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2024 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 50
Commending John T. Frey.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, January 25, 2024
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 29, 2024

 

WHEREAS, John T. Frey, a dedicated and highly respected public servant, retired as the clerk of the Fairfax Circuit Court after 32 years of exceptional contributions to the residents of the City of Fairfax and Fairfax County; and

WHEREAS, John Frey became the clerk of the Fairfax Circuit Court in 1992 and pioneered the use of electronic systems for filing and recording land records; he oversaw the digitization of existing records and implemented secure, remote access to the system; and

WHEREAS, John Frey’s efforts revolutionized the real estate industry by allowing title searches, settlements, and the recording of transactions to be conducted remotely; he subsequently served on statewide work groups to develop the Virginia Information Technologies Agency’s Secure Remote Access Standards, which were modeled on the Fairfax system, and the Land Records Electronic Filing Standards; and

WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, John Frey worked diligently to ensure that the Fairfax Circuit Court continued serving members of the public by drawing on his experience with land records e-filing to develop virtual processes for probate and marriage licenses; and

WHEREAS, among many other achievements, John Frey also reduced the on-call period for jury duty from eight weeks to one day or the length of one trial; and

WHEREAS, respected in his field, John Frey served on the board of directors of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials, and Clerks for several years, including a term as president in 2002–2003, and as president of the Virginia Court Clerks Association in 2017; and

WHEREAS, John Frey provided his wise leadership and expertise to the legal community as a board member of the Fairfax Bar Foundation and as a governor’s appointee to the State Public Records Advisory Board and the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities; and

WHEREAS, over the course of his distinguished career, John Frey was named the Public Official of the Year by the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials, and Clerks in 2006, and he was selected as one of the Leaders in Law by Lawyers Weekly in 2015; and

WHEREAS, during his long tenure as a clerk of court, John Frey served the Fairfax community with the utmost integrity, professionalism, and distinction, and he helped the Fairfax Circuit Court maintain its reputation as one of the most efficient and effective courts in the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend John T. Frey on the occasion of his retirement as clerk of the Fairfax Circuit Court; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to John T. Frey as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his exceptional service to the residents of the City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, and the Commonwealth.