Two candidates to fill a vacant spot on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors wrapped up months of campaigning this week in advance of today’s special election, which will hinge on who can mobilize more supporters for an expected sparse turnout.
Republican Mike May and Democrat Jeff Dion are competing to represent the Occoquan District after Supervisor Corey Stewart ascended to the chairmanship in November. Both are running on tenets of controlled growth, a hot-button issue in the outlying Northern Virginia suburb.
But the late-January special election is far less likely to attract voters than a highly-publicized November election.
“Typically, [turnout] is not a high amount,” Prince William County General Registrar Betty Weimer said. “I would expect probably 5 percent or less. I hope they prove me wrong.”
Dion, 39, is an attorney for the National Center for Victims of Crime. He has blasted his opponent, who until recently sat on the county’s Planning Commission, as “the developer’s candidate.” May dismisses Dion’s claim as ridiculous.
“We have to act more assertively to protect our quality of life, and I think his record on the Planning Commission shows he hasn’t in the past been as willing to do that as he says he is,” Dion said.
May, a 30-year-old attorney specializing in employment law, says he’s the “only candidate in this race with a proven record on the issues that matter to Occoquan District.” He says he voted against 70 percent of new residential units proposed during his time on the commission.
“Jeff Dion seems to be the only one who has a problem with my record,” he said.
