Voters to Stop Spawl Prince William County strives to evaluate every candidate fairly and without regard to party affiliation. It sends to every candidate the following letter which describes VSSPWC's position, its method of evaluating candidates and its intention to endorse candidates. (For 2007 the committee evaluated only the candidates in the four districts where there was a contest in the general election – Gainesville, Occoquan, Woodbridge, and the At-Large (Chairman) races. In Brentsville, Coles, Dumfries, and Neabsco the incumbents are unopposed in the general election.)
The Questionnaire, referenced in the letter, plays a large role in the evaluation. A link to it is found at the end of the letter.

Of the ten candidates competing for the four contested Supervisor seats, eight responded to the VSSPWC questionnaire – Corey Stewart and Sharon Pandak in the Chairman At-Large race, Mike May and John Gray in the Occoquan district, John Stirrup and Corey Riley in the Gainesville District, and Frank Principi and Steve Keen in the Woodbridge District. (Chris Royse and Luis Ramirez did not return questionnaires and were not evaluated.)

VSS interviewed six candidates in the Occoquan, Woodbridge, and Chairman At-Large races. (Although both Gainesville candidates cooperated fully in the evaluation, VSS decided not to make endorsements in Gainesville in order to focus resources on the other races.) The interviews took place in the McCoart Building and averaged one hour in length. The interviews were conducted by interview committees of three or four members, with at least one Steering Committee member on each interview committee.

After the interviews were completed, each interview committee reported to the steering committee, including recommendations on endorsements. The Steering Committee made the final endorsement decisions based on recommendations of the interview committee, voting records of incumbents, and other actions and statements of the candidates. The membership of the VSSPWC Steering at the time of the decision was: Patrick MacAuley (Chairman), Shawn Moler (Treasurer), Elena Schlossburg-Kunkel, Robert Moler, Keith Sturcken, and Kerry Hannigan Plancon.

VSSPWC will publicize its endorsements and work to ensure the election of the endorsed candidates using whatever resources are at its disposal.
The purpose of making this material available is to make the nature of the endorsement process transparent.

~~~~The Questionnaire Cover Letter~~~

Voters to Stop Sprawl – Prince William County
PO Box 339, Catharpin, VA 20143
September 5, 2007

Dear Candidate,

Voters to Stop Sprawl (VSSPWC) is pleased to offer you the opportunity to share with us your views on smart growth issues in Prince William county, and what you would do in the next four years if you are elected. Please complete the attached questionnaire, sign it, and return it to Voters to Stop Sprawl as indicated.

Please note that this request is time-sensitive. To be considered, the questionnaire must be returned by September 18. If follow-up interviews are needed they must be completed by October 1.

I. ABOUT VOTERS TO STOP SPRAWL - Prince William County.
VSSPWC is a non-partisan political action committee, formed in 2002, composed of Prince William County citizens who believe that uncontrolled residential growth in PWC is harmful. It is our intention to identify and endorse those candidates who support anti-sprawl measures and who also have qualities that would enable them to represent the citizenry. We will try to help those candidates win election.

VSSPWC defines “sprawl” development as follows:

• Development in places where adequate public facilities do not exist or are not funded

• Development in ways that negatively impact the fiscal well-being of the county

• Development in places that will negatively impact the environmental and historical amenities of the county

• Building roads and other infrastructure that have the effect of promoting new development rather than serving the needs of current residents

II. ABOUT THIS QUESTIONNAIRE
VSSPWC has attempted to make this questionnaire as concise as possible. VSSPWC has attempted to avoid trick questions, unfair questions, and “traps for unwary candidates”. If you object to any question, please let us know.

III. RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS
Please indicate “YES” or “NO” to each question. A “Y” (yes) response means that you will make a good faith effort to adopt the subject policies after taking office. An “N” response means that you do not support or agree with the policy underlying the question. Wherever you feel that a yes-or-no answer is insufficient, you may clarify or supplement your response to any question by adding comments.

IV. SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE STATEMENTS
You are encouraged to submit a written statement, which will be considered along with the questionnaire. Such a statement may include prior voting records, public activities, experience, your goals as elected officials, and the like.

V. WHERE TO SEND THE COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE
Please fax your completed and signed questionnaire to 703-331-4777 before September 18, or mail it to VSSPWC, PO Box 339, Catharpin, VA 20143. If you mail the questionnaire it must be postmarked by September 18. Alternatively, if you use the email version of the questionnaire, you may return it by email to StopSprawlPWC@aol.com.

VI. POLICIES REGARDING THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AND ENDORSEMENTS
1.VSSPWC will not disseminate any responses to this questionnaire or any comments or narrative materials submitted unless the candidate approves. (We do this in order that the candidate can be more candid in his or her responses.)
2. VSSPWC may request a follow-up interview for clarification and further discussion.
3. Follow-up interviews will not be recorded unless requested by the candidate. If the candidate requests, an audio recording will be made and a copy given to the candidate. VSSPWC will not release audio copies of the interviews unless the candidate releases them first.
4. VSSPWC will endorse candidates after evaluating responses to this questionnaire, previous anti-sprawl activities, voting record and actions in office, public statements made during and after the campaign, comments made in VSSPWC interviews, and an appraisal of the viability of the candidate’s campaign.
5. Failure to respond in a timely manner will disqualify the candidate from VSSPWC endorsement. We suggest that you respond, even if you don’t believe that VSSPWC will endorse you.
6. VSSPWC intends to support all endorsed candidates by means of paid advertising and other publicity. Where appropriate and practical, VSSPWC will support endorsed candidates in other ways. Cash donations to campaigns, although possible, are not likely.

Sincerely,

Patrick MacAuley

Click Here for 2007 Questionnaire