Re-elect Vice Mayor Clark Hedrick!
Vote November 5th for Clark Hedrick for Town Council!
About Me
I have been honored to serve you as your Vice Mayor during my first term on Council. I am running for re-election to ensure that fresh ideas and new perspectives are represented in your Town government — I am committed to bringing #HerndonTogether during this campaign and through the next term. That means focusing more on what unites us than what divides us.
I am a husband and father of four young children. My family is what drives my passion for making Herndon the best place to live for families of all shapes and sizes. In 2016, my wife and I set down roots here with the hope that we would never have to move again. I want the Town to be a place where my children and future grandchildren can return decades from now and feel a sense of "home." We are part of a wonderfully vibrant community and we have the potential for so much more. I want to see Herndon develop for the future while retaining the "small town charm" that makes it so special.
Prior to my term on Council, I served as Vice Chair of the Herndon Board of Zoning Appeals. I graduated from Biola University and the George Washington University Law School. The Town Council is a part time position and, in my "day job," I am an attorney for a federal entity where I lead a team focused on improving government operations and management.
My Council Priorities
Good Governance
As a government professional committed to reform, oversight, and responsiveness, I want to continue to lead the Council in careful budgeting, streamlining Town administration, and easing the regulatory burden on homeowners and local businesses. In my first term, I have championed those issues and I fought to enact Herndon's first tax rate cut in over a decade. A diverse and growing community means that the Town Council needs to be laser focused on reducing the costs of living here while improving the Town services we rely on. I believe we can (and must) "walk and chew gum at the same time."
Pedestrian-Friendly Neighborhoods
Through my work with the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) and the Dulles Area Transit Association (DATA), I have advocated on the Town's behalf for state and federal resources to be directed toward projects in Herndon. These efforts amplify the value of your tax dollars and give the Town greater flexibility for transformational, multi-modal transportation network development. In the past two years, I have led the Council to push for safer streets, more walkable communities, and to think strategically about future transportation needs.
Community Events
In Herndon, we all love our community events like Friday Night Live!, Wintermarkt, and so many more. For those events to succeed, they require the enthusiasm of countless volunteers, support from our local business community, and the dedication of the Herndon Police, staff, and Council to ensure the security and readiness of public space in the Town. These partnerships thrive only when all stakeholders are working together closely and with shared vision. Unfortunately, we recently lost the Herndon Festival. This resulted from previous Councils failing to embrace the vision and to take decisive action to keep the Festival on a sustainable path. Looking ahead, I am concerned that the Council may be distracted from the vision for our remaining Town events; instead, we need to be good partners to ensure our beloved events remain successful. If we can do that, we will also have trust throughout the community to cultivate many more exciting events.
Improving Educational Opportunity
When I first ran for Council, I heard widespread concern about our local schools. Our local public schools are great, but they face many unique challenges which affect their rankings among Fairfax County peers — and school rankings impact every part of our community as a central factor in why people decide to live where they do. While the Town Council does not have direct impact on our school system, I knew the Council needed to do something. I fought to re-constitute the Herndon Youth Advisory Committee (HYAC). The group is made of up Herndon students; its purpose is to advise the Council and elevate their issues to our Herndon-area government leaders. Herndon's youth will be impacted by the decisions we make for far longer than we will — we may not be able to give them a vote, but we can amplify their voice. I have also worked to expedite the renovation of the Herndon Elementary School and pushed for additional Herndon-area school capital projects.
Other Issues & Positions
Local elections should be local—local candidates campaigning on local issues with local support for the local good.
Saving Together
Voting Together
Improving Together
Healthy Together