Erin Rayner has lived in Purcellville for nine years with her husband, Kristian, their two daughters, and doodle Wilson. She has served on Town Council for almost five years, including one year as Vice Mayor. Rayner’s community service includes Virginia Regional Transit, the Committee for Dulles, the Purcellville Business Association, and the Purcellville Rescue Squad. 

She is also a founding member of the Purcellville Main Street Organization, a former president of the Mountain View Elementary School PTA, and a governor-appointed member of the Virginia Council on Women. 

Rayner enjoys supporting local businesses, spending time with her family, and fulfilling the terms of her lifelong indentured servitude to her daughters—primarily as chauffeur, snack provider, personal assistant, and enthusiastic spectator at an alarming number of activities.

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Blue Ridge Leader: What are your three top priorities for the Town of Purcellville?

Erin Rayner: We need to focus on getting the basics right. First, restoring stable, professional, and transparent Town government. Residents and staff deserve consistent leadership, respectful public meetings, and accountable decisions. 

Second, ensuring the financial and infrastructure health of our town. We closed FY 2026 with roughly a $1.9 million General Fund deficit plus utility fund shortfalls, and S&P downgraded our bond rating with a negative outlook over utility instability. That must be turned around with a disciplined, multi-year plan, with utility rates aligned to the real cost of running the system so we stop leaning on reserves to cover debt service. 

Third, protecting the quality of life that makes Purcellville special: a strong police department, thriving local businesses and downtown, and growth consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and supported by available infrastructure. Residents depend on these core services and deserve stability, balance, and long-term planning.

BRL: Under what circumstances would you support annexing land into the Town of Purcellville?

ER: Purcellville should approach any annexation cautiously, evaluating each proposal on its long-term impact on residents, infrastructure, finances, traffic, and water resources. It should never be viewed simply as a way to grow the tax base. On the most recent application, I did not vote to approve the Valley Commerce Center project; I voted to ensure Purcellville had every opportunity to protect its interests first. 

My concern was that ending the Town’s review early would shift the decision entirely to Loudoun County, which is exactly what happened. The County approved it, and the Town lost its chance to influence the design, negotiate community benefits, or secure infrastructure improvements. 

My standard is straightforward: I’d only support annexation if it clearly serves the town’s long-term interest, if the infrastructure supports it, traffic is manageable, it fits our Comprehensive Plan, and residents have had a real say. The burden is on the applicant to prove that. However, the better way to relieve annexation pressure is to fully use the commercial land we already have.

BRL: How important is the Town’s Zoning Ordinance, and are there changes you would like to see?

ER: It’s one of the most important tools we have to control development in our town. Our Planning Commission worked hard rewriting the ordinance to align it with the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, but the final version departed in important ways from the recommendations of our zoning consultant and planning staff. The result downzoned parts of our downtown in ways that didn’t make sense, allowing only two-and-a-half-story buildings and no more than two apartments per building regardless of size, in direct conflict with the Comprehensive Plan, which allows three stories and historically three to five apartments. Good intentions aren’t enough when decisions don’t hold up to scrutiny. 

As mayor, I’ll push for an ordinance faithful to that plan, one that protects the scale of our streets, keeps building heights in our historic corridor feeling like Purcellville, and uses the overlay districts our experts designed to fit each neighborhood. Updated design guidelines must go hand in hand with that. If we want new buildings to look like they belong here, we have to say so in writing.

BRL: Do you believe the Town has made sufficient investments in utility infrastructure over the past several years? What improvements would you prioritize moving forward?

ER:  No, and the town’s own Capital Improvement Plan proves it. We’re facing roughly $80 million in capital projects over ten years, and many critical water and wastewater fixes have sat on the list for years, delayed until they became urgent. That’s not planning; that’s deferral. For most of a decade, our adopted water and sewer rates came in below what our own consultants recommended, not even covering day-to-day operations, let alone debt service or capital improvements. That’s how we ended up dipping into reserves to keep the utility funds afloat. 

For five years I raised concerns about drawing down reserves before it hit our bond rating, and this year that came true when S&P lowered our rating. 

Going forward, I’d prioritize a long-range capital plan for water and sewer, phased rate adjustments that reflect the true cost of service, and a disciplined CIP schedule delivering the improvements the system needs. Residents deserve a transparent plan that ties every dollar to a real need, funded like we mean it.

BRL: Residents and businesses collectively pay more than $18 million annually in real estate taxes to Loudoun County. Do you believe the town is receiving an adequate return on that investment?

ER: Yes, and it’s important to understand how that money works. The taxes Purcellville residents pay Loudoun County aren’t a check the town writes; they’re the county’s share of a combined tax bill, funding services residents use every day. The largest is public education. Loudoun County Public Schools is the single biggest expense in the county budget, and our children attend those schools. County taxes also pay for fire and rescue, the Sheriff’s Office and jail, libraries, animal control, elections, community centers, and social service programs, none of which the town provides. 

The return isn’t a cash transfer back to Town Hall; it’s the full range of county-scale services impossible to deliver at the town level. Our town taxes, by contrast, fund police, street and sidewalk maintenance, trash and recycling, parks and recreation, zoning, and community development. Residents pay two governments for two different sets of services, and Purcellville sees real value from both. As western Loudoun’s economic hub, Purcellville generates significant value for the county, and my job as mayor is to advocate loudly so our community gets its fair share.

BRL: How would you assess Purcellville’s long-term financial outlook?

ER: Candidly, it needs work, and I won’t pretend otherwise. We ended FY 2026 with a General Fund deficit approaching $2 million, deficits in both utility funds, and a negative outlook from S&P warning our rating could drop further without a credible plan to restore balance. It takes aligning utility revenues with actual system costs, reducing reliance on interfund transfers and reserves, adopting a disciplined multi-year capital plan, and growing our commercial tax base by filling vacancies and supporting existing businesses. 

We must continue scrutinizing spending while ensuring recurring revenues can support the services and infrastructure residents expect. With steady management and honest budgeting, Purcellville’s long-term outlook can be strong, but it requires the discipline to plan for the future, not just the next budget cycle.

BRL: How would you encourage economic development?

ER: Economic development starts with taking care of the businesses we already have. Before we chase anyone new, we should show up for the shops, restaurants, and local owners who took a chance on Purcellville, cutting red tape, streamlining permitting, and making Town Hall a partner, not an obstacle. From there, our downtown is the real opportunity. 

Walk down 21^st  Street and you’ll see too many empty storefronts and historic buildings waiting years for someone to care about them again. I want to fill those spaces with local small businesses, not big-box development, and do it right, with the community at the table from the start. We have direction in our 2030 Comprehensive Plan; we lack the tools to carry it out. I’d focus on zoning faithful to that plan; an updated downtown master plan for storefronts, streetscapes, and parking, like Leesburg has done well; and putting our existing assets to work: 

The Economic Development Advisory Committee, the Purcellville Main Street Organization I helped found, and rejoining the Virginia Main Street Program. We also have to invest in our community and be proud of it, promoting our events and championing what makes this town special. A thriving commercial property doesn’t just pay real estate tax; it generates sales, meals, and business license revenue and creates jobs, broadening the tax base and easing the burden on residential taxpayers. A mayor should be Purcellville’s biggest cheerleader.