Mayor Hardi Discusses D.C. Federal Policing, Trump Admin.’s Recent Impacts on Falls Church

They may seem far removed from the City of Falls Church, but recent decisions from the White House are impacting the governance of the City of Falls Church, Mayor Letty Hardi told us Aug. 16. 

At an event in the City, The Falls Church Independent had an on-the-fly chance to ask Mayor Hardi how she’s feeling generally about “what’s going on in Washington, D.C. right now,” and whether events in the nation’s capital, such as the federal policing takeover, should be of concern to City officials and residents. 

“Yes,” the mayor responded without hesitation. 

“So, how do you feel about troops in D.C. and the general atmosphere coming from the Trump administration right now?,” we asked spontaneously. And, "How might it affect Falls Church City even though we’re at a distance?”

“Yeah, I mean we’re only eight miles away,” Hardi said. “And so it is both scary and disheartening to see the overreach of the federal government. As a data person, I’ve looked at the statistics and data, and yes, there’s crime in D.C., but it’s actually at one of the lowest rates it’s ever been. And people need to remember that this is really not about crime. I fear this is mainly a distraction from everything else that’s going on.”

“So, we absolutely need to push back and do the right thing,” Hardi continued. “And, we also need to focus on what we can do locally which is to vote in local elections, pay attention to budget decisions, get involved civically, volunteer, and do all the things people have said are the ‘antidote to anxiety.’ Take action. I always encourage people in Falls Church to look inward at times and figure out how we can make a difference locally when there’s chaos going on at the broader level.”

“As a statistics person, do you worry about the recent [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics] BLS firings? And what they might mean?,” we asked.

“Yes! Because you can’t make good decisions without good data and you have to be able to trust that the data is objective,” Hardi said. “And when politics start creeping into areas of data, then it makes you question whether the government we’re supposed to trust is doing the right thing.”

“And the monthly federal jobs data still impacts northern Virginia, right?,” we asked, referring to the Trump administration and BLS's recent hints at perhaps halting the publication of federal jobs reports each month.

“Absolutely,” Hardi said. “And that impacts how we make decisions locally. We need to be able to look at how many people we employ locally in Falls Church and our unemployment has ticked up. And definitely, we’re paying attention very closely because we know there are people impacted directly or are worried about being impacted which then translates to things that we’re already seeing – such as sales and meal tax revenues starting to flatten out which then impacts things we want to do in government and our budget decisions and how we can better support our residents as well.”

We were curious to know what the mayor thought of the recent No Kings protests in the City and whether she was generally “happy” with how they turned out. 

“Yeah. It was really great to see such an amazing turnout,” the mayor said. “I’m glad that Falls Church can be a place where we welcome people expressing their First Amendment rights.”

“So, you thought they were a healthy response to what’s been going on?,” we asked. “Yes,” Hardi said. “I mean it’s great to see people demonstrate and to show push-back and that we are not happy with the way things are and we are not okay with it.”

“And I think it’s a really great way to build community,” the mayor continued. “Having seen several protests – one that was down East Broad and one that was down North and South Washington [Streets], it was great that you could see how closely connected people felt being part of that big event. So, if nothing else, it was a way to bring people together and for them to know they’re not alone.”

As we wrapped up, I asked if the mayor wanted to say anything more.

“Stay focused and stay strong,” she encouraged.

By Christopher Jones