This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
With the November election just around the corner, current Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger and challenger Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom participated in a candidate forum that filled a room at the Manassas Museum on Tuesday evening.
In addition to the mayor’s race, three at-large City Council seats and four at-large School Board seats are up for election in Manassas in November.
Incumbent Davis-Younger, a Democrat, sat alongside Byrom, a Republican, to answer questions about key issues in Manassas on Tuesday at the event, presented by the Prince William Chamber of Commerce. Topics included the importance of local government, the search for a new city manager, transportation improvements, economic development, education reform, public safety, data centers and community involvement.
City manager search
As Manassas continues its search for a new city manager, both Davis-Younger and Byrom agreed the process should not be rushed.
“We are not just going to stick anyone in that position to keep folks quiet; you deserve the absolute best,” Davis-Younger said. “We’ve got to find someone that can take the city forward. We’re unique. We’re special.”
“Our city deserves the very best manager that we can hire. I would like to see hard-working, non-political devotion, a selfless leader with a shared desire, just like me, to make Manassas the greatest city in Virginia,” Byrom said.
Transportation
On the topic of transportation, Byrom said she wanted to see more walkable sidewalks and bike paths along with a more efficient flow of traffic throughout the city.
Davis-Younger said the city has been taking measures to address the traffic concerns that citizens have brought forth. “We have taken measures, and we have the turn lanes of Liberia, widening [Route] 28 … and we just approved roundabouts,” Davis-Younger said. “We are getting things done … getting around the city is getting better.”
Prince William County has plans to build a Route 28 bypass, which will essentially be an extension of Godwin Drive from its current northern end at Sudley Road up to Centreville Road, just south of Fairfax County, where Route 28 is being widened from four lanes to six from Bull Run to the Route 29 interchange. A previous Manassas City Council endorsed the plan, even though it could result in the loss of 50 to 70 homes in Prince William County.
“The project is at a standstill right now with the county. I attended a town hall session … and I heard those residents’ concerns about losing their homes,” said Davis-Younger, adding that she will continue to assess the best route moving forward.
“I do support [the project], but most importantly I also believe that a family that has to move has to be well taken care of,” Byrom said.
On the topic of the Manassas Regional Airport expansion, both Byrom and Davis-Younger agreed the addition of commercial flights will have a positive effect on the city and its residents.
“A robust airport is essential for a successful city. The benefit to the citizens outweighs the downside,” Byrom said. “I can’t wait to be able to use the airport myself.”
Davis-Younger said that was one thing on which both she and Byrom agreed. “I’m excited about what’s happening at the airport … of course, we have several checkboxes to make with the FAA and their requirements, and at no time are we going to negate what’s best for our citizens as far as noise and pollution.”
Economic development
When asked what Manassas could do to promote economic development in the city, Davis-Younger said she was confident in the department’s current efforts and emphasized the need for the city to partner with businesses to increase employment opportunities.
Byrom said the city should focus on improving its education system so families would be more inclined to stay in the city, therefore bringing revenue to local businesses.
“I’ve been knocking doors, and I hear your concerns,” Byrom said. “The people who came up to me said ‘I own a restaurant in Old Town, but I don’t want my kids to be here, so I’m going to move.’”
In regard to the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan, Byrom said the plan needs to list specific ways it will improve the quality of education in the city, emphasizing the need for a stronger career and technical education program.
Davis-Younger said it is up to the community to say what changes should be made to the plan. “We want to make sure that we are moving forward with the objectives of this community and the things that you want to see done up to 2040 and beyond. So, it’s going to depend on what the community comes back with and tells us that they want to see here,” Davis-Younger said.
Affordable housing
Davis-Younger said the city is providing affordable housing options.
“We have several developments that are affordable… what this council and I have done is made it a priority to identify where we can have private and public partnerships with developers to meet the needs to have affordable housing for our community,” she added. “But even after you get the home, how do you keep the home? What education is in place? Because buying a home is a big investment.”
Byrom said she believes that with an improved quality of education comes higher earning potential.
“The price of everything that you have is going to go up. It’s not going to stay the same year after year,” Byrom said. “So the best way to really … address the problem is by education…so you can get higher pay, then you can afford any house that you want in the city, then every house will be affordable for you.”
Education
On the topic of education, Byrom was adamant about the changes that need to be made to the school system in the city. “We need to bring discipline, respect and responsibility back to school. No excuses.”
Davis-Younger said the mayor doesn’t have much say in the school system and that the city should focus on partnering with the School Board and parents to see what resources the schools and students need.
When asked about specific programs or initiatives they would implement in the school system or encourage the school board to implement to support alternative trade and STEM careers, Davis-Younger said the school system was already implementing programs in those fields.
“We have to talk about the goals we have met. Children want to hear about how good things are, not how bad everything is looking, how positive things are moving in the positive direction. That’s what we need to move forward,” Davis-Younger said.
Byrom again said the city needs to implement stronger career and technical education programs.
Public safety
On the topic of public safety, Davis-Younger said the city is safe.
“Public safety is a problem everywhere, but in this city, we’re very blessed,” she said. Davis-Younger mentioned that while the city is in need of more volunteer firefighters, recently approved pay increases have increased the pool of applicants for police officers.
Byrom said the city needs to crack down on crimes she has heard about like reckless driving, human trafficking, truancy and shootings.
“I think that we need a new commonwealth’s attorney who will be more serious about crime,” she added. Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth, a Democrat, also oversees prosecution of crimes in Manassas. She was reelected to a second four-year term last November.
Both candidates said they support the Manassas City Police Department. Davis-Younger said the partnership between the police and local businesses will continue to aid in further issues the businesses may face, while Byrom said businesses should consider hiring private security.
Data centers
Davis-Younger said she is a fan of data centers being built in the city, with the increase of revenue and high-paying jobs the centers will bring.
“I’m not opposed to data centers, but I think the city needs to be careful how you spend the extra tax money,” Byrom said. “I think that in five years, the data center might disappear. We don’t know that, so we have to be very mindful of how we spend that kind of money cannot depend on that.”
