Category: Prince George Politics

Virginia & Prince George are growing

Carol Dois WoodwardLeave a comment

The Weldon Cooper Institute at UVA has recently released its population projections for Virginia and its localities through 2040.  Though these are projections and subject to lots of variables , but there are some interesting tidbits …

  • by 2040 Virginia will have surpassed New Jersey (now 11) and Michigan (now 10th) to become the 10 most populous state in Virginia
  • the population center of Virginia in 1940 was in Cumberland County.  By 1970 the population Center was in Richmond.  Now it is in Caroline County and, according to projections, by 2040 the population center will be near or in Fredrickburg
  • the population of Prince George will be 38,379 in 2020, 40,816 in 2030, and 42,640 in 2014
  • School age children in Prince George will be approximately 17-19% of the total population in 2020, but in the two ensuing decades the percentage of school age children will trend slowly downward, more like 15-17%
  • By contrast the Prince George population age group of 65 to 85+ will grow from abut 15% of the total population in 2020 to 25% in 2014

Prince GeorgeRemember that these are just projections but population trends have tremendous influence on politics, budgets, crime, education, health, transportation, all aspects of life, really. Do we need to have more smaller schools? Do we need to address health and transportation needs if the senior citizens. What about transportation in general? Are we going to continue to be an automobile reliant community? What other infrastructures demands do we need to plan for.  Your thoughts are welcome.

 

Visit the link above to visit the report from the Weldon Cooper Institute and some other interesting sources are statchatva.org and Bacon’s Rebellion (focuses on a variety of Virginia trends, politics, and history.

Apprentices filling workforce need at Rolls-Royce plant in Prince George

Carol Dois WoodwardLeave a comment

This article surprised me.  I am fairly informed about opportunities in the County, but was totally unaware of the apprenticeship program. it seems like a great opportunity for Prince Georgians.  Why not, Rolls Royce is in Prince George County.

“As Rolls-Royce North America continues to equip the latest expansion of its Prince George County plant with high-tech machinery, the company also is recruiting people into an apprenticeship program for manufacturing precision aircraft components.”

Source: Apprentices filling workforce need at Rolls-Royce plant in Prince George

What if Petersburg became a town?

Carol Dois WoodwardLeave a comment

Prince-GeorgeThere have been a number of articles recently in both the Richmond Times-Dispatch and in the Petersburg Progress-Index noting that Petersburg leaders are quietly discussing reversion as a slight, but not likely, possibility. Surrounding counties are also discussing the aspect of such a reversion, Prince George included.

In reversion a city, if it meetings threshold requirements, may become a town within the county in which it is located. Three cities have already reverted South Boston, Clifton Forge, and Bedford.  South Boston was finally allowed to revert after Halifax County had unsuccessfully fought off the reversion in court.

Basically, when a town reverts it melts back into its county, retaining a town council, certain town officials and other distinct privileges.  This is after a petition to the General Assembly and a special court appointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia to evaluate the merits of the reversion case and to determine the particulars about how debt, taxation, and other matters will be transitioned.

But were Petersburg were to revert … to which county would it melt into?  Ostensibly, originally Petersburg came out of Prince George County which was created by royal grant in 1703.  Petersburg was incoporated in 1748.  Chesterfield County was created in 1749 and Petersburg later was enlarged.  Did that come 28 acres come from Prince George or Chesterfield. It was one or the other because Dinwiddie County was not created until 1762. Of course, there were subsequent annexations from Prince George and Dinwiddie in the centuries which followed.  All of these dates are from Wikipedia and are used only for illustrative purposes to denote the convoluted history of our counties and the City of Petersburg.

A big task might be to determine what parts of Petersburg revert to which counties and aneighborshorseswhich counties have the economic resources and population to absorb which parts of Petersburg?  Petersburg might become the first town in Prince George in Prince George County. That would end the pride I have in telling family and friends who live in other states that Prince George County has no towns or cities.  We have goats, cows, and horses such as those who belong to my neighbors.

Stay tuned.

 

District 2 Seat Still Vacant … and the beat goes on

Carol Dois WoodwardLeave a comment

The Prince George Board of Supervisors continues to be short one Supervisor as it was unable to appoint an interim seat filler at the budget meeting last night as reported by @PrinceGeorgeVA.

As Xena wrote yesterday, Reid Foster, was not nominated last night.  The three nominees were Bill Elliott, Marlene Waymack, and Sheila Minor.  Again, none of the three received the required three votes.  If Robertson and Gandel remain committed to Minor and this goes to the Circuit Court for the appointment, their steadfast support of Minor might be very persuasive to the judge.

Screenshot 2015-03-10 08.31.18

Xena could not attend the meeting last night so we do not know who nominated Elliott and who voted for whom.

March 9 Further Consideration of District 2 BOS Appointment

Carol Dois WoodwardLeave a comment

Board of Supervisors again takes up consideration of district 2 interim appointment …

The BOS will again consider the interim appointment of a District 2 Supervisor tonight at 6:00 p.m,  to fill the seat left vacant when Henry Parker died in late February.  Parker had been on the BOS 36 years and for many embodied the way Prince George should remain …

Now enter 13 Prince Georgians some African-American, some women, some professionals, some tradesmen …

Of the 13, two women and one man were nominated by the divided Board,   but none could garner the three votes necessary to receive the appointment.  The matter was then tabled to be considered tonight, March 9, in the budget work session at 6 p.m.

The only committed Parker protege on the Board, Alan Carmichael, secured only his one vote for his nominee Reid Foster.  Though a past Supervisor it is unlikely that Foster will receive two more votes.  The only vote Carmichael may have been able to persuade toward Foster during the week-long interim is Jerry Skalsky but Skalsky has a nominee of his own, Marlene Waymack.  Switching the Skalsky vote to Foster would not result in Foster’s appointment which would still be one vote short.

If Foster is a non-starter that leaves two questions … will Waymack or Minor be able to garner the one more vote needed to secure the nomination?  Or will the Board reach into the remaining pool of 9 to find a compromise candidate?

So will Skalsky switch his vote to Minor allowing him to be part of the majority and result her appointment?  She is formerly the Finance Director of  Prince George County, a professional financial consultant to many local governments, and a recognized leader in the field of local government financial governance. This may be scary for Skalsky. Minor would not be a Supervisor in the mold of Parker.

Though unlikely, Waymack may be the compromise of the three nominees if Skalsky doesn’t forsake his support for her candidacy.  She is well connected, old Prince George, and would likely be a Parkerite. Carmichael could vote for her if Foster has no chance of securing the nomination.  That would leave only needing a vote from Robertson or Gandel to secure her appointment.

If Waymack cannot be compromised upon by Gandel or Robertson and if Foster is out then the Board could reach into the remaining pool of 9 candidates to find a compromise candidate.

Attend the meeting tonight and see what happens.