Royse Not Working with AFRICOM Officials

Woodbridge, Va. — Woodbridge District Supervisor candidate Chris Royse’s claims he is working with the Department of Defense to bring a major military command headquarters to Woodbridge are in question.

Royse’s democratic opponent and current Woodbridge District Supervisor, Frank Principi, filed a Freedom of Information Act request after Royse this summer said he was in talks with the United States African Command, or AFRICOM, about a possible move from its headquarters in Germany to Woodbridge. At the time Royse, who has worked as a federal contractor and has served in the Army, said AFRICOM’s relocation to the area would make sense because of Woodbridge’s proximity to the Pentagon and because of its easy transit access through Virginia Railway Express.

Royse also said he planned to make AFRICOM’s relocation to the area a campaign issue in the Nov. 8 election, but today admitted in a written statement he has not been working in any official capacity to lure the command to Woodbridge.

“For the record: no, I have not spoken to anyone officially at AFRICOM about moving to Woodbridge. I am not the supervisor for Woodbridge, and that is the job of elected officials. Of course the [Department of Defense] wouldn’t discuss a major move with a resident. Only someone who doesn’t understand business, let alone the DoD, like Frank Principi, would need a FOIA request to figure that out,” said Royse.

A letter from AFRICOM to Principi sent today to reporters confirms there is no written documentation that Royse has been communicating with AFRICOM about a move.

“Chris Royse is misleading Woodbridge voters about his number one campaign issue,” Principi said. “If he is misleading us about this issue, can he be trusted with any of the other issues important to families and businesses in Woodbridge?”

This latest announcement comes just 14 days before general election in which voters will decide to keep the incumbent Principi who has served four years or elect Royse.