This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
The two candidates for the Gainesville District supervisor seat on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors – left vacant by the July 20 passing of Supervisor Bob Weir – faced off Oct. 10 in a candidate forum at Gainesville High School, trading occasional barbs and frequent niceties in a generally courteous debate.
Democratic nominee George Stewart and Republican Patrick Harders articulated competing visions for the future of the Gainesville District that both revolved around the preservation of the former rural crescent in western Prince William and the mitigation of unchecked data center proliferation.
Stewart is a U.S. Navy veteran and financial consultant from Dominion Valley in Haymarket, while Harders is a small business owner who has lived in the Gainesville District for over two decades.
With Bruce Potter, the publisher of InsideNoVa, serving as the evening’s moderator, the two candidates shared plans for future development in the district and how they plan to maintain the area’s rural character.
Stewart emphasized his campaign is “not about opposing growth,” but rather managing it in a “responsible and transparent manner.”
Harders, meanwhile, referenced his purchase of an “old, dilapidated” farmhouse for $360,000 alongside his wife in evoking his small business background and local roots.
Trading barbs
Throughout the forum, both Stewart and Harders repeatedly acknowledged each other’s credibility – even going so far as to say they “like” each other “as a person,” per Harders, and would look forward to “having a drink,” per Stewart, once the election is over.
Nonetheless, the evening was not without its fair share of rivalry, as Harders first pressed Stewart on his support of the now-defunct Bi-County Parkway project in a prior news interview. Harders said the parkway would “quadruple” traffic.
“Mr. Harders talked about me and the Bi-County Parkway,” Stewart responded, “and yeah, I did make a statement in an interview about that, and talking to people and getting the feedback I got, again, this is what the job is about. It’s about listening to the constituents.”
Stewart added, “Something really does need to be done in Gainesville, we’re growing. We’re growing slowly, but where we are at now … we’re not in a place right now where we’re free of congestion.”
Stewart proposed an expansion of the Virginia Railway Express and OmniRide as possible solutions to the issue.
Later on, Stewart also replied in kind to Harders, reaffirming his support for Prince William County’s revenue-sharing agreement with the school system, which Stewart said he was “the only one up here” to favor.
Harders responded he would support the schools unequivocally but found the agreement to be somewhat outdated since its inception in the 1990s. He emphasized its use as “just a tool.”
Tepid reactions
One question on which both candidates were hesitant was the potential withdrawal of federal funding due to the county’s bathroom policy solely according to a student’s gender identity.
Harders preached “compassion” and support for youth mental health, but said the county should keep bathrooms separate and not risk losing federal funding.
Stewart took a different stance, advocating for gender-neutral bathrooms and condemning the “prior vilifying” of the LGBTQ+ community.
Harders declined his opportunity for a rebuttal on the issue.
Diversifying revenue
Where the diversification of county tax revenue is concerned, Stewart and Harders were pressed on the future of data center taxation.
Stewart did not offer a concrete rate in response, though he said the revenue needs to be divvied up among three primary destinations: schools, infrastructure and first responders.
Harders, meanwhile, said the applicable computer and peripherals tax on data centers should at minimum equal that of Loudoun County, which is $4.15 per $100 of assessed value. He added his plan to “fiscally responsible” and mirror the late Weir.
Responsible development
Earlier on in Friday’s forum, Stewart likened future development to “[the] fat kid at the front of a bakery looking at cupcakes,” calling it “inevitable.”
Both Harders and Stewart voiced their opposition to the proposed expansion of the Orange Line metro to Washington, D.C., into Gainesville, saying that the county could not fiscally sustain such a project.
Harders frequently cited Montgomery County, Va., as an example of responsible development, also mentioning the Moo-Thru ice cream shop in Fauquier County for its implementation of the county’s Purchase of Development Rights, or PDR, program, to assist dairy farmers whose lands are in conservation easements.
At the conclusion of the event, Stewart and Harders each graded the current Board of County Supervisors on an A-to-F scale. Stewart went higher with a “solid B or B-plus,” while Harders said he was “in the C-minus range.”
Often speaking in the future tense during the debate as though he were already elected, Harders – who leaned on his Chicago heritage – wrapped up by asking residents for their trust to earn him a “mandate.”
Stewart said he was raised in a civically-involved household – citing his past roots in the Bronx – and that being involved is “just in my blood,” once again stressing the need for responsible growth.
Upcoming second debate
InsideNoVa has learned that a second debate between Stewart and Harders will take place this Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Heritage Hunt 55-and-over community in Gainesville.
