Candidates for Constitutional Office
Jody Acosta - Treasurer
Jody Acosta, elected in July 2014, is the Treasurer for Falls Church. The Treasurer is an independent constitutional officer who answers directly to the voters of Falls Church. The Treasurer’s Office is partially funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia for the performance of state responsibilities.
Treasurer Acosta is the chief banking officer for the City of Falls Church and is responsible for collecting taxes and local fees, making payments on behalf of the City, managing the investment of local funds, and maintaining records of local finances. The Treasurer’s Office is responsible for every form of revenue which comes to the City of Falls Church, including:
Real estate taxes
Personal property taxes
License taxes
Sewage and stormwater charges
Permit fees
State income taxes
Court, sheriff, and clerk fees
The Treasurer’s Office works closely with the Commissioner of the Revenue, the Real Estate Assessor, and the Department of Finance to help ensure the best possible service to citizens.
Tom Clinton - Commissioner of Revenue
A native and lifetime resident of the City of Falls Church, Commissioner of the Revenue Tom Clinton has served in this role since January 2002. The 8th of 9 children, Mr. Clinton was educated in the City of Falls Church Public School system. He later went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Political Science from Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Prior to becoming Commissioner of the Revenue, Mr. Clinton worked in marketing for several multimillion-dollar corporations while simultaneously running his own real estate business as a licensed agent in Virginia for 13 years.
As an active member of the Falls Church community - serving for several organizations including the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce, Citizens for a Better City, the Village Preservation and Improvement Society, the Falls Church Housing Corporation, and the Falls Church League of Women Voters, to name a few -- Mr. Clinton has a pulse on the needs and wants of his constituents.
As Commissioner of the Revenue, Mr. Clinton's role is to apply the City's tax laws fairly and uniformly. He is responsible for assessing personal property tax, business licenses, transient occupancy tax, and short-term rental tax.
About the Office of the Sheriff Metin "Matt" Cay
The Sheriff is elected by the citizens of the City of Falls Church every 4 years. The Sheriff is referred to as a constitutional officer because the office is specifically established by the Constitution of Virginia.
The Sheriff's Office provides court security and prisoner transportation in addition to serving civil warrants and legal notices, as mandated by the Virginia Constitution and the Virginia Code. The office works in conjunction with the City of Falls Church Police Department in the performance of law enforcement functions including the issuance of traffic summonses, traffic control, special events, emergency response, and training exercises.
The Virginia Sheriffs' Association profiled Sheriff "Matt" Cay. See two highlights below:
- On what new initiatives do you plan to focus?
"The new initiatives I plan on focusing on include increasing the level of crisis intervention, de-escalation and alternate enforcement awareness and training provided to our deputies. This approach will also include an increase in all areas of training required in our operations to maximize competency and to optimize the abilities of all members of our agency." - How has COVID-19 impacted you, your office, and your work?
"COVID-19 impacts essentially every aspect of our operations and the implementation of our duties. However, maintaining a constant vigilance and awareness and the implementation of current best-practices including the recommendations and protocols of our community partners permits us to effectively address this challenging situation. Input from our surrounding jurisdictions, including affiliated law enforcement, government agencies, and health departments, permits us to maximize the safety to our personnel as well as to the members of the public with whom we interact and serve."