'Political Pawn Much?' Fairfax Councilmember Texts School Board Chair Over Testimony

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — A Fairfax City councilmember used a text to call out the city's school board chair after she spoke in support of a project that the councilmember has voted against in the past, according to records obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

During the Feb. 24 city council meeting, School Board Chair Carolyn Pitches spoke on behalf of her fellow board members to endorse the ongoing Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center project.

"For our schools, this center represents far more than just a building or a project," Pitches said. "It represents direct, meaningful support for our students and their families. The services plan for the center, including child care, early childhood programming, dental and health services, speech and hearing services, and much more, help remove barriers to learning."

Moments later, Pitches received a message via text from Councilmember Rachel McQuillen, who was seated at the dais, according to information obtained as part of a Feb. 26 FOIA request.

McQuillen: Political pawn much?

Pitches: What? Rachel - I am not sure what you mean by your text but nothing that I said was political. Clearly you never benefited from the health services at Willard but my family did.

This project has been in the works for a very long time, and I supported it from the beginning. I would appreciate it if you would save your judgments of me, especially when you have never asked me about my support for the project.

I have worked hard for our students and school community for more than 16 years. I take great offense that our board's support of this project is being deemed political by you. Maybe you should listen to my remarks again.

McQuillen: We need to talk. You're making a lot of assumptions.

Pitches: I'm not interested. You made a lot of assumptions about our intent.

McQuillen: Probably best.

Later in the meeting, Pitches texted McQuillen's initial message to Mayor Catherine Read's cellphone:

Pitches: Rachel texted me this ...

"McQuillen: Political pawn much?"

Read: In reference to what? Willard Sherwood?

Pitches: I assume so...she texted it right after I spoke.

Pitches told Patch on Thursday that McQuillen had sent the comment to her via text.

"We didn't speak directly after that message exchange," she said. "We spoke on Thursday after the Tuesday meeting, and she apologized to me."

On Thursday, McQuillen submitted the following statement:

"A private text exchange during a meeting was recently obtained through a FOIA request. The message, intended as sarcasm between colleagues, was sent during the recess between our work session and the regular meeting. After it became clear that the message had been received differently than intended, I later reached out so we could speak directly and clarify the misunderstanding. Through that conversation, we were able to address the situation, apologize to one another, and resolve the matter. I value respectful communication and strong working relationships, and I remain committed to maintaining both in service to our community."

Pitches later told Patch that she never apologized to McQuillen, adding that she had no reason to apologize to her because she'd done nothing wrong.

On Oct. 14, 2025, McQuillen joined Councilmembers Stacy Hall and Tom Peterson in voting against three of the four special use permit requests submitted by the county as part of the approval process for the Willard-Sherwood Center project. Mayor Read cast the tie-breaking vote and all three measures passed.

McQuillen joined Councilmembers Anthony Amos, Billy Bates and Stacey Hardy-Chandler to approve the fourth special use permit request under consideration during the same meeting. Read did not have to cast a tie-breaking vote.

Read was able to break all three ties on Oct. 14 because none of them involved appropriating money of more than $500, borrowing money, or levying taxes, which the city charter prohibits the mayor from doing, City Attorney Brian Lubkeman said during a council meeting last November.

This played out during the Jan. 9 meeting when a 3-3 tie vote over grant funding effectively killed the George Snyder Trail project. Amos, Bates and Hardy-Chandler voted in support of the grant funding and Hall, McQuillen and Peterson voted in opposition.

News of the three split votes on the Willard-Sherwood Center project prompted Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill to request a meeting with Read and Fairfax County Board Chair Jeff McKay (D) over the joint project.

RELATED: Tie Votes On Willard-Sherwood Project Alarm Fairfax County Official

"We are approaching a point where real financial and operational costs continue to accrue regardless of direction," Hill wrote, in a letter Patch obtained through a FOIA request. "Given the city’s governance structure and the respective roles of elected leadership, it feels appropriate to have this conversation now — so that our teams are not left to navigate ambiguity, and so that decisions affecting residents are made deliberately, transparently, and with a full understanding of their implications."

The city council has a public hearing scheduled for April 28 to decide whether to proceed or terminate the joint Willard-Sherwood project, approve a bond to fund the project, and award a construction contract. Since these votes involve funding, the mayor is prohibited from casting a tie-breaking vote.

Hall and Peterson told FFXNow in October that they had concerns with the cost of the overall project, which is expected to total more than $130 million, according to a city staff report. This included $58 million in new funding from the city's Capital Improvement Plan.

During her Feb. 24 testimony, Pitches said the joint project reflected the longstanding partnerships between the city and county.

"These intergovernmental relationships are essential, and canceling this project could have serious implications for our working relationship with Fairfax County," she said. "Stability, trust and follow-through on shared commitments are critical to maintaining strong regional partnerships and benefit students. After more than a decade of planning and
significant financial investment from both jurisdictions moving forward demonstrates consistency reliability and a shared commitment to our community's future."

From August 2017 to January 2018, the city and Fairfax County signed initial agreements to redevelop the county-owned Joseph Willard Health Center and the nearby Sherwood Community Center to create the Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center.

The completed complex would also include space for recreation classes, as well as senior and teen center membership services the city currently provides at the Green Acres Center.