Op-Ed by former City of Fairfax Mayor Rob Lederer and Mayor Steve Stombres
June 14, 2026
As former mayors of the City of Fairfax, we have followed with concern recent public discussion suggesting that the office of mayor cannot be effective under the city’s current charter.
We respectfully disagree.
Fairfax City has operated under a council-manager form of government since its incorporation in 1961. For more than six decades, mayors, council members, city managers, staff and residents have worked within that structure to guide our community through growth, challenge and change. This form of government is neither unusual nor ineffective. It is a widely used and well-tested model in Virginia and across the country.
The question before voters is not whether the charter gives the mayor enough power. The better question is whether the person elected mayor understands the leadership responsibilities the charter already provides.
Under the Fairfax City Charter, the mayor presides over City Council meetings, participates in votes, serves as the city’s principal representative in interjurisdictional affairs, and provides ceremonial and civic leadership for the community. The mayor also holds an important and often overlooked authority: the ability to cast tie-breaking votes when the six-member City Council is evenly divided.
That authority can be significant. Major policy, setting of the advertised tax rate, land-use and governance questions often involve close votes. A thoughtful mayor can play a pivotal role in shaping the city’s direction. But effective leadership begins well before the final vote is taken. It requires preparation, fairness, facilitation, consensus-building and a steady commitment to helping the Council work through complex issues on behalf of the entire community.
What the mayor is not intended to be is a chief executive who directly manages city departments or directs city employees. Those responsibilities belong to the City Manager, who is appointed by and accountable to the entire City Council. That division of responsibility is not a flaw in the charter. It is a deliberate strength of the council-manager system.
One of the great advantages of this model is that it separates professional administration from elected policymaking. The Council establishes policy and adopts budgets. The City Manager administers those policies and budgets. The mayor helps the governing body function effectively, ensures public process is respected, and works to keep decisions informed, transparent and reflective of the community’s interests.
When each participant fulfills their proper role, the system works well.
In our experience, successful mayors understand that leadership and authority are not the same thing. The most effective mayors are not necessarily those who seek more formal power. They are those who know how to bring people together. They understand public process and parliamentary procedure. They listen carefully to residents. They encourage productive discussion among Council members with differing viewpoints. They help identify common ground where others see only disagreement. They ensure decisions are guided by facts, public input and thoughtful analysis.
The mayor’s chair has always required patience, judgment, diplomacy and respect for democratic decision-making. It requires someone who can represent the entire community rather than a single constituency, political party or point of view. It requires someone who understands that the role exists to help the Council govern effectively and to help citizens engage meaningfully in that process.
These responsibilities are substantial. They are also entirely achievable under the charter Fairfax City has today.
As voters evaluate candidates for mayor, we encourage them to focus less on promises to change the office and more on a candidate’s demonstrated ability to perform it.
Does the candidate understand the council-manager form of government?
Can the candidate chair meetings fairly and effectively?
Has the candidate shown an ability to work constructively with elected officials, residents, professional staff and regional partners?
Does the candidate possess the experience, judgment and policy knowledge needed to help the city navigate complex decisions?
Can the candidate build consensus while respecting differing opinions?
Will the candidate faithfully represent all residents of Fairfax?
These are the qualities that have historically defined successful mayors in Fairfax and in council-manager communities throughout Virginia.
Fairfax City does not need to reinvent the mayor’s role. It needs a leader who understands the strength of the office as it already exists — and who is prepared to serve with skill, integrity, humility and deep dedication to the entire community.
That is how our charter was designed to work.
And for more than six decades, it has.
