Colbert Wins Vienna Mayoral Election, 3 Council Seats Decided

VIENNA, VA — Linda J. Colbert has been elected as mayor of Vienna, according to unofficial election results on Tuesday, May 19. Voters also elected three new members of Town Council: Ed Somers, Ray Brill and Chuck Anderson.

Colbert will take office on July 1. The current mayor, Laurie DiRocco, did not seek reelection in 2020.

First elected to Town Council in 2014, Colbert been a resident of Vienna from 1968 to 1988 and since 2000. Formerly a math teacher at James Madison High School, she is now involved on the James Madison Athletic Hall of Fame board. She serves on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's Planning Coordination Advisory Committee and Virginia Municipal League Transportation Policy Committee. She is a Vienna Rotarian, member of the Vienna Business Association, Historic Vienna Inc., Tysons Community Coalition, and Vienna Woods tennis team, and a Girl Scout leader. She lives in Vienna with her husband Mike and their two daughters.

The other candidates for mayor were Council Members Howard Springsteen and Pasha Majdi. Springsteen will continue to serve on Town Council as his term had not expired.

In the town council election, Somers, Brill and Anderson received the most votes among seven candidates.

Here are the unofficial totals from the Virginia Department of Elections:

Mayor

• Howard J. Springsteen: 869 votes
• Pasha M. Majdi: 1,172 votes
• Linda Jane Colbert: 1,545 votes

Town Council

• Chuck Anderson: 1,420
• Roy Baldwin: 1,256
• Ray Brill: 1,472
• Andrea Dahl: 1,336
• David Patariu: 1,214
• Ed Somers: 1,545
• Chris Wright: 1,265

The unofficial voter turnout was 4,195, or 36.5 percent of active registered voters. This includes absentee and in-person votes. According to the Fairfax County Office of Elections, there were 3,371 absentee ballots cast. The voter turnout for Vienna's 2019 election was 23.3 percent.

Gov. Ralph Northam had moved Vienna's election and other Virginia local elections from May 5 to May 19 due to the coronavirus crisis. Northam had proposed moving May local elections to November, but the Virginia Senate did not approve the measure. Several towns in Loudoun County got court approval to move elections to June 4.

Safety measures in place at the polling place included limits on voters allowed inside at a time, signage and floor markings reminding voters to maintain six feet from others, personal protective gear for poll workers, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting, and a one-way entrance and exit.