The Patch: Small Business Co-Founder Enters 2023 Race For Springfield Supervisor

Mark Hand, Patch Staff

Posted Tue, Sep 13, 2022 at 10:06 am ET | Updated Tue, Sep 13, 2022 at 10:13 am ET

SPRINGFIELD, VA — The co-founder of a local small business is the first candidate to announce plans to seek the Democratic nomination for the Springfield District seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Albert Vega, a Springfield resident and co-founder of Alexandria-based company Building Momentum, is hoping to win the Democratic nomination next spring. The winner of the Democratic primary would likely face incumbent Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity in the 2023 general election.

The Springfield District includes West Springfield, Fair Oaks, Clifton, parts of Burke and Fairfax Station. Herrity, the only Republican currently on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, has served as a supervisor since 2008.

The terms of the current members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors end on Dec. 31, 2023. Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust is the only supervisor who has announced so far that he does not plan to seek reelection in 2023.

Vega grew up in El Paso, Texas, as the son of educators. He holds a Bachelor's of Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso, a Master's of Electrical Engineering and PhD from Purdue University, where he was a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Latinos in Science and Engineering.

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After completing his PhD work, Vega joined an engineering and scientific consulting firm where he worked with the U.S. Army to help "problem-solve in Afghanistan with deployed service members for nearly a year," according to his campaign website. After his deployment, he helped run a program that sent engineers and scientists to battle zones to help solve problems.

“As our county increasingly relies on new and emerging technologies to solve those challenges, our Board needs a voice that understands those technologies first hand and has spent an entire career solving problems from the battlefield to the classroom,” Vega said in a statement Monday.

Vega co-founded Building Momentum in 2014 and currently serves as the company’s chief technology officer. He also serves on the board of Athena Rapid Response, an Alexandria nonprofit, and previously served as a board member of Girls + Data, a nonprofit group that provides hands-on learning opportunities in data and analytics to middle school girls.

As a first-time candidate for public office, Vega said he plans to stand out from other candidates by using his "decades of experience of problem-solving in the technological and small-business arenas."

The many large challenges that Fairfax County is facing, including housing, public safety and environment, can benefit from the impact of emerging technology and a fresh perspective, his campaign said.

"As a person of color with a deep STEM background and a track record of solving complicated problems, [Vega] represents the starkest possible contrast to Supervisor Herrity," Vega's campaign said. "In the last gubernatorial race, Springfield overwhelmingly voted Democratic, and has since become even more blue. With time and hard work put into reaching out to the community, Albert is confident that he will earn the trust and support of Springfield."

The Democratic primary for county supervisor and other local and state offices is scheduled for June 2023.