Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey: “PWC Potomac Shores residents, please join your Supervisor, Andrea O. Bailey, for a community Town Hall on Wednesday, June 14th at 6:00 pm at the Potomac Shores Social Barn. Come and hear first-hand updates on happenings in your community. See you there!”
The social barn sits at 1801 Potomac Shores Parkway, #100, near Dumfries.
Bailey faces Democrat Kim Short in a Primary Election on June 20. Bailey declined our invitation for an interview to discuss her reelection campaign.
Bailey has represented the Potomac District, which includes Montclair and Dumfries, since 2020.
Heather Mitchell is seeking the GOP nomination for Stafford County Treasurer.
Mitchell already works in the treasurer’s office as a chief deputy to outgoing treasurer Laura Rudy, who chose not to run for re-election after serving since 2008. Rudy endorsed Mitchell when she announced her retirement in December 2022.
Mitchell ran twice for a Virginia House of Delegates seat to replace former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy in 2019 and again in 2021. Delegate Candi Mundon King currently holds the seat.
Mitchell has been married to her husband of 24 years, with whom she shares three children, ages 20 to 27.
Mitchell faces Mike Sienkowski in the GOP Primary Election on June 20, 2023. Find your polling place.
I interviewed Mitchell about her race. You can see the entire interview video here.
You received the endorsement of the outgoing treasurer, Laura Rudy. What does that mean for you and your campaign?
“Well, what it means is actually, I can continue to carry on basically the legacy of Laura. She will retire at the end of this year after 16 years of faithful service to the county. And I have had an incredible opportunity in the fact that to be mentored and trained by her, starting out in delinquent collections, it’s conceivably one of the harder jobs within the office. And it was something that I found because when you first hear delinquent collections, it kind of has a bad taste in your mouth, I guess you could say. But what I found out is people want to be able to pay their taxes. It’s not like they’re trying to avoid it. It’s just sometimes they can’t.”
“And speaking with taxpayers on a daily basis really, I guess, drives me in doing what I want to do and being able to serve the community. What I did when I started, was I went through all of the processes and procedures of how we went about collecting taxes. One of the interesting things is, prior to my arrival, on average, we were writing off about $600,000 a year annually in taxes because the way the Virginia code is set up is that you can only collect taxes for up to five years.”
“So at the end of that five years, it starts getting written off. And since I joined the team, we have collected basically in excess of $2.4 million in delinquent taxes and fees that otherwise would have been written off. So I went through it, and we streamlined the processes and procedures. What’s interesting was when I was hired, it actually got us back to our staffing numbers from 2008. So we still have the staffing capacity of what we had in 2008, yet our county has grown by at least 40,000 people. So it’s the same amount of people doing the work, plus 40,000 people.”
Several changes were introduced to the Stafford County Treasurer’s Office under Rudy to include a DMV Select. What do you intend to keep? And what other changes would you like to see? What more could this office do to serve the public?
“Well, obviously, we want to keep the DMV Select because a lot of the residents do use this. If you need to do a title change, renew your registration. We can do things like that. We can’t do driver’s licenses or anything like that. But one of the other things that I am looking at doing is right now we do collections, for we have a contract with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office where we collect court fines and fees.”
“And this program is really nice because the monies that they collect actually pay their own salary. So there’s no money coming out of the taxpayer’s pocket to fund these positions. What I’m looking to do is actually expand it over into utilities to assist them, setting up a similar program to keep it all in-house in the county.”
“…we want to promote invoice cloud. So as a lot of people know that we’ve transitioned to a new payment portal. And what we’re trying to do is give the power of how a taxpayer pays their bills to give them control. So what we’re doing we’re in the middle of converting to where you can have paperless billing.
“We didn’t want to implement that right away. We wanted everybody to get kind of comfortable with our system because what we plan to do is if you want to opt out of having a paper bill sent to you, you click the button you’ve got control of if you want to be sent a hard copy bill or not.”
“A lot of people, which is funny, even if you have a zero balance, a lot of people still like to get those bills because a lot of those accounts are people that are in some sort of tax relief. It could be senior relief. It could be veterans’ relief. And it’s kind of like a check and balance to make sure that their exemption is still being appropriately applied.”
Stafford County’s population has grown by 40,000 since 2008 and continues to grow. From the treasurer’s office perspective, what will be some of the challenges as Stafford County continues to grow, and how will you work to overcome them?
“With the population increase, obviously, it comes in the form of technology. How can we streamline things to make it easier for the taxpayer? Right now, like I said, staffing wise, we’re still at 2008 numbers, but we’re still getting the job done and we’re doing an incredibly efficient job of doing it. And we always do it with a smile because my big thing is customer service.”
“And everybody at work hates it when I say this, but it’s true that customer service is not a department and it’s an attitude… But it is challenging because there are still a lot of things that we have to do manually because you need to have attention to detail that only a person can provide. And we don’t want to think of people as just an automated number. We want to have personal interaction. And that’s why I am a huge proponent of having the advanced technology because we have a brilliant staff, It staff that is on top of making sure all of our programs run correctly.”
Bill Woolf is running for the GOP nomination to represent the new Virginia Senate 30th District in western Prince William County.
Woolf has worked in the US. Department of Justice, where he served as the director of Human Trafficking programs and later acting director at the Office for Victims of Crime. He also served as a special advisor to the White House for human trafficking and child exploitation.
Woolf began his law enforcement career as a police officer in Northern Virginia and later became a detective, working on a task force with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Woolfe has lived in Gainesville for 21 years, has been a husband for 22 years, and is a father of six children between the ages of seven to 17.
There is no incumbent for the 30th Senate District. VPAP labels the district as competitive. Robert Ruffolo is the GOP challenger in the June 20, 2023, Primary Election. Find your polling place.
Democrat Danica Roem, representing western Prince William County in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2018, also seeks the seat during the November 7, 2023 General Election.
I interviewed Woolf about his race. You can see the entire interview video here.
Where do you stand on the proliferation of data centers in Northern Virginia? The server farms have been praised for the additional cash they bring for county schools, roads, public safety, and other services. In contrast, others have panned them, saying they are bad for the region’s water supply and take up the last remaining rural land in Northern Virginia.
“I’m all about sustainable growth…I think that we do need a healthy balance between residential and commercial. I’m certainly in favor of efforts that will ultimately reduce personal property taxes and income taxes for individuals in the area. But I think that we need to have growth be very sustainable. I think that we should balance where the data centers are placed and make sure that we create those opportunities. …nobody wants to look out their back window and see a data center like the one going up over in Haymarket right now on Route 55. But I think that we also have to consider is we’ve been out knocking doors.”
During the 2023 General Assembly, we saw Virginia State Senator Chap Peterson and Delegate Danica Roem push legislation to require studies of water and environmental studies before a data center project may advance. We saw pushback from the governor and his cabinet, which has been very clear, it wants more data centers in Virginia. The Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin and his administration lined up with the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors, largely Democrats, who were working together to bring more data centers into Prince William County. If you’re elected to the Senate, would you support requiring these environmental studies to be done before a data center project is considered in your district?
“I think when we talk about solutions, they have to be common sense solutions that actually do something. I know Delegate Rome has spoken very passionately about the data centers. But I would ask Delegate Roem, why has she not talked to her Democratic colleagues on the Board of Supervisors in Prince William County and gotten them to see her point of view on this? I think that leaders in Richmond need to be working with their local governments to make sure that those views are reflected and that it needs to be a team effort.
“I do think we need to look at the data, and I do think we need to understand what’s happening. I’d want to look at what research has already been done. I suspect that the state already has some research, and I don’t want to be duplicative. There’s no need to waste taxpayer dollars to do research that’s already been done. But if we don’t have the answers, then absolutely we need to find them.”
Governor Youngkin has made efforts to fund lab schools and says he supports more charter schools as a means to improve education. Where do you stand on school choice?
“One of the big pieces of Governor Youngin’s agenda is to get Virginians into gainful employment. And I think that there are many different avenues to do that, whether that’s a university, whether that’s lab schools, trade schools. And I support him wholeheartedly in creating educational choices for young people.”
“But I think that also includes the ability to choose what type of education you want. As I mentioned, my oldest son just graduated from public high school. It was a fantastic experience for him. Very proud that battlefield high school is one of the top 30 high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and he receives an amazing education.”
“However, our other kids are being homeschooled, and that’s been an extremely rewarding and enriching experience for them and for our family. We have seen them. We still have them take standardized testing. We’ve seen them consistently test at least two grade levels above where they’re supposed to be. So I think there are different options for different people, and we need to make sure that families all across Virginia, but particularly here in District 30, have the ability to choose what’s right for their family and for their children.”
Violent crime in Prince William County is up 70% since 2019. If elected, what will you do to ensure that the law enforcement officers who want to serve can do so in Prince William County?
“As a former police officer myself and being the third generation, my father and my grandfather before me served in law enforcement, I know the real risks that these women and men put themselves into every day to keep our communities safe. And I think that in the wake of the defund the police movement, what we have seen is a lack of support from leadership and elected officials. And we cannot ask these individuals to go into the community and do this job without making sure that they have the resources that they need.”
“They have competitive pay that are coming out of Richmond to make sure that they can do the job that they do. During the last legislative session, there was a bill to reduce assault on a police officer from a felony to a misdemeanor. That shows the lack of respect that we have for our law enforcement officers within the streets. So if I go to Richmond, my pledge is to make sure that the laws are reflective of what the officers need to do the job to keep their communities safe. But I’d also look at other common-sense solutions. Our governor right now is trying to get a budget passed through the Senate that would put 2000 more police officers on the streets in the Commonwealth.”
“But that budget is being blocked by the Senate right now. And it just doesn’t make sense to me why, when we know that we need these officers, to your point, when we can’t fill those roles when there are efforts to be able to do that, why are Democrats blocking those efforts?
An earlier version of this story reported the incorrect Primary Election date.
Editors note: This is the latest in a series of articles featuring candidates running in Virignia’s June 20, 2023, Primary Election.
Makya Little, 41, is running in a June 20 Primary Election to be the Democrat nominated by her party to run for the newly-created 19th District Virginia House of Delegates seat. The seat has no incumbent. Little has two Primary opponents, Natalie Shorter, and Rozia Henson.
The district leans strongly toward Democrats and includes a portion of Woodbridge in Prince William County and a portion of southern Fairfax County. Find your polling place.
Little followed in her mother’s footsteps and worked at the FBI for 16 years, first as a graphic designer and later as a program analyst. She retired in 2022 after 16 years to run for office.
Little is a single mother with three children in Prince William County Public Schools, ages 13, 14, and 15.
I interviewed Little about her race. You can see the entire interview video here.
Regarding transportation, what are the unmet needs in the 19th District?Â
Editors note: This is the latest in a series of articles featuring candidates running in Virignia’s June 20, 2023, Primary Election.
Matt Strickland, 39, is running for the GOP nomination in Virginia’s 27th Senate District, including portions of Spotsylvania, Stafford counties, and Fredericksburg.
Strickland, the owner of Gourmeltz restaurant in Spotsylvania, made national news in 2021 when he refused to adhere to then-Gov. Ralph Northam’s coronavirus restrictions limit the number of customers in his restaurant.
The state sued Strickland after he refused a health-department order to close, and Strickland won without ever having closed or implemented state-mandated coronavirus restrictions.
Strickland is an Army veteran, a former intelligence analyst turned entrepreneur who opened Gourmeltz with his wife, Maria, in 2016. The couple lives in Spotsylvania and has four children ages 12 to 18.
Politics of the district: Strickland faces Tara Durant, a one-term Delegate who chose to seek a seat in the Virginia Senate, in a June 20, 2023, Republican Primary. Democrats Joel Griffin and Ben Litchfield are also vying for their party’s nomination for the seat in the June 20 Primary Election.
Stafford County Supervisor Monica Gary, an independent, will seek also seek the seat in the November 7, 2023, General Election. Find your polling place.
There is no incumbent for the 27th Senate District, created in 2021 by the Virginia State Supreme Court in the state’s decennial redistricting process.
I interviewed Strickland about his race. You can see the entire interview here.
Do you support school choice?Â
"Tracy Blake, a 46-year-old candidate for the Neabsco District School Board seat this fall, faced a number of legal challenges between 2006 and 2011, Prince William County Circuit Court records show, ultimately landing Blake in jail with a one-year sentence. Blake's arrest record began circulating on several schools-related Facebook groups over the weekend."
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I am writing to encourage my friends and neighbors in Prince William County residents to elect Jeanine Lawson for Chair of the Board of Supervisors.
I was fortunate to serve with Jeanine on the Board of Supervisors when our terms overlapped from late 2014 to early 2016. During our brief service together, I was able to observe Jeanine’s leadership firsthand. I was always impressed with her preparation and passion for the citizens of our county.
She always did her homework and worked to protect the quality of life that we in Prince William County enjoy. That quality of life, however, is not guaranteed. It takes leadership and the right vision to protect our community.
Unfortunately, on issues like taxes, public safety, and development, we are headed in the wrong direction. That’s why we need Jeanine.
Over the last few years, we have seen increases in our property taxes and the imposition of a new meals tax. This has given the board lots of new revenue. Yet despite all this new money, the board has not added police officers quickly enough to meet demand as per the county’s police staffing plan. And the countywide crime rate has risen each of the last two years.
In the area of development, we have seen the proliferation of data center approvals. While these may bring the county more revenue, they will obliterate the beauty and tranquility of our rural area, damage our environmental resources, and impact the quality of life of our neighbors. We have also seen new residential development that will increase the costs of infrastructure and government services. Yet we have not seen a commitment to preserving open spaces and natural resources as we grow.
We need a new vision. We need a new leader to address the issues affecting us all. That leader is Jeanine Lawson.
We need Jeanine because she’s proven she can tackle divisive issues and stand up for the majority of Prince William County residents. We want someone that will fight to protect our quality of life. We want someone to preserve open space and protect our watersheds.
We want a leader who will be smart about spending and make investments that will keep our community safe. Jeanine Lawson will get it done for us. She will stand up for our community–not political donors and special interests.
I encourage you to vote for Jeanine Lawson for Chairman. Please vote Jeanine
Lawson in the Republican Primary on Tuesday, June 20, between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. at your regular polling location.
Michael C. May
Former Prince William County Occoquan District Supervisor
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Makya Little for Delegate: “On Monday, June 19, 2023—also known as Juneteenth—Little’s campaign will host their final pre-primary fundraiser featuring a performance by DeBarge. Working to create opportunities for community members, the campaign has also selected two local bands—TurnUpDeAnte & Co. and Izis la Enderma de la Salsa—to open for DeBarge at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Woodbridge that evening.”
“Eldra “El” Patrick DeBarge—an American singer, songwriter, and musician—was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge [during the 19880s]. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include “Stay with Me,” “All This Love,” and “Rhythm of the Night.”
Tickets for the political fundraiser range between $20 and $5,000. Little is running for the House of Delegates 19th District seat, created in 2021. The seat has no incumbent.
The district includes portions of southern Fairfax County and Woodbridge in Prince William County. The district leans heavily toward Democrats.
Little has two Democrat opponents running against her in a June 20 Primary Election — Rozia Henson and Natalie Shorter.
Restaurant owners in Prince William County are piping hot about the county's meals tax and want it repealed.
On Thursday Saturday, June 8, they'll join the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association for two rallies to end the tax that they say has burdened independently-owned restaurants and their. One rally will occur in eastern Prince Willaim and another in the west.
