Opinion
Andrea Bailey is running as a Democrat for the Board of County Supervisors for the Potomac District.
This District has the largest African American population in the entire county and is a majority minority district.
Andrea is a small business owner, a long-time resident of the county, and highly qualified for this position.
The racial makeup of the Board of County Supervisors is currently all white. Not a single minority is representing Prince William County – one of the most diverse counties in Virginia.
Andrea has received support from Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam and Congressman Gerry Connolly, two prominent Democrats in Virginia. But on the local level, her campaign is being undermined by establishment Democrats, including Toddy Puller (outgoing State Senator), Chuck Colgan (outgoing State Senator), Hilda Barg (former Board of County Supervisor), and Supervisor John Jenkins, who are all throwing their support behind the current Republican in this contested seat, Maureen Caddigan, simply to maintain the status quo.
The decision to endorse a Republican candidate over a well-qualified African American female candidate in your own party is absurd. It seems pretty clear that Democratic values and principles matter much less to these individuals than their personal relationship with Caddigan.
Caddigan has not done a good job representing the voters of this district. The schools in the District are under-funded and development projects are completely mismanaged. Andrea should not have to “take a back seat” to these cross-party shenanigans. Instead, she should be encouraged and uplifted, particularly by members of her own party.
More importantly, the will of the people who live in the Potomac District, which is overwhelming Democratic, should not be thwarted. I’m urging all voters in the Potomac District to support Andrea Bailey on November 3.
The Board of County Supervisors needs fresh ideas and new perspectives, which Andrea will bring. More importantly, the Board needs to look more representative of the people who live in our county. Prince William County voters must not let the desire of a few dictate the will of many.
