Press release: “On Tuesday, [June 27, 2023] Brentsville Supervisor Jeanine Lawson introduced a resolution at the Board meeting. This will commit the Board to abstain from scheduling certain land use public hearings during the period from Election Day, November 7, 2023, through the conclusion of the current Board’s term on December 31, 2023.”

“In the recent primary, voters expressed their strong opposition to reckless data center development pushed by Chair Wheeler and her Democrat colleagues, Supervisor Angry, Bailey, Boddye, and Franklin. The message conveyed by voters was clear that expediting development approvals without transparency and disregarding citizen input will bear consequences at the voting booth. In response, Supervisor Lawson’s resolution seeks to address public anxiety about the conduct of a lame duck Board.”

“‘I strongly believe this resolution acknowledges that citizens are demanding transparent and accountable decision-making,’ said Supervisor Lawson. ‘By refraining from scheduling high-profile land use public hearings during this short designated period, I believe this reprieve could help rebuild trust with citizens to ensure a fair and inclusive decision-making process. If candidates feel so strongly about these cases, then they should run on them.”

“The resolution is scheduled for an afternoon vote at the July 11, 2023, Board of County Supervisors meeting. Residents are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts on the resolution.”

Rules already on the books in neighboring Stafford County prevent its Board of Supervisors from hearing land-use cases during lame-duck sessions.

Lawson won the Republican nomination to run for the Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair At-large seat. She’ll face Democrat Deshundra Jefferson, who won her party’s Primary Election on June 20, beating incumbent At-large Chair Ann Wheeler.

Republican Tom Gordy and Democrat Jim Gehlsen is running to replace Lawson in the Brentsville seat.

Voters will decide the next At-large Chair on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

Democracy only works if you exercise it.  Talk is cheap, but votes are powerful.

In the past 20 months, county residents have been encouraged to push back against a government that rode roughshod over its express wishes.  That encouragement paid off on June 20 with the upset defeat of Board of County Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler in the Democratic primary.

The ousting of Chair Wheeler is a thunderclap that will reverberate far beyond Prince William County and whose effects will become clearer in the weeks ahead.  At a minimum, it sends a powerful message that communities will fight back against reckless development that threatens their quality of life and that public servants who do not serve will be held accountable.

The cliches are irresistible.  Truth is powerful.  Justice prevailed.  Right made might.

What does this stunning rebuke mean for the future of Prince William County Government?  For starters, it ought to shine a bright light on the public’s disdain for the “pay for play” politics that has been ruling this county for too long.  Ditto for divisive leadership, obstructing transparency, neglect of due diligence, and suppression of public input.

Congratulations to Deshundra Jefferson, who had the courage to stand up to a Democratic organization that had doubled down on a flawed status quo.  It’s time to start making over that organization in the image of the principles it is supposed to stand for.  It is the people, not the money, that sustains it.

Democracy in.  Wheeler out.

Bill Wright
Gainesville

PLN accepts letters to the editor on issues of local importance. Submit your letters to [email protected].

The leader of Virginia's second-largest local government won't take the debate stage with her primary opponent.

This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.

Deshundra Jefferson said she's about policy, not politics.

This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.

The Democratic Party charter states: “What we seek for our Nation, we hope for all people – individual freedom in the framework of a just society, political freedom in the framework of meaningful participation by all citizens.

Bound by the U.S. Constitution, aware that a party must be responsive to be worthy of responsibility, we pledge ourselves to open, honest endeavor and to the conduct of public affairs in a manner worthy of a society of free people.”

Those principles have been repeatedly violated by the current Chair of the Prince William Board of County supervisors, Ann Wheeler.

Her blatant servitude to business interests has undermined a just society.  Wheeler inhibited meaningful citizen participation by hastily scheduling community engagement meetings at the height of the COVID pandemic, refusing to delay them, and then barely acknowledging resident concerns.

Her disregard for due diligence proves she is insufficiently responsive to be worthy of the responsibility. Under Wheeler’s “leadership,” the county failed to conduct even a basic cost analysis of infrastructure and public services required for the Prince William Digital Gateway, nor did they conduct a noise study or assess electrical power needs.

The board also deliberately deferred a water study recommended by the county’s own Watershed Management branch and neighboring Fairfax County.   Wheeler’s aversion to transparency for the sake of political expedience demonstrates she can neither openly nor honestly conduct public affairs in a manner worthy of her constituents.

County staff and supervisors repeatedly hid behind non-disclosure agreements to obscure the truth about the land under development or available for data center use and neglected to respond to multiple inquiries from citizens and their attorneys for essential information to inform the public debate.

Ann Wheeler’s tenure has been dominated by contentiousness, divisiveness, and suspicion.  Every day she spends in the office further damages the Democratic brand in Prince William County.  She needs to be removed.

It is our civic duty to reject public officials who have betrayed our trust and replace them with better candidates that will restore it. With Deshundra Jefferson’s announcement last Wednesday, Prince William voters now have both a fine candidate and an opportunity for redemption.

Vote for Deshundra Jefferson in the Democratic primary on June 20.

Bill Wright
Gainesville
Former Treasurer, Gainesville Magisterial District Democratic Committee

PLN accepts letters to the editor on issues of local importance. Submit your letters to [email protected].