If there is one thing to be said about Manassas City Councilman David Farajollahi, it’s that he understands the life of Virginians.

A lifelong native of the Commonwealth, Farajollahi was born and raised in Lorton as a first generation American. He is the son of a multi-cultural family, with his parents from Iran and Bolivia respectively. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University, it was during his collegiate years where his path took a turn that would lead him to phenomenal success. It is that same success that resulted in being appointed him to replace current Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger this past January. Recently, he spoke with the PW Perspective on how his trajectory changed and what he has learned along the way.

“My plan was to go to dental school,” said Farajollahi, “and I had scored well on the DATS. But during my junior year I minored in political science, and I said to myself ‘I don’t want to be a dentist, I want to get into government.’

“As a result I changed my major to Political Science and started working on the Hill. I began within the state legislature, and eventually ended up working with Senator Mark Warner. It solidified my public service experience.”

He recalls how that experience made the transition into public service easier upon moving to Prince William County. “When I moved to Manassas threw my hat into service on the city council, it was my way of giving back on the local level.”

Working with such esteemed leaders, what were some of the lessons learned along the way? “You have to know your area,” he states. “Ironically my first job was for another House member in Congressman Frank Wolf, a Republican and true statesman, I was very proud to work casework in his district office.””

“I learned a lot about the intricacies of the government. When he retired, he got me connected to the Senator (Warner’s) office.”

He talks about much the area has transformed. “Lorton was primarily known for having a large prison, and now we have schools, golf courses and art houses.”

Seeing the growth of his hometown showed him the importance of bi-partisan collaboration. “Knowing different people on the state and local levels and how they work together and knowing who’s who and being able to bridge people. It’s what I love to bring to public service.”

Speaking of which, one of his greatest accomplishments in Manassas was establishing the local Interfaith Council. “In my time working with Warner, I worked with different Interfaith councils throughout the state, from Norfolk to Richmond,” he states. “When I moved to Manassas I you could literally throw a rock and hit a house of worship.”

“I had a bunch of clothes I wanted to donate but I couldn’t find an interfaith council nearby. Great work was being done but in a silo. Our local Social Services board had a new director coming on board, so I proposed to have an interfaith council. She agreed.”

He talks about how a tragic moment led to the IFC being created in Manassas. “Sadly, during one of our meetings in 2019 we had a man who passed away from hypothermia and we couldn’t find him the resources at the time. I discovered that Manassas Baptist Church has a hypothermia center and I said, ‘This is what we need to stop, the breakdown in communication.’ We needed to break the silo in resource distribution, and that’s when we kicked it into gear. I called every church in the area, talked to several and some accepted and others respectfully declined.”

So how is the IFC currently going? It has expanded and the momentum is strong. “We started with five churches and now we have over a dozen. We are seeing a continuous channel of communication now. In addition to what we have locally, have other churches outside of Manassas as well. We have a Muslim mosque that participates and soon will have the county synagogue joining us.”

Among it’s several initiatives, one that Farajohalli led was a fundraising drive to benefit local schools. “Eventually,” he says, “we were able to give $9,000 to nine schools. The principals were so thankful as they needed the funds for much needed supplies.”

So what is life like for David Farajollahi when he’s not working on the city council? “Behind the polls, I live a simple life: I focus on my family, faith and community.”

He credits his family for continuing to keep him grounded. “They are my end all be all. My one year old daughter has taught me so much more about life and my wife (Patricia) is my shining star. I credit them with always making sure I’m focused on the big picture at hand.”

As he prepares to run in the general election, the Democrat talks about reaching those undecided voters. “I really want people to reach out to me,” he says. “I think that people will be able to form their own opinion. I’m a real genuine about my approach to government and desire to help the community. I will reach across the aisle and draw on my experience to do what is necessary.”

He is running in the general election against Republican candidate Lynn Forkell Green.