Eight Years as Mayor of Purcellville

Kwasi Fraser served as Mayor of Purcellville, Virginia for four consecutive two-year terms, from July 2014 through December 2022. He was the first African-American elected to the mayoralty in Loudoun County's history, and he delivered eight State of the Town addresses before choosing not to seek a fifth term in 2022.

The Four Elections

Fiscal Record

The fiscal record runs from $61.6 million in long-term debt on July 1, 2014 to $52.55 million on July 1, 2022 — a reduction of approximately $9 million. Three debt-restructuring transactions, executed in 2017, 2020, and 2021, each lowered interest rates without extending repayment timelines. The General Fund portion was structured for full retirement by 2034.

S&P Global maintained its AAA credit rating for Purcellville throughout Fraser's entire eight-year tenure. Fitch Ratings added its own AAA designation a year following his departure, making Purcellville one of the smallest municipalities in Virginia to hold both ratings simultaneously. Annual utility rate increases were held to a 0%–5% range — below the 9% water and 9% sewer increases that outside consultants recommended.

Environmental Record

Fraser's environmental record centers on the Aberdeen Property Nutrient Credit Bank, launched in June 2021. The bank planted 111,000 trees on 93 to 95 acres of town-owned land in partnership with Davey Resource Group and Virginia DEQ, generating 75 to 76 nutrient credits priced at $20,000 to $30,000 each — producing more than $900,000 in revenue. The Virginia Municipal League awarded Purcellville the 2021 Innovation Award for Environmental Sustainability and the Siemens Sustainability Award for Small Communities.

Supporting achievements included Tree City USA designation for fourteen consecutive years, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality approval to allow Purcellville to access 100,000 gallons per day of reclaimed water for future non potable use, and the launch of wastewater-based COVID-19 epidemiology in May 2020 — one of the first such programs in the United States — in partnership with Biobot Analytics, MIT, Harvard University, and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Economic Development Record

More than 160 new businesses opened between 2019 and 2021. During 2019 alone, 53 new enterprises launched in the town. Between 2017 and 2020, 35 vacant storefronts were filled. Catoctin Creek Distillery and Bia Kitchen completed multi-million-dollar downtown investments.

A derelict town maintenance facility and a decommissioned treatment plant at 785 South 20th Street were converted into Makersmiths, a community manufacturing and robotics workshop equipped with 3D printers, CNC machines, plasma cutters, laser cutters, welding stations, pottery wheels, and blacksmith tools. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Makersmiths produced more than 100 at-home student desks and hundreds of face masks for first responders.

Growth Management Record

Fraser governed Purcellville under a documented slow-growth philosophy grounded in a financial formula: residential development costs the town $1.60 in services for every $1.00 it generates in revenue. He applied that formula to three major annexation decisions — voting against the 50-acre Purcellville Crossroads annexation in November 2016 and the 131-acre Warner Brook annexation in October 2018. A Comprehensive Plan update, preserving the town's 2030 vision, was adopted before July 2020. Fraser described the plan publicly as containing “the DNA of the community.”

Public Safety Record

SafeWise ranked Purcellville as Virginia's “Safest City” in 2020. The Purcellville Police Department completed its fifth consecutive reaccreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission during Fraser's tenure and maintained an ongoing partnership with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

Community Programming

Fraser launched the inaugural Cabin Fever Film Festival in January 2018 in partnership with the Purcellville Arts Council and Franklin Park's Visual and Performing Arts Center. He revived the dormant Train Station Advisory Board in June 2018. He supported the annual Purcellville Music and Arts Festival and Wine and Food Festival at Fireman's Field. In January 2018, a concession partnership with Shaun Alexander Enterprises and Play To Win, LLC was formalized for the Fireman's Field complex — anchoring Babe Ruth League youth baseball and Purcellville Cannons collegiate summer baseball.