Jeffrey C. McKay grew up along Route 1 before anyone considered it a corridor of opportunity. The Richmond Highway stretch of southeast Fairfax was working-class, underinvested and easy for county leadership to overlook. His upbringing left a mark on how he leads and serves as Fairfax County's Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.
From the time he was a supervisor for Franconia District to his work today as chairman, he keeps in mind the neighbors and classmates of his childhood who never caught a break, and he has brought with him that experience into every budget discussion, every policy debate and every conversation about what kind of county Fairfax intends to be for all residents.
In the latest "Connect with County Leaders" podcast, McKay sits down with County Executive Bryan Hill to reflect on his personal history, contributing to the county's transformation, leadership in uncertain times and the importance of gratitude.
One Fairfax grew out of a school budget dispute that moved to cut two programs funneling strong teachers into the most challenging classrooms. McKay helped push back.
What followed was a joint School Board and Board of Supervisors committee tasked with uncovering why, in one of the wealthiest counties in America, some residents had measurably shorter lives and fewer chances than neighbors a few miles away.
"We said, let's have a real hard conversation about root causes of poverty — the fact that there are parts of this county that have different health outcomes, different life expectancy," McKay said. "Because if we just keep adding programs to this challenge, we're not going to get to the type of system-wide change with intentionality that we need."
That committee's work became One Fairfax, codified as county policy and built on a premise McKay has repeated consistently ever since.
"[One Fairfax] has never been about taking something from one person and giving it to another. This was about how can we help people who are missing something or who don't have access to an opportunity that other people in the county have," he said.
Budgeting for a Changing Future
Sustaining the One Fairfax commitment and keeping Fairfax a great place to live and work runs straight through the county's finances. Federal workforce reductions and higher office vacancy rates have exposed the risk of depending too heavily on any single economic sector.
"You can't just rely on certain segments of your economy because when tough things come along, no matter how well grounded you are, you're at higher risk," McKay said. "We need to rely on commercial growth that doesn't just rely on office development. We need to build housing that keeps our seniors here; that attracts young people who don't have kids yet. Those are the types of things that complete a community."
Affordable housing, one of the county's strategic priorities, anchors that same argument. Workers who can't afford to live in Fairfax can't fill its jobs, and businesses that can't fill jobs don't stay. McKay said he no longer frames housing as a moral issue alone; it is infrastructure for economic growth.
A Corridor Transforming
Few places illustrate what intentional investment can do more visibly than Richmond Highway, the area in which McKay grew up. Non-residential commercial valuations along the corridor have climbed nearly $200 million. A billion-dollar-plus Bus Rapid Transit project is now under construction along several miles of the highway.
"This has the potential to improve the lives of people who live there by giving them new access to improved jobs, higher-quality housing, green space, the types of things that people expect to have everywhere in Fairfax County."
For McKay, the corridor is also a reminder that a county capable of transformation should not take itself for granted. He encourages residents to not lose sight of what they have in Fairfax County.
"It's too easy to not reflect on our assets and to get caught up in a cycle of negativity," McKay said. "We have all the ingredients that a lot of jurisdictions dream of having. Be grateful for that, support that, tout your community, talk about what a wonderful place this is to live and work and to recreate in and don't be afraid to be super proud of this great place we live."
Connect with County Leaders Podcast
The “Connect with County Leaders” podcast is an opportunity to meet and connect with Fairfax County leaders, to learn about the latest county news and information, and hear more on specific programs and services in Fairfax County.
Listen or watch past episodes of “Connect with County Leaders” on SoundCloud, on YouTube and on Channel 16’s podcast on demand page. Listen to other Fairfax County podcasts or additional audio content at Fairfax County Government Radio.
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