April 24, 2021
As regular readers know, we weren’t big fans of former Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Corey Stewart. He always had his eye on higher office, and his Trump-like style and anti-immigrant rhetoric brought only unwanted attention to our community.
When Democrat Ann Wheeler took over as board chair after the 2019 elections, we hoped for a calmer style of leadership. And while anything is calmer than Corey, the divisiveness on the board is worse than ever. And that’s disappointing.
The matter came to a head last week when Supervisor Pete Candland, one of three Republicans in the board minority, proposed a resolution that would have prevented the board from voting on significant matters – the budget, land-use issues and the like – after midnight. Seems reasonable enough. Critical votes about the future of our community shouldn’t take place in the wee hours of early morning, when most folks have stopped watching and, for those who are still awake, minds aren’t at their sharpest.
(Yes, we know Congress has plenty of late-night votes, but emulating Congress is generally not a good thing.)
Discussion over Candland’s proposal devolved into a debate over Wheeler’s leadership, and – predictably – the idea was defeated on a party-line 5-3 vote. That’s pretty much the way everything seems to be decided on the board these days. If it’s not unanimous, then the vote is 5-3, with Wheeler and her four fellow Democrats on one side and the three Republicans on the other.
(Yes, we know Congress has plenty of straight party-line votes, but… see above…)
We recognize there are issues upon which Republicans and Democrats will disagree. We also recognize that elections have consequences, and Democrats won control of the board in 2019, fair and square.
But many local issues, such as land-use decisions and where to build roads, should not be about party politics. They should be about what’s good for the community as a whole and should reflect the needs and desires of the residents most affected by them. Just for once we’d like to see a Democrat vote with the Republicans – or a Republican vote with the Democrats – on a significant issue.
The problem with the divisiveness is that it feeds on itself. Since the Republicans know they can’t prevail on any significant issue, they are left to lob grenades from the sideline, which serves only to score political points with their base and perhaps generate headlines they can use on campaign flyers in 2023. Meanwhile, Democrats know they have the majority and therefore will eventually get their way, regardless of whether they work with Republicans.
(Yes, we know… Congress…)
So we have a suggestion for the board: Leave the crass partisanship to our friends across the Potomac. It doesn’t matter who’s to blame – just figure out how to work together. That’s what true leaders do.