“If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.” – Marcus Aurelius (121-180CE)

By Kwasi Fraser, Former Town of Purcellville Mayor

Mayor Stan Milan, Vice Mayor Erin Rayner, and Council members Mary Jane Williams, Caleb Stought, and Kevin Wright seem to have publicly acknowledged in their joint Letter to the Editor that during my four terms as Mayor, our town successfully paid our bills without incurring any new debt. This prudent approach is why our General Fund debt will be fully paid off in less than ten years. 

However, it is concerning that these same officials now propose to burden taxpayers with over $2.4 million in new debt for a PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, which are synthetic chemicals) issue that remains uncertain, and in addition no high levels have been found in our water.

Meanwhile, other municipalities are lobbying the federal government for future relief and holding PFAS polluters accountable, which is a better approach than hastily accumulating new town debt which will burden our citizens. 

Moreover, this majority council appears to be pursuing annexation and development schemes that betray the Purcellville Comprehensive Plan. Milan ran against annexations and for protecting Purcellville’s small-town character. As we know, annexations do not pay for themselves and threaten our small-town character. 

Before I address the factual inaccuracies in the Milan, Rayner, Williams, Stought, and Wright op-ed, I want to discuss a far more fundamental difference I have with this bunch that goes to the core of the Marcus Aurelius quote above. When I was Mayor, I always pursued the policies I promised Purcellville voters I would champion during election season. I listened to the voters, told them what I would do if elected, and did what I said.  

Milan’s new faction cannot make this same claim of honesty and transparency since he and Williams are pushing policies that contradict their campaign promises to pursue slow growth, low taxes and rates, innovative solutions and infrastructure improvements.

But don’t take my word for it. Milan’s campaign literature from his 2022 run for Mayor in a section titled, “My Commitment to You,” says, “I reject and continue to fight the mantra that Purcellville’s future relies on tax increases, growth, and annexations.” 

I kept my election promises to Purcellville’s citizens; Milan and Williams have not. I will not say Rayner and Stought were untruthful to the voters of Purcellville because I did not run with them or support them. 

I would ask the good citizens of Purcellville, did Rayner and Stought tell you that if elected, they would pursue exorbitant rate hikes, entertain annexation and extreme growth, and champion the interests of out-of-town developers and land speculators? That would have been the honest, transparent approach when they asked for your vote.  

The claim by these officials that the town’s debt principal would have been $17.6 million lower without the debt restructurings in 2017 and 2021 is completely false, because the amount of principal due would not have been reduced through refinancing. 

Our unanimous decisions to refinance were guided by Purcellville’s financial advisers to increase reserves and reduce the burden on our citizens. Our other option would have required an immediate and massive increase in rates to pay off the utility debt of around $40 million inherited from the previous Mayor’s administration, and ignores the time value of money. 

They also neglect to mention that refinancing allowed Purcellville to gain more favorable terms for this inherited debt, avoiding an extreme financial burden on Purcellville citizens because the original loan package was in the form of interest-only bonds with balloon payments and prepayment penalties. 

Recently they placed an insert in our utility bills to peddle misinformation by presenting their false narrative that we missed opportunities to raise water and sewer rates a few years ago. The so-called “missed opportunities” would have taken place during the COVID-19 pandemic timeframe. Really?  Their chart fails to show that, with refinancing the lowered payments bought time and increased our cash reserves, as publicly advised by our financial advisor.  

At that time there was no resistance from management, and the refinancings were endorsed by our financial advisor. In 2017 and 2021 the Town Council voted unanimously for the refinancings. This included Milan and Williams’ support in 2021. 

They claim that using reserve funds, during my tenure, to lower water and wastewater rates was irresponsible. What they neglect to mention is that $12 million in availability fees from the Mayfair community and debt restructuring savings were put in reserves. These monies were intended to fund the utility enterprise and pay down the debt. 

In a recent communication to the residents of Purcellville, Milan, Rayner, Williams, Stought, and Wright claimed that the historical increase in operating costs for utility funds has been 2-3% annually. However, an analysis of the annual growth rate from Fiscal Year 2020 to Fiscal Year 2025 reveals a different reality: excluding debt service, the growth rates are 5.9% for water and 7.8% for sewer. Compounded over five years, that’s 41%, and 57%, respectively. Their push for annexations would only increase traffic, overburden our utilities, and lower property values; it would not address overspending.

Their criticism of the nutrient credit program, which resulted in planting 100,000 trees on 93 acres, which sat vacant for 12 years, is unfounded. It significantly benefited our environment by preventing agricultural chemicals from contaminating our water while still allowing the land to be used for its intended purpose. 

The claim that this forest would inhibit water access is misleading; forests are vital for preserving clean water. Their claim that a pipe had to be rerouted to access our wells due to the new forest was never brought up in a public meeting. To obtain nearly $1 million for our utility fund and benefit the environment is an excellent return on our investment. 

They also assert that economic conditions and inflation, rather than the actions of the Town Councils I led, resulted in a doubling of meals tax revenue and increased property values. During my four terms as Mayor, we created a business-friendly environment that spurred economic growth without burdening taxpayers with high rates or annexations, which would have increased traffic and strained our water resources, contrary to our town’s best interests. More than 100 businesses opened in Purcellville and several existing businesses invested millions in expansions and renovation during my four terms as Mayor. 

Despite our excellent AAA credit rating with S&P, Milan, Rayner, Williams, Stought, and Wright resort to scare tactics, suggesting that their appetite for rate hikes and tax-and-spend policies are necessary to maintain this rating. Household income, not their manufactured structural balance measure, is the major determinant of our credit rating.

The financial prudence and strategic decisions made during my tenure have positioned Purcellville for a secure future. These Council members proposals threaten to undo this progress, menace our small town with inappropriate zoning and annexations, burdening taxpayers and undermining the fiscal stability we worked hard to achieve.