Spotsylvania County Supervisor Benjamin Pitts is attacking the voting record of his opponent, former Supervisor Chris Yakabouski.
Yakabouski served on the Board of Supervisors from 2004 to 2007. He did not seek re-election, running for the state Senate instead.
Pitts said his opponent's campaign platform says he will strengthen the school system, but his voting record when he was a supervisor shows the opposite.
During a Committee of 500 forum earlier this month, Pitts criticized Yakabouski's voting record during closing remarks, which did not provide his opponent a chance to rebut.
"I sat there with my mouth wide open," Yakabouski said.
On May 25, 2004, Yakabouski voted against an amendment to the school budget to include $277,126, most of which was money to help under-achieving students.
On Oct. 10, 2006, Yakabouski voted against a special-use permit for Cedar Forest Elementary School on Massaponax Church Road. The site selection for the school was controversial. In the minutes of that meeting, Yakabouski said that the process was poorly administered.
On Feb. 27, 2007, Yakabouski voted against authorizing the issuance of $43.6 million in bonds for school projects.
Yakabouski was in the minority on each vote.
When asked about the votes, Yakabouski said he would need to research them and figure out why he voted the way he did.
However, he was quick to point out what he said are flaws in Pitts' voting record.
Yakabouski said Pitts was voted out of office in 2003 because of the perception that he was developer-friendly. When Pitts ran successfully in 2007, it was on a smart-growth platform. In the past two years, Pitts has voted against several residential and commercial rezonings, but the projects were still approved.
"I find it amazing that [Pitts] has no footing to stand on with his own record," Yakabouski said. "For eight years he went in one direction, and then lost, and then he claims he sees the light."
Pitts said he changed his platform because that was what the voters in the Battlefield District wanted.
"I spent thousands of dollars of my own money to educate myself on smart-growth initiatives," he said.
Yakabouski also said Pitts clamors about the lack of affordable housing, but he voted against Mallard Landing, a housing project of 150 townhomes on the east side of Tidewater Trail.
"He jumps up and down and wants affordable housing and then when it comes, he doesn't want it," Yakabouski said.
Pitts said the growth must pay for itself if he is going to vote in favor of a project.
"That project did not pay for itself," he said.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com