Article by Gwen Jones, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2023 December)
David Meyer was raised by parents who were deeply involved in their community, always ready to lend a hand when needed. In this regard, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Since moving to the City of Fairfax in 1981, Meyer has stepped forward to serve his community – from devoting countless hours to saving Historic Blenheim from being razed to serving as mayor during one of the most tumultuous periods in recent history. Through it all, his steadfast leadership has earned him the respect of his colleagues as well as the residents he served.
David Meyer was the youngest of three children, born to parents who sought a different life from the farming communities where they grew up in central Illinois. Lavon and Pauline Meyer met and began dating only after they both moved to Washington, D.C. The pair got married two months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and for the duration of World War II, Lavon served with the U.S. Army while Pauline worked for the U.S. Navy in a civilian role.
After World War II, the couple relocated to Arlington, where they welcomed their two daughters. The family then moved to Vienna before David was born. For the Meyers, life centered around spending time together as a family. They were also deeply involved with their church, Wesley United Methodist Church, and in the community. Pauline Meyer served as an election officer for the town of Vienna for many years, and Lavon Meyer coached and managed little league baseball teams, including his son’s teams. David Meyer describes his father as having an “activist personality,” – if he saw that something needed to be done in the community, he stepped up to do it.
David Meyer graduated from James Madison High School in 1970, then attended Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science. He went on to attend graduate school at American University, earning a master’s degree in public administration. He spent his summer breaks working a variety of jobs, including working for the Town of Vienna’s public works department, doing trash pickup and performing other tasks. It was during this time that Meyer began to think about how government can directly affect people’s lives, both positively and negatively, and started attending town council meetings to observe how they operated. After completing graduate school, he was hired by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Meyer met his wife Cindy while they were students at Randolph-Macon. After graduating, she moved to Northern Virginia and the couple wed a year later. A registered nurse, Cindy was hired by the National Institutes of Health. In February 1981, the couple purchased their first home in the City of Fairfax. Although they both commuted to Maryland for work, they had no desire to move there. They enjoyed living in Virginia and wanted to remain close to David’s mom after his dad passed away. The couple welcomed daughter Louisa in 1990, followed by son Elliot in 1993.
Like his parents, David and Cindy became very involved in their community. In 1997, they learned that Blenheim, a historic property located on (then) Old Lee Highway in the City of Fairfax, was slated to be demolished to make way for 43 new townhouses. The Meyers, along with other concerned neighbors, formed a citizens’ coalition to petition the City of Fairfax to purchase and preserve the property as a historic site. Built in 1859, the home is historically significant for the vast number of graffiti – signatures, pictographs, and thoughts – left on the attic and house walls by Union troops between 1862-1863.
The group met two to three times a week for two years at the Meyer’s house, working to build community support to preserve the property. They invited the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to tour the site, and both declared the property to be historically significant. In 1999, the city council agreed to purchase Historic Blenheim and preserve it as a historic site. During this time, Meyer also coauthored a book about the history of Fairfax, called “Fairfax, Virginia: A City Traveling through Time.”
After his work to save Blenheim, Meyer was encouraged by community members to run for city council. Although intrigued by the idea, he wanted to spend his free time with his children, including serving as Scout Leader for Elliot’s Boy Scout troop. However, eight years later, he decided the timing was right to run for city council. He won and between 2008 and 2017 served five terms, all while continuing to work full time.
In 2016, Meyer retired from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after a 37-year career. One month later, the Mayor of Fairfax, Scott Silverthorne, resigned following his arrest on charges of felony drug distribution. Prior to this, Meyer hadn’t seriously considered running for mayor, but with the city in crisis, he decided to run. On Tuesday, February 7, 2017, a special election was held to fill the post of mayor and Meyer won, defeating two of his fellow council members. He was re-elected for two more terms, serving as mayor from 2017 to 2022, a period he describes as “a very intense six years.”
After five terms on the city council, Meyer was well prepared to lead. He knew that the slow pace of government would require him to be very intentional in how he communicated the city’s goals, priorities, and strategies to decision-makers, especially incoming members of the city council. Meyer also understood that as mayor he would be required to wear many hats, explaining, “As mayor, you’re leader of the community, communicating on behalf of the council and local government who we are, what we’re doing, and why. We are a city of six square miles, 24,000 people, surrounded by a county of 400 square miles, 1.2 million people. While we’re distinctive with our own culture that we’re proud of, we’re part of a larger metropolitan area, so we have to think regionally as well.”
Both as a member of the city council and as mayor, Meyer prioritized economic development, knowing that a strong financial footing would allow the city to achieve its other goals. Under his leadership, the city had its triple-A bond rating renewed, making it one of only four cities in Virginia to earn that rating. Some of his other accomplishments include the construction of a new fire station on Fairfax Boulevard and working closely with local jurisdictions to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are very fortunate in northern Virginia, and especially in the City of Fairfax. We have about 400 employees total and every person I’ve encountered over my 15 years working as a council member and as mayor is there to do the best job they can to help the citizens of this city. I got a lot of psychic rewards for being a part of that,” he recalls.
While mayor, Meyer was able to participate in many interesting events, but one of his most meaningful experiences occurred during his first term. In 2017, the City of Fairfax Band was invited to perform during the D-Day commemorative ceremony in Normandy, France, and invited Meyer to join them. Before departing, he did some research and discovered that four soldiers from the City of Fairfax died in Europe during World War II and two were buried at the Normandy American Cemetery – Staff Sergeant Maurice M. Williams and Private First-Class George T. Sutphin. Two days before departing, he was contacted by Sutphin’s family, who had learned of his trip and asked him to visit Private Sutphin’s grave on their behalf.
Following the D-Day ceremony in Normandy, Meyer and a few members of the band were escorted to the two graves by an employee of the cemetery, who brought with him a bucket of sand from Omaha Beach. Upon arriving at each grave, the man rubbed sand over the lettering on each cross, then brushed away the excess with a sponge. As the sand caught the light, the names sparkled on the crosses. After saying a few words, a member of the band played taps at each gravesite. At Sutphin’s grave, Meyer brought out a small jar of soil he brought from home, collected (with the homeowner’s permission) from the yard of Sutphin’s childhood home. Scattering the soil, Meyer said “Since he could not come home, I thought I would bring a little bit of home to Private Sutphin.”
The band had hired a videographer to document their trip. After returning home, Meyer gave the Sutphin family a DVD of their visit to his gravesite, which the family gathered to watch with Private Sutphin’s 97-year-old brother.
In 2022, Meyer decided not to seek another term as mayor, which has allowed him to devote time to hobbies and activities that took a back seat during his busy career and years of public service. He especially enjoys reading, specifically historical biographies, and completing home improvement projects. He also enjoys genealogy and is planning to write a few family histories. The Meyers are all avid hikers, and he and Cindy enjoy hiking together in national parks.
Despite stepping away from elected office, Meyer continues to serve the residents of Fairfax. In September 2023, he was appointed to a four-year term as chairman of the Continuum of Care Board in Fairfax County, which will work with county staff to review the effectiveness of services to prevent and end homelessness. Meyer is optimistic that they will be able to make a difference, saying “We are one of the wealthiest regions in the United States and we need to address these issues. A significant portion of the people who are unhoused are veterans and for a variety of reasons they find themselves in this circumstance. We have a responsibility to do something about that.”
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).