Mayor Sought ‘To Lift People Up’
Frank Friedman spent part of last Wednesday afternoon at Virginia Military Institute, talking to inner- city high school students from around the country who had come to Lexington to participate in the annual College Orientation Workshop. For 90 minutes, Friedman spoke in his capacity as a financial adviser, giving attendees advice on financial investments.
Steve Grist, president of CornerStone Bank, where Friedman worked as a vice president and financial adviser, told The News-Gazette on Monday that he had attended Friedman’s talk at VMI to support him. They were at the Institute until approximately 6 p.m. when they parted ways for the evening.
Soon after, Grist said, he remembered that he’d left his coat at the bank. Knowing the Friedman sometimes go by the bank in the evening to close down some things, Grist texted him to ask if he could pick up the coat and drop it off at Hill crest, a rental property Grist owns across the street from Friedman’s residence.
Fifteen minutes later, Grist received a photo of his coat hanging on the door of Hillcrest. With the photo came a message: “I got you covered, boss.”
“That’s my last message from him,” Grist said. “And I feel that. I feel that every single day.”
Friedman suffered a medical emergency later that night and was taken to the Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital, then transferred to the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he died on Thursday, July 2.
“I think I took it for granted that he was going to be here,” Grist said. “I don’t think I realized how much I’d grown to love the man and all he meant to this community. And I think a lot of us are feeling that right now.” Friedman was born on Oct. 10, 1965, in Blacksburg, and his family moved to Lexington just before he started second grade in 1973. Grist first recalls meeting Friedman in school, when he was a senior in Lexington High School and Friedman was, as Grist describes him, “a punk sixth grader.”
“That first impression is so hard to overcome,” Grist said. “That’s my image of Frank Friedman from when I was 18 years old, but he has grown so exponentially since that time to be inclusive and giving and truly a servant [to the community]. That’s what gave him energy.”
Friedman graduated from Lexington High School with the class of 1984 and then attended Hampden-Sydney College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. He was a graduate of the Darden Banking School at the University of Virginia and worked in financial services for 38 years – five in Jacksonville, Fla., four in Richmond and 29 in Lexington. Since 2011, he was a financial adviser with CornerStone Bank, working with individuals and small businesses.
“He was our utility player,” Grist said. “I couldn’t tell you what his job description was because it just seemed to grow every day. He would take on every task, everything to advance the cause of CornerStone Bank, which was to make everyone’s lives better. That was what his mission was in life, I think, to lift people up.”
In addition to his work at the bank, Friedman also served on a number of boards and commissions throughout the region including the Carilion Rockbridge Community Foundation, Kendal at Lexington, Virginia March of Dimes, United Way of Rockbridge, Augusta Community Health Foundation, Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission and Blue Ridge Resource Authority.
In 1999, he was appointed to the Lexington School Board where he served until 2006 when he ran for – and won – a seat on the Lexington City Council. He held that seat in 2010 when he lost a bid for reelection, but he ran again in 2012 and was reelected.
In 2016, he was elected mayor of Lexington, succeeding Mimi Elrod. Friedman was reelected as mayor of Lexington twice, in 2020 and 2024, each time running unopposed. As mayor, Friedman helped the city navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and the renaming of the city’s cemetery and streets in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.
Earlier this year, Lexington became a sister city to Chortkiv, Ukraine, which Friedman saw as an exciting opportunity for both cities.
“I frequently refer to Lexington as the center of the universe somewhat jokingly, but I feel like wherever I go there’s some sort of connectivity to Lexington, and this certainly just expands our connectivity to the world,” he told The News-Gazette at the signing ceremony in February. “I hope that, with the efforts led by this citizen group, that we can bring some brighter days and joy and connectivity with Chortkiv.”
Vice Mayor Marylin Alexander, who served with Friedman on both the School Board and Council, told The News-Gazette that one of his biggest strengths as mayor was his ability to work with everyone on Council and find common ground, even outside of the regular business meetings.
“He would call each of us individually if there was something controversial going on before we had the meeting so we’d be able to hash out any nuances that were needed or just get clarity to make sure we were all on the same page,” she said. “The same respect people would see when he would greet you on the street was the same respect he gave each of us on Council, collectively or individually.”
Jim Halasz, who served as city manager for Lexington from 2019 to 2024, called Friedman “a great community servant.”
“I admired how he was very open to taking time to listen to everyone and hear what their concerns were,” he said. “My time at Lexington was enjoyable and Frank was a big part of that.”
Freidman, Alexander said, valued perspectives other than his own, and that was something that she was able to provide him due to their different life experiences due to the difference in their age, gender, and race.
“We saw life in Lexington through a totally different lens, and that was so eye-opening to him and that changed him for the good,” she said. “And he would admit to it.
“I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to make a difference in his life, because he has certainly made a difference in mine,” she continued. “It has made a difference in all of Council. We probably would not have achieved so many things for the benefit of the city had it not been for his input.”
Alexander noted the building of a new Waddell Elementary School as one thing that Friedman helped work on and get accomplished, despite pushback from the community due to the historic nature of the old school. Safety was a big concern with the old building though, and that factor, Alexander said, would make it one of the things he was probably proudest of. She also noted his love of Lexington and his efforts for enhancement of the city’s historic downtown.
Above all, though, both Alexander and Grist recalled Friedman’s love of the community, both of the people who live here and the people who visited. That was a sentiment that was shared across the many tributes that were made of Friedman on Facebook this past week.
“His smile was contagious, his sense of humor was one of a kind, and he had a way of making everyone around him smile too,” the owners of Blue Sky Bakery and Café wrote. “Often dressed in his signature bow tie and glasses, he was distinguished, yet still had the heart and spirit of a young boy. … It’s hard to imagine Lexington without Frank. He loved this community, and this community loved him right back.”
“We always looked forward to his visits to our students during Community Helpers Month,” Shenandoah Preschool posted. “He took the time to read with them, answer their questions, and share what it means to serve our community as mayor. His kindness, warmth, and dedication made a lasting impression on so many young hearts. He will be greatly missed.”
“Frank loved this town,” wrote the owner of Brew Ridge Taps. “He believed in our downtown, supported small businesses, and genuinely cared about the people who called Lexington home. Almost every time we’d see each other, he’d send me off with the same words: “I hope your weekend is wild and crazy!” It never failed to make me smile.” -As vice mayor, Alexander has assumed the duties of the mayor until City Council can appoint someone to the position. City Manager Tom Carroll told The News-Gazette that the city is seeking clarity from the city attorney on whether or not a special election will need to be held this November to fill the remainder of the term which ends in 2028.
“There is no mayor that I’ve known or read about or seen on TV that can beat the impact that [this] on individual has had on this community,” Alexander said. “I find it hard to think that it’s going to be the same Lexington without him. It will be different, but I’m hoping the difference is going to be that not one individual is going to have that impact, but … [that] all of us in this community will take on the charge of being like Frank, whether it is greeting people downtown, or finding common ground in deliberation in meetings, or just that friendly hello and being the ambassador that he was.”
A memorial service will be held at Lexington Presbyterian Church on Friday at 10 a.m., with a celebration of life to follow at Lime Kiln from 11-2.
Friedman’s family has established a memorial fund through the Community Foundation of Rockbridge Bath and Alleghany. Donations can be made directly to the Community Foundation or online at https://cfra.fcsuite. com/erp/donate/create/ fund?funit_id=2254.
