Remarks to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors: June 7, 2022

My name is Bill Wright and I live in Gainesville.  I oppose the Prince William Digital Gateway. 

I was on vacation during your meeting on May 10^th, but neighbors recommended I watch the video.  At one point Supervisor Lawson suggested conducting a Town Hall to assess citizen sentiment on land use options for the western county.  Chair Wheeler resisted, stating: “I know what your community meetings will look like” and “I know the people you’ll turn out”. 

I’d turn out.  I served 25 years in the United States Navy and 17 in the Department of Homeland Security.  I retired to Prince William County before I realized that members of my own party were contemplating destroying it.  It is the worrisome behavior of this Board that drives my civic engagement.  I never attended any meetings like these before last November 9^th.  After seeing you in action, I have seldom missed one since.  I actually thought I could make my points and resume my retirement.  But points are not that easily made to those who are deliberately oblivious. 

We’d actually like to see some of you turn out to meetings you’ve scheduled, supposedly to obtain input from your constituents.  How many of you attended any of the Community Engagement meetings for the various proposals which you hastily scheduled for the public to attend during the height of the pandemic?  Have you considered our feedback or just crossed this milestone off your list with your minds unaffected by public sentiment?  Should we expect the same dismissive approach to forthcoming meetings and public hearings?

I could say: “I know what your decision making looks like” and “I know the kind of manufactured evidence you’ll produce”, especially after spotting the clumsy effort to pack the Camoin report with false and pre-conceived premises designed to elicit a preferred conclusion.  Perhaps county officials thought they were playing Jeopardy when they gave the contractor their desired answer before asking the question.   

Willful ignorance is sometimes known as the “ostrich defense”.  Practitioners claim that any wrongdoing was performed by others, without their knowledge, as though they’re not accountable because their head was buried in the sand.  They are careful not to learn anything that might enlighten them and rationalize everything with “I didn’t know”, “it’s not my district” or “my voters don’t care”.  The more evidence accumulates, the tighter eyes are closed and ears are plugged.

But your presence on this Board makes you responsible for both knowing and caring or you shouldn’t be serving on it.  You are answerable for which voices you follow and which you ignore and, collectively, these paint a portrait of your fitness for public service.  Consider what you want yours to look like?

See you on the 28^th.