Chair Randall gives the 2023 State of the County address

By Sophia Clifton

At the State of the County address on May 24. 2023, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) began by speaking at length about the “historic times” that Loudoun County has faced since her term began in January 2020.

“Through this great challenge … Loudoun weathered the storm with strategic calmness and sound economic policies that allowed our county to remain strong, and even flourish,” Randall said.

“Loudoun County government added 680 jobs, we had more than four hundred economic development wins, and in Loudoun County we welcomed over 20,000 new residents.”

Randall credited some of that success to Buddy Rizer and his team in the Department of Economic Development. Their initiative to support small businesses in Loudoun with 21 million dollars in grant funding “helped to fuel one of the strongest local economies in the country,” she said.

“We seek to create a diversified and resilient economy built to withstand any downturns and … attract businesses from all over the world.” With these goals in mind, Randall said, the DED has started a program for small and minority-owned businesses called Launch Loudoun.

“The programming and education provided by Launch Loudoun will … allow these businesses to start, scale, and soar,” she said.

Randall next addressed the attainable housing crisis, stating that “Loudoun is taking proactive steps to provide attainable housing – not just for rent – but, more importantly, for purchase.”

One of these proactive steps is the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan, which “will not only increase our housing stock, but ensure we have the required infrastructure to welcome new residents to Loudoun,” she said.

She explained that the forward-thinking plan “creates partnerships to address our housing shortages” and focuses on establishing the required infrastructure, including “transit and transportation, available capacity in our public schools, ample green space, utilities, and county staff.”

“Leveraging 32 million dollars in loans from the County’s housing trust fund, affordable housing developments in Loudoun have now captured almost $270 million dollars in additional investment from a variety of sources,” she said.

Having just brought up the importance of transportation, Randall turned to the arrival of the Metro Silver Line, describing the long-awaited openings of three new Silver Line stations in Loudoun – including the one at Dulles Airport – as a “game-changer.”

“Metro expands access to jobs and presents new opportunities for housing that never existed before,” Randall said. “In our new Urban Policy Area, we can build homes vertically and at higher densities, helping our efforts to expand our housing product.”

“Metro also provides our single biggest opportunity to deliver on our mission to diversify Loudoun’s economy,” she continued.

“With Dulles and its fifty-six direct flights to cities all around the world, and now with direct access to DC via rail, we look forward to Loudoun being a destination for business investment from around the globe.”

Loudoun’s growing reputation as “D.C.’s Wine Country” was Randall’s next topic, as she highlighted the farms, bed and breakfast facilities, equestrian industry and top-ranked vineyards that make this county such an attractive tourist destination.

“In a recent survey, visitors also identified shopping, dining, historic sites, breweries, and scenic outdoor activities among the primary reasons Loudoun’s tourism revenue topped $3 billion dollars,” she said. “Eighty-two percent of visitors to Loudoun said they are likely to visit again, and 81 percent are likely to recommend Loudoun to others.”

Randall thanked Visit Loudoun’s CEO Beth Erickson and her staff for being the reason that Loudoun County is the “top generator of tourism revenue in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

She said that the partnership and “brain trust” between Erickson and Rizer makes “Loudoun a place where everyone has a chance to thrive, where small businesses can grow, where citizens can find the job of their dreams, and where visitors can enjoy unique, memorable experiences.”

In discussing Loudoun’s status as a welcoming community, Randall broached the subject of mental health. She said that it was all Loudouners’ responsibility to make the county a place “where residents feel not just physically safe, but emotionally safe.”

Randall explained that many of the calls that first responders answer are due to mental health crises, not physical ailments. Per Virginia Code, a law enforcement officer must remain with a resident experiencing a mental health crisis until they can be placed in a suitable facility, even if that process takes hours or days. This causes a shortage of deputies able to respond to other calls.

“Loudoun, if we are to provide the best possible treatment for residents experiencing a mental health emergency and allow our first responders to do the jobs for which they are extensively trained, a Crisis Receiving Center is essential,” she said.

“A crisis receiving center, staffed with licensed clinical staff, will provide temporary treatment and beds for residents experiencing a mental health crisis until longer-term treatment is identified or the crisis is resolved.”

Randall said that within the past month, Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner as well as Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton have requested fifteen million dollars in federal funding for a Loudoun-based Crisis Receiving Center.

Before concluding her address, Randall gave a touching tribute to three retiring officials who had served Loudoun for a combined 67 years – County Treasurer Roger Zurn, Deputy County Administrator Charles Yudd, and Supervisor Tony Buffington.

Referencing her earlier discussion about the importance of mental health, Randall also introduced the first two winners of the “Ryan Bartel Heart of Humanity Award” – Gabby Guambo from Dominion High School and Katelyn Lanham from Loudoun County High School.

The Ryan Bartel Foundation was started by Ryan’s mother Suzie Bartel after her 17-year-old son died by suicide. “In memory of Ryan, a $2,500 scholarship was created for graduating high school seniors who have gone out of their way to support their peers struggling with mental health and hopelessness,” Randall said.

As she honored the scholarship recipients, Randall began to conclude her address, saying that the two teens “are shining examples of who we are, what we stand for, and what together we can achieve as one united county.”

Reviewing each topic she spoke about, Randall described the State of the County as superbly managed, caring and supportive, as well as globally engaged and economically stable and robust. Citing all of these reasons, Randall concluded, “The State of Loudoun County is not just strong, the state of Loudoun County is… exceptional.”