Stafford County’s emerging practice of routing media questions for elected officials through government staff is not just a change in communication strategy — it is a direct threat to transparency. It creates a wall between residents and their representatives, insulating leaders from basic accountability and weakening the democratic norms that make local government work.

This gatekeeping did not appear in a vacuum. It followed weeks of questions surrounding Garrisonville District Supervisor Dr. Pamela Yeung, who abstained from a major data center vote on October 22 without offering any explanation. Residents spent hours speaking at that meeting. The standards were described as some of the strongest in Virginia. Every supervisor present either voted for or against them — except Yeung, who opted out and has never said why.