Opinion: We can correct the course of Prince William County’s future

On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, we can correct the course of Prince William County’s future with our votes in the Primary Election. Many of the incumbent county Supervisors have opponents running in their goal to gain back the County for the citizens.

The chair of the board, Ann Wheeler, is running for re-election against another Democratic candidate Deshundra Jefferson. Here are some facts to consider when you go to vote.

Wheeler’s campaign is funded by special interest groups, including the data center industry, developers, and landowners that stand to make millions from the sale of their rural land for use by the data center industry. Wheeler has ownership in data center companies, yet she failed to ask if these personal financial interests represented a conflict of interest when she voted to approve favorable tax rates and approve the development of more land for these companies to build here.

She wanted to [reduce] public comment time at County Board meetings because we, the citizens of the county who were showing up to speak up, were taking up too much of the Supervisors’ time. Wheeler was recently charged by the Virginia Supreme Court of violating the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) by participating in a meeting with the other Democrat County Supervisors at the exclusion of any Republican Supervisors. When the ruling from the Supreme Court was released, Wheeler said the County (you and me) would need to pay their legal fees of up to $150,000.

Wheeler approved higher taxes for us with the meals, cigarettes, and real estate taxes. Yet, she refused to increase the tax on data center companies to the market rate charged by other localities. She claims to have championed our environment, yet she and her Democratic Supervisors voted for the single, largest land use change in decades by eliminating the Rural Crescent.

They approved this despite pleas from our water company, over 30 environmental groups, and our own county Environmental and Sustainability Commission. As you go to the polls on Tuesday, June 20, ask yourself, “Do you want our County to continue to be governed by a person whose interests and influence are from data center companies and real estate developers?” Did you vote for your Supervisors to make Prince William County home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers?

Let’s take the county back and elect Supervisors who represent us, the county’s citizens, and not allow our county to continue to be bought by the highest bidder.

Nancy Armour
Woodbridge

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