Prince William Times 11/06/2019

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PATRIOT PREPARES FOR BATTLEFIELD: The Pioneers are 8-1 heading into Friday’s showdown. Page 9

November 6, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 45 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Ashworth first woman elected county’s top prosecutor Democrat Josh King ahead in sheriff’s race By Jill Palermo

Times Staff Writer

Prince William County voters appear to have chosen Democrats to fill two countywide posts in law enforcement Tuesday. Amy Ashworth defeated her GOP opponent Mike May to become Prince William County’s top prosecutor, and Joshua King, a Fairfax County Sheriff’s Deputy, appears to have won a close race to unseat fourterm Sheriff Glen Hill, a Republican.

Josh King

Amy Ashworth

Ashworth, 49, will be the first woman to serve as Prince William County’s commonwealth’s attorney. She will replace Paul Ebert, also a Democrat, and the longest-serving top prosecutor in Virginia, who is

retiring after 52 years in office. With 100 percent of the county’s precincts reporting, Ashworth was leading May with 58.4 percent of the vote. King was leading Hill by 1,341 votes. Outside the polls Tuesday, Ashworth credited her win to hard work, preparation “and the county being ready for new leadership.” Ashworth is a mother of two teenagers and has been an attorney for 24 years, including 11 as a former Prince William County prosecutor. She ran on a progressive platform to reform the county’s cash bail system, add a drug court and reorganize the common-

Voters nearly turn county blue GOP retains 4 seats on county boards Times Staff Writers

See SUPERVISORS, page 4

Dems win all but 1 state race in PWC

Party wins control of state legislature

By Daniel Berti and Jill Palermo Prince William County turned a bluer shade of purple Tuesday when county voters picked Democrats to lead the school board and board of county supervisors, while the GOP held onto four seats in conservative-leaning western districts. An estimated 37 percent of county voters turned out to the polls, a significant boost compared to 2015, Virginia’s last “off-off-year election,” when only 29% cast ballots countywide. The weather cooperated, handing voters a temperate, mostly sunny Election Day. Democrat Ann Wheeler won a four-way race for chair of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, with 55 percent of the vote, according to still unofficial election results. Wheeler became the first Democrat elected to the post since Kathleen Seefeldt left office in 1999.

wealth’s attorney’s office to focus on violent crimes and domestic assaults. The latter are at the root of most of the county’s homicides, Ashworth said. She also advocated for ending the county’s partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement known as 287(g) and said her experience in the prosecutor’s office is likely the reason she won her race Tuesday. King, 38, is a father of three and a veteran of the Iraq War. He also campaigned on ending the county’s ICE agreement and advocated for more progressive policies in the sheriff’s department.

By Daniel Berti

Times Staff Writer

TIMES STAFF PHOTO/DANIEL BERTI

Voters picked Democrats Dr. Babur Lateef and Ann Wheeler to lead the Prince William County School Board and Board of County Supervisors, respectively. INSIDE Calendar.............................................12 Classifieds...........................................16 Lifestyle..............................................10 Obituaries...........................................15

Opinion.................................................5 Puzzle Page..........................................7 Real Estate..........................................14 Sports...................................................9

Prince William County voters flipped the two of the three remaining state seats held by Republicans in Northern Virginia, helping Democrats gain control of both houses of the Virginia General Assembly for the first time in decades. Democrats picked up six seats in the House of Delegates Tuesday, giving them a 55-45 majority, and won two additional seats in the state Senate, giving them a slim 21-19 majority. In the 13th District state Senate race, Del. John Bell, D-87th, flipped the seat, beating his GOP opponent Geary Higgins with 54 to 45 percent of the vote. Sen. Dick Black (R) currently represents the 13th district. He announced his retirement earlier this year. See STATE, page 2

86 WARRENTON, VA


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