The following response, to Prince William Board of County Supervisor Chair Republican nominee’s latest lunacy, is from Kenny Boddye, Democratic nominee for Prince William Board of County Supervisors, Occoquan District. Obviously, on November 5, Prince William County voters need to make sure that John Gray is *not* elected, and to vote Democratic up and down the ballot (including Ann Wheeler for County Board Chair, Babur Lateef for School Board Chair, Amy Ashworth for Commonwealth’s Attorney, Josh King for Sheriff, etc.)!
Let’s take a moment to break down just how many ways this is wrong:
1. Metro Extension is far from a “radical left” spending idea. There is broad support among the community in the Occoquan District – of which this candidate for Chairman is a resident – for additional transit solutions, including Metro Blue Line extension. It comes up at the doors all the time.
We can’t pave our way out of our traffic crisis, and yet the current majority refuses to make transit a priority.
2. Last time I checked, no one currently running for office in Prince William County – Democrat or Republican – has advocated for wholesale development of the Rural Crescent. Every Democratic Candidate I’ve spoken to has advocated for a smart growth approach which includes conservation easements, farmland preservation tools such as PDRs / TDRs, and creating incentives for agribusiness & agritourism.
I urge this Chairman candidate to take a look at vpap.org to see who are the biggest recipients of campaign donations from developers. Here’s a hint: they are people in his own party.
3. Ignoring the fact that “overcrowding schools” doesn’t make grammatical sense in this post, the overcrowding of our schools has exacerbated under the watch of the current majority on our county board for the past 2 decades. We continue to have the largest class sizes in the region, the lowest per-pupil spending, and the lowest teacher salaries.
Austerity has starved our school system, and it’s the current majority which imposes that austerity. This Chairman is fully aware of this fact.
If you want a Chairperson who is going to operate in the realm of facts, and actually prioritize transit solutions, smart growth principles, and fully funding our schools, the choice on November 5th couldn’t be more clear: Ann Wheeler for Chair, Prince William County.
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