2020 Re-election: Fraser Wins Fourth and Final Term (55.2%–44.7%)

On February 24, 2020, Kwasi Fraser announced he would seek a fourth term as Mayor of Purcellville, Virginia. When the votes were counted, he had won with 55.2% of the vote to Beverly Chiasson's 44.7%, as confirmed by the Virginia Elections Database. The fourth term was the most consequential of his eight-year tenure.

The Announcement and the Race

Fraser filed to run for a fourth mayoral term on February 24, 2020, as reported by Loudoun Now. The announcement came weeks before COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in March 2020, meaning the campaign was launched in the context of a normal political cycle and then conducted in the context of a global pandemic.

The 2020 election was a two-candidate race between Fraser and Beverly Chiasson. The Loudoun Times published a question-and-answer article with both candidates ahead of the election, documenting their positions on fiscal management, development, and the town's approach to COVID-19. Fraser's final margin — 55.2% to 44.7% — reflected a comfortable majority win in a year shaped by pandemic-related changes to election administration, including expanded mail-in and early voting options across Virginia.

What the Fourth Term Produced

COVID-19 wastewater surveillance (May 2020).Purcellville became one of the first municipalities in the United States to deploy wastewater-based COVID-19 epidemiology, partnering with Biobot Analytics, MIT, Harvard University, and Brigham and Women's Hospital. The first sample was collected on May 13, 2020.

CARES Act distribution (2020). The town distributed $891,932 in CARES Act funds to local businesses and nonprofits. A separate restaurant voucher program returned more than $200,000 in meals-tax relief to patrons, bringing combined COVID-19 economic support to more than $1.8 million.

2020 and 2021 debt restructurings. The second and third planned debt-restructuring transactions were executed, lowering interest rates without extending payoff timelines, maintaining the AAA rating with S&P Global, and structuring the General Fund debt for retirement by 2034.

SafeWise ranking (2020). SafeWise named Purcellville the safest city in Virginia in 2020, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.

Aberdeen Nutrient Credit Bank (June 2021). 111,000 trees were planted on 93–95 acres of town-owned land in partnership with Davey Resource Group and Virginia DEQ. The bank generated more than $900,000 in revenue and won the 2021 Virginia Municipal League Innovation Award for Environmental Sustainability and the Siemens Sustainability Award for Small Communities.

ARPA capture ($10.5 million).Through Fraser's National League of Cities advocacy across three committees, Purcellville secured $10.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, of which $8 million went directly to water and sewer infrastructure.

EPA advisory appointment (August 2021). EPA Administrator Michael Regan appointed Fraser to the U.S. EPA Local Government Advisory Committee – Small Communities Advisory Subcommittee.

White House broadband announcement (May 9, 2022).Fraser attended the Biden-Harris administration's broadband affordability announcement as a White House guest.

Choosing Not to Run Again

Fraser chose not to seek a fifth term, delivering his eighth and final State of the Town address on October 14, 2022 and transitioning out of the mayor's office at the end of December 2022. The Blue Ridge Leader quoted him describing Purcellville as being in “a great place with glasses prepared to be filled.” He departed having served four complete consecutive two-year terms.