The 4 Horsemen: Everything is Relative Pts I & II

(A huge thank you to Steve Randolph for digging out the information!)

Part 1: The Players

Once upon a time during the first Dark Ages in Prince William County, in the year 1972, there were 7 magisterial districts and 7 supervisors. There was no at-large chairman. He was elected from the ranks.  There was a school board. Each of the 7 members were appointed by the supervisor for that district.  Well, there should have been a school board.

Five of the supervisors were new and 2 were incumbents.

The 7 supervisors were:

The minority board:

Supervisor Ferlazzo (Dumfries)
Supervisor Colgan (Gainesville) new
Supervisor Dawson (Occoquan) new

The 4 Horsemen Majority:
Supervisor Winfield (Coles) new
Supervisor Turner (Neabsco) new
Supervisor Mauller (Brentsville)
Supervisor Doggett (Manassas) new

Apparently the people of Prince William County had said they wanted change. Well change they got. As soon as the new supervisors were inaugurated or sworn in is probably a better way of putting it, things started to gallop. The 4 horsemen locked the Treasurer C. N. Kinchelo out of his office. They fired the school board other than Supervisor Dawson who got to serve on the school board also, until they found out it was illegal

They fired the executive secretary of 15 years, N.C. Sharp. He didn’t even get severance pay. His replacement, one Bobby Hansen, was hired without filing an application, an interview by the board or references. Supervisor Turner said, “I interviewed him.” When the subject of severance pay for Sharp came up, Chairman Winfield appointed a committee of Turner, Mauller and Doggett to study the request.  I just wonder what their conclusions were.

Part 2:  The Deeds

In what must have seemed like a January  Massacre, the 4 Horsemen Majority  did the following:

• Sacked Executive Secretary Sharp after 15 years.
• Hired Bobby Hansen who was the president of the Federation of Civic Associations to replace the ousted executive secretary at a salary of $22,000.  Appointed him county executive under a new form of government.
• Fired the school board except one.
• Defied an Attorney General’s ruling to reappoint the old school board.
• Order the locks to be changed on the county office building.
• Called for an immediate and private audit on the county finances.
• Scheduled a special meeting to hire the auditor.
• Named a supervisor to the school board, to serve both posts.  (Vernon Dawson)
• Named 2 supervisors to the Welfare Board. (Doggett and Turner)
• Named Doggett to the Planning Commission.
• Named Doggett’s son John Roy Doggett, to the School Board.
• Named Supervisor Turner’s boss, Doyle Davis  (Jean Davis Realty) to the Planning Commission.

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Stay tuned for Part III  The Response of the Commonwealth Attorney

If you think things are bad now, consider the above.  All caution and laws to the wind.  Prince William County had a much smaller population and a much smaller school system and county government.  Was there any recourse?  Yes and No.

I only wish I had held on to the newspapers back then.  What a story they would tell.   Supposedly, and this is from memory, Doggett had a 5th grade education and bragged about it.  He acted like he felt education was for sissies.  I don’t think the teachers got a raise that year.  The cops probably didn’t either.

Further reading:  Fredericksburg Star (April)

Free Lance Star Feb