Fairfax City Council sees shake up following Tuesday election

FAIRFAX — Two newcomers are joining the Fairfax City Council following Tuesday’s election while two incumbents retained their seats for other roles.

In a five-way race for three open council seats, candidates Cindy Anderson, Debra Mallie and Marianne Wainwright came out on top in Tuesday’s election. All three will serve in an at-large capacity, meaning they will represent the entire city rather than a specific district or ward.

Also Tuesday, preliminary counts show mayoral incumbent Jo Ann Beer retained her seat after receiving 63.8 percent of the vote to challenger Steve Huber’s 35.8 percent. Beer has held the mayoral spot since winning a special election in 2023.

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The city of Fairfax has a mayor and five City Council members who serve as the city’s elected officials and vote on city business and policy. City Council members serve four year terms while mayors serve two years at a time.

This year’s race drew more competition than most, with five people filing to run for the three open City Council spots. Winning candidates will assume their roles in January.

Newcomers Anderson and Mallie were the top two vote-getters, receiving 24.4 percent and 23.5 percent of the overall vote, respectively. They were followed by Wainwright, a council incumbent who secured just under 20 percent of the votes to clinch the final spot.

The trio beat out incumbents Tom Nurre and Nicholas Volk, who received 15.7 percent and 14.8 percent of the vote, respectively. Results are considered unofficial until they are certified by county and state boards of canvass.

Learn more about the candidates’ platforms and intentions for elected office by reading The Gazette’s election preview. Additional elections coverage is also available online at thegazette.com/2025-election-results/.

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com