They Shape Town’s Future
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Votes

They Shape Town’s Future

Mayor and Council set vision, policies for municipal services.

<b>STEVE DEBENEDITTIS, Mayor</b>

Steve DeBenedittis was reelected for his second term as Herndon Mayor on May 6. He grew up in Herndon, attending Herndon Elementary, Herndon Middle and Herndon High School. He won the 2006 and the 2008 elections on a ticket of fiscal responsibility, government transparency and a return to small town values.

DeBenedittis is a manager for the One to One Fitness Center in Tysons Corner and holds a degree in marketing management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

<b>CONNIE HUTCHINSON, Vice Mayor</b>

Hutchinson is serving her fifth non-consecutive term as a member of Herndon’s Town Council. A native of Herndon, Hutchinson grew up in the Herndon school system of Herndon Elementary, Herndon Middle and Herndon High School. She is a member of the Herndon Downtown Alliance, the Herndon History Hunt Committee and the Promote Herndon Committee.

A mother of four, Hutchinson is the executive director of the Herndon-Dulles Visitor’s Center.

<b>DENNIS HUSCH, Town Council</b>

Husch has served on the Town Council since July of 1994 and served as the Town’s Vice Mayor between 2006 and 2008. During his time on the Town Council, Husch has been an advocate for lowering real estate taxes, fiscal responsibility, strategic planning, active recreation and improving the quality of life and sense of a community. He has supported efforts to revitalize Herndon’s older neighborhoods and to build Herndon’s core downtown neighborhood.

Husch holds a degree in business from Strayer University. He is a program manager for a defense contractor where his focus is customer service, fiscal management and strategic planning.

<b>DAVE KIRBY, Town Council </b>

Kirby is serving his second term on the Town Council since being reelected in May 2008. He was elected in 2006 in his third bid for a seat. He is employed as a senior IT specialist and holds an associate’s degree in industrial electronics, drafting and design from the Coyne Electrical School, as well as a degree in Broadcast Engineering from the Cleveland Institute of Electronics. He is also a veteran of the United States Air Force. Kirby is commander of the local American Legion Post 184. Kirby and his wife are the parents of two sons who were raised in Herndon.

<b>WILLIAM "BILL" TIRRELL, Town Council</b>

Tirrell is serving his seventh non-consecutive term as a member of the Town Council, having served in 1990-1992, 1994-2002 and since 2006. A 30-year resident of Herndon, Tirrell has served as a board member of the non-profit organization America’s Charities, the CEO of the Spina Bifida Association of America and is a graduate of the Herndon Neighborhood College and the Herndon Citizen’s Police Academy. A retired U.S. Navy commander, Tirrell holds a bachelor’s and a master of science degree in financial management from the United States Naval Academy in Monterey, Calif. Tirrell and his wife, Jan, raised two children in Herndon.

<b>CHARLIE WADDELL, Town Council</b>

Waddell is serving his second term on the Town Council after being reelected in May. Originally from Mechanicsville, just outside of Richmond, Waddell moved to the Herndon area in 1993 and into the incorporated Town of Herndon in 1994.

He has served as the chairman of the Herndon Community Association Coalition and the Herndon Crime Prevention Council and as the president of the Dumbarton Square Homeowners Association.

A graduate of Randolph-Macon College and the recipient of a master of science degree from George Mason University in Fairfax, Waddell is currently a computer programmer and analyst in Reston. He is the father of two children who both reside in Northern Virginia

<b>RICHARD DOWNER, Town Council</b>

Downer is serving his eighth non-consecutive term on the Town Council, having served 1971-1974 and 1990-2000 before being elected in May. He is a resident of Herndon for more than 50 years.

Downer currently serves as treasurer for the Herndon Foundation for the Cultural Arts, the Herndon Historical Society and the Herndon Downtown Alliance. He also serves on the board of directors of the Elden Street Players and as co-chairman of the Rotary Club of Herndon’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. His service on other Town boards and committees combined with his activism in civic associations have earned him many awards, including the Town of Herndon Distinguished Volunteer Award in 1986 and 2002.

Downer is a graduate of Herndon High School and holds a bachelor of science degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia. He established an independent insurance agency, HRI Associates, in Herndon in 1972. He lives with his wife Linda and has a son, two daughters, two stepsons and eight grandchildren.