THE BEST SEASON IN FREEDOM HISTORY? Tyquan Brown and the Eagles next play in the region final. Sports, Page 13
November 21, 2018 | Vol. 17, No. 47 | 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.
County leaders tout upsides of Amazon HQ2 By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
Virginia leaders expressed nothing but enthusiasm last week when Gov. Ralph Northam announced Amazon would split its new East Coast headquarters between Northern Virginia and New York City. Still, the news soon raised questions among residents about the effect of 25,000 new high-paying jobs on the Washington region and Prince William County. On social media, concerns about inflated housing prices, exacerbated school over-
crowding and longer commutes surfaced almost immediately. Prince William elected officials, however, are emphasizing only the positive. Corey Stewart, chairman of the county’s board of supervisors, says those worrying about housing prices and traffic are looking the HQ2 announcement the wrong way. Most of Amazon’s 25,000 jobs will likely be filled by people who already live in the area – or their children -- and that’s “good news for the employment base in the entire region,” said Stewart, R-At Large.
The company’s jobs are expected to arrive over about 12 years. “It’s more high-paying jobs not just for new residents but for existing residents,” Stewart said, noting the positions would have “a very significant impact on job prospects” for county residents. Stewart said he believed any so-called “Amazon effect” would likely be felt most acutely in area schools and community colleges, as the internet giant has promised to work with public school divisions to prepare students for future tech careers. See AMAZON, page 4
Local GOP makes its pitch for 2019
By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
Prince William County Supervisor Marty Nohe announced his bid
for board chairman weeks before he’d initially intended. But at least two Democratic candidates were making moves for the county’s top elected post, and a local reporter put
PHOTO CREDIT ROGER SNYDER
Special delivery – Aden Road bridge
After a one-day delay due to last week’s snowstorm, the rehabilitated historic, iron-truss bridge was returned to Nokesville Friday, Nov. 16. The bridge spans the railroad tracks and has been closed since July. Now that the structure is back in place, the bridge is expected to reopen sometime in December. INSIDE News....................................................2 Puzzle Page..........................................9 Opinion...............................................10 Lifestyle..............................................15
him on the spot: Would he run or not? That was back in mid-October. Nohe, R-Coles, decided to make it official, saying he would challenge sitting incumbent Chairman Corey Stewart for the Republican nomination in 2019. Then came the Nov. 6 election, when Stewart, R-At Large, took a drumming from voters in the county and across the state in his challenge to Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat. Stewart, 50, lost to Kaine by 16 points statewide and by whopping 31.9 points in Prince William. Now, Stewart’s not sure whether he’ll seek re-election, saying only that he’ll make an announcement by the end of the year. But Nohe, 48, says he’s undaunted by the results of this month’s contest even though Democratic candidates won Prince William handily (with the exception of state Sen. Jennifer Wexton, who beat GOP incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock by just 1 percent in the county.) Nohe’s reason? As a so-called
PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
Manassas City Councilman Ian Lovejoy (R), left, and Prince William Supervisor Marty Nohe, R-Coles, have announced they're running for higher office in 2019.
“off-off-year election,” the electorate will be different in 2019, he contends. Without national issues buzzing in the background, Prince William voters are more likely to tune into local concerns. “I think these local elections tend to bring out a different group of voters,” Nohe said. “People tend to look beyond Democrat versus Republican, urban versus rural, liberal versus conservative.” See GOP, page 8
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