Ann Wheeler will seek a second term as chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
She’s led the governing body for Virginia’s second-largest jurisdiction since January 2020. Since that time, she’s pushed a progressive agenda that has been applauded by her supporters who wish to grow the county’s tax commercial tax base and vilified by others who have mounted a recall petition for the Democrat.
Fellow Democrat Deshondra Jefferson will challenge Wheeler for her seat.
Here’s more in an announcement from Wheeler:
In my 2018 campaign announcement [for her first term], I promised to ensure our school system was adequately funded and that, when elected, I would make it one of my primary missions to build the schools we need, to pay our teachers what they deserve and to make sure the school system has the resources it needs to be successful. I kept that promise. In our FY23 County budget, we funded our schools over $100 million more than when I took office, representing a 17% increase over prior years.
I promised to make Prince William County more attractive and welcoming to prospective large and small businesses, thereby relieving our homeowners from the burden of making up over 80% of the County real-estate tax revenue. I made good on that promise.
Over the last three years, Prince William County has enjoyed a surge in large business investments, steered significant CARES and ARPA funds towards small businesses and created new business grants to incentivize local business growth. In that same time, we secured funding for over $1 Billion in active and new projects to improve our transportation infrastructure.
I also campaigned on bringing an inclusive and a welcoming culture to all Prince William County residents. I saw the opportunity to address the unique issues of the large and diverse population of the County and to enable a bright and prosperous future for all. I delivered on that promise. Over the last three years, we have embraced as a strength our place as the 10th most diverse county in the nation, and experienced a palpable positive shift for our immigrant communities. We also invested $2 million in federal recovery funding in an immigration Welcome Center and hosted numerous cultural events celebrating our diversity.
In addition to these promises kept, I have led a Board of County Supervisors that has celebrated many other achievements, while also successfully navigating a pandemic.
We funded and established a Crisis Receiving Center for those experiencing mental health crises, which is opening in early 2024.
We created a Racial and Social Justice Commission to address community issues that needed to be addressed.
We committed to long-term Climate and Resiliency Goals and created an Office of Sustainability with over $1 Million in funding in FY23 and a Sustainability Commission for community input.
We adopted Prince William County’s first ever Collective Bargaining Ordinance to give our public sector employees, Police Department and Department of Fire and Rescue a seat at the table at their urging.
Finally, we adopted the long-overdue Prince William County Comprehensive Plan Pathway to 2040. This bold vision document updates and modernizes our land use policies and robust transportation network plans, and adds brand new affordable housing goals and policies to make sure the people who work here can afford to live here.
I am grateful for everything we have accomplished, but we still have much work to do. I look forward to serving Prince William County for another four years as your Chair-At-Large and earning our residents’ vote on November 7, 2023.
