It has been my great honor and privilege to serve on the Falls Church City Council and as your Mayor these past years.  The City is a special place that my family and I are proud to call home.

During my tenure, we have made significant progress throughout the City in areas such as economic development, schools, City infra-structure, walkability, and parks.  Despite our progress, much additional work remains to be done.

I look forward to meeting you and discussing the issues that are important to you and to making our great City an even better place to live.

I hope that you will give me the opportunity to continue to serve you.

– Dave Tarter

Dave’s Background…a worldwide perspective, but grounded in Northern Virginia.

As a young man, Dave Tarter travelled the world.  He studied at the London School Of Economics, taught English in Japan, worked for a non-profit in the Baltics after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and was married in Bali.  These journeys shaped Dave and allowed him to see the things that all people have in common and hold dear.

When Dave came back to Northern Virginia, he and his wife Karen decided to make Falls Church their home.  They were attracted to the Little City by the excellence of its schools and strong sense of community.  Since moving here nearly twenty years ago, Dave has been actively involved in making it an even better place to live.

As a Northern Virginia native, Dave is familiar with the issues that affect the region.  A commercial real estate and land use attorney in Arlington for more than 20 years, Dave has dedicated his legal career to facilitating smart, well managed growth for the betterment of communities.  He has worked to reinvigorate Falls Church’s commercial corridors into a more vibrant, walkable downtown that provides the economic underpinnings for great schools and plentiful community services.

Dave also has strong ties with the school system. All of his children were “lifers” at the Falls Church City Schools – From Kindergarten all the way through Graduation. His wife Karen worked there to boot, for over a decade.

The people and his peers have recognized Dave’s ability to organize, lead and accomplish.  The people have voted him to the City Council three times, and the other council members have elected him Mayor for five consecutive terms.

Dave’s worldview, but commitment to home has made all of the difference.