Prince William County Supervisor Pete Candland announced Saturday that he will resign from office after his role in acompromised his ability to vote on issues related to the industry.Candland and his wife Robyn are among more than 200 residents in the Gainesville area who agreed to sell their homes to one of two data center companies seeking to create a 2,100-acre “Digital Gateway” complex in an area that is mostly rural.
In a Facebook post Saturday, Candland said he recently sought another opinion from Ashworth about a vote scheduled Tuesday on proposed changes to the county’s broader guidelines for development, known as the comprehensive plan, which are also likely to affect future data center development in the county.Ashworth rendered that opinion late Friday, saying there would also be a conflict of interest in participating in that decision.
In his Facebook post, Candland said he didn’t agree with Ashworth’s opinion but would honor it. In doing so, his ability to serve as a county supervisor would be severely restricted, he said.