Feisty Round 2 in Battle for Chairman

Illegal Immigration Is Likely to Be a Major Issue in Stewart-Pandak Rematch

Prince William County Board Chairman Corey A. Stewart has really never stopped running for the office he claimed 10 months ago.

That's because Stewart (R-At Large) knew he would face Democrat Sharon E. Pandak again. He defeated her in last year's special election to replace Sean T. Connaughton (R), who resigned to head the U.S. Maritime Administration.

This time, a full four-year term is on the line.

Pandak said she is running because she does not want to leave the county's fate in Stewart's hands. Stewart has neglected the biggest issues facing Prince William, including an anticipated budget shortfall, to push through a crackdown on illegal immigration that "means nothing," she said.

Stewart, who previously represented the Occoquan District, started his term as chairman by passing a year-long freeze on applications for residential development. He also pressed to keep tax bills flat by squeezing county services and trimming staff. It wasn't until this summer that illegal immigration became Stewart's signature issue.

Although Supervisor John T. Stirrup Jr. (R-Gainesville) introduced the anti-illegal immigrant resolution, it was Stewart who championed the county's plan to deny some public services to illegal immigrants and to increase immigration enforcement by police.

The county's stance evolved. After listening to 12 hours of emotionally charged testimony, the board passed a measure curtailing the services it can legally withhold, including help for substance abuse, homeless assistance and county programs for the elderly.

Although the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the resolution, Stewart drew the ire of some of his colleagues, who accused him of electioneering from the dais.

Yet, ask him the most pressing issue the county faces and immigration no longer tops his list. If reelected, Stewart said, he would advocate for long-term land-use changes and assessing transportation impact fees on developers. Pandak said she would work to control growth, ease traffic gridlock and reestablish "a sense of stability" in the county's budget, which she said has been through "massive swings in tax rates." Both adamantly oppose the planned conversion of Interstate 95's HOV lanes to high-occupancy toll, or HOT, lanes.

Pandak, 54, a lawyer and former county attorney, has lived in Prince William for 20 years. She received the county's highest job-performance rating before going into private practice three years ago. Her experience and familiarity with the county, she has said, qualify her for the job.

Stewart, a trade lawyer, is not unlike many of Prince Williams' newest residents. He and his young family moved here from Fairfax County six years ago. Stewart, 39, also has expressed interest in running for higher office. Pandak, during a recent debate, said Prince William is not a way station for her.

Their styles couldn't be more different. He tends to talk in sound bites, while she speaks in paragraphs.

Pandak has a larger campaign staff and has outraised Stewart, but he has more than twice as much in the bank than she does, according to the latest campaign finance reports.

As he did a year ago, Stewart has sought to make an issue of Pandak's contributions, saying she is heavily financed by residential developers who have routed money to her directly and through the state Democratic Party. Campaign finance reports show, however, that the two have received nearly equal contributions from the real estate and construction industry. Developers have given Stewart $48,000, compared to Pandak's $47,000.

Although Stewart appears to be counting on his increased name recognition to return him to office, he recently lost a significant, if less-publicized, vote. A proposal to sharply increase the impact fees charged to developers, known as proffers, failed 6 to 3. The only members supporting the measure were incumbents facing reelection.