggressively, and Gerry announced he was coming to the “sunset” of his public service.  Sadly, the sun set sooner than anyone might have expected. Obituaries will cover the many local, regional, and national initiatives Gerry brought forward, and the countless awards he received, but he would be the first to say that you don’t run for elected office for the awards, but for the rewards. Among those rewards was the high esteem in which he was held by his friends, his constituents, and his colleagues. Gerry Connolly was my dear friend, and it is heartbreaking that his strong voice, fearless leadership, and defense of democracy are silenced, but he mentored many to carry on, and that is exactly what we must do.