Another major political retirement is coming to Hunter Mill District as Sen. Janet Howell recently announced she would not seek reelection in 2023. It’s fitting that we should have the opportunity to honor her historic career during Women’s History Month.
Sen. Janet Howell has been an elected representative in Reston and Fairfax County since 1992 and is the longest-serving female legislator in Virginia. Howell is a champion of education, mental health services, and a staunch women’s rights advocate. As the Chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, she guided crucial funding to our school districts and universities in the Commonwealth.
Howell stated she believes she has accomplished “most of [her] legislative goals” over her 32 years of service and now hopes to spend more time with her husband, including for travel. Howell leaves a long legacy of mentees in the General Assembly and even left a roadmap for future leaders with her book Leading the Way: Women in Power.
March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day. Senator Howell’s achievements are part of the substantive foundation of women impacting the Hunter Mill District community. Her leadership will be sorely missed, but we consider ourselves fortunate to have benefitted from that leadership for so long.