At the onset of the pandemic Rodney recognized that if we did not act with urgency to protect our essential workers then we would quickly lose our ability to provide essential services. That’s why Rodney worked to cement partnerships with non-profit organizations and private sector actors to secure PPE for essential county workers. Rodney also closely coordinated with county staff in the Department of Sanitation, Health Department and other especially vulnerable public sector workers to assist them with addressing the needs specific to their departments.

Of the work that Rodney has done over his first term, the Lee District food distribution is among the most impactful and successful. Rodney recognized early on in the pandemic that the food security that has long persisted within our community was going to be very quickly magnified by the impacts of COVID-19. Rodney worked with DeLune Corporation, a local Lee District company to secure a USDA contract that would eventually provide over 3 million pounds of food to thousands of families in our region. Building on the momentum of the successful program, Rodney is currently in the process of leveraging partnerships connected to the food distribution in order to establish a community food co-operative on Richmond Highway to address the produce deficit that many of our communities continue to face.

Rodney was a leading voice on the Board of Supervisors for expanding the County’s PIVOT grant program to a budget of $52.5 million, which was designed to support small businesses during the pandemic. Rodney specifically championed the dedication of additional funds to small, minority and women-owned businesses.

Rodney was also instrumental in developing strategies for economic recovery based on the Richmond Highway Market Study. Building off the insights of that study, Rodney successfully secured County funding for a similar study of the Springfield area—with the specific addition of a requirement to include recommendations for implementation of the study’s recommendations.

Rodney quickly realized that some of the census tracts that were the most vulnerable to COVID-19 were located in our district. Recognizing the challenges within certain populations within those communities in accessing vaccines due to transportation restrictions, language barriers, and an apprehension about visiting government facilities, Rodney established a partnership with the Springfield Mall to host regular vaccine clinics in the heart of Lee District.

Fairfax County has been a champion of supporting non-profits and human service providers in our community. In the FY2023 budget Rodney advocated for and supported the deployment of $25 million to non-profit entities serving our community. These investments pay dividends out for our taxpayers by efficiently delivering human services to our most vulnerable neighbors.