Woodbridge, Va. — Prince William Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, At-large, gave the State of the County speech (the text of which is below). Prince William Coles District Supervisor Marty Nohe was also elected Vice Chairman of the Board.
Today, as we look back at 2011 and forward to 2012, we can celebrate the rise of Prince William County to national prominence.
In an age of uncertainty and fear of the future, Prince William County stands as a symbol of stability, growth and prosperity. This did not happen overnight. We did not stumble upon this good fortune. It is, in fact, the work of years of dedication and determination not just by the current County government, but by many governments over several decades, and not just the government, but by the dedication and the determination of the people of this community.
Four years ago, when the nation entered a deep recession, many localities began to deplete their reserves in the hope that the country would exit the recession and recover. Here in Prince William, we hoped as well, but we also planned and we prepared. We reduced the size of our government by $143 million dollars, eliminating more than 300 positions. We reformed government regulations; we made it easier to start a business, to expand a business, to build a home in Prince William County; and perhaps more importantly, we focused government on the core essentials of what we need to do as a government: educate our children, build public infrastructure, and protect the safety of our citizens. And now we can enjoy the fruits of that labor. We are a symbol of stability, growth and prosperity.
We are among only one-half of one percent of localities in the United States that have a triple AAA bond rating status, a status not even the federal government has today.
As the county government was reduced to its proper role in our community, the private sector and our citizens flourished – making Prince William County number one in job growth in the Commonwealth of Virginia and number three in the United States of America.
We had the highest jump in median household income in the United States last year, rising to $92,000. We are now the ninth wealthiest county in the United States, and we ain’t done yet!
As President Kennedy said, “The time to repair a leaking roof is when the sun is shining.” The sun is shining, and the time to invest in the future is now.
Last July we recognized and commemorated the beginning of the Civil War which occurred right here in Prince William County. After the Civil War, during reconstruction, the United States foresaw its great potential for growth and invested in the future. We built roads, we built universities, we built schools, we built museums. We built centers for the arts. That is also what we in Prince William County are doing today, we are preparing for a very prosperous future. We now have 82,000 students in our schools, we now have 410,000 residents, last year we had 400,000 residents.
We continue to grow, we continue to attract new law abiding citizens to our community, and now is not the time to rest upon our laurels, we must continue to invest and prepare for enormous growth and even more prosperity. That is going to be the task of this Board. That is going to be the task of all members of the government of this County and that will be the task of each and every one of you as citizens of this community, but we must begin now.
Marshal Lyautey, a famous French marshal went out to his gardener and asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener asked “Why plant it, it won’t flower for a hundred years?” “In that case,” Lyautey replied, “Plant it this afternoon.” That is what we have to do. We here on this Board, we here in this community, may not see the fruits of our labor today. Yet, we can be confident that when we make sound investments, when we make those difficult decisions, we are doing our duty as elected officials for the citizens of our community, and we are doing what those who came before us did in preparing for our future. So too shall we prepare for our children’s future. Thank you.
-Chairman Corey Stewart
