Opinion: Lame duck supervisors showed they will push more damaging land use decisions

“It is important that elected representatives be accountable, consistent, transparent, and fair in decision-making. We must call them out when they are not. This requires monitoring the actions and statements of our representatives and ensuring they prioritize the best interests of all the people they seek to serve – not just one group.”

These words encapsulate exactly why the board chamber was FULL of residents for the July 11 vote on Resolution 23-365. Over 1,000 residents – from across the county – wrote to the board in support of that resolution – 908 petitioned via click-to-send email, and more than 100 others sent personal email messages. More than 100 also spoke at the meeting in favor of the resolution.

Mary Ann Ghadban, instigator of the Digital Gateway data center corridor application and Pageland Lane homeowner, wrote and published those statements in multiple local newspapers on the day of the board’s vote. Her group is exactly one that should NOT be given preferential treatment by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors with their votes.

These words explain why Ann Wheeler already knows after the primary election results that she won’t be on the dais come January.

These words encapsulate the choices voters made this past February and June, when Bob Weir was made Supervisor of the Gainesville district, and Deshundra Jefferson and Jeanine Lawson won their respective primaries for the Board Chair seat.

These words foretell how county voters will choose their board of supervisor representatives in the November election.

These words also explain exactly why Resolution 23-365, for a vote moratorium on controversial land-use cases during the lame-duck period after the November election until new board members take their seats, is the right thing for all county residents.

By defeating this resolution, already-lame-duck Chair Wheeler, and current Supervisors Boddye, Bailey, Franklin, and Angry showed us that they want to push more damaging and controversial land use decisions before they are stopped by the will of the people county-wide. They intend to continue to choose for the benefit of one group wanting to industrialize and urbanize the entire county.

With their vote on July 11, they have proven they support one select group.

Across the county, we will make our own choices to seal the fate of this board; and to protect our fates and the futures of our children.

Karen Sheehan
Gainesville District

Potomac Local News aims to share opinions on issues of local importance from a diverse range of residents across all our communities. If you’ve recently spoken at a Board of County Supervisors meeting, send us a typed copy of your remarks for publication to [email protected].