Loudoun Board Restores Key Powers to Supervisor

Both efforts were initiated by York, who is in his fourth term on the board and his third as chairman.

York, 50, a former Republican who describes himself as deeply conservative, renounced his party affiliation in the 2003 campaign because of his views on growth, the county's dominant political issue.

For years in Loudoun, the Republican party has been led by developers and others who support property rights over strict government controls on home construction. The perception, however, backfired in November after voters elected eight candidates who campaigned on a promise to slow the growth.

Most of the duties the previous board had stripped from York, such as the right to decide the seating arrangement on the dais, were procedural. The right to set the agenda became an issue last month after a series of housing development proposals came before the board during the previous supervisors' final days in office.

If he had the right to set the agenda, York said this week, he would have pushed some of those proposals to the new board.

The meeting yesterday was not without any power plays. Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling), who was chairman of the finance committee and a group that helped improve traffic on Route 28, lost those duties.

Delgaudio is the board's only remaining pro-growth official.

Miller also tried to prevent conservative Supervisor Lori L. Waters (R-Broad Run) from serving as chairman of the economic development committee, hoping to replace her with York. The effort failed to get the five votes required to pass.