FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Virginia lost a bid to bring the headquarters of a power company to Fairfax County because of the county’s lack of competitive economic incentives, according to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Commerce Secretary.

Secretary Juan Pablo Segura stated that the company would have brought nearly 800 engineering and high-paying jobs to Fairfax County, which pay an average of more than $150,000.

“Fairfax County needs these jobs,” said Segura. “There are a lot of people moving out of Fairfax County because there’s not enough opportunity in Fairfax. And so these are the kinds of situations where we need a business-friendly Board of Supervisors. We need business-friendly leadership in Fairfax County, and we’re just not seeing that from Jeff McKay and the current Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County.”

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McKay fired back.

“I look forward to the continued, successful work that has made Fairfax County into what we all know it as; the economic engine of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” McKay told 7News. “We always work with all our partners to protect and grow our economy. That said, I remain hopeful that the Youngkin administration is mindful of and will at some point take action to address the unprecedented, direct attacks on Virginia’s economy occurring daily in Washington, D.C.”

“It is disheartening to learn of a missed opportunity to have a company relocate its headquarters to Fairfax County that would have brought more than 800 high-paying jobs, helped fill the County’s empty commercial office space, and diversify our tax base,” County Supervisor Pat Herrity said. “Rather than increasing county spending and then blaming the County’s budget woes on state and federal actions, Chairman McKay should be aggressively pursuing these types of opportunities with incentives and some sense of urgency to strengthen our local economy and diversify our tax base.”

State and local leaders are having this debate as the unemployment rate rises in Fairfax County year over year.

“We have started to see some real effects to the unemployment rate,” said Ana Lucia Murillo, the Money Reporter for the Washington Business Journal. “Fairfax County saw about a 35% increase in its unemployment rate year over year. Just recently, in May, 3.3% of workers in the county are unemployed right now.”

“Everyone knows somebody who is out of work right now, either because of a federal layoff or a layoff due to a government contractor making cuts in the region,” added Murillo. “Our economy here is so reliant on the federal government for direct employment.”

Following 7News’s story on Tuesday, McKay’s staff sent 7News the following statement:

“Fairfax County officials involved in this matter are under a binding Non-Disclosure Agreement and are unable to discuss the matter further,” McKay told 7News in a statement on Wednesday. “I understand the Commerce Secretary has stated we were not selected for the bid. It’s unfortunate that any elected or appointed official would comment on this matter undermining its confidentiality. At this time, we are not aware of any additional developments and all incentives are being coordinated through the state’s own Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP). Should there be any specific requests or engagement needed, we respectfully suggest that the Commerce Secretary coordinate directly with our local Economic Development Authority (EDA) for appropriate consideration. The EDA oversees the implementation of countless economic opportunities it regularly receives and announces them on a frequent basis. As a County, we are the economic engine of the Commonwealth of Virginia and are committed to supporting economic growth across the Commonwealth.”

Fairfax County’s EDA may talk to the VEDP, but Fairfax County does not participate in the VEDP’s COF, according to the Commerce Department:

7News reached out to the other Fairfax County Supervisors and asked if they think it’s time for the county to work with the state to provide incentives to bring more jobs and industry to the county.

Following 7News’ story on Tuesday, McKay’s staff sent 7News the following statement:

“Fairfax County officials involved in this matter are under a binding Non-Disclosure Agreement and are unable to discuss the matter further,” McKay told 7News in a statement on Thursday. “I understand the Commerce Secretary has stated we were not selected for the bid. It’s unfortunate that any elected or appointed official would comment on this matter undermining its confidentiality. At this time, we are not aware of any additional developments and all incentives are being coordinated through the state’s own Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP). Should there be any specific requests or engagement needed, we respectfully suggest that the Commerce Secretary coordinate directly with our local Economic Development Authority (EDA) for appropriate consideration. The EDA oversees the implementation of countless economic opportunities it regularly receives and announces them on a frequent basis. As a County, we are the economic engine of the Commonwealth of Virginia and are committed to supporting economic growth across the Commonwealth.”