Scott Jacobs of Nokesville has declared his candidacy to become the new Brentsville Supervisor.
He is running as a businessman who believes he would be able to attract new corporations to Brentsville to grow a business base and bring high paying jobs to Prince William County.
Should Supervisor Wally Covington (R) be appointed a judgeship and resign his office, Jacobs would face off in an expedited Republican primary against Jeanine Lawson. The winner of that election, will then run in a special election against Democrat Don Shaw.
Jacobs thinks he is the best person for the job. He is a life-long resident of Nokesville, and probably best known as a neighborhood realtor and proprietor of Jacobs & Co. Real Estate, which handles residential and commercial real estate as well as land acquisition.
Jacobs is self-described business man, and said he would use his knowledge of business and marketing to help relocate corporations and contractors to the Brentsville community.
Experience
Jacobs believes his resume speaks for itself, demonstrating his experience in the realms of business and government and his ability to lead.
Jacobs has served as the Commercial Director for the Prince William County Association of Realtors for the last six years; he was President of the Prince William County Commercial Industrial Land Exchange (CILE) for two years, served on the Virginia State Commercial Council for two years, and has served on the Prince William Strategic Planing Committee for one year. He also sat on the Committee for the Sudley Road Sector Plan Study.
Smart Growth
“It’s really about managing smart growth,” Jacobs said, noting that the Brentsville District is one of the fastest growing areas in the country.
He believes that Prince William will continue to grow, making it necessary for the supervisors to manage that growth. He said he would make sure the county has enough green space and amenities, and would recommend they balance residential growth with commercial growth.
While all three candidate for Brentsville Supervisor are proposing growing the district's commercial base, Jacobs said he has the unique business experience to bring the corporations people want in Brentsville.
“I bring that knowledge to the forefront. I can take something from infancy all the way through the process,” he said.
Growing a Commercial Base
And, for Jacobs, growing the commercial sector is his number one priority.
“If we are going to keep taxes low, we need to create a commercial tax base that will sustain,” he said. “For a long time, I’ve seen large companies and government contractors leapfrog over Prince William and go to Stafford or Spotsylvania."
Jacobs believes that he has the know-how to attract businesses and “streamline the development process," the way government people often fail to do.
He believes a business-friendly approach will quickly fill existing commercial space and entice top tier businesses. He wants to make Innovation Park, “a largely untapped resource,” becomes the business hub is was designed to be.
Bringing High Paying Jobs to Brentsville
While some might be skeptical of his approach, Jacobs said it will benefit all the citizens, because when new businesses relocate here, they will reduce the resident's tax burden. He also hopes to bring in better paying jobs to reduce commuting times. He also believes that with an expanded tax base, the county could provide more of the amenities people want to see, like pools and libraries.
Jacobs does not want to raise taxes to fund core needs and amenities, but he admits Prince William schools need more money, than can be found on savings alone. Jacobs expects to hit the ground running, bringing “high paying jobs into our own backyard," which he believes will bring overall prosperity.
Decreasing Class Sizes
Jacobs believes it is important for Prince William County to fund a reduction in class sizes, and thinks his approach, which would grow county revenues, is the best way to make that happen.
“I have two young boys. I absolutely want to keep class sizes small,” he said.
While Lawson has proposed increasing school proffer, Jacobs thinks the supervisors need to be cautious about that, because the cost will just be passed back to the residents.
“Certainly [I can look at] reexamining proffers,” he said, “with the understanding that the buck essentially always gets passed off to the consumers. That’s the thing that people need to understand.”
Managing Development
He also believes that smart growth is necessary to manage how the Brentsville district develops its residential areas. As a supervisor, he would make sure growth serves the community.
“The no-growth, or anti-growth mentality is naïve. What does smart growth look like?” he asks. “Larger lot sizes, more open space. What does a successful subdivision project look like? A walkable community with trees and open space,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said he moved back to Nokesville because he appreciates a rural community and does not want to see it go away.
“I love it here obviously. I’ve pretty much lived here my entire life, and I like that we have rural landscape here.
Preserving the Rural Crescent with Options for Property Owners
Jacobs want to find a way to preserve the rural nature of the Rural Crescent while providing property owners some flexibility in utilization of their land. He explains that the 1999 plan that created the Rural Crescent was meant to preserve agriculture, but the 10-acre lot is not really conducive to agricultural preservation. Jacobs describe it as “too small to farm and too much to mow.”
For that reason, he is an advocate of looking into other options such as clustering 10 or fewer homes on 10 acres parcel of a 100 acre lot and preserving the remaining 90 for commercial agriculture.
“Clustering would be an excellent remedy to promote the agricultural land and the landscape,” he said.
Transportation
In Gainesville, he hopes to bring the VRE, finish the road on University Drive and overall increase access to transportation for quicker commutes.
He wants to make sure I-66 is widened, and believes it will bring new prosperity to the area. So far, he is happy with the new retail that Supervisor Covington helped to attract to the Virginia Gateway Center.
Expanding High End Retail
“I love the Virginia Gateway Center,” Jacobs said. “I love the Promenade. How many years did [we all] commute to Fairfax Corner? I am huge on getting more town centers, higher end retail and restaurants. It’s needed out here, so we can keep our money here.”
The Bi-County Parkway
While he says the Bi-County Parkway plan is not perfect, he does want to work with VDOT as well as the people the parkway would affect and come up with a solution.
“I can’t say the route laid out is the right solution,” he said. “I would get those stakeholders together, get people’s input and the environmental impacts of that. We need transportation solutions, and unfortunately it’s always going to go through someone’s back yard," he said.
Walkable Communities in Nokesville
In Nokesville, he aims to preserve the rural landscape while improving the downtown around Fitzwater where his own storefront is located. He hopes it can become a destination/ walking town and a hub for mom and pop businesses.
"One of my goals is to see this main street we know as Fitzwater Drive become a nice walkable town center.” He envisions the day when people will come there for antiquing or to frequent boutique eateries.
Keeping Nokesville Elementary in the Community
He believes the first step to revitalizing Fitzwater Drive is to keep the old Nokesville Elementary School within the community. He encourages the School Board to sell it to the county, so it can use it for offices, such as the office of soil and water conservation.
He would also like to relocate the Nokesville Neighborhood Library to the school as well.
Investing in the Community
Most of all, Jacobs said that he wants people to know that “personally, I invest in my community.” Jacobs said he would be an effective supervisor because he understands real estate, business and wants to do what is right by his community.
“Everything I do is right here, because I believe in it. This is going to be an amazing place in Nokesville and in the Brentsville District. We have the ability to really become something really, really cool and interesting,” he said.
Jacobs said he admires what Wally Covington has done for the community over the past 11 years. He said he is not looking to run for supervisor as part of a stepping stone for any political ambition, he just wants to serve his community.
“I have a lengthy track record on getting things done, and doing the hard work,” Jacobs said.
Family Life
Scott Jacobs was raised in Nokesville, and graduated from Brentsville District High School in the late nineties. He attended Marshall University in West Virginia on a football scholarship and moved back to Nokesville after college. Jacobs married his wife, Kimberly, a Brentsville district native, and they decided to stay in Nokesville and start their family there. They have two boys: Jake, who is almost five, and Jayden, who is almost two.
Jacobs owns and operates Jacobs & Co. Real Estate located on Fitzwater Drive. He also coaches Brentsville District Youth Baseball T-ball.
Readers can find more information about Scott Jacobs on his website, ScottforBrentsville.com. They can also follow him on Facebook to keep up with campaign news and events.
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