Kathleen Seefeldt
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Kenna Seefeldt is an American politician who served as Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors
from 1992-1999. She is a Democrat
.
, Mrs. Seefeldt earned her undergraduate degree from St. Scholastica College
(1956) and did graduate work at Boston University
. With Robert A. Seefeldt, her husband, she moved to Prince William County in 1970.
They reside in Woodbridge and Chincoteague, Virginia
.
She is a mother and grandmother who gives stain removal advice and reads for pleasure.
in 1975, and served as the Occoquan
District
Supervisor from 1976-1991. In 1991, she was elected the first at-large Chairman of the Board. Previously, the Chairman had been elected by the Board from among its membership. When Seefeldt took office as Chairman in 1992, she assumed the Board's eighth seat, the first time the Board had grown since it was enlarged to seven Supervisors in 1967.
During her tenure on the Board, she was a fairly strong advocate for greater growth and development in the County, which was still very rural when she first entered office in 1976. She was instrumental in the construction of the Prince William Parkway
, a stretch of which bears her name. The Parkway, begun in 1990, provided a major arterial thoroughfare connecting the county's eastern and western ends, beginning at Interstate 95
near Woodbridge
and continuing on through Dale City
to Manassas
. Later additions to the Parkway included an eastern extension providing a link-up with US Route 1 and a western extension that connected with Interstate 66
and those parts of the county west of Manassas.
In 1988, Seefeldt became involved in a battle between the National Park Service
and real estate development company Hazel/Peterson over the proposed construction of a large, regional shopping mall near the Manassas National Battlefield Park
. Seefeldt expressed concerns over the environmental and traffic impact of the proposed development, but supported the mall as a strong economic development tool, one that might compete with the large, popular, and profitable Tysons Corner Center
in neighboring Fairfax County
. Relations between Seefeldt and the Park Service soon deteriorated over longstanding county government concerns regarding the Park Service's stewardship of the Manassas Battlefield and the Park Service's opposition to the new mall. Ultimately, the mall was never built.
Mrs. Seefeldt lost reelection to a third term in 1999 to Republican
Sean Connaughton
who successfully targeted her as the architect of the County's burgeoning growth. Development that was once welcome had brought greater traffic and placed a strain on county services, fueling voter disenchantment in a historic election; the Democrats lost control of the Virginia General Assembly
for the first time in a century. In Prince William County, once the Democrats' bastion in Northern Virginia
, the County Sheriff
, Commonwealth's Attorney
, and two members of the Board of Supervisors were the only Democrats left in County Government.
She remains the last Democrat to have chaired Prince William County's government.
was dedicated as the "Kathleen K. Seefeldt Parkway". The portion named after Seefeldt stretches from I-95 to the intersection of Liberia and Fairview Avenues near Manassas; this segment is the original Parkway and was completed entirely during Seefeldt's tenure as Chairman. Mrs. Seefeldt was a key force in securing the parkway, and its unusual (for Virginia), mix of local with state financing. Stone monuments to Seefeldt can be found at the intersection of the Parkway and Davis Ford Road (no longer an arterial road) and again at the intersection of the Parkway and the border with the City of Manassas
.
Prince William Board of County Supervisors
Prince William County, Virginia is divided into seven magisterial districts: Brentsville, Coles, Gainesville, Neabsco, Occoquan, Potomac, and Woodbridge. The magisterial districts each elect one supervisor to the Board of Supervisors which governs Prince William County...
from 1992-1999. She is a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Personal
Born in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Mrs. Seefeldt earned her undergraduate degree from St. Scholastica College
The College of St. Scholastica
The College of Saint Scholastica is a private college with its main campus located in Duluth, Minnesota. The College was founded in 1912 by a group of pioneering Benedictine Sisters who offered college courses to six young women. Today St. Scholastica educates more than 4,000 students annually and...
(1956) and did graduate work at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. With Robert A. Seefeldt, her husband, she moved to Prince William County in 1970.
They reside in Woodbridge and Chincoteague, Virginia
Chincoteague, Virginia
Chincoteague is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. The town is perhaps best known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island...
.
She is a mother and grandmother who gives stain removal advice and reads for pleasure.
Board of Supervisors
Kathleen Seefeldt was first elected to the Prince William Board of County SupervisorsPrince William Board of County Supervisors
Prince William County, Virginia is divided into seven magisterial districts: Brentsville, Coles, Gainesville, Neabsco, Occoquan, Potomac, and Woodbridge. The magisterial districts each elect one supervisor to the Board of Supervisors which governs Prince William County...
in 1975, and served as the Occoquan
Occoquan, Virginia
Occoquan is a town in Prince William County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 759 at the 2000 census, but as of the census of 2010, there were 934 people residing in the town of Occoquan. The town is a suburb of Washington, D.C. and is adjacent to Woodbridge...
District
Minor civil division
Minor civil division is a term used by the United States Census Bureau to designate the primary governmental and/or administrative divisions of a county, such as a civil township, precinct, or magisterial district...
Supervisor from 1976-1991. In 1991, she was elected the first at-large Chairman of the Board. Previously, the Chairman had been elected by the Board from among its membership. When Seefeldt took office as Chairman in 1992, she assumed the Board's eighth seat, the first time the Board had grown since it was enlarged to seven Supervisors in 1967.
During her tenure on the Board, she was a fairly strong advocate for greater growth and development in the County, which was still very rural when she first entered office in 1976. She was instrumental in the construction of the Prince William Parkway
Prince William Parkway
The Prince William Parkway is a road in Prince William County, Virginia. The road carries two designations. Between U.S. Route 1 in Woodbridge and Dumfries Road near Manassas it carries SR 3000...
, a stretch of which bears her name. The Parkway, begun in 1990, provided a major arterial thoroughfare connecting the county's eastern and western ends, beginning at Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Virginia
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Interstate 95 runs through the state. It runs concurrently for with Interstate 64 in Richmond, and meets the northern terminus of Interstate 85 in Petersburg. Though Interstate 95 was originally planned to go straight through Washington, D.C., it was instead...
near Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Virginia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,941 people, 10,687 households, and 7,769 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,047.8 people per square mile . There were 11,026 housing units at an average density of 1,052.1/sq mi...
and continuing on through Dale City
Dale City, Virginia
Dale City is an unincorporated community in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census designated place , the community had a total population of 63,616 according to the 2006 American Community Survey....
to Manassas
Manassas, Virginia
The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...
. Later additions to the Parkway included an eastern extension providing a link-up with US Route 1 and a western extension that connected with Interstate 66
Interstate 66
Interstate 66 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. As indicated by its even route number, it runs in an east–west direction. Its western terminus is at Middletown, Virginia, at an intersection with Interstate 81; its eastern terminus is in Washington, D.C., at an...
and those parts of the county west of Manassas.
In 1988, Seefeldt became involved in a battle between the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and real estate development company Hazel/Peterson over the proposed construction of a large, regional shopping mall near the Manassas National Battlefield Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park, located north of Manassas, in Prince William County, Virginia preserves the site of two major American Civil War battles: the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, and the Second Battle of Bull Run which was fought between August 28 and August 30, 1862...
. Seefeldt expressed concerns over the environmental and traffic impact of the proposed development, but supported the mall as a strong economic development tool, one that might compete with the large, popular, and profitable Tysons Corner Center
Tysons Corner Center
Tysons Corner Center, located in the Tysons Corner unincorporated area in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States , opened to the public in 1968, becoming one of the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping centers in the Washington Metropolitan Area...
in neighboring Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
. Relations between Seefeldt and the Park Service soon deteriorated over longstanding county government concerns regarding the Park Service's stewardship of the Manassas Battlefield and the Park Service's opposition to the new mall. Ultimately, the mall was never built.
Mrs. Seefeldt lost reelection to a third term in 1999 to Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Sean Connaughton
Sean Connaughton
Sean T. Connaughton is the current Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He served as the Maritime Administrator, the head of the U.S. Maritime Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Transportation, from 2006 until early 2009...
who successfully targeted her as the architect of the County's burgeoning growth. Development that was once welcome had brought greater traffic and placed a strain on county services, fueling voter disenchantment in a historic election; the Democrats lost control of the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
for the first time in a century. In Prince William County, once the Democrats' bastion in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
, the County Sheriff
Prince William County Sheriff
The Prince William County, Virginia Sheriff's Office was established in 1731 to provide law enforcement and jailers for the County. In 1970, the Board of County Supervisors established the Prince William County Police Department which assumed the primary responsibility for law enforcement. In 1982,...
, Commonwealth's Attorney
Commonwealth's Attorney
Commonwealth's Attorney is the title given to the elected prosecutor of felony crimes in Kentucky and Virginia. Other states refer to similar prosecutors as District Attorney or State's Attorney....
, and two members of the Board of Supervisors were the only Democrats left in County Government.
She remains the last Democrat to have chaired Prince William County's government.
Prince William Parkway
In April 2001, a portion of the Prince William ParkwayPrince William Parkway
The Prince William Parkway is a road in Prince William County, Virginia. The road carries two designations. Between U.S. Route 1 in Woodbridge and Dumfries Road near Manassas it carries SR 3000...
was dedicated as the "Kathleen K. Seefeldt Parkway". The portion named after Seefeldt stretches from I-95 to the intersection of Liberia and Fairview Avenues near Manassas; this segment is the original Parkway and was completed entirely during Seefeldt's tenure as Chairman. Mrs. Seefeldt was a key force in securing the parkway, and its unusual (for Virginia), mix of local with state financing. Stone monuments to Seefeldt can be found at the intersection of the Parkway and Davis Ford Road (no longer an arterial road) and again at the intersection of the Parkway and the border with the City of Manassas
Manassas, Virginia
The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...
.
Other public service, politics
- 1986 Governor Gerald Baliles appointed her to the Commission on Transportation
- 1990 Governor Doug Wilder appointed her to the Virginia Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
- 1992 Joined the Transportation Coordinating Council for Northern Virginia and was a member of its executive committee
- 1996-1998 Western Transportation Corridor MIS Policy Advisory Committee
- 1998 Joined the Northern Virginia 2020 Transportation Plan Policy Advisory Committee
- 1999 United States Department of TransportationUnited States Department of TransportationThe United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
– National Capital Region Congestion and Mobility Task Force - 1992-1999 represented the County on the Metropolitan Washington Council of GovernmentsMetropolitan Washington Council of GovernmentsThe Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is a regional organization of Washington area local governments. MWCOG comprises 21 local governments in the Washington Metropolitan Area, as well as area members of the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House...
’ Transportation Planning Board - 1985 Joined Virginia Association of Counties board of directorsBoard of directorsA board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
- 1992 Elected president, Virginia Association of Counties
- 1999 Elected as vice chairman of the Virginia Municipal League’s Legislative Committee and Transportation Policy Committee
- 1998-1999 Chairman of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation CommissionPotomac and Rappahannock Transportation CommissionPotomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission is the public transportation system in Prince William County, Virginia, plus two adjacent independent cities, Manassas and Manassas Park, that together are surrounded by the county. Services provided by PRTC include OmniRide, OmniLink, and...
- 2003-2007 Chairman of Virginia's Commission on Local Government under governorsGovernor of VirginiaThe governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
Mark WarnerMark WarnerMark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving in the United States Senate as the junior senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of...
and Tim KaineTim KaineTimothy Michael "Tim" Kaine is a Virginia politician. Kaine served as the 70th Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011...
. - 2006-2008 Board of Supervisors appointed her to the County's Future Commission 2030. The board adopted their report in early in 2008.
- 2008 Hillary Clinton Virginia Women’s Steering Committee
Civic and community organizations
- Chambers of CommerceChamber of commerceA chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
- Girl Scouts of the USAGirl Scouts of the USAThe Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
- Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
- NAACP
- American Heart AssociationAmerican Heart AssociationThe American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
- Prince William Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs
Awards and commendations
- Prince William Chamber of CommercePrince William Chamber of CommerceThe Prince William Chamber of Commerce is the local chamber of commerce for Prince William County, Virginia, and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. The Prince William Chamber of Commerce is the largest chamber in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, with nearly 2,000 member businesses...
Community Service Award - Potomac News Citizen of the Year
- Woodbridge SoroptimistSoroptimistFounded in 1921, Soroptimist International is a world-wide volunteer service organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world...
s Woman of the Year - several distinguished public service recognitions