From providing social services, keeping cops on the streets, to making sure street lights stay on: The weight of these responsibilities and more will be on the shoulders of Ann Wheeler, who will take the helm of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors as its new Chairman At-large.
- She’ll oversee the budget in Virginia’s second-largest locality behind Fairfax. And, crafting the county’s fiscal 2021 budget (which takes effect July 1, 2020) will be the first order of business.
- There won’t be a lot of procedural changes in the way we do the budget. There’s a process there,” Wheeler told me. “However, there will be priority changes.”
Wheeler expects a larger focus on finding additional funding for schools and working to reduce the number of students per classroom. Prince William County boasts the highest class sizes in the region.
- However, don’t expect the Board of County Supervisors and the county’s School Board to abolish a decades-old revenue-sharing agreement that automatically transfers 57% of the county’s entire budget to the schools every year, no questions asked.
As Chairman At-large, Wheeler, a Democrat, will represent the entire county and will lead set the agenda and tone for the new Board of County Supervisors taking their seats in January.
She’ll replace longtime Republican Corey Stewart who was elected Chairman At-large in 2007. And she’s one of five new Democrats taking seats on the Board, which flipped this month from being a 5-2 Republican-controlled Board to 4-3 Democrat-controlled body.
- Wheeler said Stewart called to congratulate her on her November 5 win (he didn’t seek re-election to the post after three failed attempts at higher office).
- “He congratulated me, and said there is going to be a lot of change in Prince William County,” said Wheeler.
- The two plan to meet soon to discuss the transition. Wheeler also plans to meet with County Executive Christopher Martino, as well as other county department heads to discuss policies and get to know them, she told me.
In her first few months, Wheeler said she plans to devote time during each Board of County Supervisors meeting to highlight positive aspects of the community.
- “We have so many communities in Prince William County, and it’s more than ethnic — we have veterans and religious communities that I want to highlight,” said Wheeler.
Wheeler won the four-way At-large Chairman’s race with 55% of the vote countywide.
