Republican Jeanine Lawson announces her bid for Prince William board chair

LAWSON, from page 1

In a news release, Lawson was critical of current Chair Ann Wheeler, D-At Large, and the board’s five-member Democratic majority, all of whom were elected in 2019, saying they have pursued “reckless policies” that “put families last.”

Among her criticisms, Lawson listed tax bill increases over the last three years, the rising number of homicides in the county and “a prioritization of a multi-billion-dollar data center industry over residents.”

“Enough is enough. Our local taxes are through the roof,” Lawson said in a statement. “Unchecked development is rampant while conservation and concerns about our local environment have been tossed aside.”

Over the past two years, Lawson and Wheeler have been at odds over allowing increased residential and industrial development in the area of the county formerly known as the “rural crescent.” Lawson fiercely opposed both the county’s recent comprehensive plan update, “Pathway to 2040,” because it allows more dense development in parts of the rural area, as well as the “Prince William Digital Gateway,” which would open more than 2,100 acres in the rural area to new data center development directly north of the Manassas National Battlefield Park.

Last November, the supervisors approved a comprehensive plan amendment paving the way for the digital gateway in a 5-2 vote, with both Lawson and Supervisor Yesli Vega, R-Coles, voting in opposition. But the board has not yet rezoned the land to allow for the massive new data center corridor.

In an interview Monday, Lawson said she hopes the Digital Gateway rezoning won’t come before the board until next year and said she would continue to fight it.

“I am fully committed to defeating the Prince William Digital Gateway, and I certainly don’t support Ann Wheeler’s comp plan,” Lawson said. “And I would absolutely like to return to the preservation of the rural crescent.”

Lawson vied unsuccessfully last year to seek the Republican nomination for the 10th District congressional seat, a race she lost to Hung Cao, who ultimately lost to U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat.

Lawson said she only recently decided to run for board chair. She said her move was prompted in part by Wheeler’s lack of support for raising the county’s tax rate on computers and peripheral equipment, commonly known as the “data center tax” because data centers pay the bulk of such taxes.

The county’s current rate of $1.65 per $100 in assessed value is well below that of surrounding jurisdictions. The board proposed raising the tax rate to $2.15 in fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1. Wheeler voted against the proposal along with Supervisors Victor Angry, D-Neabsco, and Supervisor Margaret Franklin, D-Woodbridge.

Lawson has noted that she previously opposed efforts to raise the data center tax rate too high too quickly and has been generally supportive of bringing data centers to the county’s industrial areas because of the tax revenue they generate. The facilities paid about $101 million in local taxes in the current fiscal year, according to county budget documents.

But Lawson said Monday the county has made mistakes in allowing its data center overlay district to come too close to residential areas, which has prompted a backlash from western Prince William County residents. The proposed Devlin Technology Park, a plan to allow 14 new data centers behind neighborhoods near Devlin and Linton Hall roads, resulted in resident protests over the summer and earlier this year. The plan is currently on hold.

“I think we’ve learned from the errors of our past, and I’m willing to accept that and acknowledge that,” Lawson said. “One thing we’ve learned is we need to do a better job of mitigating (data centers’) impacts on neighborhoods.”

Lawson is the first Republican to announce a campaign for chair of the board of supervisors. Wheeler is already facing a primary challenge from fellow Democrat Deshundra Jefferson, who announced her candidacy in January. Jefferson also opposes the Prince William Digital Gateway as well as what she calls general “overdevelopment” in the county.

Wheeler responded to Lawson’s announcement Monday with a sharply worded news release that called Lawson “an extreme MAGA Republican who is dangerous for our county.”

“Prince William County is the most diverse county in the commonwealth and the 10th most diverse county in the country,” Wheeler’s statement said. “We do not need a Trump-style celebrity politician who likes appearing on right-wing radio shows and aspires to higher office.”

Lawson said she rejects Wheeler’s efforts to bring national politics into a local race but said she would call herself “a proud Ron DeSantis Republican” or “a proud Glenn Youngkin Republican,” references to the Florida governor and the current governor of Virginia, both of whom are Republicans.

“I reject any type of partisan labeling,” Lawson said. “People don’t expect their local leaders to engage in hyper-partisanship, especially at the national level.”

Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@ fauquier.com

Police: Man fatally shot outside Hoadly Road shopping center Staff Reports

Police are investigating but have so far made no arrests in connection with a fatal shooting early Monday morning of a 37-year-old man in the parking lot of the Hoadly Market Place in the Prince William County area of Manassas, according to police.

Officers were called to the shopping center, which includes a Food Lion and a CVS, at about 1:18 a.m. on Monday, March 20, and arrived to find the man suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Master Police Officer Renee Carr, a Prince William County Police Department spokeswoman.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. As of Tuesday, he had not yet been identified pending notification of family members, Carr said in a news release.

The initial investigation determined that the victim and a female acquaintance were in the parking lot when they were approached by

14-year-old charged for possessing 2 knives at school

A 14-year-old Freedom High School student was charged last week after he was found to be in possession of two knives while at school, according to Prince William County police.

The school resource officer at Freedom High School, located at 15201 Neabsco Mills Road in Woodbridge, was alerted at 12:50 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14 after a knife fell out of a bag belonging to a student during a physical altercation between the student and two other students, according to Master Police Officer Renee Carr, a Prince William County Police Department spokeswoman.

School personnel quickly sep - arated the students and took possession of the knife. The SRO was notified and detained the student to whom the knife belonged. While investigating, the SRO determined the accused was in possession of a second knife, Carr said in a news release. a vehicle. At some point during the encounter, shots were fired, striking the victim, the release said.

The student did not display either of the knives, and they were not part of any other active threat toward the students or the school. No injuries were reported, the release said.

Following the investigation, the 14-year-old boy was charged. The teen was being held at the Prince William County Juvenile Detention Center as of Wednesday, March 15, the release said.

“Preliminarily, this incident does not appear random,” Carr said in the release.

More information will be released when available. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call the Prince William County Police Department tip line at 703-792-7000 or submit a web tip to: pwcva.gov/policetip.

Woodbridge man charged with attempted felony child abuse

A 25-year-old Woodbridge man was being held without bond earlier this week after he was accused of nearly striking a 24-year-old woman and two young boys, a 7-year-old and 3-year-old, with his vehicle.

Police were called to the 1400 block of G St. in Woodbridge at 5:35 p.m. on Sunday, March 19, in response to a domestic incident. The investigation revealed that the victims, the woman and her two children, were engaged in a verbal altercation with a family member that escalated. During the encounter, the family member got into a vehicle and drove toward all of the victims, forcing the children and the woman to jump out of the way to avoid being struck by his vehicle, according to Master Police Officer Renee Carr, a Prince William County Police Department spokeswoman.

One of the boys reported minor injuries during the incident, Carr said.

While investigating, officers determined the man was intoxicated and took him into custody without incident, Carr said in a news release.

Following the investigation, Orlin Edguardo Molina Reyes, 25, was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted malicious wounding, two counts of attempted child abuse and one count of driving under the influence. Reyes was being held without bond as of Monday, March 20, the release said.