Prince William County Supervisor Candland announces resignation

Candland’s decision comes after a tumultuous year during which he faced a recall petition and lawsuits related to the controversial PW Digital Gateway data center project in his district.

The supervisor said he arrived at his announcement after receiving the commonwealth’s attorney’s latest opinion regarding his participation in critical Board of County Supervisors decisions.

” … my ability to serve on the Board of County Supervisors has been greatly diminished. While I could continue as Supervisor in a more limited role and still get many positive things accomplished, I do not feel this would be in the best interests of the citizens of the Gainesville District,” Candland said in an email to constituents Saturday.

Candland, R-Gainesville, signed on with his neighbors in support of the massive data center project, and thus he was forced to recuse himself from votes on the matter.

Supervisors generally approved plans for the PW Digital Gateway project last month.

Here is more of Candland’s Saturday news release. Check back to InsideNoVa.com for updates on this story:

“This decision comes after Supervisor Candland received an additional opinion from the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Amy Ashworth. According to Candland, ‘Once the PW Digital Gateway CPA vote was done, and with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan vote coming up, I made the decision, again in consultation with the County Attorney, to make another request for an opinion from the Commonwealth’s Attorney. I took this additional step in requesting her opinion to ensure the integrity of my future votes.’

Nearly a month after making his request, Candland received the opinion on December 9th. The updated Ashworth opinion stated that Candland could not vote on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan being considered this Tuesday by the Board of County Supervisors. In addition, the opinion stated that Candland could not vote on any data centers being considered within the county.

In responding to Ms. Ashworth’s opinion Candland wrote, ‘Although I do not agree with the entire opinion of Ms. Ashworth and believe I would be able to participate in these votes without prejudice, I must abide by her opinion as she is the duly elected chief law enforcement officer for Prince William County’. He went on to add, ‘With her new opinion, my ability to serve on the Board of County Supervisors has been greatly diminished. While I could continue as Supervisor in a more limited role and still get many positive things accomplished, I do not feel this would be in the best interests of the citizens of the Gainesville District.’

Candland concluded his email by saying, ‘I want to give a special thank you to those folks who have stood by me and Robyn during the last year. It would have been easy to believe the lies, the false allegations, and the slanderous claims, but many of you sent us words of support that will stay with us forever. It reminded us every day that the majority of our community is filled with wonderful people who have tremendous hearts. Your love and generosity will not be forgotten.’

Candland stated, ‘Representing the people of the Gainesville District has been one of the distinct honors of my life. Having been elected three times, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many wonderful people and have witnessed the best of the human spirit. We have accomplished so much together.’ Supervisor Candland made transparency, efficiency, and accountability cornerstones of his tenure on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. He led successful efforts in forcing Dominion Power to bury their new powerlines along I-66 and removing the Bi-County Parkway from the County’s Comprehensive Plan. Also, he brought significant improvements to both Long and Catharpin Parks, the first increase in funding to the schools through the revenue sharing agreement, an expansion of capacity at Gainesville High School, and secured the funding to build a pedestrian bridge over Route 15 at Graduation Drive near Battlefield High School.