Mitch Seipt has lived with his wife and three children in the Old Dominion Valley neighborhood in Purcellville since 2016. He is starting his 20th year with LCPS as a middle school history teacher, dean, and assistant principal. In his spare time, he enjoys volunteering as a youth sports coach, election officer, marching band parent, and church volunteer. His happy place is sitting by a campfire and he is on a quest to visit all 63 national parks.

Blue Ridge Leader: What are your three top priorities for the Town of Purcellville?

Mitch Seipt: The number one priority for our town must be to hire a qualified and capable town manager. The past ten years have seen a revolving door of town managers, and this constant change has led to a lack of coherence and direction for our town staff and a lack of clarity and transparency for our citizens. We need someone with the expertise and the experience to help guide Purcellville in a positive direction, to implement the vision of the town council and the citizens it represents, and to coordinate and oversee all the various departments and programs that help make our town such a special place.

My second priority is to restore trust between council, staff, and citizens. I believe that our town government must be open, transparent, and upfront in how we conduct town business. We need to follow protocol and procedure and give Purcellville the good governance that the citizens have been craving. If elected, I promise to listen to citizens’ concerns and honestly consider the recommendations of town staff and outside consultants. I will respond to emails and will welcome conversations over a cup of coffee. I also want to help bring down the temperature at council meetings. I will come to the dais with an open mind and will promote cooperation and compromise when there is disagreement about the path forward. I promise to work with all members of council to help move our town in the right direction.

My third priority is to support efforts to revitalize our iconic downtown. One of the first actions that I would propose would be to reestablish Purcellville’s participation in the Virginia Main Street program. The decision to end council support from this program was shortsighted. Virginia Main Street affiliation provides our small businesses with access to grant programs and community networks at a negligible cost. I would also like to help our business and property owners to make our storefronts more attractive to potential businesses. Some of that work is aesthetic and some would involve some investment in infrastructure—expanding parking options, increasing crosswalk safety, etc. Our small businesses are what make Purcellville unique—let’s show them some love.

BRL: Under what circumstances would you support annexing land into the Town of Purcellville?

MS: Any proposed annexation must be carefully considered, weighing the costs and benefits of expanding the area for which our town is responsible. We would need to be open and transparent about the intended uses for any proposed annexation and give the citizens ample time to voice their opinions and concerns. I believe that consideration of annexation is only appropriate when there is a clear and unambiguous benefit to the future of Purcellville either in terms of significant tax revenue or access to considerable water resources.

BRL: How important is the Town’s Zoning Ordinance, and are there changes you would like to see?

MS: Purcellville’s Zoning Ordinance is a comprehensive set of guidelines that is critical to ensuring that Purcellville remains Purcellville. Zoning enforcement helps to guide our infrastructure development, protect property values, and promote general safety by providing clear and consistent expectations for citizens and businesses. While I do not have any specific changes that I would like to see at this time, I believe that our small business community would benefit from increased partnership and collaboration with town staff to help ensure that proposed updates and renovations are considered in a timely fashion with consideration for how these proposals might benefit our town as a whole.

BRL: Do you believe the Town has made sufficient investments in utility infrastructure over the past several years? What improvements would you prioritize moving forward?

MS: No, I do not believe that Purcellville has made sufficient investments in utility infrastructure in recent years. We have been doing some combination of “kick the can down the road” and “patch and pray” for far too long. The burst water pipes and boil water advisory in the past year are symptoms of a much bigger problem. It is the responsibility of the mayor and town council to be forward-looking and proactive to ensure that we are ahead of these issues. At the top of the list is the infrastructure of our water and sewer system. We need to prioritize many long-deferred projects in this area.  

BRL: Residents and businesses collectively pay more than $18 million annually in real estate taxes to Loudoun County. Do you believe the town is receiving an adequate return on that investment?

MS: We benefit from our partnership with Loudoun County in so many ways. We have one of the top school systems in the Commonwealth and are fortunate to have five beautiful LCPS campuses in our town limits. Not only do our children receive an excellent education from our dedicated teachers, but also access to a wide variety of supports and resources that are available through the network of our school division. Purcellville residents also benefit from access to the vast opportunities provided by Loudoun’s outstanding Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services. Along with support from the county related to transportation, infrastructure, and public safety, I believe that we have the best of both worlds—a wonderful town and a well-resourced county. If elected, I would work to reestablish relationships and trust with county leadership to find additional ways to foster partnership with the county to increase these benefits for the residents of Purcellville.

BRL: How would you assess Purcellville’s long-term financial outlook?

MS: Our financial outlook has not been moving in the right direction, as evidenced by the downgrading of our bond rating this spring. At the heart of the issue are council decisions over the past decade to subsidize water and sewer costs by shifting money from the general fund and the meals tax fund. Utilities should not be used as political tools to try to win votes. I was encouraged by the decision of the council this spring to commit to a five year plan that gets us closer to a point where our water and sewer treatment plant is financially self-sustaining. This is a good first step towards bringing us back to a positive financial outlook, though I fully understand that our water bills are going to hurt for a while. Unfortunately, the citizens of Purcellville are paying for the financial neglect of previous administrations. Purcellville is the social and economic hub of Western Loudoun, and we need to explore ways for the town to raise revenue by supporting our local businesses and encouraging tourism in Purcellville. 

BRL: How would you encourage economic development? 

MS: Our small business community is a big part of what makes Purcellville special and unique in Loudoun County. The small businesses, restaurants, and shops help residents to avoid costly trips to Leesburg and Ashburn and bring tourists and customers into our town, generating significant tax revenue. Town council and town staff need to support our business community. We need to work together to revitalize our Main Street and 21st Street business zones. There are unfortunately multiple empty store fronts and buildings in need of repair. As a town, we can and should support efforts to revitalize our downtown and make it an attractive location for prospective businesses. We also need to partner with Purcellville Main Street, VDOT and Loudoun County to explore options for traffic mitigation and to explore options for parking downtown. All of us have been mired in our afternoon traffic debacle and all of us have struggled to find a parking spot when trying to visit our downtown businesses. I would also like to re-evaluate our meals tax, which is among the highest in Loudoun County. If we can stabilize our water situation, we can stop borrowing from the meals tax fund and make our restaurants more attractive to customers and tourists.