Bob Weir announced his intent to run for the vacant Prince William Board of County Supervisors Gainesville District seat. Supervisor Peter Candland announced his resignation from the seat effective Friday, December 16.
Weir just won a seat on the Haymarket Town Council, where he has served five terms. He’s also served five terms on the Haymarket Planning Commission and has a proven track record and reputation for achieving results for the residents of Haymarket and the Gainesville District.
“As a long-time advocate who has spent decades defending the quality of life for families who have chosen the Gainesville District as home, I believe the current direction of the County Board requires a voice of reason, unencumbered by personal conflicts, to maintain that quality of life. I have the experience and expertise to hit the ground running and immediately address the concerns of residents who have been marginalized and ignored, restoring integrity and trust, qualities long absent in the Gainesville District citizens’ experience with our county,” Weir stated.
Alyson Satterwhite, a Republican and former Prince William County School Board member, is also running for the seat. A Democrat has yet to announce for the seat, though Prince William County Democratic Committee Chair Tonya James told Potomac Local News a candidate could announce a bid for the seat by the end of the week.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors meets today, Tuesday, December 13, and must set a special election date to replace Candland.
Weir has been a voice for the residents of the Gainesville District, both in his service to the Town and determined advocate for the residents’ concerns. Weir has worked with elected officials, community groups, and concerned individuals on issues ranging from the location of power lines to the Prince William Digital Gateway. Weir pledges to bring that same level of diligence, focus and resolve to the Office of the Gainesville District Supervisor.
“Prince William County and the Gainesville District in particular, are faced with an unprecedented number of challenges, most resulting from unfettered development which creates an increased tax burden without corresponding public service improvements. Those challenges are exacerbated by an indifferent Board of Supervisors and unresponsive County staff. The decisions being made by the current Board of Supervisors, without meaningful representation of the Gainesville District, will continue to degrade the quality of life and the investment value of those who chose to live in Prince William County. The residents of the County have grown weary of divisive tactics that ignore their interests. I am committed to returning a voice to the residents, championing fiscal responsibility, and maintaining my tradition of open-door service and leadership,” said Weir.
Weir said he will emphasize fiscal restraint and a close review of the county budget to ensure that the tax burden borne by residents is mitigated to the greatest extent possible. Further, Weir will address the uncontrolled, irresponsible development practices that threaten the residents’ quality of life, the Rural Crescent, and portend ever-increased spending on the infrastructure required to implement poorly considered industrial development and residential sprawl.
Weir is a nearly lifelong resident of Virginia, the child of a career Army Officer and State Department employee. After graduating from the University of Virginia and starting a family, Weir moved to the Gainesville District in 2000, largely due to the quality of life and educational opportunities presented by Prince William County.
As a member of the Haymarket Town Council and several civic organizations, Weir has fought for the interests of the county residents, including the undergrounding of the Haymarket Transmission Line. Weir and his wife, Diane have been married for 31 years, live in Haymarket, and have put three children through Prince William County Public Schools.
Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland announced an abrupt end to his third term on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
Candland will resign on Friday, December 16, after spending nearly 10 years and three terms in office representing western Prince William County. The senior member of the Board of County Supervisors, his decision comes after supervisors approved the controversial Prince William Digital Gateway development, which cleared the way for data centers to be built on more than 800 acres next to Manassas National Battlefield Park.
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A pedestrian bridge will be built over Route 15 near Haymarket, the site of several pedestrian crashes and fatalities in recent years.
The new bridge will cross the four-lane highway at Graduation Drive, near Battlefield High School, where two 13-year-old boys were struck and killed in separate crashes in 2021. On November 23, 2022, a woman was struck at the intersection and flown to a hospital with serious head injuries.
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Today, former Prince William County Supervisor John Stirrup announced his candidacy for the Virginia House of Delegates District 21.
Stirrup, a conservative, served on the Board of County Supervisors for two terms from 2004 until 2011. Stirrup left the county government and later lobbied on its behalf.
“As a 23-year resident of Prince William County, I know firsthand the challenges our County faces. We must lower our cost of living through limited government, restore excellence in our children’s education, and support law enforcement.”
He’s the second conservative candidate to announce a campaign for the seat this month. Josh Quill announced he would also run for the seat on November 14. There will likely be a Primary Election in Spring 2023.
“Prince William County needs a proven conservative in the House of Delegates, “Stirrup said. “I have dedicated years of service to the residents of Prince William County, and I will build upon my strong pro-business record on the Board of Supervisors and history of voting against tax increases.”
“Public safety and reducing crime in the County to keep our communities safe is a top priority,” Stirrup said. “To reduce crime in our Commonwealth, we must fully fund our law enforcement to keep dangerous criminals off the streets. I pledge to fight against the ‘criminals first, victims last’ mindset that has become so pervasive in the Commonwealth.”
“We must restore excellence in our children’s education. Parents’ rights are a top priority for me, and as your Delegate, I will support Governor Youngkin’s initiative to return control of your children’s education to parents.”
Town hall meetings were a hallmark of Stirrup’s tenure as supervisor. “I am proud of the superior constituent service my office provided and the 34 quarterly town hall meetings we held in the district. All constituents can expect the same level of representation from me in the House of Delegates.”
A lifelong conservative, Stirrup worked in the Reagan Administration on Capitol Hill as a Chief of Staff and was twice elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
Stirrup moved to Haymarket in 1999. He and his wife, Heidi, live on a small farm north of town.
District 21, Prince William County, comprises precincts in the Gainesville and Brentsville Magisterial Districts.
Rescue crews flew a pedestrian to Fairfax Inova Hospital after she was struck by a car.
According to initial reports, the victim, a female was struck by a car at the intersection of Route 15 and Graduation Drive near Battlefield High School at about 7:50 a.m.
The victim suffered what appeared to be head injuries and was loaded onto a helicopter that landed in the parking lot of the high school, which then took her to a hospital.
According to initial reports, multiple cars were involved in the crash, and the driver who struck the pedestrian remained at the scene when police arrived.
Prince William County Public Schools are closed today for Thanksgiving break. We’ll update this post with new information as we get it.
Last night, in a separate incident, a pedestrian was struck and seriously injured near Manassas.
Route 15 at Graduation Drive is a deadly intersection. Last year, two 13-year-old boys were killed while crossing Route 15, a four-lane thoroughfare linking Route 19 in Gainesville to Maryland.
The first fatal crash in 2021 occurred in January, when the victim was struck twice while attempting to cross the road. Rescue crews pronounced him dead on the scene.
The second fatal crash that year occurred in Ocotober, when another 13-year-old boy attempted to cross Route 15 and was sturck and killed by a van.
*TRAFFIC ALERT: #Crash | #Haymarket; #PWCPD is currently in the area of Graduation Dr. at Rte. 15 for a crash involving a pedestrian. Graduation Dr. at Rte. 15 is Closed. Please use caution and follow police direction. pic.twitter.com/AFg8yFb99g
— Prince William County Police Department (@PWCPolice) November 23, 2022
Tomorrow is Election Day across Virginia. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
This year’s big races in our area are congressional seats in Virginia’s 7th District (Abigail Spanberger (D) / Yesli Vega (R) and in Virginia’s 10th District (Jennifer Wexton (D) / Hung Cao (R).
While some cities and towns also have municipal elections. Click here to find out who is on your ballot.
Sample ballots for Prince William County towns:
Here’s a sample ballot for Manassas and one for Manassas Park.
Click the link in the Tweet below to find out where to vote. Early voting ended Saturday, November 5, 2022.
Got a plan for tomorrow? Make sure you know where to go to make your voice heard. Look up your polling place on the Virginia Department of Elections’ website >> https://t.co/ebouy8SeWR pic.twitter.com/o6MIpiVfvU
— VA Dept of Elections (@vaELECT) November 7, 2022
A total of 284,636 tickets bought in Virginia won prizes ranging from $4 to $150,000 in Saturday’s drawing. Three Virginia tickets each won $150,000 in Saturday’s drawing.
They were bought at:
• B B Mart, 2301 Pocahontas Trail, Quinton
• Sheetz, 15315 Washington Street, Haymarket
• Online (at valottery.com or using the Virginia Lottery app)
• Four Virginia tickets won $50,000 apiece. They were bought at:
• Stone Road Sunoco, 14709 Lee Highway, Centreville
• Quik-e Foods, 100 North Main Street, Amherst
• 7-Eleven, 10485 Fairfax Boulevard, Fairfax
• Wawa, 1579 Lynnhaven Parkway, Virginia Beach
According to the Virginia Lottery, prize-winning tickets greater than $600 can be redeemed at any of the eight Virginia Lottery customer service centers or can be mailed to the Virginia Lottery. Click here for details and locations.
The profit from every Powerball ticket sold in Virginia, by law, benefits K-12 public education in Virginia.
Since no one hit the Powerball, another drawing will be held tonight. The jackpot stands at a world-record $1.9 billion with a cash option of $929 million. Tickets can be purchased until 10 p.m.
Prince William County Supervisors voted to amend its comprehensive plan to allow up to 27 million square feet of data centers to be built next to Manassas National Battlefield Park.
It’s the largest, most transformative land-use case in county history.
The vote on the project, the Prince William Digital Gateway, came just before 9 a.m., following a marathon meeting lasting 14 hours and 20 minutes. The party-line vote saw five Democrats voting in favor, two Republicans opposed, and one Republican, Peter Candland, abstained.
Candland lives where data centers may be built and did not attend the meeting.
The vote clears the way to allow Prince William County to rival neighboring Loudoun County, which, today, has more data centers than anywhere else on the globe. Under the Prince William Digital Gateway Plan, 1.300 acres of land next to the national park would be used for data centers, 800 acres would be reserved for parks, and 10 acres would be used to mark historic sites.
Since the battlefield park is hallowed ground and the site of two major Civil War battles, there is a strong possibility that developers will find human remains buried on the site. Developers must conduct land surveys when submitting a rezoning application for new data centers.
The project will add to many data centers already in the area or are now under construction. The project’s supporters say the centers will generate more cash for government services like police, fire and rescue, and local schools.
Opponents say data centers will ruin the rural landscape next to the battlefield, and that cooling fans atop the 45-foot-tall buildings will produce unwanted noise. That stormwater runoff from the new facilities will pollute the Occoquan Reservoir, which provides drinking water to 1.5 million in Prince William and Fairfax counties.
The Prince William Digital Gateway comprehensive plan amendment was the only item on the Board of County Supervisors’ agenda. The meeting began at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 1, and ended at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday, November 2.
The Digital Gateway is the largest land-use case in county history. Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, who voted against the project, said it was the most significant case since Disney’s failed proposal to build a theme park in Haymarket in 1993 called Disney’s America.
Stay with us. This story is developing.
Chair Ann Wheeler acknowledged that the Prince William Digital Gateway CPA review was “confusing” and announced a delay in bringing it to the Board of County Supervisors for a vote.
Despite the compromised nature of the September 14th Planning Commission public hearing, there was no mention of invalidating its recommendation or conducting a new hearing under more trustworthy conditions. So, you can expect the pause is merely designed to give weary citizens time to forget.
Now we must pivot almost immediately to another public hearing on updates to the county’s comprehensive plan this Wednesday evening.
The comprehensive plan is an exhaustive document that the average citizen cannot possibly digest and review in a single evening. We would normally rely on professional government staff and our elected officials to look out for our best interests.
Unfortunately, we have very recently been reminded that they cannot be trusted to do so. It is far more likely that they intend to sneak sweetheart deals for their developer cronies past us, literally in the dark of night.
Unless you have the time and expertise to interpret the myriad changes, you won’t notice subtle alterations with significant impacts. Watch for blanket zoning recharacterizations that sidestep contentious CPA reviews and surreptitiously authorize data centers where public outcry would have created obstacles. I would specifically watch for this to happen in the areas where Devlin Technology Park and John Marshall Commons were contested.
The Comprehensive Plan update is too important and sweeping to be relegated to late-night railroading. If the Prince William Board of County Supervisors is confident of their vision for the future of this county, they should exhibit the transparency to explain it to the citizens and the courage to debate it during the upcoming 2023 election cycle.
Bill Wright
Gainesville
