Sowers is latest victim in the Prince William County political ‘sign wars’

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — A candidate running for Prince William County Supervisor got a surprise this week.

Someone took a can of back spray paint and put graffiti on one of Patrick Sowers’ campaign signs on Minneville Road, near Route 234.

“I was shocked to learn from one of my supporters that a vandal had graffitied one of my large signs,” states Sowers in an email.

Sowers is a Republican seeking to be the next Coles District Supervisor. Incumbent Marty Nohe is not seeking re-election to the seat but is running for Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman At-large.

The Coles District is crowded with candidates this year all seeking a seat on the Board of County Supervisors. Two other Republicans, Yesli Vega and Paul O’Mera will face Sowers in a June 11 Republican Primary Election.

And Democrats Latonsha Pridgen and Raheel Ahmed are also running for the seat. They two will also face off in the June 11 Democratic Primary Election.

With all of this political attention, Sowers isn’t surprised his sign was tagged.

“…the more I thought about it, in this politically charged environment, perhaps I’m doing something right to garner the attention of one morose individual,” Sowers states in an email.

In last November’s General Election, confusing political signs in Prince William County became the subject of hearings in Richmond. Red signs that stated, “Republicans for Stanley Bender” appeared outside polling places on Election Day.

Bender was an independent candidate for Prince William County School Board Chairman At-large. However, Alyson Satterwhite was the candidate that was endorsed by the county’s Republican Party.

Documents show that in the days leading up to the General Election, former Prince William County Democratic Chairman Harry Wiggins filed paperwork with the Virginia Department of Elections to form the “Republicans for Stanley Bender Political Action Committee.

In the end, the State Board of Elections fined Wiggins $500, the maximum penalty it could enforce. Democrat Babur Lateef won the election for School Board Chairman At-large.

Prince William County Republicans today, as they did at the state hearings in December, say their political signs are unfairly targeted for destruction.

“I would like to say that this is unusual – but it is not.  The ‘sign wars’ happen every year,” states Prince William County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Card. “ They range from people putting signs up where they shouldn’t be (public property and road medians are a favorite spot for that) to people putting signs up to block other people’s signs.  Signs have been stolen, hacked up, covered with graffiti, and torched.”