If you are looking for someone who is connected to the heart and soul of the Falls Church community, Ms. Marybeth Connelly is the person to know. Whether or not you are in the Little City, it is likely that you have encountered her and noticed all she does to make Falls Church an open and welcoming environment.

Ms. Connelly has been a part of the Falls Church community since 1995. She lived briefly in New Mexico, but then moved to Northern Virginia to be closer to Washington, D.C. 

“[Our family] thought we would only stay for five years, but there’s something special about Falls Church, and we never managed to move away,” Ms. Connelly said. “Twenty-seven years later, I am so glad that it became home.” 

Before discovering Falls Church, Ms. Connelly was uncertain what the future held, but knew she was attracted to a strong sense of community. 

“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up, but I always loved reading and writing and being part of a community,” she said. 

Over the past 27 years, Connelly has become a crucial community member of Falls Church. She takes on many roles that help strengthen the feeling of connectedness in the Falls Church environment. 

One key role is her position as a City Council member, where she is currently in her ninth year as a representative, with her most recent re-election being early Nov. 2021.  “I work with fellow elected Council members and city employees to make Falls Church a better place to live, work, play, and go to school,” she said.

The City Council works together to make improvements that benefit the community based on needs, recommendations, and public opinion. The council also sets the city budgets each year, allocating funds to priority areas within the community. 

In tandem with her place on the City Council, Ms. Connelly has also been active with preparing a variety of different projects in Falls Church. “In the eight years that I’ve been doing this, I’ve been a part of some of the most consequential building projects in the City’s history – the new Meridian High School, of course, but also the renovations of City Hall, Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Jessie Thackrey Preschool and Mount Daniel Elementary School. We’ve built parks, upgraded playgrounds, improved sidewalks and crosswalks.”

While Ms. Connelly is a major influence on the community as a whole, she specifically enjoys being connected with all the schools in the district. All three of her children attended and graduated from FCCPS, of which she is also the Community Outreach Director.

“The job has evolved a lot over the years,” Ms. Connelly explained. “The main function has always been to build support for public education by connecting people and businesses to the schools as volunteers, experts, and donors.”

Ms. Connelly also works hard to advocate for everyone in the community, such as helping students get internships or find volunteer opportunities. She collaborates with teachers in order to bring professional speakers into the schools, who share their knowledge with future generations.

Ms. Connelly truly cherishes her connectedness to the Falls Church community. No matter where she is in the little city – whether it’s walking along a sidewalk on a nice afternoon or visiting the many small businesses located in Falls Church – she always feels that opportunities and adventures are waiting to be discovered. 

“I think about Falls Church like a web sometimes,” Ms. Connelly said. “We are all connected in ways that we don’t even know, and all holding each other up in ways that we don’t always see.”

One of her greatest aspirations is to make Falls Church a place where all are welcome and the feeling of a community is never lost – not only now, but well into the future. 

“Going forward, I want to make sure that the people who are elected next – in four years, 10 years, or 20 years – share my desire for a strong community, and are willing to take the next step to make Falls Church a welcoming place.”