Gainesville's outgoing supervisor says he has no regrets

There were people that told Gainesville Supervisor John T. Stirrup not to run.

Eight years later, he’s happy he did.

“I remember well, people cautioned me,” said the Republican, who unseated incumbent Edgar S. Wilbourn III in 2003. “…They asked ‘why do you want to do that? It’s a lot of work and it’s not very rewarding. People bother you all the time.’ That proved to be very inaccurate. It was a very rewarding experience.”

Stirrup attended his final Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting on Tuesday and was honored by the board for his service.

“John has always been a gentleman and fair broker,” said Brentsville Supervisor W.S. “Wally” Covington III before the meeting. “I will miss that gentlemanly integrity he brought to the board.”

While he says he will stay involved with local and state politics, Stirrup has no immediate plans to run for any future office after failing in his bid to become a Virginia senator in the newly carved out 13^th District. Republican Peter S. Candland will take Stirrup’s seat starting in 2012.

“Things change, they always do in politics,” Stirrup said. “I am not going to dismiss any opportunity.”

In some political circles, Stirrup will be known as the supervisor who introduced the controversial illegal immigration resolution in 2007. Stirrup said something had to be done and there was no real way to “sugarcoat” the issue.

“You basically had one of two schools of thought [on this issue],” Stirrup said. “There really wasn’t much gray area. There was lot of emotional reaction from folks. But I don’t think there was a way to soft peddle something like this. Looking back…it was obviously the right thing to do.”

Stirrup said he has no regrets and is most proud of not voting for a tax increase. He’s also glad he played a role in helping jumpstart transportation projects in his district, including the U.S. 29 interchange.

“It’s great to drive through there, to see [29] now under construction …,” Stirrup said. “This could have a revolutionary impact on the quality of life for people in western Prince William.”

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-530-3904.