by Scott Jacobs to PWCBG

12 March 2014

——– Original Message ——–
Subject:     Fwd: Brentsville Supervisor Race – Response (Scott Jacobs)
Date:     Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:19:21 -0400
From:     Ralph Stephenson [e-mail address withheld] To:     Scott Jacobs [e-mail address withheld]

Hi, Scott.  Appreciate you getting back to me quickly on this.

One followup question:  I see in your response [immediately below, below the line of asterisks] a lot about HOW you’d carry out the duties of your office but nothing about WHAT land use policies you’d pursue and whether you support PWCBG’s balanced growth principles as described at the following website:   Why balanced growth is important

Please advise whether as a member of the BOCS you support and will carry out PWCBG’s balanced growth principles as described at the website above.  Thanks again for your time.

Best regards, Ralph

[Note:  As of 25 September 2014, no response received from Scott Jacobs to the 13 March 2014 message immediately above.]

Ralph- First, I’d like to thank you for contacting me regarding my positions towards land use and planning in the Brentsville District. Because you asked me a straightforward question, I will give you my straightforward answer.

To address some of the concerns mentioned on your website:

Zoning and land-use decisions undoubtedly impact every aspect of our community. Whether it’s transportation infrastructure, water and sewer services, education, re-zoning cases or subdivison approvals the decisions made by the County Board of Supervisors will have an impact.  As a small business owner, I have made it my life’s work to ensuring that our County is making the most prudent land-use and zoning decisions that reflect the citizens of the area, that they are the best option to grow and sustain our economic position in the region, and in that they are decisions we can look back on in 20 years and say, “Yes, that was a smart move.” And as someone who was born and raised and also emphatically chose to raise my own family here, I want the absolute best for this area.

If I was elected to be the next Supervisor from the Brentsville District, my decisions on land-use and zoning issues would not be top-down; I don’t think that “my way” is the “best way” or the “only way”. I strongly believe that my professional experience working with land-use and planning issues in the County has prepared to me analyze a project from all perspectives, objectively evaluate the pros and cons (both short and long term), listen to all concerned and effected citizens and stakeholders, and mold that analysis and input into an actionable plan for the benefit of the Brentsville District.  That’s how I operate as a business owner and that is the mentality that I would bring to the Board of Supervisors.

My sons Jake (Age 4) and Jayden (Age 1) will be attending Prince William County Schools very soon so I’ve got skin in the game – as do my friends, neighbors, and my fellow Brentsville residents- when it comes to ensuring that we uphold the high standard of a “World Class Education” in our Prince William County school system.  We want the best for our children but class sizes are simply too high.  There isn’t a quick fix to this problem; it’s going to take a multi-pronged approach, including a reexamination of how we are allocating resources within the County.  Our decisions on land-use and zoning issues will also play a large role in ensuring that our teachers and their aides aren’t overwhelmed.

As the founder and owner of a small business in Brentsville, I’ve learned a lot of lessons through my professional successes and shortcomings. One of the earliest lessons however was that you can’t make decisions based solely on short-term goals or short-sighted analysis — if I operated under that philosophy, I wouldn’t be in business today.  So when you mention the importance of comprehensive, long-term transportation and utility planning, I immediately think of the decisions that I have been making on a day to day basis for the past decade.  Avoiding short-term thinking and analyzing the long term pros and cons has been my life’s work.

Brentsville is at a tipping point and the decisions we make now will have long lasting impacts — we can make smart land use and planning decisions now and bolster the district’s economy. Or we can focus on the short term and deal with the impacts later.  For the sake of all those living in Brentsville and Prince William County, I will pick the former.

It goes without saying that these land-use and zoning decisions should not be made in a vacuum with limited public input.  Our Board of Supervisors members are selected by the people to serve as their voice in County government — they take an oath and promise to fight for the people’s best interest. As I mentioned before, Brentsville and Prince William County are at a tipping point and the decisions we make now will set the tone for the next several decades.  These decisions must be made with a deep understanding and appreciation of today’s economic realities and the actions made must reflect our desire to create a resilient and robust Brentsville District whose economy will not become stagnant or become outdated when economic hardship strikes our County or Commonwealth.

To create this kind of Brentsville, we need to promote common-sense projects that grow and strengthen our commercial tax base.  Prince William County is an attractive place to start or move a business for numerous reasons and I believe the Board has been taking great strides to promote business growth. Recently Forbes magazine ranked Virginia as the best state to do business in the country.  I say, “Let’s do more to bring these businesses to the Brentsville District and Prince William County”.  Growing the commercial tax base in Brentsville will create jobs, bring more money in for our schools and will keep our taxes low. And it will do all of this without much demand on local government services.

Over the past Ten years, I’ve been fighting to bring businesses into Brentsville and we’ve seen great results.  Just last month alone I represented Wells Fargo Home Mortgage to Lease office space within Gainesville in The Virginia Gateway and also gave the town of Nokesville it’s very first medical practice in Nokesville Medicine.  I look forward to expanding upon my existing relationship with the PWC Economic Development group to bring more smart Commercial Development which will create high-paying jobs right here at home to lessen the burden of congestion on our roadways.  As always, if you need anything further from me I’m always available and you can call me anytime at 703-346-5855.  Thanks,

Scott Jacobs – For Brentsville District Supervisor

——– Original Message ——–
Subject:     Brentsville Supervisor Race – Response (Scott Jacobs)
Date:     Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:06:20 -0400
From:     Scott Jacobs [e-mail address withheld] To:     Ralph Stephenson [e-mail address withheld]

Hey Ralph, I’m sorry for the delay in getting the attached response back to you as I hope this message finds you well.  I look forward to meeting you in the future  and want to let you know that I’m always available to further discuss.

Thanks For This Opportunity,

SCOTT JACOBS | For Brentsville District Supervisor
12841 Fitzwater Drive
Nokesville VA 20181
office 703.594.3800 | fax 703.594.3885
cell 703.346.5855

From: Ralph Stephenson [e-mail address withheld] Date: March 8, 2014 at 9:00:50 AM EST
To: Scott Jacots [e-mail address withheld] Subject: Brentsville Supervisor Race

Hi, Scott.  I understand you’ll be a Republican candidate to replace Wally Covington as Brentsville District Supervisor on the PW Board of  County Supervisors.

Please advise whether you support the balanced growth principles espoused by Prince William Citizens for Balanced Growth (PWCBG) at the following weblink:Why balanced growth is important

Understand that Don Shaw has already given a response as will Jeanine Lawson.  Your response or failure to respond will be noted on the website, along with their responses.  Thank you.

Ralph D. Stephenson, PWCBG

 

 

Jan-Jun 2014 Jacobs for Prince William Supervisor campaign raises $26,319,  including $16,671 (63%) from developers

Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), Virginia’s authoritative source on the role of money in state politics.

Jacobs for Supervisor Total Campaign Contributions and Expenses 2014

Jacobs for Supervisor Campaign Contributions 2014 by Industry Sector