EAGLES, TIGERS ADVANCE: Freedom and Brentsville are Prince William County’s last two football teams standing. Sports, Page 13
November 14, 2018 | Vol. 17, No. 46 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Lateef wins messy race for school board chair
Satterwhite concedes but calls for investigation into ‘illegal’ PAC By Karen Chaffraix and Jill Palermo Times Staff Writer
In 1607, Capt. John Smith is said to have met with Indians while visiting the island, which could have been a peninsula back then. Arrowheads have been found there. It was believed to have been owned by Giles Brent around 1649, and that he lived there with his wife, Kitamaquund, the daughter of a Piscataway Indian leader. In the early 1700s, Alexander Scott, rector at historic Aquia Church in Stafford County owned it. Almost nothing is known about the island for the next 100 years or so because the Stafford County Courthouse and all its records were destroyed in a fire during the Civil War.
Dr. Babur Lateef won the special election for chairman of the Prince William County School Board last week, garnering more than 47 percent of the vote in a three-way race. Alyson Satterwhite, one of his two opponents, held a press conference the day after the Nov. 6 election, however, calling for the Virginia Department of Elections to investigate a political action committee named “Republicans for Stanley Bender” that she and other local Republicans called “illegal” and said likely cost Satterwhite key GOP votes. Still, there’s no indication the PAC – or any investigation into possible wrongdoing – will affect the outcome of the race, which Satterwhite conceded to Lateef on Thursday, Nov. 8. In a Facebook post, Satterwhite said she called Lateef to congratulate him: “We had a good conversation,” she wrote. Lateef posted his own announcement shortly thereafter, calling his win an “overwhelming validation by the people of Prince William County to affirm a person who shares their values.” Lateef is an ophthalmologist with four children enrolled in Prince William County schools. He was endorsed by the local Democratic committee and has served as interim school board chairman since March, when the school board appointed him to the post after former school board chairman Ryan Sawyers resigned. “Alyson Satterwhite called to congratulate me and we had a great conversation about the work we’ve done so far together and the direction of the school board,” Lateef wrote. “She has played and will continue to play a vital role … I would like to congratulate her on a hard fought campaign.”
See ISLAND, page 2
See SCHOOL BOARD, page 3
An aerial view of Chopawamsic Island, a 13-acre island in the Potomac River located just off the Quantico Marine Corps base, which is on the market for $15 million.
Want to buy a private island? ‘Chop Island’ is chock full of interesting history and it’s yours for $15 million By Aileen M. Streng Contributing Writer
The views from Chopawamsic Island of the Potomac River are breathtaking and its history is intriguing – even if some of it is fuzzy at best. The 13-acre island just off the coast from Quantico Marine Corps’ “HMX1,” the helicopter squadron responsible for flying the president, has recently been put on the market for $15 million. The owner, who prefers to remain anonymous, hired Weichert Capital Region’s “Rock Star Band” real-estate team over the summer for a definitive amount of time with the sole purpose of selling it to the Marine Corps. “He is a patriot and that was his main goal,” said Nick Letendre, the realtor with the listing, of the island’s owner. When approached, Letendre said the Marine Corps initially expressed interest and it was asked to make an offer. Shortly after that, he was told, “The Marine Corps would not be placing an offer and this is our final response,” Letendre said. “And that was it,” he said. Letendre was disappointed; his brother was a Marine killed in Iraq in 2006. “I feel very close to the Ma-
The pre-1900s main house on Chopawamsic is about 3,000 square feet and includes at least four bedrooms. rine Corps,” he said. Now the island is for sale to the general public. “I would love to sit on my back porch and watch the president’s helicopter take off,” said Joe Ford, another member of the Weichert team. Most of the water between the island and HMX-1 is restricted. Since the listing, there has been some interest, but no offers. Among the ideas they have heard for the land include building a retreat for wounded warriors or a similar organization. “It could be a good fit,” he said. The owner bought the island in 1991 for $375,000. The last time he was on the island was 10 years ago. “We are open to any offer,” Letendre said. “How do you price something like this? There are all sorts of stories and actual factual history that goes along with the island.” INSIDE Classified............................................23 Education.............................................6 Lifestyle..............................................15 News....................................................2
Island’s claim to fame: Capt. John Smith and Alexander Graham Bell
Obituaries...........................................22 Opinion...............................................11 Puzzle Page........................................15 Real Estate..........................................21 Sports.................................................13
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