FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Uncertainty over growth and development is the most pressing issue facing Fairfax City voters, City Council candidate Kelly O'Brien says, proposing to align the city's zoning ordinance with its adopted small area plans to make development decisions more predictable.
"Residents want to know what's coming in areas like Northfax, Kamp Washington, and Old Town, and developers need clear expectations before investing time and money," O'Brien wrote in her responses to Patch's candidate questionnaire.
O'Brien said she wants special exceptions to be the exception rather than the norm. She supports concentrating redevelopment in areas already designated for growth and would evaluate proposals seeking substantially more than existing zoning allows based on their effects on neighbors, transportation and infrastructure, along with their public benefits.
O'Brien, Vienna's deputy director of planning and zoning, is making her first run for elected office. Her experience includes seven years with Fairfax City's Planning Department, and she serves as vice chair of the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
She is running for Fairfax City Council in the Nov. 3 general election.
The other candidates running for City Council are Stacy R. Hall, Rachel M. McQuillen, Anthony T. Amos, Sandi W. Slappey Brown, Russell A. Jones, Stephen S. Kim, Susan Hartley Kuiler, María José Padmore, Steve S. Chang and Jessica L. Lough.
Patch invited candidates to share their backgrounds, priorities and views on issues facing Fairfax City through its campaign questionnaire. O'Brien's responses follow below.
Your Name
Kelly M. O'Brien
Position sought
City Council
Age (as of Election Day)
47
Campaign Website
www.kellyobrienforfairfax.com
City elections are traditionally non-partisan and candidates must run as independents, according to both the city charter and the Code of Virginia. No party affiliation or "mark" will appear next to any of the candidates' names on the November 2026 ballot. Have you been endorsed by a recognized political party or have you aligned yourself with a group of candidates representing themselves as independent, non-partisan candidates, including candidates running in other city races?
Recommended by the Fairfax City Democratic Committee, based on a questionnaire I completed.
Please elaborate on your answer to the previous question and explain how this will affect the way you will serve on the city council.
Fairfax City Council is a nonpartisan office, and that's how I've approached this race. I completed a questionnaire the Fairfax City Democratic Committee sent to me, and based on my answers, they listed me as one of the candidates they recommend. I didn't seek that recommendation, and I'd respond to a questionnaire from any group, including the Republican Party, if they sent one, and let them draw their own conclusions. I've also made a point of
reaching out to get to know all of the candidates running this year. This is a hard job to do alone, and candidates naturally support one another along the way. As a career local government
employee, I've spent my professional life serving residents and elected officials regardless of party, and that's the approach I'll bring to Council: evaluating issues on their merits and working
with anyone willing to do what's best for Fairfax.
How does your status as described in the two previous questions help Fairfax City voters choose a candidate that best aligns with their particular political beliefs?
The Democratic Committee's recommendation reflects how I answered their specific questions, not a pledge of loyalty to a platform, and a voter who leans Republican or independent could
look at those same answers and weigh them just as easily. I hope voters will evaluate every candidate on the information provided, meeting and talking with us, asking questions, and deciding for themselves who they think will best serve the City.
Family
My husband, Duncan, and our two children, Ashley and William, who goes by Willi.
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
Yes. I work for the Town of Vienna as Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning. My husband, Duncan, works for DC Water, a regional water utility.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Geography and Environmental Planning (minor in GIS), from Towson University. Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP), Physical and Environmental Planning, from Rutgers University (Louis Berger Fellow). Pursuing Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management, from Virginia Tech.
Occupation
Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning for the Town of Vienna, VA. More than 20 years of experience in local government and community planning, including 8 years with the Town of Vienna — the last 4 as Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning (including a stint as Acting Director of Economic Development) — and 7 years with the City of Fairfax Planning Department.
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Political Office
None in elected office — this is my first campaign for public office. I currently serve in an appointed role as Vice Chair of the City's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Why are you seeking elective office?
I care deeply about Fairfax and believe my professional experience can make a meaningful difference in how our City grows and serves its residents. I've spent more than 15 years working in Virginia local government, including seven years with the City of Fairfax, and I've continued serving through volunteer and community roles since. I understand both how local government
works and how its decisions affect residents and businesses, and Iwant to bring that experience to Council.
The single most pressing issue facing voters is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
The single most pressing issue facing voters is uncertainty around growth and development. Residents want to know what's coming in areas like Northfax, Kamp Washington, and Old Town, and developers need clear expectations before investing time and money. I intend to work toward aligning our zoning ordinance with our adopted Small Area Plans so decisions are more predictable, and to make special exceptions the exception, not the norm.
What approach should Fairfax City take to new development and redevelopment? What types of projects would you support or oppose, and how would you balance housing needs and economic growth with concerns about traffic, infrastructure and neighborhood character?
I support concentrating redevelopment in the areas we've already identified for growth through our Small Area Plans and Comprehensive Plan, not pushing that pressure into established
neighborhoods. Property owners have a right to develop under the zoning we've adopted; the harder cases are proposals asking for substantially more. I'd evaluate those based on impacts on neighbors, transportation, and infrastructure, and whether the project gives something back to the public. Housing and economic growth don't have to compete with neighborhood character. We have to make sure each proposal fits its specific location and our long-range plans, rather than treating every project as a one-off negotiation.
What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
What sets me apart is the combination of professional government experience and years of hands-on civic involvement. I understand how local government actually works, from writing staff reports to sitting through the meetings where decisions get made and implemented. But I've also been doing the work of building community here for years. I help with the Fall Festival, the July 4th parade, Santa's elf for multiple events, and I've helped coordinate the Asian Festival on Main for six years. I created the Facebook group Fairfax City 411 in early 2023 to help residents understand what's happening in the City, especially at Planning Commission and Council meetings. Running for Council isn't a new direction for me — it's another way to keep doing the
work I've already been doing.
If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?
Not Applicable - all six City Council seats are open every election cycle, so I'm not running against a specific incumbent.
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.
Beyond development, a few other things drive my campaign. Transparency and accessibility are central to how I think about local government. That's the whole reason I started Fairfax411, so
residents can actually understand what's happening at Council and Planning Commission meetings before decisions are made, not after. I also care about supporting our local businesses and the commercial tax base that keeps pressure off residential property taxes; I want the City to focus as much on helping existing businesses succeed as on attracting new investment. And
having spent my career on the staff side of local government, I want to bring that perspective to Council: respecting the professional expertise of City staff, understanding what it actually takes to implement a decision once Council votes on it, and being careful with taxpayer dollars.
Finally, I want to bring some joy back to local government. It's serious work, but people should feel welcome participating in it and see City government as something that belongs to them.
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I've spent seven years working directly for the City of Fairfax's Planning Department and eight years with the Town of Vienna, the last four as Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning, including a stint as Acting Director of Economic Development. In that role I've led zoning code updates, comprehensive plan updates, and the public engagement processes behind them, so I understand not just how policy gets made but how it actually gets implemented. Outside of my career, I've spent six years coordinating more than 100 vendors annually for the Asian Festival on Main, served as PTA parent liaison for grades 5 and 6 and the Sprout School Supplies coordinator for three years at Mosaic Elementary. I also serve as Vice Chair of the City's Parks
and Recreation Advisory Board and the Secretary on the Executive Board of Old Town Fairfax Business Association for the last four years. I created Fairfax City 411 in 2023 to help residents
follow what's happening at Planning Commission and Council meetings. In 2024, I was recognized by the City of Fairfax Commission for Women as a Women of Influence award recipient and named a Fairfax City Hometown Hero. Both sides of my experience, the professional and the civic, show I know how to get things done in this City, not just talk about them.
The best advice ever shared with me was:
My father told me to do the right thing, no matter how small, because it's the right thing to do, not because you think someone will recognize you for it. It's something I've tried to instill in my
own kids too, whether that's shoveling a neighbor's sidewalk, putting a stray grocery cart away, or helping someone who needs it. You do the right thing to make the world a little better, not
because you expect anything for yourself.
What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
Fairfax has been my home for more than 15 years, nine as a renter and the last six as a homeowner, and I'm running because I want to put my professional experience to work for the community my family and I call home. I understand how local government actually works, and I know good ideas don't mean much without follow-through. I also want to bring some joy back to local government. It's serious work, but people should feel welcome participating in it and see City government as something that belongs to them. Whichever way this election goes, I'll keep finding ways to serve this community. That's not going to change.
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