For nearly two decades, Mike Polychrones has been a fixture on the Vienna Town Council. But Tuesday morning, after voting in the Town election, he and his wife Patti headed south to their new home in North Carolina.
His last Council meeting was April 28 and, at its outset, he was honored by Mayor Laurie Di Rocco and Del. Mark Keam (D-35). Di Rocco gave Polychrones a plaque “in recognition of dedicated service” from 1996-2003 and 2004-2014, and Keam read a resolution from the Virginia General Assembly thanking him for all he’s done.
Keam noted that Polychrones once worked for the former 35th District delegate, the late Dick Fisher. And he said Polychrones’s name is “almost synonymous with the Town of Vienna.”
A lifelong Town resident, Polychrones was always happy to serve his community. He was a past president of the Virginia Municipal League and served on the Beltway Improvement Task Force for Fairfax County. He’s also a past president and life member of the Vienna Jaycees, past president and member of GMU’s Alumni Board, and a member of the Vienna Host Lions Club.
After the two presentations to him at last week’s Council meeting, Polychrones stood and addressed the audience. Choking up, he said he’d been on the Town Council for 18 of his almost 21 years of marriage and thanked his wife for her continued support and understanding. He then gave some advice to the new candidates running for Council and told them a few things to consider, if they’re elected.
“From the late Rodger Seeman [another longtime Vienna Town Councilman], through the late Dick Fisher, I learned that you need to treat every issue and every individual as if you lived on their street,” said Polychrones. “You’re voting against neighbors, sometimes, and that’s tough – but you’ve got to do what’s best for everybody.”
Acknowledging that, generally, revenue is declining while costs are going up, he told his successors to “always be mindful of the people’s purse. It’s the most important job you do on the Council – you’re spending other people’s money.
“I’m honored to have served here and I thank the citizens who elected me,” continued Polychrones. “But it’s time for a new direction.” He and his wife are making Wrightsville Beach, N.C., their new home, and he’ll be working for Bankers Life Insurance Co. in nearby Wilmington.
At last week’s Council meeting, his colleagues each bid him a fond farewell. Town Manager Mercury Payton thanked Polychrones for his work over the years, and Councilwoman Edythe Kelleher said, “He taught me that no motion to adjourn is ever wasted.”
“Mike and I served on the Planning Commission together and he always made the motions for us,” said Councilwoman Laurie Cole. “We haven’t always agreed on things, and that’s OK, because we did it civilly. Mike, good luck, and I wish all the best to you and Patti.”
Councilman Howard Springsteen told Polychrones, “It’ll be tough to see you go; I’ll miss you greatly. You have such good common sense and you’re what makes Vienna great.”
“Wrightsville Beach will be better for having you there,” added Vice-Mayor Carey Sienicki. “Thank you for your service to the Town.”