Prince George supervisors appoint county attorney, adopt 'Second Amendment sanctuary' and clear several administrative actions

The Prince George County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 10 appointed Hassan Kingsbury as county attorney and moved through a slate of resolutions and administrative items, while fielding public comments about transparency and infrastructure.

The appointment of Kingsbury was presented by county staff as the result of the board's solicitation and review process; the resolution authorizing the chairman to sign the employment agreement was approved 3–2, with Supervisors Cox, Webb and Ford Pugh voting yes and Supervisors Hamill and Philip Pugh voting no. Supervisor Hamill said he had “reservations” about the process, noting the job description and contract language were developed before the current board was seated and that the contract had not been posted for public review prior to the vote. The chair noted a contract is now in hand and will be signed.

Also during the meeting the board unanimously adopted a resolution declaring Prince George County a Second Amendment sanctuary, language read aloud by Ms. Pastor and approved without recorded dissent. The resolution states the board’s intent to oppose, within constitutional limits, laws it perceives as unconstitutionally restricting the right to keep and bear arms and to use legal means, including appropriation powers, to defend those rights.

Votes at a glance (selected actions from the meeting): - County attorney appointment (resolution authorizing employment agreement for Hassan Kingsbury): Passed 3–2. - Second Amendment sanctuary resolution: Passed (unanimous roll call). - Appropriation to cover IRS arbitrage rebate and compliance fee ($647,829.12): Passed (roll call). - Settlement authorization with Tinsley Charter (property damage reimbursement, $750): Passed (roll call). - Appointment to the Economic Development Authority (Donald Hunter): Passed (roll call). - Consent agenda: Approved (roll call).

Public comment at the start of the meeting included praise for the County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and separate concerns from citizens about the county attorney process, open-meeting and records transparency, and prospective impacts from hyperscale data centers. Joseph William Mac told the board residents had not been “afforded proper notice” to weigh in on the county attorney contract; Justin Goodman urged independent studies and fuller disclosure on transmission upgrades tied to large data-center loads.

The board moved through other procedural items — authorizing a Feb. 24 public hearing on a lease with the Regional Heritage organization, scheduling a joint work session with the school board for Feb. 18, and approving a settlement for minor property damage — and adjourned at the end of the session.

Meeting documents and next steps: the chair indicated the county now has a signed contract in hand for the county attorney appointment. The county administrator noted upcoming agenda items, bid deadlines and an interim appointment to the county engineer role.