For Susanna Finn, it was a long night but a short trip.
Less than 24 hours after chairing a nearly six-hour long planning commission meeting on data centers, Finn took her new seat at the dais as Ward 3 councilor Thursday afternoon. She replaces Tim Duffy, who resigned for personal reasons in December.
“This is not a responsibility that I take lightly, and I am committed to work on behalf of every resident,” Finn said during a special 2 p.m. meeting that lasted approximately 15 minutes. The appointment was originally on the agenda for Tuesday’s city council meeting, which was canceled due to inclement weather.
A University of Mary Washington graduate who sought out the school for its historic preservation major, Finn referred to Fredericksburg as “my chosen home for all of my adult life.” Finn, who also holds a master’s degree in planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, lives with her husband Daniel and their two daughters in Great Oaks, where she serves as neighborhood HOA president.
“Someone told me you should seek public office if you have the desire to serve,” Finn said, “but you must if there’s a need only you can answer… With Dr. Duffy’s departure, there was a need for a deeply-committed candidate educated on city issues and opportunities.”
After Duffy stepped down in December, Mayor Kerry Devine outlined the process for appointing his replacement. At the Jan. 28 city council meeting, Devine announced that 14 people had applied for the position.
City council ultimately interviewed four finalists: Finn, Sean Cole, Thomas Johnson, and Pamela Scruggs. The interviews, which were held on Feb. 4 at the Fredericksburg Police Department, were closed to the public.
The Free Press requested the names of the finalists last week, but the request was denied. One applicant who did not receive an interview was Rene Rodriguez, who received 955 votes to Duffy’s 981 in the November 2021 Ward 3 election.
Another applicant, Guy Gormley, requested resumes of the applicants but was rebuffed until Thursday, when the city announced via press release at 1:15 p.m. — roughly 45 minutes prior to Finn’s appointment — that resumes and other application materials for all 14 candidates would be available for review at the Clerk of Council’s Office at city hall.
Devine acknowledged that filling Duffy’s seat entailed “an unfamiliar process” and said that “there are no written records and conflicting personal recollections” from the last time city council filled such a vacancy, nearly two decades ago.
“We’ve learned from and listened to the concerns, and while I know that this process was conducted with integrity and the best interests of our beloved city, we hear you,” the mayor said Thursday.
Councilor Jon Gerlach (Ward 2) said that Finn’s background in urban planning and historic preservation distinguished her from other finalists for the vacancy.
“She knows as much or more about land use as anyone sitting around this dais,” Gerlach said, “and we’re going to be dealing with some serious land use issues over the next 10 months.”
