As of Aug. 10, 2020, twelve candidates qualified to run in the Nov. 3, Fairfax County, Town of Herndon, General Election for Member Town Council – Herndon, and Mayor – Herndon, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. Ten candidates seek a seat on the six-member Town Council. Eight candidates vie for Democratic endorsement.

From Aug. 10-28, 2020, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee is holding its Unassembled Caucus. Democratic voters of the Town of Herndon can select their candidate(s) to endorse for the Nov. 3 election. Eligible voters can select no more than six choices for Councilmember, Town of Herndon. The eight candidates seeking Democratic endorsement are Naila Alam, Cesar A. del Aguila, Bessie E. Denton, Pradip Dhakal, Signe V. Friedrichs, Syed F. Iftikhar, Sean M. Regan and Jasbinder Singh. According to the Endorsement Ballot, the unassembled caucus is 'Paid for by the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, fairfaxdemocrats.org, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."

November 3, 2020 is the General Election. As of Aug. 10, 2020, two candidates qualified to run for the office of Mayor-Town of Herndon They are Sheila A. Olem and Roland B. Taylor. The ten candidates who qualified to run for the office of Member of Town Council-Town of Herndon are Naila Alam, Cesar A. del Aguila, Bessie E. Denton, Pradip Dhakal, Signe V. Friedrichs, Clark A. Hedrick, Syed F. Iftikhar, Stevan M. Porter, Sean M. Regan and Jasbinder Singh. The Virginia Department of Elections reports it updates candidate lists on Monday each week when necessary.

The seven elected members of the Herndon Town Council, the mayor and six councilmembers establish Town government policy, act on local resolutions and ordinances, set tax rates, approve the annual Town budget, appoint members to the town's boards and provide policy guidance for the Town Manager. The two-year terms will begin January 1, 2021 and run through December 31, 2022.

Candidates Discuss Their Priorities

The Connection asked all candidates, "What is your number one priority for the Town, and what would you do about it?"

Moving our Downtown Redevelopment forward. How? After three decades of design and change, it's time to stay the course and move forward on a plan. I will continue to work with our Virginia elected officials for their assistance on funding for our town and encourage residents to become more involved. – Candidate for Mayor, Sheila A. Olem, 64, insurance sales and commercial property manager – saolem@gmail.com

Make Herndon affordable for families and support small business growth by lowering taxes. Since COVID-19, the Mayor's priority is the Town's financial stability to maintain safety and all basic services with reduced revenue projections of $5.5M. I'll put families first, not developer's revenues. – Candidate for Mayor, Roland B. Taylor, 58, Federal government contract program manager – Taylor4Herndon@gmail.com

My number one priority is that I want to change the pattern of pedestrian traffic, especially for their safety while crossing major roads, such as the intersection of Elden Street and Herndon Parkway and so many other crossroads. This can be solved by talking to the town residents and teaching them how to be safe on the busy roads. As I have noticed, many families with young kids also cross the roads, and the cars turn while yielding. I will surely commit to listening to everyone and honor their views and try to solve their concerns, working with the rest of the council members – Candidate for Town Council at Large, Naila Alam, Real Estate Agent and nonprofit – expresscare4us@hotmail.com

The Budget is paramount. It will take years to recover from this economic downturn. We need to reprioritize budget items yet have a long-term view. Our challenge? Council members are elected for two-year terms, but we must plan for the next two decades. We must find all cost-saving opportunities, justify all services, and plan for new revenues. It won't be easy, but I am confident I can help lead the town through these challenging economic times. – Candidate for Town Council at Large, Cesar A. del Aguila, 54, Account Executive – Cesar4herndon@gmail.com

My number one priority for the town is to listen to the people; listen to their questions and concerns. I'm going to make myself available. They can text 703-499-1103 and meet me informally. I'll take part in round tables. I will come to the people. – Candidate for Town Council at Large – Bessie E. Denton, 71, retired Federal employee with law enforcement background – dentonlawn20170@gmail.com

We started many great initiatives in the Town of Herndon, from adopting the vision to make Herndon more walkable and bike-able town to bringing the issue of workforce/affordable housing into the picture first time. Two years is a short time to bring the ideas to fruition. I will still be working to alleviate the workforce and affordable housing issues in Herndon, making Herndon a welcoming town for everyone regardless of where they are coming from and what idea they represent. We truly believe in diversity, and we will acknowledge that diversity by bringing people from diverse backgrounds into our council, boards and commissions. – Candidate for Town Council at Large, Pradip Dhakal, 38, Information Technology – pradiplforherndon@gmail.com

My priority for Herndon is excellent, timely communication with residents. Improved communication is key to working together to recover economically from COVID-19, manage, and maintain our infrastructure and continue to provide needed community services. – Candidate for Town Council at Large, Signe V. Friedrichs, former executive director, Council for the Arts of Herndon/Arts Herndon – https://signeforherndon.com/ (under construction)

My priority for the town is to make interactions with the town government more accessible and less burdensome. To do this, I would propose that the Council audit and reform the town zoning code, historical preservation and business licensing processes. – Candidate for Town Council at Large Clark A. Hedrick, 32, Attorney – clark.a.hedrick@gmail.com

Preserving the essence of historic downtown Herndon, maintaining and expanding the town's environmental initiative, which includes parks and green spaces while attracting the right kind of businesses. Those businesses that align with the inclusionary values embodied by the town and building strong fiscal partnerships with the community. – Candidate for Town Council at Large, Syed F. Iftikhar, 51, Entrepreneur/small business owner/retired Town of Herndon Public Works employee – Safedrivingacademy@gmail.com

Active engagement of our residents and businesses is vital for community success. My top priority is to improve community access to information (on-line and in-person) and encourage broader participation in the Town's goals. I will promote frequent opportunities to share ideas, including my "Speak Up! with Porter4Herndon" events. – Candidate for Town Council at Large Stevan Porter, 51, IT Professional – steve@porter4herndon.com

Herndon is a vibrant, diverse town, and its leaders should be responsive to all. We need to be open to new ideas on housing, public safety, traffic, and other Town services so that all community members can feel welcome and thrive. – Candidate for Town Council at Large, Sean M. Regan, 50, Owner, real-estate project management firm – info@ReganForHerndon.com

Establish A Healthy Government – last eight years marked by (1) a lack of transparency, and (2) near absence of council discussions have led to the impending giveaway of $15 million downtown land to the developer for free. Institute best transparency practices; be a vehicle for healthy community and council discourse and set long-term goals for developing the Town. – Candidate for Town Council at Large, Jasbinder Singh, 74, Civil Engineering and Economics – singhforherndon@earthlink.net