By Al Alborn Feb. 5, 2023
Taysha_King-Elena_Schlossberg-2.jpg
Opponents outside the Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting ahead of a public hearing and vote on the PW Digital Gateway project.
Tavan Smith
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has sought voter approval on two bond referendums that I can remember (2006 and 2019). The county conducts regular satisfaction surveys to gather residents’ opinions on various topics. Departments within the county government use online polls to gather public opinion and ideas on things like the Route 28 bypass and key personnel hires.
It is important to note that the board is not obligated to follow the results of these tools or act on the majority opinion. They are simply a way to gather data.
But I am surprised that the board has not used any of these tools for issues that have divided our community. Data centers, land use and the future of the so-called Rural Crescent have divided our county along urban (the four magisterial districts in eastern Prince William) versus rural (the three in western Prince William) lines.
I suspect the majority of the board favoring radical changes to our community are afraid to ask. They already ignored input from people who actually live in the affected communities, the supervisors they elected (less former Gainesville District Supervisor Pete Candland), several environmental groups, federal government agencies and other stakeholders who opposed the changes.
Members of the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senate have weighed in with proposed legislation targeting data centers. The recall initiative regarding Chair Ann Wheeler certainly reflects a large segment of community opinion, and the results may be actionable if enough signatures are collected and a judge agrees.
The ultimate survey of resident satisfaction will be the 2023 election. It will decide whether the chair and the other supervisors have satisfied residents’ expectations. The current Democrats on the board benefitted from a “Blue Wave” in 2019, caused by the rejection of President Donald Trump and anyone even tangentially associated with him.
That was then. This is now.
Local politics seldom delve into the divisive issues that face state and federal legislators. At the county level, it’s more about “what’s in it for me” than party affiliation.
The Prince William Republican Party is paying attention. At some point, they may send floral bouquets or perhaps a basket of muffins to the chair and Democratic supervisors. Those sitting behind the dais who believe there was a sweeping endorsement of radical change to Prince William’s culture and a license to trade the values of western Prince William for tax revenue might be reconsidering as the 2023 election nears.
Denny Daugherty, the chair of the county Republican Committee, is aggressively recruiting competitive Republican candidates for every Board of Supervisors seat. Flipping the board from a blue to red majority is a reasonable target considering the issues on the table.
Rich Anderson, a former member of the House of Delegates from Prince William and currently chair of the Republican Party of Virginia, said the state party will focus manpower, strategy and resources into winning Prince William races in 2023.
Like a lot of independent voters who don’t drink the party Kool-Aid, I’ll be looking for moderate candidates on either side of the aisle and independents who actually listen to stakeholders regarding major policy decisions. Party affiliation is a meaningless footnote to me. I’ll be watching carefully.
Al Alborn is an award-winning columnist and member of the Virginia Press Association. His column appears every other week. You can learn more about Al at alborn.net.