Candidates for the November Special Election for City Council – Meet Laura Downs and John Murphy

Summary

Laura T. Downs, former School Board chair, and John B. Murphy, former Board of Zoning Appeals chair, have qualified to be on the ballot for the Special Election November 5, 2024, to fill the seat vacated by former Council Member Caroline Lian.

Murphy qualifies, followed by Downs

Two candidates, Laura T. Downs and John B. Murphy, will run for an unexpired term on the City Council this November. Falls Church Director of Elections and General Registrar of Voters David B. Bjerke announced on Friday, August 30, that out of five people who began the paperwork to run for the remainder of Lian’s term through December 31, 2025, only Mr. Murphy and Ms. Downs completed the process.

Qualifying for the ballot required collecting the signatures of 125 registered Falls Church voters, in addition to filing a declaration of candidacy and a certificate of candidate qualification and setting up campaign finance reporting. Mr. Murphy completed the paperwork first, followed by Ms. Downs.

The Pulse reached out to both candidates for their statements. They are printed below. Each candidate also has a website, links are below, where you can learn more.

Laura Downs (votelauradowns.com)

I’m excited to be running for the vacant seat on the Falls Church City Council and have a chance to serve our community again as an elected official. Serving on the Falls Church City School Board as a publicly elected official was the honor of a lifetime. I learned the importance of listening to all members of the community to understand all sides of an issue. I served in a leadership role for three of my four years (Vice Chair in 2021 and Chair in 2022 and 2023) and worked hard to improve outreach to the community. I instituted monthly “office hours” at the end of the pandemic. We held the sessions at a different local restaurant every month to meet with community members – a practice that still continues today. While on the School Board, my proudest achievement was working closely with our superintendent to deliver our state-of-the-art new Meridian high school, on time and under budget. That building was made possible thanks to voters approving a bond referendum, commercial development on the old high school site, and careful fiscal planning by the City Council and general government staff. Truly, it was a community-wide effort, and I’m proud the dedication plaque at the entrance bears my name.

As a result of my four years as an elected official, I understand what is required to be an effective City Council member – a commitment to do the work, understand all sides of the issues, be open to feedback from community members, and work collegially with City Council colleagues and the general government staff. Due to the quick turnaround for this election, our City needs someone who can jump in and do the job on day one. My extensive knowledge of both the School Board budget and City Council budget and my work on the City Council Budget and Finance Committee have prepared me for this job. The budget season actually starts in December when the City Council and School Board meet to talk about budget guidance and projected revenue. Having attended these meetings for four years, my experience is vital as 42% of the General Government budget is earmarked for the schools.

My husband and I moved to Falls Church City with our four boys in 2009 to take advantage of the City’s highly regarded school system. And just last month, US News and World Report named Falls Church City the #1 healthiest community in the nation. In addition to education and walkability, other factors helped us achieve the top rating – health, local economy, food and nutrition, and infrastructure.

I am excited for the future of our vibrant Little City. I also understand members of our community have concerns regarding our growth and development. If elected, I will embrace a thoughtful approach, listening to all sides to inform my decisions.

John Murphy (www.murphy4fcc.com)

I’m not a professional politician. I’m your neighbor who is committed to Falls Church City and the residents who live here. I am John B. Murphy, and I would appreciate your vote on November 5th for the vacant seat on City Council.

As a lifelong resident of the area, I know Falls Church, love Falls Church, and want to continue to develop and maintain our small town feel and green vibe within the Metropolitan area. What we have here is special.

As Falls Church grows, we must evaluate new policies carefully, including bringing to light possible unintended consequences. That requires good data and a knowledge of the realities and challenges our City has faced and will likely face going forward. I have that knowledge and practical experience working with City officials and staff. I have served as a member and chair of the Board of Zoning Appeals and as a member and chair of the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee that reviewed our entire zoning code for necessary changes, making sure each change was consistent with community goals and internally consistent. Adding my deep knowledge of the City’s zoning to the upcoming Council discussions on accessory dwellings will be particularly helpful.

I believe government should be responsive to the needs and desires of all Falls Church residents and provide value for taxpayers. I would like to see Falls Church continue to grow but in an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable way.  Growth proposals should consider all the economic impacts, including infrastructure capacity to meet new growth without unnecessarily shifting costs and burdens to taxpayers and utility rate payers. Environmental sustainability requires energy efficiency, design and use of renewable sources, real green spaces, tree canopy, and practices resulting in clean air and water. At the same time, we need to create a City that meets the needs, and supports or improves the welfare of all residents.

Stewardship is important to me because City Council responsibility does not end with approvals. Making sure that we get what we bargained for as time goes on is critical.

Prior to retirement, I spent 35 years on issues of data collection, methodology, and analysis. I’ve helped develop US and International standards in a collaborative manner with consensus as the goal.  I will bring those same skills to the City Council.

Please visit my website murphy4fcc.com to read more about my background, platform, and priorities.  I look forward to hearing concerns from the entire community and seeing how we can balance the interests and needs of all Falls Church residents to make it even better!