Prince William County Supervisor resign amid data collection controversy

WASHINGTON - Prince William County Supervisor Pete Candland announced his resignation Saturday. 

Candland's decision to resign came after facing a recall petition and lawsuits over the PW Digital Gateway data center project in his district. Candland signed on with his neighbors to sell their land to make way for the massive data center project. Because of the conflict of interest, he was forced to recuse himself from votes on the matter. 

After receiving an opinion from the Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth that he could not vote on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, Candland said his ability to serve on the Board was "greatly diminished."

"While I could continue as Supervisor in a more limited role and still get many positive things accomplished, I do not feel this would be in the best interests of the citizens of the Gainesville District," Candland said in an email to constituents Saturday.