2124 Hon. Frank R. Wolf

2124 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS February 17, 2006 During his time as Bishop of the Diocese of Jack Herrity carved a place which is now Northern Virginia developer John T. ‘‘Til’’ Marquette, Bishop Garland also began the and will forever be unmatched in Fairfax Hazel said. Legacy of Faith to raise $10 million toward the County history. We honor and remember Jack During this period of growth under Diocese’s endowment campaign. To accom- Herrity, more than 1,000 people moved into for his countless accomplishments and unwav- Fairfax every month. The county grew into plish such a feat, he recruited the Bishop’s ering dedication to the people of Fairfax Coun- the largest jurisdiction in the Washington Ambassadors to help achieve the objective of ty. We insert for the RECORD a Washington area. From Herrity’s first election as chair- allowing future generations the opportunity to Post obituary from February 2. Jack will be man in 1975 to his ouster in 1987, the county’s experience all that the tradition of faith has to deeply missed by the people of Fairfax Coun- population jumped by more than a third, offer. Among the many wonderful causes this ty, and at home by his family. from 554,500 to 746,600—surpassing most U.S. campaign has aided, it has benefited Catholic [From the Washington Post, Feb. 2, 2006] cities and even several states. Today, more than 1 million people live in Fairfax. schools and the Upper Peninsula Catholic So- (By Lisa Rein and Peter Baker) He was an advocate for improving the cial Services. My wife Laurie and I have John F. ‘‘Jack’’ Herrity, the former chair- proudly served as Ambassadors humbly as- county’s road network and pushed to widen man of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors who Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway. He sisting with this valiant effort. ushered in a development boom that trans- first opposed, then campaigned hard for a Throughout his nearly 50 years of ministry, formed the county from sleepy bedroom major new road cutting through the county’s Bishop Garland has touched many lives and community to suburban colossus, died yes- midsection. bestowed many lessons of faith. Although terday of heart failure. He was 74. The General Assembly named the Fairfax Bishop Garland is retiring, he will continue to Herrity, whose scrappy battle with a weak County Parkway in his honor in 1995. help people and serve his faith. He plans to heart first endeared him to Fairfax voters in It was his quick-witted, never-say-die the 1970s, succumbed to an aortic aneurysm stay in Marquette to remain involved with the brand of politics that earned him a loyal fol- at Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was ad- lowing during a crucial transition period in church. When called upon, he looks forward to mitted two weeks ago with chest pain. He substituting for local priests and celebrating Fairfax history. had a heart transplant 12 years ago. With his burly build, balding pate and In his heyday, Herrity dominated Northern confirmations. ever-present U.S. flag lapel pin, Herrity be- Virginia politics as few others have, com- Mr. Speaker, I ask the U.S. House of Rep- came a familiar figure in political and civic manding attention with his pugnacious style resentatives to join me in thanking Bishop circles. Known simply as Jack, he criss- and unabashedly pro-growth policies. His James H. Garland for his service to the Dio- crossed the 399-square-mile county almost was a classic rise-and-fall political story— cese of Marquette, to the Holy Catholic every day in search of any gathering of two from his landslide victories as the Fairfax or more people, often driving so fast that he Church and his tireless dedication to the value economy soared to unprecedented heights to collected a glove compartment full of speed- of education and involvement in his faith com- his crushing defeat in 1987 when the on- ing tickets that became legendary. munity. Beyond the incredible credentials, slaught of new cars finally overwhelmed Throughout his tenure, Herrity was noto- leadership roles and accomplishments that county roads and voter patience. rious for his penchant for the outrageous, span his lifetime, Bishop Garland has shown Herrity was engaged in county affairs until the end. From his hospital bed last week, he shoot-from-the-hip statements. unwavering commitment to the people he has When county officials were thinking about served. He has truly done God’s work through was asking former aides to help run his like- ly campaign for board chairman next year, a building a major government center, he sug- his teachings and as a role model for parish- race he lost in 2003 in a Republican primary. gested that they instead ‘‘build a circus tent ioners. He was busy fighting plans to extend Metro- and put the bureaucrats in it.’’ He called f rail to Dulles International Airport, saying Metro, which opened while he was in office, the expense could not be justified. And, in an a ‘‘Mighty Expensive Transportation Rip REMEMBERING JACK HERRITY OF about-face some local politicians saw as cyn- Off.’’ FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA ical, he had joined in recent months with His tart tongue extended to his rivals as grass-roots activists—and the woman who well. In 1987, he derided Moore as a gadfly HON. FRANK R. WOLF defeated him, slow-growth Democrat Audrey with so little support on the board that, if Moore—to fight dense development planned she made the motion, she ‘‘couldn’t get a OF VIRGINIA second to go to the bathroom.’’ Four years IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES for the county’s last slivers of open space. He was at meetings almost every night. later, he dismissed Rep. Thomas M. Davis III Thursday, February 16, 2006 ‘‘To Jack’s credit, if he had a difference of (R-Fairfax) as a ‘‘left-wing liberal’’ whose support from a taxpayers group was ‘‘like Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for opinion [with the county’s leadership], he never sat on his hands,’’ Eric Lundberg, the the chicken endorsing the fox.’’ His relation- Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia and I to remember ships with both had softened in recent years. the Honorable John F. ‘‘Jack’’ Herrity, former Fairfax GOP chairman, said. ‘‘He was willing to engage in the battle.’’ Herrity saw no reason to apologize for his chairman of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Herrity could be seen most mornings in a close alliance with the region’s powerful de- Board of Supervisors, who passed away on floppy wide-brimmed hat walking his black velopers, who he said had helped create a February 1. If anyone is worthy of the title ‘‘Mr. Labrador retriever, Raven, on the W & OD quality of life envied across the country— Fairfax,’’ Jack Herrity is that person. trail near his Vienna home, where he lived high-paying jobs, good schools, low crime. A driven leader during his time with the Fair- with his wife, JoAnn Spevacek-Herrity. They But his ties to the real estate industry be- fax County Board, Jack was the guiding force married in November. came his political undoing. His 1986 conviction on a misdemeanor con- in setting the firm foundation for a growing and ‘‘He’s a piece of our history,’’ said Board Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D), who or- flict-of-interest charge for failing to disclose developing Fairfax County. His leadership dered county flags flown at half-staff yester- a relationship with a builder only cemented brought us the Fairfax County Parkway, Inter- day. ‘‘He was a political adversary, but he Herrity’s public image as a handmaiden of state 66 inside the Beltway and the Dulles Ac- would do it more often than not with a cer- developers. By then, voter support for the cess Road. The Virginia General Assembly tain twinkle in his eye. It was more the love breakneck pace of construction had dis- aptly named the Fairfax County Parkway in his of the fight than the substance of the mo- solved amid maddening traffic gridlock. He honor in 1995. ment.’’ suffered a major indignity in 1987 when he After attending Georgetown University as an Herrity was the fourth person to serve as lost his prized office to Moore by more than 21 percentage points. undergraduate and as a law student, Jack countywide chairman but the first to hold the job for a full term, let alone three. He de- He never fully accepted defeat. Years later, formed Jack Herrity and Associates, a pension fined the role as a quasi-mayoral position his address in his telephone book was still planning and insurance business. But public even though it has no real executive power. the county government headquarters. service was Jack’s forte. He quickly became He played a major role in building what ‘‘This was Jack’s life,’’ Davis recalled. engaged in northern Virginia politics, serving was commonly referred to as the economic ‘‘When he was defeated he couldn’t move on on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors engine of Virginia. By fostering a super- to something else. He was a doer. He could from 1971 to 1987. He was elected chairman heated business environment, he helped lure never sit still.’’ of the board in 1975 and served three terms. Fortune 500 companies such as what was The comeback Herrity methodically plot- ted collapsed in 1991 when he lost the GOP He recognized the potential of Fairfax County then known as the Mobil Corp. to Fairfax and convert a suburban crossroads called nomination for chairman to Davis, his one- to become the largest jurisdiction in the Wash- Tysons Corner into a commercial center time protege, who also handpicked a Repub- ington area and helped develop the once larger than downtown Miami.

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