by John Reid

After getting elected to city council in 2018, only for her to become the first Black woman to be elected Mayor two years later, she has navigated through several challenges, and the city has thrived. Now, as she seeks re-election, she sat down with the PW Perspective about her journey so far, and the road ahead.

On July 12th she began the Meetup with the Mayor, which is a weekly gathering with local citizens to provide an open forum and address their concerns. “This is the third year we’ve done this,” she said. “It’s something I created when I became Mayor. It was important for me, being a community mayor, to make sure I’m always extending myself. It’s one thing for people to talk with me at a council meeting, but when people can come and just chat with the mayor with anything that’s on their minds, that matters to me.”

One advantage of these programs is to allow people to have a safe space. “I’m always trying to create opportunities for people to feel comfortable when talking with me, because that’s what I believe a mayor should do,” she continued. “When they come, I have my notebook; I take names and numbers so I can make sure I’m answering their questions. We have a wonderful staff, so in case I’m not able to answer their questions then, I can get them in touch with the staff member who can.”

“I bring in a special guest every week, so if people want to know who the guest is, they have to attend. It’s pretty informal, and we’ve had about 20 people attend, which is great for a Friday in the summer. People get to introduce themselves to each other. It’s about creating that connection with people and to get the resources they need in the city.”

One way to bring the resources was to include the staff.

“This year, we’ve doing something different,” she said. “We’re bringing the Director of Social Services, who is going to talk about information to get vouchers for housing and more of the city officials and department heads will be guest speakers, and that’s how the networking happens.”

Another change will be the location, as the meetings are now held in the Manassas Museum. “We are so proud of hosting it there, and the renovations are so beautiful. In the past, we held the meetup at Harris Pavilion, but if it rained or was too hot, we had to cancel it. Now, we can sit out on the patio or go indoors.”

The success of this program continues a stretch of implementations by Davis-Younger, as she continues the popular series ‘My Mayor Looks Like Me.’

“It means a lot because I didn’t have that person to look up to growing up,” she said. “It’s a wonder that I’m here, and it’s because of the work we’ve done. I think that when you are blessed enough to be in position, it’s incumbent upon you to create the next generation of leaders in city government, especially on the local level.”

“Now,” she continues, “you can see how the government works, which wasn’t the case before. I tell them, you don’t have to be mayor, but you can aspire to be something higher.”

Her plans for the program include expanding it to include young men as well.

“I’m going to change it to ‘My Community Looks Like Me,’ so we can include the brothers of the girls as well.”

She reflected on how she became mayor in 2020 and trying to win an election when the pandemic hit. “It was challenging because I was also campaigning,” she said. “I knew people were feeling the pinch economically, so it was important to connect with people through my message. It was difficult, but I was still out there, and several people delivered literature because they believed in my message.”

That message has resonated in a significant rise in revenues, resulting in additional funding and a 3% merit raise for staff. How was she able to do it?

“It’s not just me,” she said, “it’s about working as a team. The Mayor of the City of Manassas does not vote, and a lot of folks don’t realize that. The Mayor’s responsibility is bringing people to the city and fostering partnerships to get six council members to agree. It takes a lot of maneuvering.”

“I credit my background in Human Resources,” she continued, “and serving people has always been in my blood. I meet with council members once a month, and discuss the issues the people are facing. My role is to ensure it happens by keeping everyone connected. We don’t always agree, but we respect one another, and it’s a joy to work with the council.”

“If someone is having an issue, they will send an email to me, and I will reach out to the staff member who can resolve it. I will let that person know if they do not hear back, to come back to me and I will contact the person to ensure it gets done. We have a great staff, and we work hard to give raises to keep them here. A lot of them don’t even live in the city, but it shows the dedication they have to helping us reach our goals.”

One of those goals was improving the infrastructure, and purchasing land which was once thought to be impossible. “I was so glad when we purchased the Old Towne Inn; it took two years to get the owners to sell,” she said. “We talked about purchasing it for years, and it’s going to be a game changer. We’re going to put something there, so stay tuned.”

“The public has asked for a boutique hotel, so that is the direction we are headed in. It’s needed, and it was so cool that I got to sit in the bulldozer and remove the Olde Towne Inn sign.  Much credit goes to the council for voting on it, and we’re looking forward to building on that lot soon.”

Recently on the Elected and Engaged podcast, she was a guest with Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood, where she was asked about building the community center. “Manassas Park has a community center, Dumfries has one, and I kept asking ‘Why don’t we have one?’ she asked.

“We’re going to do so many things with it once it’s ready. For example, it can be a cooling center, which we’re using the library for. I went to Marsteller [Middle School] for my junior high school years, and if you know anything about middle school, those can be some tough years [laughs] and now to purchase it is a great feeling. We can use it for something children can use. It also helped churches like Manassas Baptist, who have been looking to do more programs as well.”

“Our park space increases, and that is important for land use.”

“It took years to get Manassas Baptist to sell, but again, right place, right time,” she continued. “Things happen when it’s supposed to. We have the money through saving, and we can do it, which puts us in a great position.”

Another goal she has been proud of during her term is using land to develop more attainable housing. “With the purchase of the Mathis Center Shopping Center, it was important to have land for more housing, so hopefully we can have that area supply it,” she said. “Manassas is only ten square foot miles, so we have to be smart about what we’re building for the future. In this fiscal budget starting July 1st, we have a housing coordinator to look for ways to help with getting more affordable and attainable homes. It has to work for our constituents compared to Prince William County. People Inc. is overseeing housing on Prince William Street, and Senator Warner and Kaine have earmarked funds and are pushing to get that going. Hopefully, we can secure that for our citizens. As we move forward, once we hire the housing coordinator, we can take the next steps. We need to make sure it’s right for the city.”

Plans of expansion can sometimes be a challenge for building, so she clears up misconceptions on how they are implemented. “It is vision,” she said, “and looking ten, fifteen years down the road. For example, the Ashberry Townhome Development near Georgetown South, those talks took place fifteen years ago. The Mathis Avenue project will probably take ten years to complete. When we do our five-year comp plan review, we let the people know where the money is going in future projects. It does not happen overnight, and we had this perfect storm where it appeared all we were doing was spending, but taxes did not go up to make these purchases. It came from saving money, using reserves and land sales. Being able to make smart investments was the key.”

So, how did Manassas become a burgeoning entertainment center? “That’s the diversity of the council,” she said. “We’ve had different cultural festivals in the city. We can’t meet every ethnic background, but having for example a Latina on the council, gives us the opportunity to hear from different viewpoints. We are a majority-minority, and they are making the reservations to put the festivals together. It helps the businesses succeed as well.”

“We have people traveling from Warrenton, Culpepper, Maryland and DC to come here. The mom and pop shops benefit from it because people want to buy. I talk with people at the markets, and get to hear from them.”

When the First Friday concepts were proposed, she says there were a lot of push backs over safety concerns.

“When we started First Fridays, there was a lot of complaining because people thought it was going to be Bourbon Street [laughs]. It turned out to be one of the best things we ever did. It is family friendly, and it’s a beautiful time of community.”

Speaking of safety, she took the time to clear up another misconception, this time regarding crime. When the recent shooting at Manassas Mall took place, many assumed it happened within the city limits, and she addressed it. “There’s a misinformation when people say Manassas,” she said. “I’ve called reporters myself and asked them when they talk about a situation outside of the city, to please reference it as Prince William County, because people think it’s the city.”

“It’s not we don’t care, because it was a horrible crime that took place, but people will refer erroneously to the City saying crime is at an all-time high. We have our challenges, but it’s not to that extent. 9 times out of 10 it isn’t, and people need to know the boundary lines.”

“If they see a blue police car, that’s Prince William County. If it’s a white police car, City of Manassas. We’re all partners in this together, and it is right next door. We don’t want anything to happen to anyone, but it’s not in the city, and we want to emphasize that.””

She also addresses another misconception about boundaries.

“For example, people will say they want to vote for me, then I ask for their zip code and they say ‘20109,’ I tell them they’re not in the city. It’s education, and the more we put that out there, the better.”

She praises the police department for their work in connecting to the community.

“Our police department has been amazing,” she said. “I have to shout out Officer TJ Rodriguez, he is the community liaison for a few of our underserved communities. The Police Department won an award for our Parent E3 series, and that’s what we host on a monthly basis during the school year. It is a series that addresses gangs, trafficking, and we have FBI agents come out to talk with parents so they can be aware. We try to cover so many areas of concern. It is an impactful time, and it will be a great opportunity for people to come to Osbourn High School, along with vendors such as ‘Because of Why’. You meet people where they are.”

“Also, our parent liaisons for the schools are amazing. They put out the information for the E3 series, and for fundraisers to help people know what is going on. It’s especially helpful for bilingual parents, and it was a great concept for the schools to create these positions.”

While the battle over the data centers has been the focal point for Prince William County, she emphasizes the city of Manassas is committed to only a few centers. “There’s a lot of talk about us having so many data centers, and just like with the crime situation, it is not the same,” she said. “The city has approved only four data centers, and three are under construction. We have not rezoned any areas, and they can be built in buy-right areas.”

“We’ve done the noise studies,” she continued, “and we’re not going to do anything which will harm our residents. We do not put money over people. This last quarter, 138 homeowners bought homes in the city. What does that tell you? They’re seeing something here, and they want in. We have to invest wisely, and I feel we’re doing a great job of it.”

As she begins her re-election campaign, what will the city look like in 2028 should she win a second term?

“It’s going to be a booming market,” she said. “My tagline is ‘Innovation, Growth, and Thrive.’ We’re at 43,000 people, and we expect it to grow. I want people to be happy they chose Manassas as their place to live. We have 18,000 workers who commute in, and I want them to live here.”

“I would love a trolley to be here and focus more on taking our seniors around Old Town to shop and enjoy the city. It would mean a lot to see children who are ten years old, graduate from college and come back and live here.”

“We also want our families living in nice homes,” she continued, “not 400 sq ft areas where they can’t move around like they should. In addition, we want to address the panhandling situation by providing the appropriate shelters.”

“I think it can only go up, with the right council, and I can be at peace because it’s gone in such a great direction.”