FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2011
info-at-votejimriley.com

Jim Riley Announces Intentions Regarding Potomac District Supervisor Seat

Southbridge, VA – Southbridge Community Association President and Prince William County Housing Board At-Large Representative Jim Riley today announced that he will not enter the Republican Primary for the Potomac District seat on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

“I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support for me to enter the race for the Republican nomination in the Potomac District,” Riley stated. “In just over a 24 hour period, I received pledges in excess of $20,000 to mount a campaign. That is more than double what the incumbent’s previous two challengers combined raised for their entire campaigns and is two-thirds of the incumbent’s current cash on-hand total.

“Ultimately, commitments that I have made to my family and my job prevent me from running in a protracted contested primary campaign at this time.

Riley continued, “Should circumstances change, such as if this were to become an open seat, I will certainly reassess matters. In the meantime, I remain committed to making our communities here in Prince William County better places to live, work and raise our families.”

The Potomac District was until recently known as the Dumfries District. Riley, who is also a member of the Cherry Hill Community Development Authority, was instrumental in the grassroots effort to implement the name change and bring the Harbor Station development into the magisterial district through the recent decennial redistricting process, citing the economic development potential from both moves.

Jim and his wife Julia reside in Southbridge, Va. with their children Jacqueline and Jimmy. The Rileys have lived in Southbridge, a community of over 1,500 homes and more than 5,000 residents, since 2001.

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In full disclosure, I had been preparing over the past year for a run for the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.  Early on, it appeared that my precinct would be shifting into the neighboring Woodbridge magisterial district where I would run against a weak first-term Democrat incumbent who won in 2007 with only a plurality in a four-way race.  With the release of the official census numbers and the ensuing redistricting process undertaken by the county, it became clear that my precinct would not be shifting after all.

I have come into contact with many great people who care deeply about the Prince William and Stafford Potomac communities over the past three weeks as I have explored a race for the House of Delegates in this district.  At the same time, I began discussing my potential run with both my family and my employer.  Unfortunately, we just could not figure out a way to make it work where I could keep my job and adhere to the General Assembly’s schedule.  Given the House of Delegates pay level is what it is, I can not give up my job for that and an uncertain job market.  As a result, I will not be a candidate for the House of Delegates in 2011.

Thank you to everyone who has offered me their support and encouragement over the past few weeks.  It means more to me, Julia and the kids than you will ever know.  While I must pass on the honor of being able to serve in the Western Hemisphere’s oldest continuous legislative body, my commitment to working to make our communities better places to live, work and raise our families remains steadfast.

May God bless you, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States of America.

Jim Riley

According to TRIP:

The most needed surface transportation improvements in Virginia include 36 projects to build, expand or modernize highways, six projects to improve publictransit and eight projects to improve the state’s rail system. These improvementswould enhance economic development opportunities throughout the state by increasing mobility and freight movement, easing congestion and making Virginia an attractive place to live, visit and do business.

Here are the top 10 projects:

1. Widening I-95 between Washington D.C. and Richmond. This $2.4 billion project would add two to four lanes in multiple sections of the I-95 Corridor between Washington, D.C and Richmond. The project would add four lanes on the Capital Beltway from the I-495 Ramp to Route 241 in Fairfax, two lanes (in conjunction with Metrorail extension to be studied from Franconia-Springfield to the Potomac Mills Mall) from the Route 123 in Prince William County to the Stafford County Line, two lanes from the Prince William / Stafford County Line to Route 1 in Spotsylvania County, and two lanes from Route 1 in Spotsylvania County to the Henrico County Line. This is the most heavily traveled corridor in the state, sustaining the economic engine of Northern Virginia. Continued economic success in the state is dependent on maintaining a reliable and high functioning I-95.

2. Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion. This $2.4 billion project would construct an additional four lanes, including bridge tunnel expansion from I-664 in Hampton to I-564 in Norfolk as part of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion. The project addresses a perennial regional bottleneck, providing mobility for commuters between the Peninsula and Southside It also is a critical route for tourist traffic from the I-95 Corridor to Virginia Beach.

3. Widening I-64 from New Kent to Hampton to six lanes. This $1.9 billion project would widen 53 miles of I-64 from New Kent to Hampton, providing improved access to and from the ports and Hampton Roads military installations and improving access to Virginia Beach, one of, the state’s largest tourist destinations. This project provides improved capacity and safety on Virginia’s primary access to the Hampton Roads area, which is also a critical hurricane evacuation route.

4. Construction of HOT lanes on I-95/I-395 in Northern Virginia and transit improvements. This $1.4 billion project would construct HOT lanes on I-95 and I-395 in 3 Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fredericksburg and Prince William County and provide transit improvements. Adding HOT lanes will increase capacity and improve safety on Virginia’s highest volume roadway. Northern Virginia’s continued economic success is dependent on a reliable and well-functioning I-95 and I-395.

5. Hampton Roads Third Crossing/ Patriot’s Crossing. This $5 billion project involves constructing Phase I of the Third Crossing from existing I-664 across Hampton Roads Harbor past Craney Island to the I-564 Intermodal Connector via a four-lane limited access bridge or tunnel. The project provides a potential alternate crossing to the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, which is chronically congested. It would also provide critical direct access to port terminals in Norfolk, Portsmouth and future Craney Island expansion. An alternative river crossing will allow for greater mobility between the Peninsula and Southside of Hampton Roads, and will allow for improved truck freight movement from the ports to points west.

6. Widening I-64 in City of Chesapeake and replacing the High Rise Bridge. This $11 billion project would widen I-64 from two lanes in each direction to three general purpose lanes in each direction and would replace the High Rise Bridge. Completion of the project would eliminate congestion and daily delays at the High Rise Bridge and improve travel times and reliability to major employment centers, port facilities, defense installations and tourist destinations while expanding the evacuation route.

7. Widening I-66 in Prince William County, Fairfax and Vienna. This $761 million project would add two lanes to I-66 in multiple locations, largely in conjunction with Metrorail improvements. It would address growing congestion on I-66 and alleviate congestion at the major chokepoint where I-495 and I-66 meet. The project would reduce delays and maintain Northern Virginia’s economic competitiveness and ability to attract businesses and employers. See Appendix for specific widening locations.

8. Adding two lanes to multiple sections of I-81. This $1.6 billion multi-part project would add two lanes to several sections of I-81, which is the “Main Street” of the Shenandoah Valley and a critical freight route. The improvements will address some of the high crash locations along the corridor and provide greater mobility for local commuter traffic in Winchester, Harrisonburg and Roanoke. See Appendix for specific widening locations.

9. Extending Metrorail from Fairfax County to Dulles Airport and beyond to Ashburn. This $3.2 billion project would extend Metrorail from Wiehle Avenue to Ashburn to increase mobility and manage congestion between Dulles Airport and Washington, D.C. Completion of the project will provide significant regional mobility and economic development benefits.

10. Widening portions of Route 29 and adding two lanes to the Eastern Bypass in Warrenton. This multi-part, $849 million project would widen several sections of Route 29 in Fairfax, Prince William, Fauquier, Greene and Albemarle Counties and would add 4 two lanes to the Eastern Bypass around the congested Warrenton area where Routes 15, 17 and 29 converge. Route 29 is a major north-south corridor in the Piedmont region of Virginia, serving a significant amount of freight in addition to passenger traffic. These improvements will also create the potential for economic development by improving access in the area. See Appendix for specific widening locations.

A full breakout of all 50 projects can be found here.

Most of these are excellent suggestions for projects that are long overdue.  I do have to say, however, that I disagree with extending Metrorail to Potomac Mills Mall in Prince William County as there are better ways to serve any such needs — such as express shuttle buses that use the HOV or specially designated Bus Rapid Transit lanes to the Franconia-Springfield Metro station and a light-rail alternative that could be built faster at a fraction of the cost.  Furthermore, a light-rail system, such as the one being contemplated to connect the Franconia-Springfield Metro station with Fort Belvoir (and that PWC could then connect with), would not put PWC taxpayers on the hook for the system-wide maintenance costs associated with Metro.

Prince William County – 402,002 residents

Avg. Cong. Dist. – 727,366 residents

Avg. State Senate Dist. – 200,026 residents

Avg. House of Delegates Dist. – 80,010 residents

Avg. Magisterial Dist. — 57,429 residents

Given these numbers, Prince William County should only be represented by a single congressional district and comprise 55 percent of the entire district.  It should only have two state senate districts, but they would not be shared with any other locality.  Likewise, it should have five House of Delegates districts unto itself.

At the county level, the ideal magisterial district size under the current 7 district make-up would be 57,429.  How do those districts stack up as of now?

Brentsville district — 79,541
Coles district — 51,770
Dumfries district — 53,936
Gainesville district — 73,142
Neabsco district — 49,097
Occoquan district — 40,241
Woodbridge district — 54,275

When the county redistricts, it will have to start in the west and move eastward as the two westernmost districts, Gainesville and Brentsville, must shed the most residents.  Gainesville will have to lose approximately 16,000 people who have nowhere to go but into the neighboring Brentsville District.  At that point, Brentsville will have to cut loose a whopping 38,000 residents into the neighboring Coles and Dumfries districts, pulling each of those districts northwest.

While each of those districts need to add just a few thousand additional people to get it within 5 percent of the ideal district size, the massive overflow from Brentsville spilling into them is going to have noticeable impacts on one or both districts.  That in turn will pull the Occoquan district to its west as well — in fact, it is going to have to shed the Occoquan precinct, most likely into the Neabsco district, which could use the population increase.  (It would also consolidate most if not all of the Dale City precincts in the Neabsco district as well.)

The significant shifts are going to necessitate some name changes for magisterial districts as I can foresee neither the Occoquan nor the Brentsville precincts no longer being part of their district namesakes.  Once I get the precinct level data, I will be better able to assess further changes.

After confirmation of receipt, usually within 24 hours of shipment, the Census Bureau will issue a news release with five custom tables of data for the state. At that time, the full set of data will be available simultaneously via FTP download on the Redistricting Data Office pagehttp://www.census.gov/rdo/data. Within 24 hours after release, the data will be posted on the Census Bureau’s new American FactFinder sitehttp://factfinder2.census.gov.

The data will include summaries of population totals, as well as data on race, Hispanic origin and voting age. These data will be presented for multiple geographies within the state, such as census blocks, tracts, voting districts, cities, counties and school districts.

Under this timetable, expect these to be available either later today or tomorrow.

Let the redistricting games begin…

UPDATE: The data is available here.

After Privileges & Elections Cmte. Chairman Janet Howell ruled on a whim against Senate rules and long-standing tradition in denying legislation to be considered by the full committee after it had failed in a subcommittee, this abuse of power came to light.

Now, State Sen. Chuck Colgan (D-Prince William County), currently the most senior state senator, has taken the Senate GOP’s side in this dispute.

“When we take a subcommittee and let a subcommittee decide whether something will pass or fail, that’s wrong,” Colgan told his colleagues. “When you do that, you are disenfranchising the people who sent that legislator here.”

Corey looked ahead to this November’s elections and predicted GOP gains in the county’s State Senate and House delegation as well as picking up at least one seat on the Board of Supervisors.  We shall see what state and county redistricting brings…

In fact, Rainforest Cafe is already in 7 out of the 16 Mills locations – Sawgrass Mills (FL), Gurnee Mills (IL), Grapevine Mills (TX), Katy Mills (TX), Arizona Mills (AZ), Ontario Mills (CA) and Opry Mills (TN). Meanwhile, Rainforest Cafe has 25 locations nationwide (and 3 of those are on Disney properties.) That means roughly 1/3 of their non-Disney properties are in Mills malls.

Could Potomac Mills be next?

streamlining permit processes for the betterment of economic development, higher citizen satisfaction surveys, lower tax bills, the exposure of government fraud through an internal audit and the rapid job growth recognized by media outlets CNN and Money Magazine.

Specifically, he cited that average tax bills in PWC are 30 percent lower than those in Fairfax and Loudoun counties and that Prince William is rated first in job growth for both the D.C. region and the state as well as  second on the East Coast.