Early voting is open in Virginia! Starting on Sept. 20, Virginians can begin voting in the Nov. 5 general election and local election. Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Manassas City Council and the mayor’s seat.

To help voters make an informed decision, we are continuing a new feature series, “One-Question Manassas City Council Candidate Survey.” This series will run throughout the campaign season, offering insights into each candidate’s stand on key issues affecting our city. Our seventh one, which ran on Sept. 24, focused on power outages and the electrical grid.

The candidates are given 10 days to respond to a Google Form, and their answers will be compiled into a single post on PotomacLocalNews.com. This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come Election Day.

Today’s topic: Schools.

The candidates were asked: Public school performance is a critical issue for many families in Manassas. With the School Board controlling school management but the City Council being a chief funding source, how do you plan to address the challenges our public schools face, such as lagging Standards of Learning (SOL) scores, provisional accreditation for Osbourn High and Metz Middle and the need for equal resources across all schools? Specifically, would you support setting benchmarks when the school board comes asking for funding during the upcoming budget cycle? Additionally, how do you propose to ensure transparency in the use of public funds, and how would you approach the ongoing discussions about funding and constructing new school facilities to accommodate growing student populations?

Mayoral candidates

Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom (R)

Improving our schools is near and dear to my heart and will be a key priority if I am

honored to be your next mayor. Our schools are underperforming, and this creates a ripple effect that impacts everything — public safety, economic development, property values and overall quality of life.

Osbourn and Metz have now failed to gain accreditation for the third year in a row. If our water supply were contaminated, we’d all act quickly to fix it. Our schools need the same urgency — they’re at a critical point, and it’s time to stop placing blame and start working together to find solutions.

Every day, voters tell me we need to fix our schools. I won’t rest until this decline is reversed. Despite having one of the highest tax rates in Northern Virginia, we’re not seeing results. During the 2022-2023 school year, we invested between $15,000 and $16,000 per student. We need to make sure this money is being spent effectively, ensuring students have the necessary tools and resources to succeed.

As your next mayor, I will unite students, parents, teachers, the School Board, Council and the community to address these challenges and aim for excellence. We need to identify the resources our students need to reach their full potential. No more excuses. Let’s focus on discipline, respect and responsibility, and give our kids the opportunity to achieve their dreams. It’s time for us to come together and take action.

Byrom, the owner of Tang’s Bridal and Alterations in the Canterbury Village shopping center at 8675 Sudley Road, opened her Manassas store as an alteration shop in 1999. She eventually expanded her business to include bridal and formal wear. Her business employs 17 people.

Michelle Davis-Younger (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Davis-Younger is seeking a second term as mayor, after being elected in 2020. She owns and operates a Human Resources Consulting firm located in Historic Downtown Manassas called The1ForHR, LLC, which focuses on career coaching and resume writing.

City Council candidates

Lynn Forkell Greene (R)

Manassas City stands at a pivotal moment in our journey. Our community is calling for our public

schools to fulfill their mission of providing a quality education for every student. With lagging SOL scores and provisional accreditation for Osbourn High and Metz Middle, we must embrace a proactive and collaborative approach to set us on a path to success because right now, we are falling short.

The city’s current plan to replace aging schools every ten years was an important first step, but true transformation requires a stronger partnership between the City Council and the School Board. In our compact 10-square-mile city, sharing resources, such as land and building, is essential. Together, we can tackle challenges and create a sustainable vision for our current students and future generations.

Effective communication is key. We need a comprehensive strategy that addresses our current student population while anticipating future growth. Although projections suggest enrollment won’t exceed our existing capacity, we must remain innovative to ensure every school is equipped for excellence.

The lessons learned from the new Jennie Dean project highlight the importance of collaboration. We cannot afford to repeat past missteps; both the City Council and School Board must engage actively in long-term strategic planning. Embracing the spirit of #OneManassas means working together as a unified community.

While I do not support tying funding directly to performance benchmarks, I believe in establishing measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) to track educational outcomes. These KPIs serve as tools for accountability and transparency, demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement without directly affecting funding decisions. Just as city departments are held accountable for measurable results, our schools can benefit from this culture of growth and evaluation. Public officials have a crucial responsibility to meet community expectations by providing the high-quality services residents deserve and pay for.

Investing in our educators and their resources is essential. We can achieve better results by combining accountability with robust support for our schools. Cutting support for struggling schools is not the solution; instead, we must empower them to ensure every child receives the quality education they deserve. Additionally, we must be open to evolving our strategies, recognizing when something isn’t working and embracing innovative approaches. This commitment to adaptation will help us create a stronger educational system for everyone.

By fostering collaboration, prioritizing equitable resources, and ensuring accountability, we can significantly enhance the educational experience for every student in Manassas. Education is the cornerstone of our community and deserves our unwavering investment and attention.

We are fortunate to have dedicated teachers, exceptional students and supportive families. Let’s acknowledge our challenges while celebrating our successes. Together, we can build a future where every student has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Let’s unite in this vision and illuminate the path to success for all.

Lynn Forkell Greene is seeking to regain a seat on City Council, where she served for 14 months, from fall 2021 to December 2022. Forkell Green served the remainder of Davis-Younger’s term, a seat vacated when Davis-Younger was elected mayor.

She is an administrative director for a nonprofit. Forkell Greene and her husband share four adult children and three grandchildren. Before announcing her reelection bid, Forkell Green was a freelance reporter covering city issues for Potomac Local News.

Ashley Hutson (D)

Through my work at the Heavy Construction Contractors Association, particularly

through our “Women in Construction” group, I have had the pleasure of participating in several career fairs and ‘women in the trades’ events at Osbourn High School. I have spoken to engaging and ready-to-work students at these events, and I am constantly impressed by the efforts of the Career and Technical Education department at MCPS.

Recognizing that SOL scores and accreditation are at top of mind for many MCPS families, I have spoken to School Board members to hear their perspective on the work being done to address these concerns. I learned about the “by name, by need” initiative in which teachers are actively assessing every student’s progress in key areas, like literacy and math, every day. Through their active assessments, teachers can consider the individual needs of each student and help them learn on a forward-moving path. This level of dedication to individual needs is only possible in a school system the size of MCPS.

Regarding funding, I want to ensure teachers and school staff are being paid competitive wages and our schools have the resources needed for every student to thrive. As more and more residents come forward with concerns about school quality and resources, I think increased school funding in the next budget cycle is highly likely, but there must be a clear and wise plan for spending. I expect budgets from both City Council and the School Board to address the concerns and needs of the community — if a particular service is commonly requested, then the City Council and School Board should strive to fund a solution in their respective arenas. In efforts to maximize transparency, there will be continued opportunities for public comment, and I plan to make myself accessible for conversation once elected to Council.

The city’s Comprehensive Plan sets a goal of providing state-of-the-art education facilities promote high quality learning. As such, Jennie Dean, a facility where the infrastructure and style is far outdated, is set to be replaced by a modernized school that will serve the community long into the future. Four years ago, our City Council and School Board worked together to set an increasing amount of funds aside each year to prepare for future school renovations and re-builds. When I am on Council, I will support the continuation of forward-thinking budgeting and smart spending to enhance Manassas City Public Schools.

Hutson is seeking her first term on City Council. She is the director of Member Engagement of the Heavy Construction Contractors Association in Manassas. Hutson has served on the Manassas Board of Building Code Appeals, Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and Community Advisory Committee. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School and Christopher Newport University.

Stephen Kent (R)

The situation with low academic performance from Manassas City Public Schools is a

crisis for this city. Poorly rated schools are one of the first things a prospective homebuyer will see when they research and consider moving to Manassas. As a commuter town with an amazing VRE commuter rail system for Washington, D.C. area professionals, we should be a top destination for families taking jobs in this area and looking for a place to settle outside the city. But we aren’t, and education quality is why. Underperforming schools are deterring would-be taxpayers who could come here and add to the local economy, and it’s driving away longtime residents who can see there are better rated schools just twenty minutes west in the county. Poor school ratings are greatly suppressing home values and local investments. If I haven’t been clear enough, this is an emergency for Manassas. First, it is absolutely the case that our educators and teachers are working overtime against a rising tide of stressors on their job, and I commend any teacher for their work in our schools. Second, city officials are not doing everything that can be done to set up teachers and students for success.

My primary concern with this as a candidate for Council is that our current leadership rejects responsibility for public education outcomes when it is convenient for them. If you point out the failing schools in Manassas, they point the finger at School Board. If you point out that almost 50 cents of every dollar Manassas spends is on public education and ask why our investment is not producing an above 60% pass rates in writing, they point to the School Board and say this is none of Council’s business. It is very much Council’s business. You can see that in how current council members seeking reelection change their tune very quickly if anything is working well in the schools, such as the CTE program within Osbourn High School.

The root issues are not a mystery. InsideNova reported accurately in 2023 that Manassas has the highest percentage of English language learners in the state of Virginia. This is a challenge, and those kids need our help. The pass rates for that cohort is 41% in reading, 38% in math and 28% in science.

We have a School Board that sets voluntarily low standards in the classroom such as 50% grade floor. Kids can’t make a 0 on their work. The low standards on behavior and academics diminish the authority teachers in the classroom, both to set expectations on assignments and also to enforce codes of conduct. City Council has a role to play in communicating these views to School Board and using whatever influence available to compel them to do the right thing for the city.

City Council, instead of having a worthwhile debate with the School Board about academic standards in the schools they help fund, chooses to fight with them over land and the use of buildings such as the old Jennie Dean Elementary School. Manassas City Public Schools owns that property and should make a determination about the future of that asset themselves.

I do not support benchmarks for the School Board’s funding requests. That’s an inappropriate carrot-stick approach to funding public education. You can always look for areas of wasteful spending and suggest changes be made. After all, the School Board did sign a four year contract with Evolv for a weapons detection system in Osbourn that costs $104,000 annually, and the company is now under federal investigation by the SEC and FTC for fraud and misleading buyers about the tech’s capabilities. But you don’t do funding cuts to attack low academic performance.

I like the idea of having new educational facilities for our steadily growing net population. I’m enthusiastic about the idea of using the now city owned land at Marsteller on Sudley for a trade school focused on providing high school students in Manassas a whole facility dedicated to skills training in high-demand trade jobs. We could also work with the School Board to use the Jennie Dean property for such a facility and vastly expand the CTE program for Osbourn to include more trades such as cooking and hospitality.

Manassas has a growing need for this, not a community center on Sudley. We also have to consider the need for an alternative school in Manassas to provide a different track for kids who decline to stay at school during the day. Truant teenagers skipping class are everywhere in Manassas, and our police department needs help in order to manage that problem. That will require investments in a facility those kids can go to until parents pick them up, and staff to manage it. This will free up teachers and students in Metz and Osborn who want to focus on education, to do so.

We have a lot of work to do, and that starts with Council being honest about the existence of the problem. Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger was asked in the Prince William County Chamber of Commerce debate last week for the grade she would give the school system based on performance. She declined and said it couldn’t possibly be graded and that “children want to hear about how good they’re doing.” Well, we are not children, we are adults, and our role is to be truthful and put together a plan for progress based on the best data. I will be part of that change if elected to Manassas City Council.

Kent is seeking his first term on City Council. He is an author and public relations professional. He and his wife, Melony “Mel” Kent, share a child. Mel Kent ran for the city School Board in 2022.

Tom Osina (D-Incumbent)

Should Benchmarks Be Set? I am on the record as not supporting benchmarks for

the Manassas City Public School Board because such an effort is not enforceable and it circumvents power rightly left to YOU, the voter!

For example, if City Council told the School Board that the graduation rate had to be 100% by the following year and it was not achieved, what happens then? The only power City Council has is to cut funding. How would that make schools better? The one thing it would do is put us out of compliance with the statutes of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Fundamentally, benchmarks skirt the power of voters to pick who they want leading the School Board every two years. Shouldn’t you and I be the ones deciding what we want in our schools when we vote? Beware of those who want such benchmarks as they threaten the choices we make in local elections. I have great faith in the decisions voters make. I will not be a party to any attempt to dilute the results of local elections.

Plans to Address Public School Challenges: If we are serious about improving education for our students, I believe a paradigm shift has to be made in our thinking. What if class size, especially for fundamental subjects, was reduced so that teachers could have more time to interact with learners? This would result in more individual attention and personal learning leading to better test scores and greater educational attainment. These are the very things that critics are saying are missing in Manassas City Public Schools. Just from my own personal experience as a teacher, I found working with smaller groups of students actually accelerates instruction especially with socioeconomically disadvantaged and culturally diverse kids. This would also benefit first generation learners who we have in our schools.

How to Ensure Transparency in Government? At the first meeting at which I was installed as a member of City Council, my proposal to have all Council agendas made public one week before a meeting was adopted — prior to my term, the practice was to issue it 2 work days before a meeting. This was then expanded to include any reports, documents, power points or videos that would be used at the actual meeting. That way, residents could see what would be discussed at a Council meeting at the same time as me. I pushed to have all City Council meetings and work sessions broadcast on a reliable network as well as recorded. I was successful and even Council’s annual retreats are recorded. Residents can watch our discussions in real time or later. This is a key and fundamental way that residents have transparency is our discussions, our funding decisions and our votes.

Approach to Future School Construction: I was part of the Democratic majority of City Council which developed a plan four years ago to have both the city and the schools set aside the same amount of money each year for the purposes of school repair and/or construction. Each budget cycle, both entities add an additional amount which is designed to pay for not only a replacement Dean Elementary School in this decade, but to be able to address future school construction needs in subsequent decades. As long as future City Councils and School Boards set aside money for this purpose, our residents and businesses will be saved any spikes in taxes for school construction.

Manassas is not perfect, but it has always been my goal to make it better. My motto is “Every day is a chance to make our city better.” I ask for your vote to another term on Manassas City Council. Thank you.

Osina is seeking his second term on City Council. He and his husband have lived in the Georgetown South community for more than 20 years. He is the father of two grown children.

Robyn Williams (R)

In 2016, when I first ran for the School Board, both of my children were about to enter

Metz Middle School, which was not accredited at the time. Many families, including my neighbors, faced difficult decisions: should they keep their children in MCPS, move out of the city or invest in private schooling or homeschooling? For me, it was essential that my sons attend their local schools because schools are the heart of any strong community. That’s why I chose to run for the school board — to work towards making our schools better for everyone.

After I was elected, I’m proud to say that all of our schools achieved full accreditation! Unfortunately, Metz and Osbourn High School are no longer fully accredited. Metz faces academic challenges in subjects like math and science, while Osbourn struggles with both academics and chronic absenteeism. If elected to the City Council, I intend to improve coordination between the School Board and City Council to address these needs. It’s crucial that discussions about funding also include large capital improvement projects as student populations grow and instructional needs evolve. My experience as part of a compensation task force, which involved collaboration between selected School Board and City Council members, demonstrated that this type of partnership can be highly effective. School funding needs to focus on flexible, needs-based support. Setting benchmarks for school funding is counterproductive.

I also plan to increase transparency by involving all stakeholders in discussions about City Council’s school funding decisions. Open forums for feedback will ensure that community concerns are addressed and that resources are allocated to where they are most needed. By working together and maintaining open communication, we can strengthen our schools and provide every student in Manassas with the quality education they deserve. The future of our community depends on it.

Williams is seeking her first term on City Council. She has served two terms on the Manassas City School Board. Williams holds a bachelor’s of science in economics from George Mason University. She found her background in finance and economics valuable on the MCPS School Board, in addition to her more than 10 years as a broker/owner of Redstone Realty, specializing in residential real estate.

Williams’ public service in Manassas began with the Beautification Committee, where she served as a member and eventually chairperson. She also volunteered as a teacher assistant at Haydon Elementary for several years and taught modules in schools through the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation Department.

Mark Wolfe (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Wolfe is seeking a fourth term on City Council. He has lived in the City of Manassas since 1990. Wolfe has executive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and is currently the chief operating officer of MovieComm. Amy, his wife of 36 years, is the artistic director and CEO of Manassas Ballet Theatre. They have two children, both of whom graduated from Osbourn High School.

We hope this series engaged the community and fostered a more informed electorate. Thanks for tuning in!

Early voting is open in Virginia! Starting on Sept. 20, Virginians can begin voting in the Nov. 5 general election and local election. Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Manassas City Council and the mayor’s seat.

To help voters make an informed decision, we are continuing a new feature series, “One-Question Manassas City Council Candidate Survey.” This series will run throughout the campaign season, offering insights into each candidate’s stand on key issues affecting our city. Our sixth one, which ran on Sept. 9, focused on parking.

The candidates are given 10 days to respond to a Google Form, and their answers will be compiled into a single post on PotomacLocalNews.com. This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day.

Today’s topic: Power outages and the electrical grid.

The candidates were asked: How do you plan to address the ongoing power outages in Manassas, and what measures would you support to improve the city’s electrical grid reliability??

Mayoral candidates

Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom (R)

Sporadic power outages, which peaked last summer,

have highlighted the consequences of leaving critical utility positions unfilled. The mayor and City Council members seeking reelection owe it to residents — particularly the elderly, at-risk, and vulnerable populations — to address outages swiftly. We have to be able to attract top talent to the city and keep them here.

Interim City Manager Doug Keen played a pivotal role in bringing Steve Burke back as assistant city manager of operations, responsible for electric service. After meeting with Steve personally, I’m confident we have the right leadership in place to minimize further disruptions. The next Council and mayor will need to ensure Burke remains with the city and has the resources his department needs to provide residents with a stable and reliable power supply.

As the city grows, new demands on the grid will continue to increase. My focus will be squarely on hiring and retaining exceptional staff like Steve Burke, who can anticipate future needs and offer effective solutions.

Michelle Davis Younger (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Davis-Younger is seeking a second term as mayor, after being elected in 2020. She owns and operates a Human Resources Consulting firm located in Historic Downtown Manassas called The1ForHR, LLC, which focuses on career coaching and resume writing.

City Council candidates

Lynn Forkell Greene (R)

It’s clear that the recent historic outages underscored the

need for robust leadership and effective succession planning within our utility leadership team. Additionally, our city lacked the necessary information to swiftly address the challenges posed by aging substations.

As your next Manassas City Councilor, I will prioritize modernizing our electrical grid with a responsible and proactive approach. This involves investing in new equipment, enhancing power lines, and continuing to integrate smart technology for improved monitoring. Starting this process now is essential to effectively manage our financial commitments and prevent future issues, particularly with the anticipated demand from the four approved data centers.

So, how will we achieve this?

First, we must conduct a thorough infrastructure assessment to ensure transparency and effective planning. By evaluating our current capabilities, including the condition of our substations and other critical equipment, we can make informed decisions that benefit our community and prepare us for the increased demands on our grid.

Community engagement is vital to our success. I envision open communication and collaboration that reaches every household, allowing our taxpayers to see the benefits of these developments without sacrificing our quality of life. Together, we can tackle the challenges that come with this growth.

We also need to strengthen our emergency response plans, ensuring clear communication during outages and reliable backup power for critical facilities. Sharing these plans with every household is key to fostering preparedness in our community.

I will work closely with city staff to create a comprehensive revenue plan from the data centers, aligning it with our infrastructure forecast. This will ensure our community is well-equipped to handle increased demands while maximizing the benefits of new developments.

By coming together, we can enhance the reliability of our electrical grid and improve the quality of life for all residents in Manassas. Let’s be proactive, stay informed, and take action for a brighter, more dependable future! Together, we can prosper.

Lynn Forkell Greene is seeking to regain a seat on City Council, where she served for 14 months, from fall 2021 to December 2022. Forkell Green served the remainder of Davis-Younger’s term, a seat vacated when Davis-Younger was elected mayor.

She is an administrative director for a nonprofit. Forkell Greene and her husband share four adult children and three grandchildren. Before announcing her reelection bid, Forkell Green was a freelance reporter covering city issues for Potomac Local News.

Ashley Hutson (D)

The City of Manassas offers excellent utility service.

Electrical outages are rare, not ongoing.

In 2023 there were several outages, some due to forces of nature outside of our control, such as extremely hot temperatures and squirrels chewing through power lines. Some neighborhoods experienced more outages than others, such as Battery Heights. At the time of their outages, there was electrical equipment that was due for replacement. Like all electronics, technology gets out-dated and worn out.

When the sub-station that serves Battery Heights was having issues, the city acted swiftly to bring in another sub-station to revive power while thorough inspections and upgrades were completed. The city purchased the additional sub-station so there is backup power, ensuring reliable electricity to its residents and businesses now and into the future.

One of the ways the city is working to enhance the appearance of our neighborhoods is by putting utility lines underground. Burying existing lines, while costly and often complicated, will reduce or eliminate accidental outages like cars hitting power poles and wear-and-tear from weather. I support the city’s efforts to put power lines underground wherever possible.

Hutson is seeking her first term on City Council. She is the director of Member Engagement of the Heavy Construction Contractors Association in Manassas. Hutson has served on the Manassas Board of Building Code Appeals, Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and Community Advisory Committee. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School and Christopher Newport University.

Stephen Kent (R)

NO RESPONSE

Kent is seeking his first term on City Council. He is an author and public relations professional. He and his wife, Melony “Mel” Kent, share a child. Mel Kent ran for the city school board in 2022.

Tom Osina (D-Incumbent)

The premise of this question is false.

There have been NO ongoing or lengthy power outages in Manassas. In fact, when almost 100-degree weather arrived on June 22nd and then stayed, there were no electricity outages for Manassas residents.

Now, in summer of 2023, there were several outages which were extensive in the time it took to find the problem and repair it. But city government took immediate action such as filling a few key electric department positions by increasing the salary because they did not have many applicants.

Last year, the Battery Heights substation experienced a number of outages so the city brought in and later purchased a backup substation. This allowed electric power to be reliably restored while a thorough analysis of the old substation was conducted, parts replaced and additional squirrel guards, owl decoys and lightning shields added.

With the hiring of a new Electric Utilities Director, a revamped inspection program has been put in place to check electric lines and substations. This has led to an uneventful summer and city residents and businesses continue to receive dependable electric power.

Osina is seeking his second term on City Council. He and his husband have lived in the Georgetown South community for more than 20 years. He is the father of two grown children.

Robyn Williams (R)

Manassas has long provided reliable power to its

residents and businesses, but over the past year, a series of power outages exposed the vulnerabilities of the city’s aging power station and substations, which now require replacement. In response, I would begin by conducting an infrastructure audit and demand assessment. Engaging stakeholders — including utility companies, public works, transportation and emergency services — would help us fully understand the impact of prolonged outages. Additionally, I would involve the community to gauge how these outages have affected residents and businesses.

Although immediate repairs and upgrades have been made to stabilize substations and implement backup systems, it’s clear that we must now prioritize a comprehensive upgrade plan. This plan would focus on modernizing the infrastructure, investing in energy storage solutions, and exploring microgrids for critical areas such as hospitals and emergency services.

As demand for power continues to rise, it will be essential to diversify the city’s electric grid by investing in renewable energy sources and collaborating with state initiatives. A public awareness and education campaign would also play a key role in this effort.

By combining these short-term fixes with long-term investments in infrastructure modernization, renewable energy and effective demand management, we can ensure a more resilient and reliable power grid for the future.

Williams is seeking her first term on City Council. She has served two terms on the Manassas City School Board. Williams holds a bachelor’s of science in economics from George Mason University. She found her background in finance and economics valuable on the MCPS School Board, in addition to her more than 10 years as a broker/owner of Redstone Realty, specializing in residential real estate.

Williams’ public service in Manassas began with the Beautification Committee, where she served as a member and eventually chairperson. She also volunteered as a teacher assistant at Haydon Elementary for several years and taught modules in schools through the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation Department.

Mark Wolfe (D-Incumbent)

The premise of this question is incorrect. Manassas has

not and does not have “ongoing power outages.” To say so is a slander on the men and women from the City of Manassas who work very hard (and at some risk) to ensure that our electric system delivers to all of us.

Before the incident last summer, Manassas enjoyed world-class reliability from its electric grid, typically 99.99% service. Last summer an unforeseen event happened with TWO lightning strikes on the Battery Heights substation. Sometimes, bad things do happen. This had the effect of reducing the capacity of our electrical system at the same time we experienced peak summer demand. That stressed the system and led to outages. I experienced those outages at my home and businesses. All of Council and staff understand how this impacted residents and businesses.

Since then, the City has repaired the Battery Heights substation and our electrical system has returned to its typical world-class reliability. Through August this year, our reliability is at 99.9961%. Unfortunately, the occasional squirrel finds its way into a transformer or someone crashes a car into a power pole. Otherwise, we would be at 100% reliability. A testament to the hard work of the City of Manassas staff.

Wolfe is seeking a fourth term on City Council. He has lived in the City of Manassas since 1990. Wolfe has executive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and is currently the chief operating officer of MovieComm. Amy, his wife of 36 years, is the artistic director and CEO of Manassas Ballet Theatre. They have two children, both of whom graduated from Osbourn High School.

Stay tuned as we continue this series with topics such as power outages, parking issues, city management and staff retention, budget and taxes, public school performance, and data centers. We aim to provide a comprehensive look at each candidate’s platform, ensuring voters have all the information they need to make a thoughtful decision.

We hope this series will engage the community and foster a more informed electorate. Check back for new insights and updates from your Manassas City Council candidates. Early voting started  Sept. 20, and Election Day is Nov. 5.

Be sure to subscribe to our FREE news email. Each week, we will pose a single question to all candidates running for the Manassas City Council.

As early voting for the fall 2024 election approaches on Sept. 20, Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Manassas City Council and the mayor’s seat.

To help voters make an informed decision, we are continuing a new feature series, “One-Question Manassas City Council Candidate Survey.” This series will run throughout the campaign season, offering insights into each candidate’s stand on key issues affecting our city. Our third one, which ran on Aug. 27, focused on data centers.

The candidates are given 10 days to respond to a Google Form, and their answers will be compiled into a single post on PotomacLocalNews.com. This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day.

Today’s topic: Parking.

The candidates were asked: What solutions do you propose for the ongoing parking issues in areas like Georgetown South? How would you address the community’s concerns and find a sustainable solution?

Mayoral candidates

Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom (R)

Parking in our city isn’t a one-size-fits-all issue. Each neighborhood deserves a

tailored approach that respects the needs of its residents. In places like Georgetown South, where congestion is a daily struggle, homeowners associations need to have the loudest voice. They live the problem and know the solutions that work. For other areas without these associations but still facing parking headaches, we have options. Should we introduce paid street parking? Build more vertical structures? Require City decals for long-term parking? These choices have their pros and cons, but they need your input.

As Manassas continues to grow, the parking crunch will only get worse. But here’s the good news: We’re not alone. By looking to other cities facing similar challenges, we can adopt proven strategies that fit our community. Your voice matters in shaping how we address this.

Byrom, the owner of Tang’s Bridal and Alterations in the Canterbury Village shopping center at 8675 Sudley Road, opened her Manassas store as an alteration shop in 1999. She eventually expanded her business to include bridal and formal wear. Her business employs 17 people.

Michelle Davis Younger (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Davis-Younger is seeking a second term as mayor, after being elected in 2020. She owns and operates a Human Resources Consulting firm located in Historic Downtown Manassas called The1ForHR, LLC, which focuses on career coaching and resume writing.

City Council candidates

Lynn Forkell Greene (R)

Parking is a vital issue for our community, affecting residents, businesses, and

visitors alike. Here are some key points I believe we should focus on.

Enhanced parking solutions: We need to explore a range of parking options to accommodate the growing population and influx of visitors. This could include expanding existing parking facilities, investing in multi-level parking structures, and creating additional parking spaces in strategic locations.

Improved signage and wayfinding: Clear and accessible signage can significantly improve the parking experience. We should invest in better signage to guide drivers to available parking areas, reducing frustration and congestion.

Smart parking technologies: Implementing smart parking solutions, such as real-time space availability apps and automated payment systems, can streamline the parking process and make it more convenient for everyone.

Support for local businesses: Ensuring that parking is accessible to customers is crucial for the vitality of our local businesses.

Community feedback and engagement: I believe in actively engaging with residents to understand their parking challenges and preferences.

I am committed to addressing parking concerns with thoughtful, practical solutions that balance the needs of all stakeholders while enhancing the overall quality of life in Manassas. Your feedback and support will be invaluable as we work together to create a more accessible and efficient parking system for our city.

Lynn Forkell Greene is seeking to regain a seat on City Council, where she served for 14 months, from fall 2021 to December 2022. Forkell Green served the remainder of Davis-Younger’s term, a seat vacated when Davis-Younger was elected mayor.

She is an administrative director for a nonprofit. Forkell Greene and her husband share four adult children and three grandchildren. Before announcing her re-election bid, Forkell Green was a freelance reporter covering city issues for Potomac Local News.

Ashley Hutson (D)

As we all know, many neighborhoods in Manassas were established 50 and even 60+

years ago. When these neighborhoods were built, typical families had only one vehicle, so only one parking space was allotted per house. Now, residents in a single-family home may have four or more vehicles, so where do they park?

I understand that the residents of the Georgetown South Community have faced historical parking challenges. To help aid the situation the City of Manassas, guided by community input, proposed permitted parking districts which allow for two designated spots per household and a third offered by lottery. Listening to the community’s input to make informed solutions is important.

As a former renter of an apartment at the corner of Battle Street and Center Street, I experienced parking challenges and heard of many challenges throughout the community. Especially on days when the streets were closed, some neighbors expressed frustration with not knowing or having no nearby place to park their car. While some of those sentiments are common to every city, more can be done to ensure convenient parking for the residents of Manassas. Ensuring residents and businesses are informed about special events and perhaps offering special garage parking permits for Old Town residents on event days could help this problem.

Further, the capital improvement plan calls for a parking garage with ~300 spaces on the north side of the train tracks in Old Town to allow parking for City Hall and the surrounding businesses. I have no doubt that an additional 300 spaces in Old Town will be helpful!

Throughout my campaign, I have stressed the need for forward thinking land-use decisions, because all too often, the people of today are negatively impacted by the decisions of yesterday. Because Manassas is less than ten square miles, we must be considerate of the future needs of our community when planning for housing developments.

Hutson is seeking her first term on City Council. She is the director of Member Engagement of the Heavy Construction Contractors Association in Manassas. Hutson has served on the Manassas Board of Building Code Appeals, Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and Community Advisory Committee. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School and Christopher Newport University.

Stephen Kent (R)

With parking policy and managing cars, the only sustainable solution is to enforce

existing parking codes in the city and have a paid permit system for street parking. Much of the discussion in Manassas centers around the effects of overcrowding within single-family homes and how that leads to a lack of available parking, but we often leave out the fact that having three or more cars also could mean you’re a family with older children. In just two years, our family will need a third car for our teenage daughter, and the city-sticker system used in Georgetown South and Bristoe Station is a workable solution. There are no magic wand solutions to parking. You have to remain flexible, price parking spaces appropriately, register all vehicles, tow cars that don’t play by the rules, and consider whether or not the city needs a second parking deck to support the Historic Downtown deck. It’s also very important that small cities like Manassas not become over-reliant on free parking. When cities do that, you rapidly begin losing what little available land you have to parking lot. Green space becomes concrete slabs. Fair, market-rate parking solutions is what will keep Manassas beautiful and moving.

Kent is seeking his first term on City Council. He is an author and public relations professional. He and his wife, Melony “Mel” Kent, share a child. Mel Kent ran for the city school board in 2022.

Tom Osina (D-Incumbent)

The candidate who proposes the all-encompassing solution for parking issues in the

City of Manassas can be elected for life!

Seriously, parking is a challenge in the city because many of our neighborhoods were built for car situations which have changed and grown over time. If you live in a single family home, your garage, driveway and street can accommodate more than the two vehicle household which was the norm in the last century. But if you live in a townhouse, apartment or condo, parking spaces are limited especially on the adjacent public streets.

As a resident of Georgetown South for more than two decades, I have seen what occurs when residents can register as many vehicles as one wants even when there is a parking district. That is why I knew limits were needed, first as a resident who could not find parking if I came home after 8 p.m., then as a member of the GTS Community Council where I was part of an effort to propose some restrictions, and finally as a member of City Council where a two-vehicle limit per address was set in a special GTS parking district. Accommodations were made for work vehicles and an adjustment was made to permit a one year third vehicle parking pass (based on a lottery) based on community input.

Is this perfect? Not if you own more than two vehicles per address. But it has made it so all GTS residents can park at least two vehicles which has helped with the original problem. This would not necessarily work in all of Manassas as the streets in GTS are public streets so the city government could implement a total solution. What I have been doing is going to different neighborhoods which have indicated that there is over parking. I talk with their HOA Boards and residents to determine what are the challenges that they face and what might work in their particular situation. I connect them with police representatives to help with current enforcement and bring in city staff who guide them through the process if there is interest in establishing a special parking district.

What does not work is seeking wholesale changes in parking because one has received a parking ticket in an area outside of their neighborhood. I have received parking tickets in different parts of the city but I have not turned my poor decisions into ones where I am calling for changes in parking which really should be decided by those who live in the area.

Our neighborhoods are unique and they require different approaches to bring some parking relief to those who live there. I have great faith that our residents know what the problems are and are willing to accept equitable solutions if they have a part in building the solution.

Remember, the focus of the Town Hall meeting on Sept. 16 is Parking. It will begin at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 9025 Center St.

Osina is seeking his second term on City Council. He and his husband have lived in the Georgetown South community for more than 20 years. He is the father of two grown children.

Robyn Williams (R)

To address the ongoing parking issues in high-density neighborhoods like Georgetown South, I propose a comprehensive strategy that tackles both immediate concerns and long-term solutions. Georgetown South is unique in that the neighborhood’s roads are owned by the city, not the homeowner’s association. The city has already initiated a plan aimed at providing residents with more reliable parking options in Georgetown South.

For other neighborhoods, a short-term solution would involve working closely with homeowner associations to reassess current parking allocations. In the long term, we can explore opportunities to create additional parking by reconfiguring underutilized public spaces, all while preserving the community’s amenities.

There are several potential solutions worth considering, but it’s essential that we engage with residents in every community to ensure the strategies we implement reflect residents’ needs and concerns. Together, we can develop a sustainable solution to these parking challenges.

Williams is seeking her first term on City Council. She has served two terms on the Manassas City School Board. Williams holds a bachelor’s of science in economics from George Mason University. He found her background in finance and economics valuable on the MCPS School Board, in addition to her more than 10 years as a broker/owner of Redstone Realty, specializing in residential real estate.

Williams’ public service in Manassas began with the Beautification Committee, where she served as a member and eventually chairperson. She also volunteered as a teacher assistant at Haydon Elementary for several years and taught modules in schools through the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation Department.

Mark Wolfe (D-Incumbent)

This is a little bit of old news regarding GTS. This Council has acted decisively to implement a

fair and equitable parking plan for GTS that recognizes the reality of having 1,700 parking spaces for 800 units. This issue had been before the City for years and I am proud that this Council took decisive action.

One of the major changes the City has implemented over the years is in allowing (encouraging) citizens to request that parking districts be established in their neighborhoods.This grassroots empowerment of our citizens increases public engagement and is our best tool in dealing with outside parking. Another example of the city trying to help can be found on Stonewall Road where the city change the parking pattern to allow for more vehicles to be parked in public areas.

Parking is and will continue to be a challenge. but it is my priority — and a City one — to work to maintain the integrity and quality of life in our neighborhoods.

Wolfe is seeking a fourth term on City Council. He has lived in the City of Manassas since 1990. Wolfe has executive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and is currently the chief operating officer of MovieComm. Amy, his wife of 36 years, is the artistic director and CEO of Manassas Ballet Theatre. They have two children, both of whom graduated from Osbourn High School.

Stay tuned as we continue this series with topics such as power outages, parking issues, city management and staff retention, budget and taxes, public school performance, and data centers. We aim to provide a comprehensive look at each candidate’s platform, ensuring voters have all the information they need to make a thoughtful decision.

We hope this series will engage the community and foster a more informed electorate. Check back for new insights and updates from your Manassas City Council candidates. Early voting starts  Sept. 21, and Election Day is Nov. 5.

Be sure to subscribe to our FREE news email. Each week, we will pose a single question to all candidates running for the Manassas City Council.

As early voting for the fall 2024 election approaches, Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Manassas City Council and the mayor’s seat.

To help voters make an informed decision, we are continuing a new feature series, “One-Question Manassas City Council Candidate Survey.” This series will run throughout the campaign season, offering insights into each candidate’s stand on key issues affecting our city. Our third one, which ran on Aug. 16, focused on commercial airline services.

The candidates are given 10 days to respond to a Google Form, and their answers will be compiled into a single post on PotomacLocalNews.com. This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day.

Today’s topic: Data centers.

The candidates were asked: The recent approval of data centers near the Manassas National Battlefield Park has sparked significant debate regarding their impact on the environment, local infrastructure, and property values. What is your position on the development of data centers in Manassas City, and how do you plan to address the concerns related to environmental impact, increased utility rates, and the overall strain on city resources? How would you ensure that the economic benefits promised by these projects are realized while mitigating negative impacts on the community?

Mayoral candidates

Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom (R)

I wasn’t involved in the decision-making process for the current data centers, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to question those decisions. However, I have thoroughly researched their impact on the city and our residents and am confident that the city staff have addressed all the relevant concerns. From what I understand, there will be no increase in utility rates, and there may even be a small savings. The data centers will receive their power directly from Dominion, so they won’t be connected to our city’s electric grid.

Byrom, the owner of Tang’s Bridal and Alterations in the Canterbury Village shopping center at 8675 Sudley Road, opened her Manassas store as an alteration shop in 1999. She eventually expanded her business to include bridal and formal wear. Her business employs 17 people.

Michelle Davis Younger (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Davis-Younger is seeking a second term as mayor, after being elected in 2020. She owns and operates a Human Resources Consulting firm located in Historic Downtown Manassas called The1ForHR, LLC, which focuses on career coaching and resume writing.

City Council candidates

Lynn Forkell Greene (R)

My approach to data centers in Manassas City is grounded in careful evaluation and strategic oversight. While I acknowledge the potential economic benefits, such as increased tax revenue, I am equally committed to addressing the associated concerns, including environmental impacts and the strain on city resources and infrastructure. Additionally, we need to be mindful of the potential for job losses, as data centers may not offer many local employment opportunities once they are operational.

To ensure that our residents fully benefit from any economic gains, I propose implementing a transparent plan that outlines when and how tax breaks will be delivered. This way, our community can see clear and timely benefits from these developments.

Community engagement remains a top priority for me. I advocate for a policy requiring all data center proposals to be reviewed by City Council rather than being handled through a by right process that might sideline resident input.

In summary, while I see the potential advantages of data centers for Manassas City, a balanced and responsible approach is crucial. We already have four approved. By prioritizing environmental stewardship, protecting and investing in infrastructure, while ensuring transparent economic benefits, we can foster both economic growth and community well-being.

Lynn Forkell Greene is seeking to regain a seat on City Council, where she served for 14 months, from fall 2021 to December 2022. Forkell Green served the remainder of Davis-Younger’s term, a seat vacated when Davis-Younger was elected mayor.

She is an administrative director for a nonprofit. Forkell Greene and her husband share four adult children and three grandchildren. Before announcing her re-election bid, Forkell Green was a freelance reporter covering city issues for Potomac Local News.

Ashley Hutson (D)

While I was not involved in past decision-making on data center location and development in the City of Manassas, I support our Council in their decision to place data centers on land zoned for industrial use because I recognize the impact of new development on existing neighborhoods.

Through my work at the Heavy Construction Contractors Association, I have had the opportunity to learn about the positive impacts of data center development such as significant tax revenue and support of local community organizations and charities, which Manassas will benefit from as our planned data centers go live.

I have also learned there are a variety of data centers and their designs can impact sound levels. In recent years, there have been concerns about noise emitted from data centers located near residential areas. Regulations now require noise barriers such as berms and buffer walls when they are built. Further, manufacturers of chilling systems, which are the main cause of noise emission, are exploring changes in technology and design to decrease the potential for sound issues.

Manassas residents should not expect increased utility rates or a strain on our electric grid due to data center construction because each data center in the City of Manassas has its own electrical substations, which are paid for by the data centers. Transmission lines directly from Dominion Energy power those Substations.

I look forward to being part of the budget-planning process that will allocate new funds coming in from the data centers. Funding for schools, enhancing our greenspaces, and investing in the Marstellar property for the use of our future community are some of my priorities for the new funds.

Hutson is seeking her first term on City Council. She is the director of Member Engagement of the Heavy Construction Contractors Association in Manassas. Hutson has served on the Manassas Board of Building Code Appeals, Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and Community Advisory Committee. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School and Christopher Newport University.

Stephen Kent (R)

Manassas must approach all data center projects with one core principle in mind: Tangible benefit to the citizens of Manassas. An increased standard of living is a tangible benefit. That can come in the form of tax revenue collected on these centers, currently $2.15 per $100 of assessed value on their equipment, directed toward infrastructure and public building updates. I do not think Manassas residents should be seeing higher annual property tax bills, which they currently are, while data centers are moving into city limits. Manassas has already increased the tax rate on data centers significantly, and I’m open to going higher if that’s what residents want done in the future. I’m not anti-data centers, but I get the sense that these tech firms need us more than we need them.

Data centers are not getting their energy from the city grid, so I’m not particularly concerned about electric. We have an effective team of city managers are have updated our utility equipment, and they are prepared for the impact of data centers on our power grid if Dominion fails. Water is of more concern, and the city has work to do and tough questions to ask of these tech firms moving in, as to how they’ll partner with the city to address concerns over resources.

At the end of the day, what residents tell us about their concerns around data centers should be taken seriously. Manassas can get this balance right.

Kent is seeking his first term on City Council. He is an author and public relations professional. He and his wife, Melony “Mel” Kent, share a child. Mel Kent ran for the city school board in 2022.

Tom Osina (D-Incumbent)

There are four locations for data centers in the City of Manassas. Three of them are being built by right, which refers to projects that are permitted under their current zoning and do not require any legislative action by City Council. City staff oversees these projects to make sure that they follow appropriate site development, construction and occupancy requirements.

The fourth location is land the City sold that was primarily a vegetation dumping site for the Airport. I voted for the sale of that property.

The City has taken several key steps to mitigate negative impacts on the community. One has to do with increased utility rates.

Each data center will have its own dedicated substation which will deliver electricity directly from Dominion Energy. It has no effect on the electricity produced and purchased from Dominion Energy which is transmitted to Manassas residents and businesses nor the rates charged. Unfortunately, the wording of this question continues the myth that these data centers will increase utility rates for city residents and strain city resources which it does not.

Another is noise. The building boom of data centers in nearby Prince William County has demonstrated that the noise produced by heating/cooling equipment has a negative impact on nearby residents and neighborhoods. Toward that end, I voted for a revised Noise Ordinance to give city staff tools to deal with this problem. City staff is requiring data centers in Manassas to install noise baffling on their heating/cooling equipment.

Since taking office, I have been interested in reducing the reliance on taxes collected from residents for operating city government. But to do that, there has to be an increase in the amount of taxes collected from commercial businesses.

Osina is seeking his second term on City Council. He and his husband have lived in the Georgetown South community for more than 20 years. He is the father of two grown children.

Robyn Williams (R)

As technology advances rapidly, data centers have become an essential part of our digital infrastructure. According to the International Energy Agency, energy consumption by data centers is expected to double by 2030, accounting for 4% of global electricity demand. This growth is largely driven by the rapid expansion of AI, with AI-related data centers outpacing non-AI ones. With the City of Manassas likely to see four new data centers come online, it is crucial to address the environmental impact they may bring.

While digital connectivity is vital in nearly every aspect of our lives, it comes with significant costs, much of which is attributable to data centers consuming substantial energy. A key concern is their reliance on fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide and contribute to a growing carbon footprint. Additionally, data centers place a heavy strain on local infrastructure, stressing utility and grid capacity. Although Manassas sources electricity from several providers, including Dominion and NOVEC, the region’s grid faces considerable challenges that can impact our city, potentially leading to increased utility costs for residents as generator capacity is expanded.

Concerns have also been raised by homeowners about potential impacts on property values, though there is currently no evidence suggesting that data centers negatively affect home prices in this market.

Manassas City is set to bring two additional data centers online, with one currently navigating the approval process and Amazon acquiring land near the airport for a potential fourth center. These data centers are projected to generate significant revenue for the City. However, whether this revenue will effectively reduce the tax and utility burdens on residents depends largely on the decisions made by the City Council once these facilities become operational. As a member of the Council, I would prioritize ensuring that this revenue is used to alleviate the financial strain on our community, providing tangible benefits for all residents.

Williams is seeking her first term on City Council. She has served two terms on the Manassas City School Board. Williams holds a bachelor’s of science in economics from George Mason University. He found her background in finance and economics valuable on the MCPS School Board, in addition to her more than 10 years as a broker/owner of Redstone Realty, specializing in residential real estate.

Williams’ public service in Manassas began with the Beautification Committee, where she served as a member and eventually chairperson. She also volunteered as a teacher assistant at Haydon Elementary for several years and taught modules in schools through the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation Department.

Mark Wolfe (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Wolfe is seeking a fourth term on City Council. He has lived in the City of Manassas since 1990. Wolfe has executive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and is currently the chief operating officer of MovieComm. Amy, his wife of 36 years, is the artistic director and CEO of Manassas Ballet Theatre. They have two children, both of whom graduated from Osbourn High School.

Stay tuned as we continue this series with topics such as power outages, parking issues, city management and staff retention, budget and taxes, public school performance, and data centers. We aim to provide a comprehensive look at each candidate’s platform, ensuring voters have all the information they need to make a thoughtful decision.

We hope this series will engage the community and foster a more informed electorate. Check back for new insights and updates from your Manassas City Council candidates. Early voting starts  Sept. 21, and Election Day is Nov. 5.

Be sure to subscribe to our FREE news email. Each week, we will pose a single question to all candidates running for the Manassas City Council.

Editor’s note: We have corrected this post, as some responses were attributed to the wrong candidate.

As early voting for the fall 2024 election approaches, Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Manassas City Council and the mayor’s seat.

To help voters make an informed decision, we are continuing a new feature series, “One-Question Manassas City Council Candidate Survey.” This series will run throughout the campaign season, offering insights into each candidate’s stand on key issues affecting our city. Our second one, which ran on July 17, focused on the budget and taxes.

The candidates are given 10 days to respond to a Google Form, and their answers will be compiled into a single post on PotomacLocalNews.com. This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day.

Today’s topic: City management and staff. The candidates were asked:

Given the recent resignations of key city officials, including the city manager and utilities director, what steps would you take to ensure stability and improve employee retention within the city government?

Mayoral candidates

Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom (R)

Anytime our city starts to lose key personnel and struggles to get qualified applicants for

critical positions a real self-evaluation is required. My time as Mayor will be marked by setting standards that attract and retain the “best qualified” individuals into our critical positions to ensure the most efficient and effective services to our citizens.

Hiring city staff is a lot like hiring for the private sector. We are both here to serve our customers which in this case are our citizens. I have been hiring for over 25 years and have found some important keys to attracting and retaining great staff.

1. Make sure your staff has core values that align with the mission statement of the organization.
2. Pay them well and develop pathways for them to grow.
3. Listen to your staff and make sure their opinions matter in the decisions made to improve efficiencies and serve the citizens.

I welcome the opportunity to bring top-notch talent to the city staff.

Byrom, the owner of Tang’s Bridal and Alterations in the Canterbury Village shopping center at 8675 Sudley Road, opened her Manassas store as an alteration shop in 1999. She eventually expanded her business to include bridal and formal wear. Her business employs 17 people.

Michelle Davis Younger (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Davis-Younger is seeking a second term as mayor, after being elected in 2020. She owns and operates a Human Resources Consulting firm located in Historic Downtown Manassas called The1ForHR, LLC, which focuses on career coaching and resume writing.

City Council candidates

Lynn Forkell Greene (R)

Having served on the Manassas City Council, I deeply

understand the critical importance of maintaining stability and retaining employees within our city government. This will help with providing efficient and effective services to our residents. Below, I have outlined the steps that I would take to address these pressing issues:

Exit Interviews: Implement thorough exit interviews to identify the root causes of recent resignations and uncover any systemic issues needing attention.

Communication: Advocate for regular town hall meetings for employees to provide updates, ensure open, transparent communication and make staff feel valued and informed.

Compensation: Continue to support competitive salary and benefits reviews to attract and retain top talent, ensuring our compensation packages meet or exceed industry standards.

Professional Development: Continue to promote ongoing training, career advancement, and leadership development, while fostering and implementing mentorship and sponsorship programs.

Work Environment: Continue to endorse initiatives to enhance workplace culture, including recognition programs and wellness initiatives to improve employee satisfaction.

Leadership: Focus on recruiting experienced, visionary leaders and begin looking for a new city manager if the interim does not commit full-time.

Charter Alignment: Restore alignment with our city charter, ensuring the mayor and Council focus on vision and priorities while keeping politics out of daily operations. By implementing these steps, I am confident we can create a more stable and supportive environment for our city employees, ultimately enhancing services for our community.

Lynn Forkell Greene is seeking to regain a seat on City Council, where she served for 14 months, from fall 2021 to December 2022. Forkell Green served the remainder of Davis-Younger’s term, a seat vacated when Davis-Younger was elected mayor.

She is an administrative director for a nonprofit. Forkell Greene and her husband share four adult children and three grandchildren. Before announcing her re-election bid, Forkell Green was a freelance reporter covering city issues for Potomac Local News.

Ashley Hutson (D)

Manassas, a locality with a far smaller population than our neighboring localities, has budgetary challenges different than our neighbors so we must seek strategic solutions to retain the best people working for our city. Through attending Council meetings over the past year and the Council retreat in February, I have been learning a lot about the city’s budget priorities and processes. To ensure the staff of the city are receiving competitive wages, our Council adopted a policy aiming to offer salaries within 95% of the regional average, which is important as Manassas is situated in the middle of one of the highest per-household income areas in the country.

Hutson is seeking her first term on City Council. She is the director of Member Engagement of the Heavy Construction Contractors Association in Manassas. Hutson has served on the Manassas Board of Building Code Appeals, Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and Community Advisory Committee. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School and Christopher Newport University.

Stephen Kent (R)

What I’ve learned throughout a decade of working in large nonprofits, lean startups and private sector businesses is that everything involving staff retention and morale flows downstream from Vision (or lack thereof). My role as a city councilman would be to help set the vision for the city and its staff. After that, it’s all about having the right people in the right roles and establishing clear Decision Rights for them to fulfill the responsibilities of their jobs. We have some incredibly bright folks working for Manassas City around the clock, and City Council members can make a big difference in knowing when to step back and let these professionals fulfill the city’s Comprehensive Plan. You get mass exoduses from organizations when staff feel micromanaged, pressured by politics or distrusted to execute. I plan to be a partner to city staff wherever I can by empowering them to act, holding them accountable when needed and making sure Manassas City government is an attractive place to work.

Kent is seeking his first term on City Council. He is an author and public relations professional. He and his wife, Melony “Mel” Kent, share a child. Mel Kent ran for the city school board in 2022.

Mark Wolfe (D-Incumbent)

This strikes me as a question in search of an issue. To my recollection, the City has two senior-level positions open. One is due to a retirement tied to a health issue and the other is our city manager who received an opportunity to return to his home area, for a larger jurisdiction, at more pay. This is hardly an exodus of staff.

The Council has been very deliberate in the search for a new city manager, wanting to find a candidate that is the best fit for Manassas. To me, that is the prudent choice. This choice is buttressed by the fact that Manassas is fortunate to have a cadre of experienced and talented senior leaders who have continued moving forward with our vision for the community. We haven’t lost a step while looking for a long-term answer at city manager.

Like any organization, much less one with 500+ employees, the city experiences staff turnover. This is monitored in detail by our HR team and reported to the Council. Our turnover rate hovers around 10%, the national norm for organizations of our size.

To keep turnover at a normal level, the city has been aggressive in having an ongoing review of compensation packages (pay AND benefits) to ensure that Manassas is competitive in the extremely aggressive NoVa marketplace. Our ability to keep the police department fully staffed and to increase staffing levels at the Fire/Rescue Department in the face of continual attempts to poach our people by other jurisdictions points to the success of our efforts.

I will close with this observation. Some candidates promise to lower our taxes. At the same time, they promise to increase pay for teachers, police and other staff. That combination may be good politics but it is disingenuous. People costs make up the vast bulk of the city budget, probably over 80% of the total. You simply can not balance the budget while paying people more and at the same time cutting revenues. But some politicians are not honest enough (or know enough) at say this simple truth about governance.

Wolfe is seeking a fourth term on City Council. He has lived in the City of Manassas since 1990. Wolfe has executive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and is currently the chief operating officer of MovieComm. Amy, his wife of 36 years, is the artistic director and CEO of Manassas Ballet Theatre. They have two children, both of whom graduated from Osbourn High School.

Tom Osina (D-Incumbent)

In Manassas City Government, City Council has a keen interest in hiring and keeping good employees and engages the City Manager to actually implement and oversee those efforts. I have supported requests by the City Manager to increase pay and expand benefits to retain our workforce over the last 4 years. The Director of Human Resources, with Council input, has tailored outreach which plays to the City’s strengths.

However, departures do occur, just as they do in the private sector. I first learned that the City of Winston Salem, NC had made a job offer to our City Manager in July 2023. He gave notice last August saying he wanted to be closer to family in North Carolina after working in Manassas for 10 years. The position was a step up in pay and he would be working for a city 2 ½ times the population size of Manassas so his desire for advancement was understandable.

The city’s police chief has been appointed as Interim City Manager while City Council conducts its search for a permanent City Manager. At public works sessions this year, City Council and the Interim City Manager discussed a reorganization of senior managers to which Council agreed. Three city department heads have been appointed assistant city managers to build a bench, ensure stability and increase employee retention at the highest level of city government. Meanwhile, City Council is continuing the search for a City Manager as we want the right fit for this position.

Starting last summer, I, along with several members of City Council, requested the quarterly reporting of job vacancies to us. This way, I could see what positions were open, their status and for how long each had been vacant. This information led to efforts to increase pay to attract qualified applicants particularly in the Department of Public Utilities. A new Director of Public Works was hired this past winter due to retirement and the position of Electric Utilities Director was filled.

Overall, City Council has recognized that salaries and benefits have to remain competitive with our neighboring jurisdictions if Manassas is to recruit and retain good employees. That is why we have increased overall compensation from $59M in FY 2023 to $75M in FY 2025.

In an ideal environment, good employees never leave. In the real world, employees leave for lots of reasons: job advancement, family changes, moving out of the area, retirement to name a few. I am very cognizant that any kind of employee turnover can be challenging. I am pleased to be part of a City Council that is committed to retaining good employees while staying within our financial situation. We have and are well served by our city workforce and I am thankful to have them.

At any time, residents may visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/manassas and see the current list of vacancies in city government. That way they can determine for themselves what actually is taking place regarding job openings. In fact, they may want to apply for a position!

Osina is seeking his second term on City Council. He and his husband have lived in the Georgetown South community for more than 20 years. He is the father of two grown children.

Robyn Williams (R)

The recent resignations of key officials, including the city manager, have undeniably led to a sense of instability within our city government. As a candidate for City Council, I am dedicated to implementing immediate and strategic measures to restore stability and enhance employee retention.

The prolonged interim appointment of the chief of police as the city manager has created a leadership void. I will prioritize conducting a swift yet thorough search for a qualified and experienced city manager who will develop a skilled workforce and invest in employee development, fostering a positive work environment for all Manassas City employees.

Moreover, I intend to cultivate a culture of respect, collaboration, and inclusivity within the city government. I will implement policies that encourage work-life balance, recognize and reward employee achievements, and provide support for mental health and well-being.

My experience on the school board has been invaluable in our efforts to attract and retain top teachers and staff. I am pleased to report that employee retention at MCPS has been stable for several years. This success is attributed to two pillars of our comprehensive plan: a Quality Workforce and a Culture of Caring.

Williams is seeking her first term on City Council. She has served two terms on the Manassas City School Board. Williams holds a bachelor’s of science in economics from George Mason University. He found her background in finance and economics valuable on the MCPS School Board, in addition to her more than 10 years as a broker/owner of Redstone Realty, specializing in residential real estate.

Williams’ public service in Manassas began with the Beautification Committee, where she served as a member and eventually chairperson. She also volunteered as a teacher assistant at Haydon Elementary for several years and taught modules in schools through the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation Department.

Stay tuned as we continue this series with topics such as power outages, parking issues, city management and staff retention, budget and taxes, public school performance, and data centers. We aim to provide a comprehensive look at each candidate’s platform, ensuring voters have all the information they need to make a thoughtful decision.

We hope this series will engage the community and foster a more informed electorate. Check back for new insights and updates from your Manassas City Council candidates. Early voting starts  Sept. 21, and Election Day is Nov. 5.

Be sure to subscribe to our FREE news email. Each week, we will pose a single question to all candidates running for the Manassas City Council.

As we get closer to the start of early voting for the Fall 2024 election, Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Manassas City Council and the mayor’s seat.

To help voters make an informed decision, we are continuing a new feature series, “One-Question Manassas City Council Candidate Survey.” This series will run throughout the campaign season, offering insights into each candidate’s stand on key issues affecting our city. Our first one, which ran last week, focused on affordable housing.

The candidates are given 10 days to respond to a Google Form, and their answers will be compiled into a single post on PotomacLocalNews.com. This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day.

Today’s Topic: Budget and taxes. The candidates were asked:

With the recent discussions around budget priorities and potential tax increases, what are your budget priorities, and how would you work to balance fiscal responsibility with the needs of the community?

Mayoral candidates

Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom (R)

As a business owner of 25 years, budgeting comes very natural to me. I must stay within budget and provide excellent service to my customers. The city should as well, and not raise taxes that put an additional burden on the citizens. Of all the things the mayor does, none are more important than being fiscally responsible and upholding the trust you put in me to be a good steward of your tax dollars.

I feel budget priorities fall into two categories.
“NEEDS” and “WANTS”

The “NEEDS,” like water, sewer, electricity, police, fire, rescue, education, transportation and rainy-day funds, top the list. In these vital areas, it is important that we have the best equipment, the best managers and the best trained staff possible. We should not be second best to anybody anywhere. These are investments in our community I would not waiver on as your mayor.

The “WANTS” are the areas where our citizens really get a chance to weigh in. Do you want to allocate your resources to more sidewalks, parks, arts, tourism, recreation, etc.? My preferences are not important next to the wants of the citizens I represent, like you. Come budget season, elected leaders should do more listening than talking. I promise I will make your voice heard.

Byrom, the owner of Tang’s Bridal and Alterations in the Canterbury Village shopping center at 8675 Sudley Road, opened her Manassas store as an alteration shop in 1999. She eventually expanded her business to include bridal and formal wear. Her business employs 17 people.

Michelle Davis Younger (D-Incumbent)

NO RESPONSE

Davis-Younger is seeking a second term as mayor, after being elected in 2020. She owns and operates a Human Resources Consulting firm located in Historic Downtown Manassas called The1ForHR, LLC, which focuses on career coaching and resume writing.

City Council candidates

Lynn Forkell Greene (R)

Our city continues to face multiple challenges: improving schools, enhancing public safety and investing in infrastructure. As your City Council member, I will work collaboratively to find the right balance, ensuring our tax dollars are used effectively and transparently.

Community input is crucial; decisions should echo the collective voice of our residents, guiding our choices rather than merely following procedure. Every voice matters. I am committed to advocating for policies that benefit all residents of Manassas City.

In 2022, I stood with many residents and proudly voted for a 15% tax reduction/refund on personal property taxes, which was ultimately unanimously approved by our City Council demonstrating my leadership and dedication to providing much-needed relief and fairness to our community.

I will strive to harmonize the cadence and number of simultaneous long-term projects, reduce unnecessary spending, and address organizational strategy for long-term success and sustainable growth.

Let’s continue our efforts to build a more prosperous Manassas City, where our tax dollars foster the well-being and equitable growth of our entire community.

Lynn Forkell Greene is seeking to regain a seat on City Council, where she served for 14 months, from fall 2021 to December 2022. Forkell Green served the remainder of Davis-Younger’s term, a seat vacated when Davis-Younger was elected mayor.

She is an administrative director for a nonprofit. Forkell Greene and her husband share four adult children and three grandchildren. Before announcing her re-election bid, Forkell Green was a freelance reporter covering city issues for Potomac Local News.

Ashley Hutson (D)

The city’s budget must consider the needs of the community today while investing in the vision of the community 25+ years from now. Investments in the future are not only in infrastructure but people. I would prioritize investment in our schools and social/safety services. As we continue the search for a city manager and housing coordinator, I want to ensure the city has the best people working to address the needs of our residents. We must invest in our schools to retain great teachers and strive for graduating seniors to be prepared to join the workforce or continue education.

Upcoming budget cycles will be especially exciting as the City of Manassas will receive its first revenue from data centers. I hope the city is able to maintain or reduce the tax rate while investing in community vitality.

Through my service on the Community Advisory Committee to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, I’ve been involved in initiatives examining the region’s travel habits and traffic struggles, balanced with assessing achievable solutions. The Greater Prince William region is predominately car-dependent, but because Manassas is geographically small and dense, investments in multi-use development, multi-modal transportation and regional connectivity will serve our residents long into the future. As such, I am proud to see Manassas earn the distinction of “Bicycle Friendly Community” and I’m eager to see the impacts of the growth of Manassas Airport.

Since the beginning of my campaign, I have been asking residents and business owners what they like about Manassas and what they would change. Once elected to Council, I intend to listen to residents and contemplate their needs while seeking achievable solutions.

Hutson is seeking her first term on City Council. She is the director of Member Engagement of the Heavy Construction Contractors Association in Manassas. Hutson has served on the Manassas Board of Building Code Appeals, Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and Community Advisory Committee. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School and Christopher Newport University.

Stephen Kent (R)

The 2022 Community Satisfaction Survey is a good indicator of how Manassas residents are feeling. Your priorities are my priorities. Residents are least satisfied with the quality of public education (41%) and the flow of traffic within the city (38%).

I want to see the Godwin Extension from Sudley to Compton Avenue built, reducing traffic on 28 and improving walkability in downtown. I will work with our friends at the Board of County Supervisors to make sure this happens and Manassas is less stuck in endless traffic.

School quality can be radically improved by investing $25.50 per student for a partnership with Yondr, a phone-storage technology company that is helping school districts create cell-phone free educational environments. It’s having a hugely positive effect on performance in core academic subjects and behavioral reports. Manassas can do this for grades 6-12 about $100,000, less than what we spend in a year on weapon detection devices inside Osbourn High School. I will make sure th School Board has the funding they need to include phone pouches and tools for implementing device storage safely during the day. This will improve school quality and honor our citizen’s tax dollar investment in education.

On taxes, the current City Council voted in June not to lower property taxes. Homeowners can expect to pay about $266 more this year on average for their tax bill. I think that is unacceptable while the people of Manassas are being crushed by inflation in every other part of their budget. The arrival of data centers in Manassas in not popular, but if they are going to go up and it is happening, they should benefit the people of Manassas by reducing the tax burden. Renters would benefit too. When landlords costs go up, so does the rent.

Manassas is doing well financially, thanks to market forces and national trends pushing investment and workers out of the D.C. area and into our area. This is good news and a better time than ever for a tax cut.

Kent is seeking his first term on City Council. He is an author and public relations professional. He and his wife, Melony “Mel” Kent, share a child. Mel Kent ran for the city school board in 2022.

Mark Wolfe (D-Incumbent)

My priority has always been to build and maintain the quality of life in Manassas while keeping taxes as low as practicable.

In all my years of service, every member of Council has taken this responsibility of budgeting the public money very seriously. It is important to remember that no one person determines the budget, it takes a compromise of at least four Council members. That is four members with varying perspectives and priorities about Manassas.

But the most important thing to remember in our budgeting is that there is no free lunch. To do more, costs more.

If you say that want more police officers, more street paving or higher teacher pay, then that money has to come from increased revenue (higher taxes) or cutting an existing service.

If someone is promising to lower your taxes, ask them which specific cuts in services they would propose to the rest of the Council.

Over the years, the political move of a few Council members has been to agree with the proposed changes to the budget from the service side (more firemen, adding a recreation program, etc). Then, after months of work, state that they want a flat tax bill and that we should cut millions from the draft budget. And worse, not offering any proposals as to what to cut, expecting the rest of the Council to do their work. They close by voting against the tax rate (your bill) while they take credit for the increased services delivered to the residents of Manassas.

It might be good politics in some circles but it is certainly bad governance. Our citizens deserve better.

Wolfe is seeking a fourth term on City Council. He has lived in the City of Manassas since 1990. Wolfe has executive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and is currently the chief operating officer of MovieComm. Amy, his wife of 36 years, is the artistic director and CEO of Manassas Ballet Theatre. They have two children, both of whom graduated from Osbourn High School.

Tom Osina (D-Incumbent)

My budget priorities are continued economic prosperity by decreasing the tax rate yet providing necessary funding to retain city, fire, police and EMT employees, supporting extra money for teacher salaries, developing an ongoing repair/rebuilding program of school buildings and making sure that recent property purchases are strategically planned to give sound growth opportunities in the future.

Over the next four years additional budget items that are on the horizon include a parking garage at City Hall, Fire/Rescue Station 1 at the old Marsteller site, renovation of Public Works & Utilities facility, substation maintenance improvements, new Air Traffic Control Tower at the airport and sewer capacity expansion to keep up with growth.

My frequent visits to various neighborhoods to hear resident concerns, attending various functions to learn of business concerns, listening to different community conversations events along with semi-annual Town Halls are the major ways I stay aware of the pulse of our city. Of course, I have publicized my email address [email protected] and cell number 571-621-4069 as ways to reach me as well.

Osina is seeking his second term on City Council. He and his husband have lived in the Georgetown South community for more than 20 years. He is the father of two grown children.

Robyn Williams (R)

As a member of the Manassas City School Board, I am familiar with the challenges inherent in creating a balanced budget that meets current obligations while planning for the future. On Manassas City Council, the priorities I consider critical to the quality of life of our citizens are, a rigorous and vital primary and secondary education system, public safety and crime reduction, and retention of our valuable civil servants.

In my recent conversations with constituents, education and crime are often cited as serious problems which impacts their quality of life. Our Manassas City budget must ensure that the salary and benefit package we offer to police, first responders, and teachers is commensurate with that offered by our neighbors. High-level positions in the city remain vacant, which suggests that our current budget priorities may require reassessment. It is essential to review and identify areas where budget reductions can be made to optimize our financial resources effectively.

Finally, budgets must respect the taxpayer. Manassas City is taking in plenty of revenue to meet its obligations to our citizens without increasing taxes on them, especially at a time in which inflation is taking a huge bite out of their household budgets.

Williams is seeking her first term on City Council. She has served two terms on the Manassas City School Board. Williams holds a bachelor’s of science in economics from George Mason University. He found her background in finance and economics valuable on the MCPS School Board, in addition to her more than 10 years as a broker/owner of Redstone Realty, specializing in residential real estate.

Williams’ public service in Manassas began with the Beautification Committee, where she served as a member and eventually chairperson. She also volunteered as a teacher assistant at Haydon Elementary for several years and taught modules in schools through the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation Department.

Stay tuned as we continue this series with topics such as power outages, parking issues, city management and staff retention, budget and taxes, public school performance, and data centers. We aim to provide a comprehensive look at each candidate’s platform, ensuring voters have all the information they need to make a thoughtful decision.

We hope this series will engage the community and foster a more informed electorate. Check back for new insights and updates from your Manassas City Council candidates. Early voting starts  Sept. 21, and Election Day is Nov. 5.

Be sure to subscribe to our FREE news email. Each week, we will pose a single question to all candidates running for the Manassas City Council.

As we get closer to the start of early voting for the Fall 2024 election, Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Manassas City Council and the mayor’s seat.

To help voters make an informed decision, we are launching a new feature series, “One-Question Manassas City Council Candidate Survey.” This series will run throughout the campaign season, offering insights into each candidate’s stand on key issues affecting our city.

Be sure to subscribe to our FREE news email. Each week, we will pose a single question to all candidates running for the Manassas City Council.

The candidates are given 10 days to respond to a Google Form, and their answers will be compiled into a single post on PotomacLocalNews.com. This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day.

In our first installment, we focus on the pressing issue of affordable housing. We asked each candidate to share their perspective and proposed solutions for addressing the housing challenges in Manassas. Their responses and profile pictures are featured below to help you better understand their positions.

Stay tuned as we continue this series with topics such as power outages, parking issues, city management and staff retention, budget and taxes, public school performance, and data centers. We aim to provide a comprehensive look at each candidate’s platform, ensuring voters have all the information they need to make a thoughtful decision.

We hope this series will engage the community and foster a more informed electorate. Check back for new insights and updates from your Manassas City Council candidates. Early voting starts Saturday, September 21, and Election Day is November 5

Today’s Topic: Affordable Housing

Mayoral Candidates

Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom (R)

Byrom, the owner of Tang’s Bridal and Alterations in the Canterbury Village shopping center at 8675 Sudley Road, opened her Manassas store as an alteration shop in 1999. She eventually expanded her business to include bridal and formal wear. Her business employs 17 people.

As an immigrant to America, I fell in love with the opportunity to be able to work as much as I wanted to achieve goals like buying a home. I want to bring this dream to all Manassas citizens, whether 1st generation or 10th-generation. We all know housing costs are controlled by old-fashioned supply and demand, but as your Mayor, I will help bring this dream alive. As your next Mayor I will fight, I promise to help you with the following.

1. Make sure zoning allows for the development of small apartments and condos in designated areas. Affordable units can start at 400 square feet, making them affordable for starter homes.

2. Streamline permit processes to not hinder growth with red tape. Right now, a large part of home development costs are not bricks, mortar, wood and nails but overburdensome regulations. We need to make sure the government keeps our residents safe without adding unnecessary expenses to the project which leads to higher cost burden for our citizens.

3. Keep Real estate taxes as low as possible for homeowners. When home values go up, we need to cut tax rates to keep the tax burden to you in line. Home value increase should be a benefit to you, the taxpayer, and not the taxpayer.

Michelle Davis Younger (D) (Incumbent)

Davis-Younger is seeking a second term as mayor, after being elected in 2020. She owns and operates a Human Resources Consulting firm located in Historic Downtown Manassas called The1ForHR, LLC, which focses on career coaching and resume writing. After attending several White House functions, she claims she was instrumental in convincing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to choose the Hylton Performing Arts Center, on George Mason University Science and Technology Campus, to be the site of the administration’s re-election kickoff in January 2024.

NO RESPONSE

Council Candidates

Lynn Forkell Greene (R)

Lynn Forkell Greene is seeking to regain a seat on the council, where she served for 14 months, from Fall 2021 to December 2022. Forkell Green served the remainder of Davis-Younger’s city council term, a seat vacated when Davis-Younger was elected mayor.

She is an Administrative Director for a nonprofit organization. Forkell Greene and her husband share four adult children and three grandchildren. Before announcing her re-election bid, Forkell Green was a freelance reporter covering city issues for Potomac Local News.

As a candidate for Manassas City Council, my priority is ensuring affordability for our community. I’ll tackle rising property values and market-driven costs by eliminating policies that lead to higher taxes and excessive spending. Additionally, I’ll champion public-private partnerships, inclusionary zoning policies, and the development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Ashley Hutson (D)

Hutson is seeking her first term on the city council. She is the Director of Member Engagement of the Heavy Construction Contractors Association in Manassas. Hutson has served on the Manassas Board of Building Code Appeals, Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board, and Community Advisory Committee. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School and Christopher Newport University.

Because Manassas is only 9.9 square miles and most of it is already developed, Council must make forward thinking land use decisions that will serve the community long into the future. The Comprehensive Plan calls for a variety of options for housing in order to reduce the impact of rising costs, felt by all people, but especially renters, young adults, and the elderly.

I believe Council should make every effort to allot and retain attainable/affordable units with priority for teachers, city staff, and our Veterans. Several housing units, which will hopefully house Veterans, were allotted at the American legion Post 114 on Prince William Street. Our current Council voted to retain affordable housing units at the corner of Stonewall Road & Center Street, which I would have supported as well.

Historic Downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods illuminate the character of the City of Manassas. The re-development of the Mathis Ave shopping center is an opportunity to add mid-rise, multi-family units and commercial space. The proximity of Mathis Ave to Historic Downtown and the VRE will make this a desirable space for businesses and residents. Striving to be a modern, walkable, transit accessible city while complimenting the character of Historic Downtown will be important as development decisions are made.

Mark Wolfe (D) Incumbent

Wolfe is seeking a fourth term on the city council. He has lived in the City of Manassas since 1990. Wolfe has executive leadership experience in the corporate and non-profit sectors and is currently the Chief Operating Officer of MovieComm. Amy, his wife of 36 years, is the Artistic Director and CEO of Manassas Ballet Theatre. They have two children, both of whom graduated from Osbourn High School.

I am gratified to see that the need to address the availability of affordable housing is now receiving bi-partisan recognition.

First, it is important to recognize that there can not be a true solution that does not recognize the need for additional supply of housing; the law of supply and demand has not been repealed. In recent years I have supported five projects which would have increased the supply of housing in Manassas. Four of these have been approved by the Council: the Grant Avenue development, the Jefferson Street homes, the renovation to Legion Post 114 on Prince William Street, and the townhomes on Hastings.

This gets me to my second point: the government should partner with and help the private sector in this effort but should not engage in 1960’s 1960s-style housing projects. The Grant Avenue development is a great example of this. The streetscape improvements on Grant Avenue were a condition of the developer moving forward with their project. This was an easy condition to satisfy as the City had already planned on making these long-needed improvements. By working in concert with the developer, the City was able to leverage public dollars for a larger gain for our community. For the Prince William Street project, the City was instrumental in teaming the Legion Post with a non-profit housing developer and in working with both parties to create a win/win/win solution that helps the Post with their long-term facility, adds housing targeted to our veterans and will help to improve the neighborhood, increasing property values.

Third, these things take time. It was 15 years from when I walked the land that is now the Grant Avenue project with the Van Metre development team to the beginning of construction. None of these projects happen overnight. However, the City staff has been excellent in working with the builders to ensure timely review and feedback of plans and permitting. This has long been a service priority of Manassas.

And fourth, none of these projects exist in a vacuum. This must fit into and become a part of the pre-existing community. Preserving the character of neighborhoods is enshrined in our Comprehensive Plan as one of the guiding principles of re-development in Manassas. Again, using Grant Avenue as an example, one proposal would have placed several 10 to 15-story apartment buildings on the site. That was rejected out of hand. Whatever we do must work for Manassas. While the housing affordability issue is a regional one, Manassas needs to recognize that what is an answer in Arlington is not necessarily right for Manassas.

Stephen Kent (R)

Kent is seeking his first term on the city council. He is an author and public relations professional. He and his wife, Melony “Mel” Kent, share a child. Mel Kent ran for the city school board in 2022.

The primary goal of housing development needs to be getting demand for housing back in line with supply. “Affordable housing” has long been a buzzword that brings out some very tribal elements in every community dealing with the issue of housing affordability. When cities build “market rate” housing, what housing experts and urban planners tend to see is a healthy churn of residents currently living in cheaper housing that doesn’t meet their needs. In Manassas, you have a lot of higher-income residents living in single-family starter homes and townhouses who would actually prefer to expand their square footage and upgrade, but there are not many options for them. When you build market-rate housing, those people move up and out, creating that space for residents with lower budgets. Everyone gets the housing they can afford. There are always valid concerns over preserving the historic character of different communities and keeping Manassas’ signature charm, but nothing harms a community more than homelessness and rising costs of living due to a lack of housing development. Everyone in Manassas is better off when the free market is allowed to work, and when builders are building both homes and apartments that meet the diverse needs of a growing city.

Tom Osina (D) Incumbent

Osina is seeking his second term on the council. He and his husband have lived in the Georgetown South community for more than 20 years. He is the father of 2 grown children.

I am supportive of attainable (affordable housing) initiatives in Manassas as long as they are in appropriate locations. That’s why I voted to purchase the Mathis Avenue Shopping Center which passed unanimously with bipartisan support. Years earlier, under Republican majority City Councils, the area was identified as excellent location for attainable housing.

The hiring of a Housing Coordinator in the new fiscal year along with additional funding to Housing Trust Fund will give us more tools to develop these efforts.

The City of Manassas has utilized effectively community conversations events which help to bring in resident ideas and learn of concerns they have about impact. Holding such meetings is part of the agreement with the Economic Development Commission for which I voted on June 24, 2024.

I am hopeful that as redevelopment moves forward that such attainable housing will include the possibilities for below median income housing, workforce housing and aging in place housing.

Robyn Williams (R)

Williams is seeking her first term on the city council. She has served two terms on the Manassas City School Board. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from George Mason University. He found her background in finance and economics valuable on the MCPS School Board, in addition to her more than 10 years as a broker/owner of Redstone Realty, specializing in residential real estate.

Williams’ public service in Manassas began with the Beautification Committee, where she served as a member and eventually Chairperson. She also volunteered as a teacher assistant at Haydon Elementary for several years and taught modules in schools through the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation Department.

I attended a Spring Housing Forum on April 11, 2024 hosted by VCU Kornblau Industry Talks. Among the panelist were Alana Gonzalez with the Better Housing Coalition and Monique Johnson with Virginia Housing. Balancing the need for affordable housing while addressing concerns about the community impact and development is a real challenge.

The City of Manassas has focused on housing for over a decade. The city’s initiatives are well laid out in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan passed by the City Council in 2020. The Housing affordability and quality section centers around the City’s Community Development Block Grant program, providing funds to assist low income households, which I agree with. Identifying partners who are willing to acquire tax credit properties about to expire is one meaningful strategy outlined in HOU 4.4.3. Recently, an opportunity to add 12 affordable units was presented to the council utilizing HOU 4.4.3, but it was rejected.

The Housing Balance section of the plan also encourages exploration of innovative solutions such as Accessory Dwelling Units. While ADUs are clearly not a large-scale solution for affordable housing, I recognize the considerable side-benefit of allowing families to stay together while reducing their housing costs and possibly obviating or at least lessening the need for expensive nursing home care for elderly or disabled residents.

I do like the character area design principles used in the plan and feel as though adherence to them will allow Manassas City to grow robustly while providing a good balance of available housing for our residents at all the various stages of their lives.