Puja Khanna’s campaign has produced an incredible volume of lies and misinformation. Her literature and social media posts make false claims about Supervisor Letourneau, usually without any source or citation. This page sets the record straight.
Claim: “My opponent..threatened to pull Loudoun County out of the [Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments] until they cancelled their call to ban assault weapons” (Puja for Dulles mail, social media)
Fact: The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is an organization to support local governments in DC, Maryland and Virginia. The Board of Directors is compromised of elected officials from all the jurisdictions. In 2013, with little debate or notice, a member of the Board proposed and the Board voted on a resolution to adopt another organizations policy on gun regulations. The resolution would have had no practical impact, and was purely symbolic. Given the complexity of the issue and the lack of review of the other organization’s policy, the lack of practical impact, and uncertainty about what position some jurisdiction’s would wish to take, representatives from Loudoun County (including Supervisor Letourneau), Prince William County, the City of Manassas, Frederick County, MD, and Gaithersburg, MD opposed the resolution. The resolution sparked a debate over the role of COG, and whether COG should be taking policy positions on issues outside of the scope of the jurisdictions. Supervisor Letourneau has always maintained that local governments should focus on local issues and let other levels of government take up discussion on other policy topics.
As a result of the initial vote, which passed, a group of elected leaders led by Fairfax County Chair Sharon Bulova put together a group to discuss the role of MWCOG and craft an alternate motion on the topic more focused on the local side of the issue. At the following meeting, the MWCOG Board took up and passed the new resolution on a 28-2 vote, with Supervisor Letourneau voting in favor.
Widely recognized amongst his colleagues on both sides of the aisle for his ability to bring consensus and be an effective leader, in 2018 Supervisor Letourneau would go on to become Chairman of the MWCOG Board of Directors.
Claim: “Letourneau was the only Loudoun Supervisor to vote against Governor Youngkin’s abortion ban” (Puja for Dulles campaign mail)
Fact: The Board of Supervisors—county government—does not make policy on national or state issue. The votes in question were to spend Loudoun taxpayers dollars to direct lobbying efforts on behalf of the County government to Washington, DC and Richmond to lobby Congress and the General Assembly on numerous abortion bills. Supervisor Letourneau has consistently opposed using the County’s legislative program to advocate for anything beyond County issues. By voting to lobby on these bills, it created additional staff work and diverted resources away from supporting and opposing legislation that has a direct impact on the County government. The vote in question was 6-1-2, with 2 Supervisors absent who also would have opposed this motion.
Claim: “And the only supervisor to vote against opposing the repeal of Virginia’s handgun limits.” (Puja for Dulles mail)
Fact: Also a vote to direct the County’s staff and hired lobbyists to lobby in favor of legislation related to an issue outside of the County’s jurisdiction. Again, Supervisor Letourneau opposes using taxpayer dollars to lobby Richmond on any issue outside of the direct purview of the County government and advocated for the County not to use resources on this particular bill on either side.
Claim: He helped Donald Trump increase pollution with lawsuits against the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. (Puja for Dulles mail)
Fact: It is not clear what these attack is referring to. The Board of Supervisors has never taken a position or filed a lawsuit on either of these federal issues. This attack may be related to positions that Supervisor Letourneau’s employer, a business trade association, has taken related to proposed changes to the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, some of which have been opposed by numerous states and organizations for technical reasons. If that is the case, then this attack is very misleading.
Claim: “He even refused to call for Dave LaRock to resign as a Delegate—for trying to overturn the 2020 election.” (Puja for Dulles mail)
Fact: Supervisor Letourneau was outspoken in his belief that the 2020 election should not be overturned and also spoke out against the January 6th attacks on the U.S. Capitol. The question was whether the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors as an official government position should vote to call on Delegate LaRock, a member of the County’s delegation at the time, to resign. Supervisor Letourneau commented that Supervisors should express that viewpoint as individuals, but not as an official County position.
Claim: “Casino developers [in Reston] tried to hide their big donation to Supervisor Matt Letourneau—who could help them with the jackpot on the Metro Board.”
Fact: Supervisor Letourneau has absolutely nothing to do with a casino in Reston. The developer in question is Comstock Companies, which also owns land adjacent to the Ashburn Metro station and is interested in building another office building there. Matt has no jurisdiction over land in Reston (Fairfax County), and the Metro Board has nothing to do with whether a casino is ever build near the Reston-Wiehle station, which already has a Metro station.
Claim: “He praised right-wing Rep. Barbara Comstock as a “reasonable Republican.”
Fact: It is true that Supervisor Letourneau worked with and was friendly with former Congresswoman Comstock, who helped obtain $25 million in federal funding for the Northstar Blvd project between Route 50 and Brambleton in part thanks to their relationship. Blue Virginia, a website which promotes Democrats, including Puja Khanna, posted on 10/22 “so weird to be cheering on former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA10)” for the amicus brief she filed in US vs. Donald Trump. Former Rep. Comstock has been praised by many Democrats for speaking out on issues surrounding the 2020 election and January 6th.
Claim: Supervisor Letourneau had a conflict of interest as a member of the Metro Board (Puja for Dulles mailer).
Fact: A bogus conflict of interest complaint was filed, but Supervisor Letourneau was CLEARED of any conflict. Quoting directly from a memo from Metro Board Chairman Paul Smedberg to Supervisor Letourneau, 7/7/23: “The Committee determined that your comments during the Board’s consideration of MFP [Multi-year Fleet Planning] were pragmatic, based on staff presentations, and intended to challenge staff to improve the fleet plan. As a result, you acted in WMATA and your Jurisdiction’s best interest and consistent with your duty of loyalty." “Your employment with USCC [United States Chamber of Commerce] is a Substantial Interest or Duty, but USCC is not an Interested Party. Further, your participation in MFP was not compromised by your employment because USCC would not be affected by MFP decisions. As to the campaign contributions, the Committee considered that the contributions in question were based on political affiliations and professional and personal relationships, all unrelated to fossil fuel interests." "The Committee found that neither USCC or your contributors stood to gain from your participation in MFP. Moreover, as stated earlier, your participation furthered WMATA and your Jurisdiction’s interests rather than your interests or the interests of any third party."
Claim: “Did you know my Republican opponent voted against hiring SROs for school safety?” (Puja for Dulles Facebook page, 8/31/23) (this claim may have been deleted)
Fact: There is no source or citation for this claim, so it is unclear what she is referring to. Supervisor Letourneau has always been a strong supporter of the LCSO School Resource program. He has worked to ensure that every new middle school and high school in Loudoun opens with a SRO. As Chairman of the Board’s Finance Committee, he also initiated discussions with LCPS about school safety which led to the establishment—and funding—for the vestibule program now underway to ensure safer access to schools. The only possible explanation for this claim was a discussion in 2019 about whether to expand the SRO program to each elementary school at a cost of $15 million. This expansion was tabled by the Board of Supervisors during discussion of the FY20 budget to allow input from the School Board, which unanimously opposed it in 2020. Instead, the Board funded investments in LCPS Safety and Security personnel and security enhancements at each school, added additional SRO Sargeant and investigator positions, and LCSO has provided “cluster” law enforcement coverage at elementary schools as well as DARE officers. SRO’s in middle and high schools are not just there for physical security, but gain intelligence and get to know students in order to prevent incidents from occurring. At the elementary school level, these types of issues are much less frequent.
Claim: “He is the reason why until recently Loudoun County did not have full day kindergarten” (Puja for Dulles Facebook page, 8/31/23) (this claim may have been deleted)
Fact: The primary challenge with providing full day kindergarten in the early and mid-2010’s was lack of space, especially in Dulles South schools. Supervisor Letourneau played a major role in building new schools including Cardinal Ridge Elementary—for which he personally negotiated the land purchase agreement—Goshen Post Elementary, Elaine Thompson Elementary. He also supported additions at several Dulles South schools in order to alleviate overcrowding and create the space needed for full day kindergarten. If anything, without Supervisor Letourneau’s efforts, there would not be full day kindergarten today because of lack of classroom space.
Claim: Deliberately skipped a Board meeting to avoid a vote on “social and racial equity” and appeared for the next item. (Brochure)
Fact: On the day cited, Supervisor Letourneau was sick. He had visited a doctor that same day and was diagnosed with shingles. He provided notice to his colleagues at the time of the diagnosis. The Board agenda that evening was full. For years, Supervisor Letourneau had been working on updating the Airport Impact Overlay District to prevent residential development at Dulles Landing and other inappropriate locations. That item was on the agenda for a final vote that evening, and the vote was expected to be close. Despite being sick, Supervisor Letourneau came to the meeting specifically for that item. His motion to adopt the updated district passed on a 5-4 vote. Supervisor Letourneau explained his absence from the dais at the time of the vote, and then returned home to rest. He did not deliberately skip a particular vote on any item. He has always been upfront about his positions. On the item in question, he had concerns about vague language and implementation, which he had previously expressed. He felt the item was not ready for a Board vote and would have abstained to signify his uneasiness with voting that evening with outstanding questions from the Board and public. He is specifically concerned about how the resolution in question would impact Dulles District capital projects, because the language indicates that funding for projects could be reallocated based on equity concerns.
Claim: “Voted to limit input from the public at some points” (Brochure)
Fact: Although there is no citation, this is probably a reference to the Board Business Meeting public input sessions. The Board at times has limited the amount of time for public input sessions in order to prevent late meetings and allow the Board to complete business, since it is after all a business meeting. The Board has separate Public Hearings allowing input on specific items on the agenda, whereas business meetings allow for input on any topic, including those that do not pertain to Board business.
In 2016, new rules were adopted allowing for an unlimited input time period where speakers can discuss any topic, which proved to be at times problematic because of extensive off topic speakers that impacted the ability to conduct business in a timely manner. In 2020, new rules were adopted allowing for a total of 90 minutes of input at business meetings. Supervisor Letourneau supported the 2020 rule because business meetings are intended to accomplish Board business, and were often running past midnight, preventing the public from actually seeing the outcome of issues they cared about. In addition, Supervisor Letourneau holds frequent town halls, sends out a comprehensive newsletter, and invites the public to send questions or comments all the time.
Claim: “Voted against anti-racist police reform.” (Brochure)
Fact: There is no citation and it is unclear what this is in reference to.
Claim: “Voted against regulating gun noise near residential subdivisions.”
Fact: This is completely false. In fact, it is the opposite of what happened.
Loudoun Times-Mirror 12/12/19: “After lengthy public input Wednesday, the board voted 6-3 to update Section 684.03(d) of the county’s codified ordinance to include in the 100-yard discharge ban “all occupied structures” and to adopt Section 684.03(e), which will make it a violation for projectiles to leave the boundaries of a property unless permission has been given by the adjacent property owner.”
The motion passed 6-3, with Supervisor Letourneau voting in FAVOR. Despite opposition from some special interest groups, Supervisor Letourneau worked with then Supervisor Ron Meyer to push forward updates to the zoning ordinance regarding gun discharge, which he had discovered were out of date after a series of stray bullet incidents in the transition and rural policy areas of the County.
Claim: “Voted to get more aggressive with eminent domain in roadway projects.” (Puja for Dulles website, accessed 9/3/23
Facts: This one is true. After years of delays on critical road projects, the Board as a whole has occasionally initiated eminent domain proceedings in order to bring critical safety and congestion improvements when property owners are non-responsive to the County. Under state law, a property owner is compensated at a value set by a judge for their property as part of this process. The Board holds hearings and gives property owners ample opportunity to agree upon a purchase price. In fact, although the Board has initiated proceedings several times, each case has been settled and has not actually gone to court. The state gives the Board this authority in order to move forward with critical infrastructure projects. Supervisor Letourneau has personally intervened in several right of way acquisition cases to avoid the added time and expense of eminent domain and keep projects on schedule.
Claim: “Voted against permanently protecting some properties from development.” (Brochure)
Facts: Once again, with no citation, we have no idea what this is supposed to be about. Supervisor Letourneau has supported numerous conservation easements to protect properties from development and funding for a conservation easement assistance program to assist property owners with the associated costs. He has opposed a proposed program that would enable properties in western Loudoun to be developed in exchange for automatic, by-right high-density data center development in eastern Loudoun. If that’s what she is referring to, then voters should be concerned that Puja Khanna would support high density data centers with no legislative approvals in exchange for conservation in the west. The quality of life for residents in eastern and southern Loudoun should not be traded for conservation in western Loudoun.
Claim: “Voted against project labor agreements and against paying the prevailing wage for county construction contractors” (Puja for Dulles website, accessed 9/3/23)
Facts: Supervisor Letourneau opposes mandatory project labor agreements which require union contractors on County construction projects. County staff conducted an analysis which determined imposing PLA’s would raise construction costs and potentially cause an inability to complete projects because of a labor shortage. As a right to work state, Virginia has many non-union contractors, and for certain projects it may be difficult to even find a local contractor that could comply if the County had adopted this standard. As of the time of this claim, the Board had not taken a vote on PLA’s, although the Finance Committee is discussing whether to impose one in September.
As far as prevailing wage, Supervisor Letourneau did vote against imposing prevailing wage rules following a County staff analysis which determined that Loudoun County contractors already pay at or higher than the prevailing wage for jobs of all types. Supervisor Letourneau believes that adding a needless bureaucratic certification process to achieve the same outcome makes no sense and places a burden on small businesses who are competing for County contracts.
Claim: “Represents Oil & Gas interests in his day job and voted against electric buses. 17 environmental organizations called this a conflict-of-interest ethical violation.” (Puja for Dulles website, accessed 9/3/23).
Claim: “Has a job representing Oil and Gas interests and voted against electric buses in Loudoun.” (brochure, mail).
Facts: Different variations of the same claim. Supervisor Letourneau is Managing Director of Communications for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business organization with over 300,000 members. His role specializes in energy and climate issues and he previously served as the Communications Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. While it is true that some Chamber members produce oil and gas, there are many that do not, and in fact many Chamber members are leading producers and proponents of renewable technologies and have made major climate commitments.
Supervisor Letourneau has NEVER voted against electric buses—this claim is completely false. This first reference pertains to Supervisor Letourneau’s work on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors as one of Virginia’s two members. Prior to the Board discussing electric bus strategy, it is true that environmental groups filed a complaint asking for an ethics investigation regarding Supervisor Letourneau’s employment. The Ethics Committee of the Metro Board conducted an investigation and determined that there was no conflict of interest, and that Supervisor Letourneau’s questions and work on this issue were entirely in line with his duties to represent Virginia on the Metro Board. Further, they found that his employment presented no conflict, and that the U.S. Chamber and its members has taken no position on electric buses in the Washington, DC region. Subsequently, the Metro Board approved the EV bus strategy, and the Board worked with General Manager Randy Clarke to accelerate the timeline for electric buses to enter Metro’s bus fleet—all with Supervisor Letourneau’s support. Metro took delivery of new electric buses this summer. Furthermore, as Finance Chair of the Metro Board, Supervisor Letourneau spent considerable effort to help Metro obtain green climate bonds to help fund continued investment and supported a federal grant to upgrade a Fairfax County bus depot for electric buses.
Supervisor Letourneau has never voted against electric buses in Loudoun. The Board has never held a separate vote on that topic, but the Board did fund a pilot program to test electric buses on LC Transit routes. Supervisor Letourneau supported that program.
Claim: “Opposed funding a County Arts Program.”
Facts: Again, without a source, it is difficult to know what this is in reference to. It may be a motion made during the budget at one point to allocate funding for the County’s Art Advisory Committee, and is true that Supervisor Letourneau didn’t support that motion. The Art Advisory Committee is supposed to serve as an advisory body for the Board regarding art in our community, and Supervisor Letourneau doesn’t typically support giving advisory committee’s their own budget, since he thinks the Board itself should be directing spending and he wants there to be staff oversight. Of far more consequence, Supervisor Letourneau supported adding a performing arts center to a future fiscal year in the Capital Budget, which will allow discussions to move forward with private developers about a partnership to build a dedicated arts facility in the County. He also suggested a motion which ultimately passed to ask staff to scope out the concept and needs for the facility.
Claim: “Ignored safety issues on the roads and intersections and pedestrian safety in the district.”
Facts: This one may be the most absurd of all. There has been no member of the Board of Supervisors who has been more engaged on a daily basis about traffic concerns. As a result of Supervisor Letourneau’s efforts, numerous intersections in the County have been improved, from the safety projects at Elk Lick and Tall Cedars, Nations and Tall Cedars, and Center Street and Loudoun County Parkway to the signal at Stone Springs and Tall Cedars to the Poland/Edgewater roundabout and all the work he is doing now to improve Defender Drive and South Riding Boulevard--and much more. He personally championed the creation of station-based traffic safety deputies for the Sheriff’s Office and has been involved in several significant corridor studies and traffic calming projects in the Dulles District. On a macro level, he was the driving force behind the creation of the County’s Intersection Improvement Program, which evaluates every unsignalized intersection in the County every 4 years and funds improvements each year in the capital budget for improvements. Early in his first term, he joined several colleagues to spearhead a “missing links” study which looked at both road and pedestrian infrastructure gaps, and that analysis has led to prioritizing many important projects, such as the completion of Loudoun County Parkway and Tall Cedars Parkway.
Claim: “Took luxury trips to Dubai spending roughly $10,000 and Paris (over $4,000) (brochure).
Facts: Supervisor Letourneau provided a detailed explanation for the three overseas trips he has taken during his 12 years on the Board in his August newsletter. These trips were not in any way associated with the “sister city” program. All three were to major international aviation trade shows where he joined Virginia Governors Bob McDonnell, Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam at Farnborough (UK), Paris and Dubai to recruit aerospace companies to Loudoun. He conducted dozens of meetings with top executives from firms based around the world, which have resulted in strengthened relationships and new investment in the County. They were not “luxury” trips, they were business trips, with travel arrangements made by County staff in accordance with the County’s travel policy.