Independent candidates have until June 16 to file for the Nov. 3 general election.
Mayor Christopher Bertaut has filed for reelection to a second two-year term. His current term ends Dec. 31, and the seat will be on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Purcellville News emailed the mayor on May 21 with a list of four questions on his record and priorities, offering the option of a written reply or a brief call and providing a seven-day window for a response, with a deadline of Thursday, May 28, to make print deadline. As of publication, the mayor had not responded. This article will be updated if responses are received.
Council Member Erin Rayner announced her candidacy for mayor on Jan. 9. The deadline for independent candidates to file a Declaration of Candidacy and Petition of Qualified Voters with the Loudoun County General Registrar is June 16 at 7 p.m. Three Town Council seats are also on the November ballot.
Background
Bertaut, an independent, was elected mayor in November 2024, defeating then-incumbent Stanley J. Milan. He has lived in Purcellville since 2005, grew up in Washington, D.C., and earned a master’s degree in geography from the University of Georgia in 1998. He has worked in the telecommunications and IT industries in Loudoun County for more than two decades. He was first elected to Town Council in 2020.
Bertaut ran for mayor in 2024 as part of an unofficial slate that included now Vice Mayor Carl “Ben” Nett, Council Member Susan Khalil, and Town Council special election candidate Brian Green, who ran against Council Member Kevin Wright. Council Member Carol Luke, who was not on the ballot in 2024, has frequently voted with the group, forming a 4-3 majority on the seven-member council.
The current term has included a series of contested matters. In April 2025, the council voted to disband the Purcellville Police Department, then reversed that decision the following week. Recall petitions were filed against Bertaut, Nett, Khalil, and Luke in late April 2025. In July 2025, the council placed Town Manager Kwasi Fraser on administrative leave; he remains suspended through December. A Loudoun County jury on April 27 found Nett guilty in a related criminal case, and the Loudoun County Circuit Court took up constitutional challenges to SB 648 and Nett’s emergency suspension on May 28.
Credit Rating and Budget Context
On May 4, S&P Global Ratings lowered the Town of Purcellville’s general obligation bond rating from AAA to AA+ with a negative outlook. The agency cited an operating imbalance in the water and sewer funds and said it expects General Fund deficits in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. S&P also referenced the lawsuits and criminal cases at Town Hall and said it sees at least a one-in-three chance of another downgrade.
The action came one week before the council was scheduled to adopt the fiscal year 2027 budget, which proposes a 16.5 percent water rate increase, a 14.5 percent wastewater rate increase, and a $3.5 million transfer from the General Fund to the utility funds. Town financial advisor Davenport & Company has presented the S&P report to the council.
The town previously held AAA ratings from S&P and, as of 2024, from Fitch Ratings. Fitch upgraded Purcellville to AAA in 2024 following water and wastewater rate increases of 16 and 18 percent in the FY 2025 budget. After the November 2024 elections, the council majority moved to lower utility rates.
In a June 2025 interview with the Loudoun Times-Mirror at the six-month mark of his term, Bertaut described utility rates as the council’s largest area of disagreement. He said the majority favored drawing from reserves, transferring meals tax revenue, and lowering rates, while the minority viewed that approach as short-term.
The Questions Sent to the Mayor
Purcellville News submitted the following four questions by email on May 21, with a seven-day response window ending Thursday, May 28:
1. What do you feel is your most significant accomplishment as Mayor? What projects would you like to complete before the end of your first year as Mayor?
2. Davenport’s presentation to Town Council expressed that the rating bond report should be taken seriously. What corrections will you recommend to restore Purcellville’s S&P credit rating to AAA?
3. Purcellville’s financial consultants have repeatedly stated that the Town has “kicked the can down the road” for years, which has resulted in the utility revenue problems we see today. What is your long-term plan so Purcellville does not need to implement the proposed drastic rate increases for next year?
4. As Mayor you serve as the “chief executive” who oversees the agenda and guides the Council to work together for the health, safety, and welfare of the Town. If reelected, what would you propose to have Council work together to avoid the current atmosphere of division?
Purcellville News provided a seven-day response window, with a deadline of Thursday, May 28, to make print deadline. As of publication, the mayor had not replied. This article will be updated if responses are received.
