Opinion
Each year in Virginia, we are tasked as citizens of our Commonwealth to exercise a tremendously important obligation: voting for leaders who will help shape our future. We’re inundated with issues, slammed with slogans. Our mailboxes fill up with glossy campaign literature, and television and radio ads fill the airwaves, all in an effort to convince us what matters in elections. Putting aside the rhetoric, I believe that one consideration rises above all others in determining who to support in any election: Commitment.
Issues come and go. Today’s challenges become tomorrow’s opportunities. And with the speed of change in almost every facet of our lives in the 21st century, we owe it to ourselves, as well as our families and friends, to elect leaders at all levels who are driven to serve for the right reasons and are firmly committed to placing the needs of our community above all else.
Prince William County has never been a weigh station or temporary stop for me. It’s far more to me than a spot on a map. The people of this community helped raise me as child and have been instrumental in helping me raise my five children. For almost four decades, we’ve attended the same schools, played in the same parks and travelled the same roads together. It hasn’t always been an easy journey, but it’s one that we, as a community, have taken together. And it’s one that we’ll continue to take together.
Our county faces some very serious challenges. Some of these are the result of factors beyond our control, such as the housing crisis and stock market meltdown. Others, unfortunately, have been selfinflicted. But no matter how or why we got here, our next Board Chairman has to be committed to addressing issues like overcrowded classrooms, unacceptable gridlock on our roads and restoring our reputation as a welcoming community that attracts high-paying jobs in a manner that ensures real, lasting solutions. Our Chairman has to be willing to make tough decisions based solely on what will truly work, not simply those that will play well in the media or reward political allies.
I’m committed to serving you as your Chairman based strictly on these values. Prince William County has been my home for over 36 years. And I intend for it to be my home for another 36 years. Let’s work together, as members of a community with such incredible potential, to rise above our challenges, take advantage of our opportunities, and give our children the bright future they so richly deserve.
*Rick Smith is a candidate for the Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
Recent Stories
Commemorating Earth Day from Prince William Forest Park today, President Biden announced a series of wide-reaching climate initiatives designed to expand nationwide access to solar energy and create a federal jobs program known as the American Climate Corps.
In a letter addressed to the Chair and the Supervisors of Prince William County, Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth outlined her intention to withhold prosecution of certain misdemeanor charges, effective May 1, 2024, if she doesn’t get her money.
At a presentation hosted by the Prince William County Committee of 100, the community gathered to explore the potential utilization of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a viable energy source for the Northern Virginia region.
Prince William fire and rescue units responded to a residential fire on Merrily Way on April 22, and a fire at Loch Lomond Elementary School on April 20, 2024.
To celebrate Air Quality Awareness Week (May 6-10, 2024), Clean Air Partners is working with A Few Cool Hardware Stores to exchange DC, Maryland and Virginia residents’ gas-powered lawnmowers, trimmers, and leaf blowers at select Ace Hardware locations in the region. DMV residents who turn in their gas-powered lawn tools will receive a FREE Ego Power+ replacement including batteries and chargers, while supplies last.
Compared to gas, electric lawn equipment can reduce emissions, noise pollution, health risks and maintenance costs and time. The program aims to remove about a hundred gas-powered polluting tools from yards in the greater Baltimore-Washington region.
The exchanges will take place the weekends of May 17-19, 2024, and May 31-June 2, 2024, at A Few Cool Hardware Stores network of employee-owned Ace Hardware stores in the DC and Baltimore metro areas. To participate and get your free Ego Power+ lawn tool, sign up at https://qrco.de/CAPExchange to reserve your tool and select your trade-in date and location.
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Free Irish Music Concert
Welcoming Spring with music from the Emerald Isle, the New Dominion Choraliers offer a FREE concert on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City.
Joined by Legacy Brass and members of Old
Spring Ceili: An Irish Music Festival
The New Dominion Choraliers of Prince William County and McGrath Morgan Academy of Irish Dance invite you to join them at our Ceili, a grand celebration of Irish music and dance.
A gathering of performance groups throughout Prince William County
