Manassas Mayor Hal Parrish II won’t seek reelection

Hal Parrish II is hanging up the mayor’s sash at the end of the year. The three-term Manassas City mayor announced he won’t seek reelection this fall.

Parrish gathered a group of about 25 people — mostly family, friends, and fellow city council members — Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Okras restaurant in Downtown Manassas. While there, he went around the room recognizing each person, praising them individually, and then announced his retirement, sources told Potomac Local News.

His departure from city hall will mark an end of an era for the city. His father, Hal Parrish also served on the city council staring in 1951.

Parrish did not make a public statement about his decision. He’s been on the city council since 1993 and was elected Vice Mayor six years later.

Parrish has served as mayor since 2008. He made an unsuccessful bid for the Virginia Senate seat once held by Democrat Charles “Chuck” Colgan, who was the longest-serving member of the Virginia Senate in history until he stepped down in 2015 after a 40-year-career representing the residents of Manassas at the General Assembly in Richmond.

Democrat Jeremy McPike won the seat in 2015 and holds it today.

With Parrish not seeking re-election, it’s unclear who will be the Republican to step up and run for the seat.

In December, first-term City Councilwoman Michelle Davis-Younger announced she would seek the mayoral seat. “Now is the time for leadership dedicated to taking on the city’s toughest challenges and winning,” penned Davis-Younger in her announcement posted to Facebook.

There are a total of seven seats up for grabs in the November General Election. They include the mayor’s seat, as well as three seats on the city council, and four seats on the city school board, according to Manassas General Registrar Susan Reed.

So far, Davis-Younger and Tom Osina, a Democrat are the only candidates that have filed their intention to seek elected office.

Current City Council members Pam Sebesky and Mark Wolfe, Democrats, and Republican Ian Lovejoy have signaled their intention to run in the General Election to keep their seats.