Loudoun County Supervisor Juli Briskman says she will run for chair of the county board next year, setting up a primary with the current board chair and fellow Democrat, Phyllis Randall.
Briskman said she’s challenging her colleague because she believes the county needs a new direction on several issues. At the top of the list: data centers.
“The number one issue is data centers. I think that having a pro-data center chair in Loudoun County is not working anymore,” Briskman said in a TV exclusive interview with Northern Virginia Bureau reporter Drew Wilder.
“The community is tired of the threat of power lines going through their backyards. Our communities are tired of the threat of those noisy, polluting data centers being within 150 feet of their homes. That quality of life that makes Loudoun so special is being threatened right now,” Briskman said.
Loudoun County is home to more than 250 active data centers generating over a billion dollars a year in local tax revenue.
There are about 100 more data centers that have already been approved. Briskman says she’s in favor of a county-wide moratorium and even stopping some of the projects that were grandfathered into the previous zoning requirements.
News4 reached out to current Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall, who offered us this statement in response to Briskman’s announcement.
“Anyone has the right to run for public office, and I respect that process. My focus remains on serving the people of Loudoun, addressing the issues in front of us, and continuing the work residents elected me to do. There will be plenty of time to discuss differences in temperament and governing styles, constituent services, priorities and an honest accounting of votes and our records.”
Randall was first elected to chair in 2019, and it was the first time in Virginia history that a person of color was elected chair of a county board.
Randall was reelected in 2023 but has never been challenged in a primary election.
In a Q&A meeting, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall explained the framework that made Loudoun the data center capital of the world. News4’s Jackie Bensen reports.
