Editing Falls Church, Virginia (section)

==Government==
Like most cities near the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]], Falls Church is a Democratic powerhouse, most notably in recent elections. It has not supported a Republican presidential candidate since 1984. With the exception of 2012 and 2024, the Democratic share of the vote in the city has increased in every election since 1988, peaking in 2020 when [[Joe Biden]] broke 80% of the vote, the best Democratic performance since the city's incorporation.

{{PresHead|place=Falls Church, Virginia|source=<ref>{{cite web|author=David Leip |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |publisher=Uselectionatlas.org |access-date=December 8, 2020}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|1,620|7,200|242|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|1,490|7,146|183|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|1,324|5,819|614|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|2,147|5,015|114|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|1,970|4,695|85|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|2,074|3,944|80|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|2,131|3,109|353|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,644|2,375|265|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,912|2,864|628|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|2,470|2,484|35|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|2,684|2,398|19|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|2,485|1,703|570|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|2,323|2,202|63|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|2,967|1,895|81|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|2,005|1,860|517|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,329|2,371|7|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|1,525|1,629|11|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|1,462|1,233|57|Virginia}}
{{PresFoot|1952|Republican|1,386|930|1|Virginia}}

Falls Church is governed by a seven-member city council, each elected at large for four-year, staggered terms.<ref name="about council" /> Council members are typically career professionals holding down full-time jobs.<ref name="about council" /> In addition to attending a minimum of 22 council meetings and 22 work sessions each year, they also attend meetings of local boards and commissions and regional organizations (several Council Members serve on committees of regional organizations as well).<ref name="about council">{{cite web |url=http://www.fallschurchva.gov/Content/Government/CityCouncil.aspx |title=About the City Council |publisher=Fallschurchva.gov |date=July 14, 2008 |access-date=May 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511093014/http://www.fallschurchva.gov/Content/Government/CityCouncil.aspx |archive-date=May 11, 2012}}</ref> Members also participate in the Virginia Municipal League and some serve on statewide committees.<ref name="about council" /> The [[mayor]] is elected by members of the council.<ref name="about council" /> The city operates in a typical [[Council–manager government|council–manager]] form of municipal government, with a [[city manager]] hired by the council to serve as the city's chief administrative officer.<ref name="about council" /> The city's elected Sheriff is Metin "Matt" Cay.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fallschurchva.gov/416/Sheriff|title = Sheriff &#124; Falls Church, VA – Official Website}}</ref> Candidates for city elections typically do not run under a nationally affiliated party nomination.<ref name="about council" />

City services and functions include education, parks and recreation, library, police, land use, zoning, building inspections, street maintenance, and storm water and sanitary sewer service. Often named a [[Tree City USA]], the city has one full-time arborist. Some public services are provided by agreement with the city's county neighbors of Arlington and Fairfax, including certain health and human services (Fairfax); and court services, transport, and fire/rescue services (Arlington). The city provided water utility service to a large portion of eastern Fairfax County, including the dense commercial areas of [[Tysons Corner, Virginia|Tysons Corner]] and [[Merrifield, Virginia|Merrifield]], until January 2014, when the water utility was sold to the [[Fairfax County Water Authority]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fallschurchtimes.com/37649/city-agrees-to-sell-water-system-to-fairfax-water/|title=City Agrees to Sell Water System to Fairfax|work=Falls Church Times|access-date=August 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115128/http://fallschurchtimes.com/37649/city-agrees-to-sell-water-system-to-fairfax-water/|archive-date=August 26, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>