South County Government Center to be renamed for former supervisor

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to rename the South County Government Center after longtime Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland.

Current Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, who replaced Hyland after his retirement in 2015, put forward the measure at Tuesday’s meeting. Storck praised Hyland’s ability to communicate with constituents and called him “the epitome of a public servant.”

“Gerry took his job as supervisor very seriously and never lost faith that government could be an instrument of positive change in people’s lives,” Storck said.

The measure was approved unanimously, and both Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay and Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity spoke about Hyland’s impact on the county and the board. Herrity — noting that as a Republican he often found himself on the opposite side of issues as Hyland — fondly recalled Hyland’s service on the board, as well as the Democrat’s well documented love of jokes.

“I truly miss him, he was just absolute great guy and I miss the humor, talking about urban chickens and all the other fun things he used to bring up,” Herrity said.

Hyland was elected as a Democrat in the fall of 1987 and served for 28 years. He had previously had a long career in the Air Force, and also served as the president of the Richmond Highway-based United Community Ministries.

Storck praised Hyland for his accomplishments on the board, including fighting the closure of Mount Vernon Hospital in the early 2000s and working to close the Lorton landfill and prison.

Storck also cited Hyland’s efforts to bring the South County Center to Route 1, which brought various government services closer to residents of the Richmond Highway corridor.

“Gerry … had an innate compassion for the struggles of residents on the Richmond Highway corridor and was instrumental in bringing human services to Mount Vernon residents who otherwise had to travel long distances to the main Government Center,” Storck said.