On June 8, Falls Church’s State Legislator Marcus Simon presented Virginia House of Delegate resolutions honoring the work of five City of Falls Church residents at the City Council meeting here. All the resolutions were agreed to by the House.
The life of Edward A. Trott Jr. (28 years of service) was celebrated in House Resolution 141. Trott served Falls Church for 28 years as deputy registrar in the Office of Elections. He died on Jan. 6 of this year and was known, according to the resolution, as “not only an exceptional employee, but also a valued colleague and a true friend, remembered for his kindness, sense of humor, and the warmth he brought to the workplace each day.”
It was also stated, “He was known for his deep knowledge, reliability and commitment to ensuring fair and accurate elections.”
House Joint Resolution No. 160 commended Renee Bergmann Andrews for her 27 years of service on the Falls Church Electoral Board. Andrews joined the CIty of Falls Church as an officer of elections in 1998 and in 2003 was appointed to the Electoral Board where she served for more than 22 years, including as chair, and secretary. Andrews guided the transition of City elections from May to November, leading the consolidation of voting wards from five to three, and twice overseeing the acquisition and implementation of new voting equipment. She also consistently championed recruitment, bipartisan balance, and high quality training of officers of election.
Andrews’ leadership extended statewide through the Virginia Electoral Board Association, where she served in various leadership roles, and nationally, as she represented the Commonwealth on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Standards Board from 2009 to 2014. She has been deeply engaged in strengthening the election administration by serving on the State Board of Election’s General Registrar/Electoral Board Workgroup, contributing to updates of the State Board of Elections’ Statement of Results and the Commonwealth’s Help America Vote Act plan, and supporting a number of statewide training programs.
In recognition of her leadership and legacy of service, Andrews received a Making Democracy Work Award from the League of Women Voters in 2014 and the inaugural Community Impact Award in 2025.
House Resolution No. 143 commended Joe Carter for 25 years of service as a law enforcement officer and the city’s director of emergency management and security, demonstrating an unparalleled expertise in crisis management through a wide range of natural disasters, public health emergencies, and other adverse situations.
Carter joined the Falls Church Police Department in 2000 and quickly earned a reputation as a consummate professional and a trusted mentor, and he ultimately provided leadership to the police operations division, where he ensured that the department upheld a responsive, community-oriented public safety philosophy. He retired in 2018 and was appointed as the emergency management coordinator for the Little City in 2019, and he was subsequently promoted to director of emergency management and security in 2023. In that capacity, he has planned, coordinated and directed the response to major snowstorms, floods, prolonged power outages, and public health emergencies.
For many years Carter has served as an instructor in the city’s Rape Aggression Defense course, which empowers women to recognize and avoid dangerous situations and effectively defend themselves against aggressors. Carter was selected as the 2020 Falls Church Employee of the Year in recognition of his outstanding leadership in helping staff and community members plan for, respond to, and recover from the COVID 19 pandemic.
House Resolution No. 140 commended Veronica Prince for 25 years of service. As deputy city clerk of the City of Falls Church., she has greatly served the citizens of this city for more than 25 years. She started working with the Little City in 2000 as a part-time employee in the Human Resources Department, becoming a fulltime administrative assistant in the Clerk’s Office in 2003, and later transitioned to the position of deputy city clerk in 2007. She serves as the main point of contact for staff liaisons to committee processes for appointing resident members to boards and commissions, and during COVID 19 worked tirelessly to coordinate and track more than 500 virtual board and commission meetings while ensuring that the meetings were in compliance with the state law and accessible to the public. She was named the City of Falls Church Employee of the Year in 2021.
House Resolution No. 281 commended Daniel J. Schlitt for 35 years of service. While a graduate of Belmont Abbey College, Danny Schlitt joined the Falls Church Department of Recreation and Parks as a part-time recreation leader in 1999, proving himself to be an invaluable member of the department, earning promotions to senior recreation program supervisor in 1999, deputy director in 2007, and director in 2011.
Accomplishments during Schlitt’s tenure as director include a scholarship initiative to improve access to department programs, various park and playground improvements, and support of the Falls Church Farmer’s Market, which received a gold certification from the Virginia Farmers Market Association in 2024 and has been named Northern Virginia’s Best Farmers Market multiple times by Northern Virginia Magazine. Schlitt was named Employee of the Year by the City of Falls Church in 1998.
