Herndon Town Council Sworn In; Clark Hedrick Named Vice Mayor

HERNDON, VA — The newly sworn-in Herndon Town Council passed a resolution during its Tuesday night work session naming Clark Hedrick as vice mayor for the 2023-2024 term.

"As with our tradition, the person with the largest votes has always been named vice mayor and I would like to nominate Mr. Clark Hedrick for that position," said Mayor Sheila Olem, during Tuesday night's meeting.

Olem was reelected to a second term, after defeating former Councilmembers Sean Regan and Jasbinder Singh in the Nov. 8, 2022 general election. Her motion on the resolution was seconded by Councilmembers Pradip Dhakal and Keven J. Leblanc Jr. The resolution passed 5-0, with Hedrick abstaining and Naila Alam being absent. Alam joined the council after the vote was taken.

An attorney for the federal government, Hedrick lives in Herndon with his wife Elizabeth, a federal contractor specializing in AI and technology solutions. The couple have three children and are expecting a fourth this year, according to a release.

On Nov. 8., nine candidates ran for the six open seats on the council. Hedrick received3,508 votes(12.16 percent), more than any other candidate in the race. Although Hedrick previously served as the vice chair of Herndon's Board of Zoning Appeals, this is his first term on the town council.

Other first-time councilmembers sworn in on Tuesday night included Leblanc and Donielle M. Scherff. They join incumbents Dhakal, Alam, and Cesar A. Del Aguila, who were re-elected in November. The current term of the town council runs through December 2024.