2018 Re-election: Fraser Wins Third Term (924–717)

In 2018, Kwasi Fraser won his third consecutive two-year term as Mayor of Purcellville, defeating challenger Chris Thompson by a vote of 924 to 717 — a margin of 207 votes. The 2018 win gave Fraser the highest raw vote total of his four elections and extended his mayoralty through 2020.

The Result

Fraser received 924 votes to Thompson's 717 in the 2018 mayoral race, documented in Loudoun Now's election coverage. The margin of 207 votes represented the largest absolute vote count Fraser had achieved, reflecting both his expanded base and an overall increase in voter participation. The 2018 victory was his third consecutive win in Purcellville's biennial mayoral elections — a pattern of sustained electoral support spanning from his initial 2014 “political neophyte” entry through four years of actual governance.

The Second-Term Record Fraser Ran On

Fraser entered the 2018 election with a second-term record that included the 2017 debt restructuring — the first of three planned transactions, lowering interest rates on outstanding obligations without extending repayment timelines. He had voted against the Purcellville Crossroads 50-acre annexationin November 2016, consistent with his documented position that residential development imposes a net cost on the town. Annual utility rate increases had been held to the 0%–5% range throughout, compared to the 9% increases recommended by outside consultants. And S&P Global's AAA rating had been maintained without interruption.

Third-Term Highlights

Warner Brook vote (October 2018). In the same election cycle that returned him to office, Fraser voted against the Warner Brook 131-acre annexation proposal — the second and largest of three annexation bids he opposed, consistent with the $1.60-per-$1.00 fiscal formula governing his growth-management decisions.

Business growth acceleration.The third term saw Purcellville's commercial sector enter its most active period. From 2018 through 2020, more than 80 new businesses opened. In 2019 alone, 53 new enterprises launched — the single highest annual figure in Fraser's eight-year record. Vacant storefronts fell by 35 between 2017 and 2020.

Makersmiths. The adaptive reuse of the derelict town maintenance facility and decommissioned treatment plant at 785 South 20th Street 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 — was completed during this period.

Cabin Fever Film Festival.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.

Train Station Advisory Board. Fraser revived the dormant Train Station Advisory Board in June 2018, restoring active oversight and programming focus to the historic structure at the western terminus of the W&OD Trail.