Gerry Hyland leaves a legacy of NACo service

Key Takeaways

There was a moment when Larry Naake was worried about the future of Gerry Hyland’s involvement with NACo.

In the fall of 1997, NACo’s then-executive director visited Hyland in his Fairfax County, Va. office to gauge the county supervisor’s mood following his defeat that summer in his run for the NACo first vice presidency. To Naake’s delight, his enthusiasm for the organization was not diminished. 

“He did not let that defeat keep him from being a leader for NACo,” Naake said.

Hyland, who served on the Fairfax County Board from 1988-2015, died Jan. 19 at 88. He spent the next four terms deeply involved in NACo’s management, his state association’s leadership and service to his county. Naake noted that Hyland was eager to serve in various capacities, particularly in politically delicate situations.

“Over my career, I worked with a lot of first-class public servants and he’s right at the top of the list,” Naake said. “He was the only person who read every word of all the materials, and you could tell by the questions he asked that he deliberated on everything.”

Hyland staked out his seat at NACo Board meetings, at times defending his turf when newcomers wandered and sat down in the wrong chair. He also served as the president of the Virginia Association of Counties in 2002. 

A Massachusetts native, Hyland came to Virginia for law school in 1969, later opening a law practice. After serving on the Fairfax County Human Rights Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, he ran for county supervisor. He was a 30-year Air Force reservist with the Judge Advocate General’s Office after serving four years of active duty in Normandy, France.

His district town halls, adapted from a New England tradition, drew high-level speakers from county administration and many of the county’s agencies, along with federal and state representatives. In the mid-2000s, a PowerPoint presentation helped him drive a “virtual bus tour” presentation of hot spots for county intervention and investment. 

His legacy within Fairfax County includes the closure of a landfill in his district, an effort to keep a local hospital open and the redevelopment of the Lorton area following the closure of a correctional facility. He championed the South County Center, making it the place to go for family services, community health, career programs, a senior and teen center and more, including many public rooms essential for community meetings and workshops. Hyland had advocated for the placement of county services in southern Fairfax County, saving residents a long trip through the suburban county to reach those service providers. In 2019, the county renamed the building the Gerry W. Hyland Government Center.

“I don’t get mad, I don’t get even, I never lose my sense of humor and I work to find a way for folks to agree,” he wrote in 1997 when he pitched his candidacy to NACo members. “But above all, I have sought to achieve consensus as to what is best for NACo and its member counties.”

Mount Vernon Supervisor Dan Storck, who succeeded Hyland, called him a community pillar and a true patriot as well as a friend and mentor. “He was committed to doing things right for the right reasons and challenged us all to be our best selves,” Storck said.

To celebrate his life and legacy, the county planned to honor Hyland at the 38th Annual Mount Vernon Town Hall Meeting.

As a master of puns, Hyland left a lasting impression with his humor. At his final Board of Supervisors meeting, he shared one last pun that perfectly encapsulated his wit: “There once was a supervisor who told ten puns to his colleagues to get them to laugh, but no pun in ten did.”