Mercury Payton
Town of Vienna, VA
Town Manager
Champion, Innovator, Convener
Mercury has a long and successful history as a servant-leader for local governments and Virginia. His actions this year in creating, leading, and supporting the town’s Liberty Amendments Month celebration in June and July are what necessitated this nomination.
The Town of Vienna initiated Liberty Amendments month in 2021 after Juneteenth was declared a state holiday. The events are the brainchild of Town Manager Mercury Paton. He wanted to bring the community together to foster mutual respect and understanding and to celebrate the Constitutional Amendments that give all citizens a say in how they are governed, regardless of their culture or station in life. The month commemorates the passage of the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments, which granted full rights to citizens who were previously excluded from the U.S. Constitution.
The idea for the month-long celebration quickly mushroomed, and 21,000 people attended dozens of educational and commemorative events in the inaugural celebration from Juneteenth to Liberty Amendments Day, a Town holiday. Please see this video for a summary of the events.
The 2021 Top 100 Influencers List is made possible by ELGL’s partnership with CivicPlus.
