We applaud Monday’s action by the Falls Church City Council to re-elect Letty Hardi as its mayor, albeit by a close 4-3 margin.
Frankly, it’s somewhat hard to believe that Mayor Hardi has been mayor for only two years. She has been such a constant presence in the doings of the Little City that her colleague Justin Underhill’s characterization of her as an “energizer bunny” is barely adequate to describe her impact on day-to-day activities.
She brings the full force of her deep commitment to the well-being of Falls Church to everything. She does it as she also orchestrates the well-being of her own family: a husband and three sons, all advancing in Falls Church City Public Schools. She brings a thoughtful and grounded perspective to all that’s going on in Falls Church as well.
We affirm these things about her because we hope she will lead this community for a long time to come, and because we do not buy the argument put forward by her colleague on the City Council to justify voting for somebody else Monday.
That argument was put forward by Erin Flynn, who has taken the opposite side of important issues from Mayor Hardi on numerous occasions during Flynn’s first two years on the council, especially as they touch on economic development. Councilman David Snyder has sided with Flynn most of the time, and Marybeth Connelly’s vote accounted for the three votes representing the alternative to Hardi.
Flynn’s argument was that a rotating system of selecting the mayor from among the seven council members was preferable instead of the long-standing process of nominating and voting for candidates. But why? She asserted that the role of mayor is simply a ceremonial one that involves showing up for ribbon cuttings at new business openings and such, and so the perks of such a role should be shared with all members of the council.
But she is wrong about that. Just as the close vote this week reflected two different political perspectives on development and other matters, so too the mayor is a stalwart champion for smart growth, including advancing the goals of affordable housing, walkability, diversity, inclusion and equity.
In other words, Hardi deserves to be mayor because she has been an articulate and committed advocate for the kinds of policies that have served Falls Church so well during her entire decade on the City Council, including her last four as vice mayor and mayor.
She has constantly provided high-minded and forceful statements of principle wherever she has shown up to support the city. She should be mayor because she has been the best at it, and that is not in any way to diminish the talent and effectiveness of her colleague Connelly, who shares many of the perspectives that Hardi brings.
