Manassas City Council Candidate Survey: Power Outages/Electrical Grid

Early voting is open in Virginia! Starting on Sept. 20, Virginians can begin voting in the Nov. 5 general election and local election. Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Manassas City Council and the mayor’s seat.

To help voters make an informed decision, we are continuing a new feature series, “One-Question Manassas City Council Candidate Survey.” This series will run throughout the campaign season, offering insights into each candidate’s stand on key issues affecting our city. Our sixth one, which ran on Sept. 9, focused on parking.

The candidates are given 10 days to respond to a Google Form, and their answers will be compiled into a single post on PotomacLocalNews.com. This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day.

Today’s topic: Power outages and the electrical grid.

The candidates were asked: How do you plan to address the ongoing power outages in Manassas, and what measures would you support to improve the city’s electrical grid reliability??

Mayoral candidates

Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom (R)

Sporadic power outages, which peaked last summer,

have highlighted the consequences of leaving critical utility positions unfilled. The mayor and City Council members seeking reelection owe it to residents — particularly the elderly, at-risk, and vulnerable populations — to address outages swiftly. We have to be able to attract top talent to the city and keep them here.

Interim City Manager Doug Keen played a pivotal role in bringing Steve Burke back as assistant city manager of operations, responsible for electric service. After meeting with Steve personally, I’m confident we have the right leadership in place to minimize further disruptions. The next Council and mayor will need to ensure Burke remains with the city and has the resources his department needs to provide residents with a stable and reliable power supply.

As the city grows, new demands on the grid will continue to increase. My focus will be squarely on hiring and retaining exceptional staff like Steve Burke, who can anticipate future needs and offer effective solutions.

Michelle Davis Younger (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Davis-Younger is seeking a second term as mayor, after being elected in 2020. She owns and operates a Human Resources Consulting firm located in Historic Downtown Manassas called The1ForHR, LLC, which focuses on career coaching and resume writing.

City Council candidates

Lynn Forkell Greene (R)

It’s clear that the recent historic outages underscored the

need for robust leadership and effective succession planning within our utility leadership team. Additionally, our city lacked the necessary information to swiftly address the challenges posed by aging substations.

As your next Manassas City Councilor, I will prioritize modernizing our electrical grid with a responsible and proactive approach. This involves investing in new equipment, enhancing power lines, and continuing to integrate smart technology for improved monitoring. Starting this process now is essential to effectively manage our financial commitments and prevent future issues, particularly with the anticipated demand from the four approved data centers.

So, how will we achieve this?

First, we must conduct a thorough infrastructure assessment to ensure transparency and effective planning. By evaluating our current capabilities, including the condition of our substations and other critical equipment, we can make informed decisions that benefit our community and prepare us for the increased demands on our grid.

Community engagement is vital to our success. I envision open communication and collaboration that reaches every household, allowing our taxpayers to see the benefits of these developments without sacrificing our quality of life. Together, we can tackle the challenges that come with this growth.

We also need to strengthen our emergency response plans, ensuring clear communication during outages and reliable backup power for critical facilities. Sharing these plans with every household is key to fostering preparedness in our community.

I will work closely with city staff to create a comprehensive revenue plan from the data centers, aligning it with our infrastructure forecast. This will ensure our community is well-equipped to handle increased demands while maximizing the benefits of new developments.

By coming together, we can enhance the reliability of our electrical grid and improve the quality of life for all residents in Manassas. Let’s be proactive, stay informed, and take action for a brighter, more dependable future! Together, we can prosper.

Lynn Forkell Greene is seeking to regain a seat on City Council, where she served for 14 months, from fall 2021 to December 2022. Forkell Green served the remainder of Davis-Younger’s term, a seat vacated when Davis-Younger was elected mayor.

She is an administrative director for a nonprofit. Forkell Greene and her husband share four adult children and three grandchildren. Before announcing her reelection bid, Forkell Green was a freelance reporter covering city issues for Potomac Local News.

Ashley Hutson (D)

The City of Manassas offers excellent utility service.

Electrical outages are rare, not ongoing.

In 2023 there were several outages, some due to forces of nature outside of our control, such as extremely hot temperatures and squirrels chewing through power lines. Some neighborhoods experienced more outages than others, such as Battery Heights. At the time of their outages, there was electrical equipment that was due for replacement. Like all electronics, technology gets out-dated and worn out.

When the sub-station that serves Battery Heights was having issues, the city acted swiftly to bring in another sub-station to revive power while thorough inspections and upgrades were completed. The city purchased the additional sub-station so there is backup power, ensuring reliable electricity to its residents and businesses now and into the future.

One of the ways the city is working to enhance the appearance of our neighborhoods is by putting utility lines underground. Burying existing lines, while costly and often complicated, will reduce or eliminate accidental outages like cars hitting power poles and wear-and-tear from weather. I support the city’s efforts to put power lines underground wherever possible.

Hutson is seeking her first term on City Council. She is the director of Member Engagement of the Heavy Construction Contractors Association in Manassas. Hutson has served on the Manassas Board of Building Code Appeals, Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and Community Advisory Committee. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School and Christopher Newport University.

Stephen Kent (R)

NO RESPONSE

Kent is seeking his first term on City Council. He is an author and public relations professional. He and his wife, Melony “Mel” Kent, share a child. Mel Kent ran for the city school board in 2022.

Tom Osina (D-Incumbent)

The premise of this question is false.

There have been NO ongoing or lengthy power outages in Manassas. In fact, when almost 100-degree weather arrived on June 22nd and then stayed, there were no electricity outages for Manassas residents.

Now, in summer of 2023, there were several outages which were extensive in the time it took to find the problem and repair it. But city government took immediate action such as filling a few key electric department positions by increasing the salary because they did not have many applicants.

Last year, the Battery Heights substation experienced a number of outages so the city brought in and later purchased a backup substation. This allowed electric power to be reliably restored while a thorough analysis of the old substation was conducted, parts replaced and additional squirrel guards, owl decoys and lightning shields added.

With the hiring of a new Electric Utilities Director, a revamped inspection program has been put in place to check electric lines and substations. This has led to an uneventful summer and city residents and businesses continue to receive dependable electric power.

Osina is seeking his second term on City Council. He and his husband have lived in the Georgetown South community for more than 20 years. He is the father of two grown children.

Robyn Williams (R)

Manassas has long provided reliable power to its

residents and businesses, but over the past year, a series of power outages exposed the vulnerabilities of the city’s aging power station and substations, which now require replacement. In response, I would begin by conducting an infrastructure audit and demand assessment. Engaging stakeholders — including utility companies, public works, transportation and emergency services — would help us fully understand the impact of prolonged outages. Additionally, I would involve the community to gauge how these outages have affected residents and businesses.

Although immediate repairs and upgrades have been made to stabilize substations and implement backup systems, it’s clear that we must now prioritize a comprehensive upgrade plan. This plan would focus on modernizing the infrastructure, investing in energy storage solutions, and exploring microgrids for critical areas such as hospitals and emergency services.

As demand for power continues to rise, it will be essential to diversify the city’s electric grid by investing in renewable energy sources and collaborating with state initiatives. A public awareness and education campaign would also play a key role in this effort.

By combining these short-term fixes with long-term investments in infrastructure modernization, renewable energy and effective demand management, we can ensure a more resilient and reliable power grid for the future.

Williams is seeking her first term on City Council. She has served two terms on the Manassas City School Board. Williams holds a bachelor’s of science in economics from George Mason University. She found her background in finance and economics valuable on the MCPS School Board, in addition to her more than 10 years as a broker/owner of Redstone Realty, specializing in residential real estate.

Williams’ public service in Manassas began with the Beautification Committee, where she served as a member and eventually chairperson. She also volunteered as a teacher assistant at Haydon Elementary for several years and taught modules in schools through the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation Department.

Mark Wolfe (D-Incumbent)

The premise of this question is incorrect. Manassas has

not and does not have “ongoing power outages.” To say so is a slander on the men and women from the City of Manassas who work very hard (and at some risk) to ensure that our electric system delivers to all of us.

Before the incident last summer, Manassas enjoyed world-class reliability from its electric grid, typically 99.99% service. Last summer an unforeseen event happened with TWO lightning strikes on the Battery Heights substation. Sometimes, bad things do happen. This had the effect of reducing the capacity of our electrical system at the same time we experienced peak summer demand. That stressed the system and led to outages. I experienced those outages at my home and businesses. All of Council and staff understand how this impacted residents and businesses.

Since then, the City has repaired the Battery Heights substation and our electrical system has returned to its typical world-class reliability. Through August this year, our reliability is at 99.9961%. Unfortunately, the occasional squirrel finds its way into a transformer or someone crashes a car into a power pole. Otherwise, we would be at 100% reliability. A testament to the hard work of the City of Manassas staff.

Wolfe is seeking a fourth term on City Council. He has lived in the City of Manassas since 1990. Wolfe has executive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and is currently the chief operating officer of MovieComm. Amy, his wife of 36 years, is the artistic director and CEO of Manassas Ballet Theatre. They have two children, both of whom graduated from Osbourn High School.

Stay tuned as we continue this series with topics such as power outages, parking issues, city management and staff retention, budget and taxes, public school performance, and data centers. We aim to provide a comprehensive look at each candidate’s platform, ensuring voters have all the information they need to make a thoughtful decision.

We hope this series will engage the community and foster a more informed electorate. Check back for new insights and updates from your Manassas City Council candidates. Early voting started  Sept. 20, and Election Day is Nov. 5.

Be sure to subscribe to our FREE news email. Each week, we will pose a single question to all candidates running for the Manassas City Council.