Greg Letiecq recorded the debate. Here is his video.
Letiecq has the video and some commentary here.
Bristow Beat summarizes the debate in this story:Brentsville Supervisor Debate Highlights Distinctions between Candidates. In this story, Local Republicans Revoke Scott Jacobs’ Membership in their Party, the Bristow Beat confirms a comment I made in an earlier post.
The Potomac Local has a couple of articles related to the debate.
- Brentsville candidates differ on development, want larger businesses in Prince William
- Brentsville candidates differ on Bi-County Parkway, oppose Metro expansion
I watched the debate, and I thought it quite interesting. Linton Hall School relaxed the mood with a little Christmas music courtesy of their Fife & Drum Corps. The children are really quite good, and everyone enjoyed the diversion, but then we got to the business at hand.
Generally, the candidates came well prepared. All have lived in the area for years. Eric Young and Scott Jacobs grew up here. Young spoke from the perspective of someone who has served on multiple community boards. Jacobs leveraged his experience as a successful businessman. Jeanine Lawson, who has lived Prince William County for 19 years, spoke from with perspective of a grassroots political leader. Lawson has a long record of being involved in community affairs. Of the three candidates, she is probably the most well-known to our community.
My personal impression is that Lawson and Young got the most out of the debate. Jacobs made no secrets of his ties to and sympathies for the developers in Prince William County. For example, Lawson and Young successfully made the case that the Stone Haven development would cost the citizens of Prince William financially and further overcrowd our schools. On the other hand, Jacobs failed to provide a convincing argument for approving Stone Haven. That left the impression his first loyalties would not be with the citizens of Prince William County.
Young made, perhaps, one strategic mistake. He came out in support of a pre-kindergarten program for financially disadvantaged children. Although his position probably pleased the members of our local teacher’s union, both Lawson and Jacobs promptly slapped down his proposal. Even if Young’s proposal made sense, the county does not have the money to pay for it. That’s why we already have a high student to teacher ratio. Thus, with his support for a pre-kindergarten program, Young undermined his credibility as someone who can be counted upon to balance the budget and keep taxes further increasing.
Filed under: 2014 Election, candidate support, Jeanine Lawson, local news Tagged: Brentsville District Supervisor, Brentsville Magisterial District, election 2014, Eric Young, Jeanine Lawson, prince william county, prince william county board of supervisors, Prince William County Virginia, Scott Jacobs
