By Uriah Kiser
NORTH STAFFORD, Va. — In his short time on Stafford’s Board of County Supervisors, Ty Schieber has already seen a fair amount of controversy.
Unanimously appointed as interim Garrisonville District Supervisor in January, the Republican Schieber had until then served on the county’s School Board.
Now at issue is $864,000 the School Board wants to move from its instructional spending account to another account to pay for supplies and repairs. School officials say the money will be used in part to replace old carpets, replacing air filters, mowing grass, and fixing school parking lots. Supervisors must approve the money transfer, but they argue that the funds could better be used inside the classroom.
While it’s clear the two Boards are at odds, Schieber said he’s working to help improve the lines of communication between them.
“There are differences in how the county and schools do their budget, they’re both the right way, but what I’m trying to help us do is get to a more common baseline so our templates for commutating budget requests and requirements blend in the anticipation of what types of information the Board of Supervisors are looking for, to help the decide where the schools requests lie…,” said Schieber.
Hoping to keep his seat as a Supervisor, the 18-year resident of Stafford County and vice-chairman of a tech firm at Aquia Town Center will face political newcomer Democrat Jon “Jack” Starkey in a special election in the Garrisonville District on Tuesday. The election comes after Delegate Mark Dudenhefer stepped down as Garrisonville Supervisor to represent Virginia’s 2nd House District in Stafford and Woodbridge.
Schieber since January has spent more time listening than speaking during regular Board meetings.
Schieber sits next to Aquia District Supervisor Paul Milde voted to approve Schieber to the Board, but later moved to nominate another Republican that would run against Starkey. That candidate lost to Schieber in a mass nominating meeting earlier this year, but Republicans who supported the failed candidate feared Schieber was too close with sitting Supervisors and would put focus on bringing new business to the southern portion of the county, potentially moving it away bustling North Stafford.
“I am not in anybody’s back pocket, and I think that one of the reasons that I got the unanimous support to serve in Mark Dudenfefer’s vacancy until the election can occur because I have proven that I have objectivity on my side. I listen to all the facts, do my homework, and make what I think is the right decision for the citizens of Stafford County,” said Schieber.
As for working with Milde, Schieber said it was Milde’s right to want to nominate someone else and that the whole incident is water under the bridge.
Aside from political pressures, whoever wins the permanent seat will also face pressure from developers and residents who will be impacted by construction of new homes in Garrisonville. A massive planned subdivision called Embrey Mill is expected to 1800 new homes, 200 homes per year, over the next eight to 10 years. The development will bring new traffic demands on area roads, and Schieber said he’s already getting an earful from neighbors concerned about construction noise, traffic, dust, and impacts on area schools.
Starkey lives on Brush Everard Court, the site of a massive landslide in September that rendered two homes unlivable. Following the land failure – which not the first on this site – he said he attended meetings where county officials scrambled for answers as bewildered homeowners wondered how a property with known land stability problems could have been approved as a home site. Starkey said more should be done to protect homeowners in these instances.
Schieber, who was not on the Board when the landslide occurred, said it’s a problem he’s aware of and with more construction coming, it’s one wants to prevent.
“I have met with some of the families and am very actively with the staff to make sure the county does everything that they can to get to a good solution, and I think we’re on a very good path,” said Schieber.
A Marine Corps officer for 11 years, Schieber is married to his wife, Liz, and with three children — a daughter, Meg, 13, and son, Brian, 16, both in Stafford County Public Schools and another daughter, Caroline, 19, who attends UVA.
