2022 Candidate Profile: Ana Renner Running For Fairfax City Council

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Anahita N. "Ana" Renner is running for one of the six seats on the Fairfax City Council in the Nov. 8 general election.

Renner is running against incumbents Jon R. Stehle Jr., D.T. "Tom" Ross, Joseph D. Harmon, and So. P. Lim, as well as fellow challengers Billy Bates, Kate Doyle Feingold, Craig S. Salewski, and Jeffrey C. Greenfield.

Patch asked each of the candidates in the city council race to fill out the following questionnaire.

Name

Anahita N. "Ana" Renner

Campaign Website

AnaforFairfax.com

Family: Names, ages and any pertinent detail you wish to share.

My husband Chris (41) and our son is a 3-year-old attending a City of Fairfax based parochial preschool.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for.

No one in our household. My sister-in-law is a judge in another state.

Education

B.A. Political Science - Pacific University (OR)

Occupation - Please include years of experience

Stay-at-home mom/Foster mom since 2018.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None, I've focused more on volunteering.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I'm running because I think the voices of City of Fairfax residents should be centered in our governance.

The single most pressing issue facing the City of Fairfax is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

It’s hard to pick one issue, but I would say rapid and disjointed development. I understand the benefit of improving the City’s housing stock, but at what cost? In the time I’ve lived here, I’ve seen many mature trees torn down and replaced by architecture that’s out of scale with most of the city and with the development adjacent to it. Additionally, there are some projects that are cold, unappealing, and not in keeping with the character of the City of Fairfax.

Before approving any new development, I’d like to see hard facts and evidence from impartial outside groups, not from for-profit consultants that might have a financial interest in the approval of a project. Not only should projects consider the aesthetics of our City and preserving as much green space as possible, but they should also consider the impact on our infrastructure such as schools, roads, water & sewer.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

As a mother of a young child who will spend at least the next 15 years growing up in Fairfax, I’m incredibly invested in the direction that the city takes during his formative years. We’ve chosen to live in Fairfax because it has a sense of community that’s not always found in other places in Northern Virginia, and I want to make sure that it grows in a way that keeps the sense of community and neighborly care.

30% of our neighbors in Fairfax are immigrants. As an immigrant myself, I can empathize with the special challenges and frustrations they face. Having had to learn English as a second language, I appreciate the way that ideas can get lost in translation; having grown up here in a family without much in the way of assets or income, I appreciate the need to be a good steward of available funds.

My son is just the most recent person for whom I am the primary caregiver. Between our foster children, who called me Mom, and caring for my mother until she lost decades-long battle with Parkinson’s Disease in 2011, I deeply understand what it means to put others before myself.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

I think that council needs to listen more to the residents of the City of Fairfax. Right now, the City tends to engage in one-way communication and to receive feedback passively. Engage Fairfax, City Scene, and the published meeting agendas are excellent and informative for the many residents who are familiar with the city’s programs, who have the time and English proficiency to quickly understand the communications, and who know how to offer feedback. Unfortunately, many immigrants, parents of young children, residents with demanding jobs, and others are more likely to overlook those sources of information; I want to make sure that they’re included in the discussion as well.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

As we’re facing an environment of inflation and large fluctuations in housing prices, I think our City needs to consider the effects with a fresh set of eyes. Many of the criteria used to approve developments during an environment of abundant cash and steadily rising real estate prices might have made sense at the time, but if we continue to use those criteria we could end up with unbuilt housing units and lost property tax revenues.

Additionally, we need to carefully consider the struggles of our many small businesses. They’ve suffered disproportionately from the COVID-related shutdowns, and unexpected inflation is another blow. The City ought to make sure that it’s not imposing an excessive burden, because helping existing businesses survive and thrive is just as important and frequently less expensive than attracting new businesses.

Another problem related to inflation and economic trouble is the uptick in crime regionally. We’ve seen criminals brazenly steal catalytic converters from parked vehicles in the middle of the night, as well as stealing people’s identities. As your next councilmember, I will work with the City of Fairfax Police Department and our local community and neighborhood associations to enhance their current partnership and build on our Neighborhood Watch programs. By being neighborly and looking out for each other, we can help prevent crime.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In my professional life, I’ve had the privilege of learning from leaders in all levels of government: local, state, and federal.

As the mother of a son who was somewhat late in talking, I’ve developed a keen sense for picking up cues in what wasn’t being said.

As a foster parent, I’ve successfully worked with teams of multiple professionals (social workers, attorneys, therapists), with birth families, and with other relatives. My husband and I have been invited to serve on training panels for new foster families on several occasions, and we’ve remained in touch with the relatives of some of the children we’ve fostered, who continue to share their milestones. I additionally serve on the board of Formed Families Forward, a nonprofit based in the City of Fairfax dedicated to supporting foster, kinship, and adoptive families.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

What you put out in the world, goes out, makes friends, then comes back to visit you. - R.P. Woods, my high school drama teacher

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Since I decided to run for City Council, I’ve been amazed to see how much support I’ve received from my husband, my son (he loves to knock and ring doorbells!) and from friends and neighbors in the City.

I’ve also been blessed to learn so much about the people of Fairfax (and the issues that Council has faced) as I’ve listened to them share the things they like (and their concerns) about our City. I’m incredibly hopeful as I look forward to the next six weeks of conversations – and the two years afterward!

Related:

• 2022 Candidate Profile: So P. Lim Running For Fairfax City Council
• 2022 Candidate Profile: Joseph Harmon Running For Fairfax City Council
• Fairfax City Residents Meet One-On-One With Mayor, Council Candidates
• 2022 Candidate Profile: Jon R. Stehle Jr. For Fairfax City Council
• 2022 Candidate Profile: Jeff Greenfield Runs For Fairfax City Council
• 2022 Candidate Profile: Billy M. Bates Runs For Fairfax City Council
• 2022 Candidate Profile: Craig Salewski Runs For Fairfax City Council
• 2022 Candidate Profile: Tom Ross Runs For Fairfax City Council
• 2022 Candidate Profile: Kate Doyle Feingold For Fairfax City Council