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Stafford developers, politicians manage to get along at candidates' forum

Date published: 11/4/2005

By RUTH FINCH

Four Stafford County supervisors and one challenger told developers at a forum last night that their industry is integral to fulfilling their campaign promises. Those pledges include getting traffic moving, preserving environmentally fragile land, and bringing economic opportunity to the county.

It was a switch from normal election-season posturing, in which candidates go out of their way to avoid any appearance that they might be aligned with builders.

And it was just what the forum's sponsor, the pro-builder Stafford Council for Progress, was hoping for, said Kathy Beard, the group's executive vice president.

"There were a lot of complex issues brought up tonight," Beard said after the forum, held at the Wingate Inn off State Route 610 in North Stafford. "It shows a lot of in-depth understanding by the community."

All eight candidates for Board of Supervisors were invited to the forum, but three challengers did not attend, two because of previous commitments.

The five candidates who did attend had specific ideas for working with builders to address the county's development problems.

In the Aquia District, both challenger Paul Milde and incumbent Kandy Hilliard advocated copying Spotsylvania's new Purchase of Development Rights program, which would enable Stafford to buy certain land, such as the Crow's Nest peninsula on Potomac Creek, in order to prevent its development.

Milde asked why such a program hadn't already been established.

Hilliard said she has already worked with developers to obtain easements that save historic properties that might have otherwise gotten bulldozed.

In the Falmouth District, Supervisor Mark Osborn said the Board of Supervisors is going to have to work with developers to get more money for road improvements and public transportation through impact fees, proffers and the like.

His opponent, George Schwartz, said in a statement that he would not attend because the forum's sponsor was an organization dedicated to defeating slow-growth candidates like him.

In the Garrisonville District, Supervisor Gary Pash said that careful negotiations with developers could allow the county to redevelop failing shopping centers into mixed-use projects, as long as they provide alternate streets that alleviate traffic on State Route 610 instead of making it worse.

His opponent, Mark Dudenhefer, did not attend because of a previous commitment to speak at the Partnership for Safe Teen Driving, a Stafford school program.

And in the Hartwood District race, Supervisor Gary Snellings said the board and developers need to take a more holistic look at preparing for growth.

"You cannot depend on the seven people sitting on that board to make all the decisions for you," Snellings said. "You are going to see for the first time that we are working with citizens, developers, the business community and neighboring counties to put together a plan that's going to meet our needs."

Snellings' opponent, Joe Brito, couldn't attend the forum because of an obligation with an advocacy group, Citizens to Serve Stafford.

To reach RUTH FINCH: 540/735-1971 rfinch@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 11/4/2005