Penelope Gross

Penelope Ann "Penny" Gross is a member of the Fairfax County, Virginia Board of Supervisors. She represents the Mason district, which encompasses Annandale and other unincorporated areas of Fairfax County near the city of Falls Church. She is the Vice Chairman of the board, serving under Chairman Jeff McKay.[1][2]

Penelope A. Gross
Member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
from the Mason district
Assumed office
1996
Preceded byChristine R. Trapnell
Personal details
Born
Penelope Ann Schreiner

(1943-12-16) December 16, 1943
Eugene, Oregon
Political partyDemocratic Party
SpouseHarold M. "Hal" Gross
ChildrenSabra Michelle, Pamela Jan, David Peter
Alma materUniversity of Oregon

Career

Following her graduation from the University of Oregon in 1965, she went to work for Senator Wayne Morse. Following Morse's defeat in 1968, she joined the staff of Senator Frank Church.[3] Even after Church left office in 1981, Gross continued to work as his personal secretary until his death in 1984.[4]

From 1985 to 1988, Gross worked as a consultant to the Democratic National Committee. In 1991, she became the executive assistant to Congressman Mike Kopetski.[5][6] Following Kopetski's retirement, and with Republican Christine R. Trapnell's decision not to seek reelection, Gross decided to seek the Mason district seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.[5][7]

Gross' defeat of Republican William B. Bailey in the November 1995 election saw control of the Board of Supervisors return to the Democrats after a short stint in which control of the ten-member board was evenly divided between the two parties.[8]

In the 2015 Democratic primary, Gross fended off a challenge from community activist Jessica Swanson.[9] Gross went on to defeat independent candidate Mollie A. Loeffler in the November general election.[10]

She plans to retire from the Board of Supervisors at the end of her term in January 2024.

Personal

Gross was born Penelope Ann Schreiner, the daughter of John W. Schreiner Jr. and the former Lois M. Hosford, and raised in Eugene, Oregon.[11] Shortly after graduating from the University of Oregon with a BS in political science in 1965, Gross went to work in the United States Senate.[11] She married Harold M. "Hal" Gross on September 19, 1970, with whom she had two daughters, Sabra and Pamela, and a stepson, David.[12]

References
  1. Gardner, Amy (March 11, 2007). "Fairfax Candidate Fights for More Diverse Board". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  2. "Fairfax County - Mason District". Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  3. Gross, Penny (27 February 2014). "A Penny for Your Thoughts: News of Greater Falls Church". Falls Church News-Press Online. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  4. Associated Press (11 January 1984). "Frank Church in hospital; described as 'gravely ill'". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1. Retrieved 8 November 2015 – via Google News.
  5. Gross, Penny (23 January 2014). "A Penny for Your Thoughts: News of Greater Falls Church". Falls Church News-Press Online. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  6. Lipton, Eric (1995-05-11). "DEMOCRATS ROUND OUT ROSTER FOR SUPERVISORS RACE". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  7. "3rd Supervisor to Retire". The Washington Post. 2 March 1995. ProQuest 307866841.
  8. Lipton, Eric; O'Harrow, Robert, Jr. (1995-11-08). "DEMOCRATS GAIN CONTROL IN FAIRFAX". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-06.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. Olivo, Antonio (2015-06-09). "Fairfax County Supervisor Gross fights off challenger in Democratic primary". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
  10. Ashford, Ellie (2015-11-04). "Annandale VA: Mason voters re-elect Penny Gross to Board of Supervisors". Annandale VA. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
  11. Williams, Sherell (23 August 2011). "Profile: Penelope Gross, Mason District Supervisor". Annandale Patch. Patch.com. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  12. Barton, Mary Ann (15 March 2015). "Longtime Incumbent Faces Primary Challenge in Mason District Supervisor Race". Annandale Patch. Patch.com. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
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