Five first-time candidates won seats on Herndon’s Town Council Tuesday, leaving Councilmember Clark Hedrick as the only incumbent on the ballot to win reelection, according to unofficial results. The outcome gives the incoming council a role in decisions already underway on housing and the town’s future development.
Twelve candidates competed for the six two-year council seats, according to the Herndon Connection. As FFXnow reports, unofficial tallies showed Sabrina Bruce leading the field with 12.8% of votes cast, while Hedrick took 9.4% to secure the lone incumbent win. Voters could select up to six candidates on their ballots, and the town council races drew roughly 34,561 votes tallied by noon Wednesday, those figures excluding provisional and mail-in ballots.
A Newcomer Slate With Shared Priorities
Bruce, Shafiq, Yohannes and Ezekilov shared several campaign priorities, including affordable housing and pedestrian safety and accessibility, according to FFXnow. Their public-safety proposals emphasized social services, and all four opposed the Herndon Police Department’s use of Flock Safety automated license-plate readers. FFXnow reported that privacy and surveillance concerns had also led several other localities, including Arlington County, to cancel their Flock partnerships in recent weeks.
FFXnow reported that Bruce, a U.S. Space Force veteran, was forced out of military service under the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members. She is in line to become Herndon’s vice mayor and is believed to be the first openly transgender person elected to office at any level in Fairfax County, according to the report. Bruce said voters demanded change and entrusted the incoming group to deliver it.
Shafiq, who works for Fairfax County government, said her priorities include developing an affordable-housing policy similar to the county’s and expanding Herndon’s tax base, FFXnow reported. Yohannes, vice chair of the Herndon Planning Commission, cited an inclusionary-zoning plan for affordable and diverse housing and a new vision for downtown. He also said he planned to identify a permanent town manager within six months; the position became vacant after Dan Hoffmann was terminated at the end of September. Yohannes said Herndon elected its first African American, transgender and Bangladeshi women to the council.
A Tight Race Knocks Out a Longtime Councilmember
Preliminary results cited by FFXnow showed Justin Britt, a Deltek marketing director, community volunteer and small-business owner, defeating four-term councilmember Cesar del Aguila by fewer than 300 votes. Del Aguila, first elected in 2018, was seeking a fifth two-year term. Kelvin Garcia, Michael T. Lloyd and Alex Reyes also lost their reelection bids.
Britt said he was proud of his campaign; he did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the outcome. Del Aguila said he was concerned that families and Latino residents may lack a strong voice in Herndon’s future. He plans to remain involved in local politics and is considering a future run for mayor or the Virginia General Assembly, a decision he said he would make after careful consideration ahead of 2027.
Affordable Housing Looms Over the New Council's Agenda
The incoming council will take up an affordable-housing discussion that has been underway for months. In March, the council voted 6-0, with Councilmember Naila Alam absent, to direct town staff and a hired consultant to develop interim guidance for promoting affordable housing and begin crafting a longer-term policy requiring affordable housing in new development, FFXnow reported.
A town housing study released earlier this year found that 26.4% of Herndon households were cost-burdened by housing expenses. More than 70% of the town’s housing units were built between 1970 and 2000, while fewer than 20% were constructed after 2000, according to FFXnow’s coverage of the study. It also found that more than 3,700 homes in the development pipeline could meet projected demand over the next five and ten years, but that much of the incoming housing is expected to be multifamily rental apartments priced above the naturally occurring affordable threshold. The town is also updating its comprehensive plan through 2050 and pursuing a legal battle to regain ownership of land ceded to Comstock Companies for a redevelopment project that never materialized.
Land-Use Decisions Ahead
The town’s Herndon 2050 website says the comprehensive-plan effort will include Early Action Plans for Downtown and the Metro Area. The Herndon Connection reported that the town’s dispute with Comstock involved the company’s refusal to reconvey approximately five acres in downtown Herndon to the town. A historical turnout reference is available, but it does not establish how unusual the council turnover is: Fairfax County’s unofficial 2024 results recorded 8,605 votes cast in Herndon’s mayoral contest.
Mayor LeBlanc Eyes a Council Transition
Mayor Keven LeBlanc ran unopposed and will serve a second term; the mayoral race drew approximately 6,902 votes cast by noon Wednesday. LeBlanc said he was beginning work to orient the new council members and address the town's direction going forward.
Ezekilov, a New Virginia Majority activist, attributed Herndon's results to a nationwide shift in favor of Democrats, noting that Democrats were poised to gain control of both chambers of Congress and that Virginia voters statewide passed constitutional amendments supporting reproductive health care access, same-sex marriage and automatic voting-rights restoration after incarceration for people convicted of felonies. He said Herndon voters demanded progressive leadership to address real issues with competence and transparency.
The newly elected members are set to take office Jan. 1, 2027, for the 2027-2028 term, per the Herndon Connection's election guide. Mail-in ballots can still be counted if received by the Fairfax County Office of Elections by noon on Friday, and the Virginia State Board of Elections must certify final results by the first Monday of December.
