WHEREAS, James Schwartz, deputy county manager of public safety and technology in Arlington County, who has admirably served the Commonwealth for many years, retired in 2021; and
WHEREAS, James Schwartz is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in fire administration and a graduate of the Executive Leaders Program at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School; and
WHEREAS, James Schwartz joined the Arlington County Fire Department in 1984 and served in various leadership roles, including director of emergency management at the Arlington County Manager's Office, before serving as the department's chief from 2004 to 2015; and
WHEREAS, the Arlington County Fire Department was the lead agency in the response to the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and James Schwartz bravely led its unified command effort on that tragic day; and
WHEREAS, James Schwartz has served in the Arlington County Manager's Office since 2015, where, among many accomplishments, he collaborated effectively with regional colleagues to enhance the Homeland Security Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; and
WHEREAS, James Schwartz improved public health and safety in the community as a member of Arlington County's COVID-19 response team and by spearheading the integration of emergency call functions between Arlington County and Alexandria; and
WHEREAS, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Emergency Response System, James Schwartz coordinated between local governments, the Commonwealth, and the private sector to improve the region's emergency preparedness; and
WHEREAS, James Schwartz's commitment to national security included membership on the United States Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Advisory Committee, the advisory council for the Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team at the National Counterterrorism Center, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Terrorism and Homeland Security Committee, which he chaired from 2008 until August 2014; and
WHEREAS, James Schwartz has supported future generations of first responders and public officials as a member of the faculty of the Leadership in Crises program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; and
WHEREAS, over 37 years of dedicated service, James Schwartz has worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of the Commonwealth and its citizens; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That James Schwartz, deputy county manager of public safety and technology in Arlington County, hereby be commended on the occasion of his retirement; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to James Schwartz as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth and best wishes for a long and fulfilling retirement.