Apparently Corey Stewart is going to recommend that a new found “inheritance” of Prince William County money be spent on additions to the budget in lieu of lowering the tax rate.   One of the expenditures is said to be 2.3 million dollars for trails.  

The current Chairman of this County is becoming infamous for last minute “bushwhacking”, to quote the former Chair Sean Connaughton.   Let’s not forget the Land Use Chapter, Parks and Open Space, Transportation, and Environment Chapter updates.     Corey is becoming infamous for adding last minute substantive changes that make it virtually impossible for citizens to understand what those changes mean. 

Shouldn’t this new found money be an opportunity for citizens to comment on what they believe are the priorities in Prince William County?  Maybe it is trails…………, but maybe it isn’t. 

Let us not forget the redistricting maps!  Do you really think you have seen them all?

33 Thoughts to “Bushwacked Again?”

  1. I would prefer that the middle school resource officers be put back in the budget.

    Trails are nice …in good times.

    Just getting some trash cans out at Silver Lake would be a nice touch. I don’t even want to hear about animals. Every national and state park in the world has animal proof containers.

    For want of a nail, a shoe was lost, etc. Put some recepticals out there and have a frequent pick up. Otherwise the place will turn to trash.

    What is being built out there on that graded field? Is that where the parking lot for the riding arena is going? You could park a couple 747s on a lot that size.

  2. Too much sneaky goes on in this county. No one ever got back to Elena about why mud and dirt were being dumped out on the road leading in to Silver Lake. However, now there is a graded field. What does it take to find out what is going on? Why is taxpayer property being used for purposed not disclosed to the public.

    Perhaps it is FOIA time.

  3. Lafayette

    We most definitely have NOT seen all the versions(my guess). I’m still thinking about Theseus’ comments last week. I will be watching the Limestone precinct tonight. Now, we have the Human Rights Commission saying that the African-American vote is being diluted in River Oaks. Funny thing is, I’ve been to the public hearing, a citizens’ time, and two town halls regarding redistricting. This is the first I’ve heard Frank say boo about redistricting. Now, here at the 11th hour and in already shortened time frame due to a mistake with the electoral board, River Oaks has become an issue.

    http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2011/apr/17/pwc-human-rights-commission-dont-split-river-oaks-ar-978700/

    I’m still pissed that the 8th district never had a chance, since the numbers were just made available last Friday to the public. Here’s a portion of my email to the BoS, et al.

    I’ve been thinking about this some more today. We’ve seen postcards go out for people to speak at Citizens’ Time and a glossy brochure earlier this year with the cost stated in the pamphlet, promoting the county. I can’t help but to think that the two maps along with the information regarding costs of an 8th district should have been mailed out to the residents of PWC. I can tell you not everyone has a computer, Those seniors without a computer would have to make a trip to a meeting or a supervisor office to review a map. Redistricting only happens once a decade and the information being provided to all residents would have be very transparent and assured everyone knew about the process and had a map to review. I do understand we are under tight time constraints, but I feel the public is not fully aware of the proposed changes to our districts.

    Disclaimer: I am one those that did NOT have a problem with Corey’s invites back in ’07. Others do not share my point of view.

  4. Theseus

    @Lafayette

    Watch Limestone Precinct carefully tonight. There is no rational basis for moving it out of the Brentsville District. They may try to concoct something, even on the basis of the civil rights complaints, but it will be a smoke screen no matter what they say. Wally is scared of his strongest potential challenger who lives in Limestone. The big developer money is scared of losing both Wally and Marty.

    Moonhowlings has said a lot about Wally and Corey, but the 1st quarter campaign reports show Marty with even stronger developer backing. Even Malcolm Cook, the Hylton guy who paid Corey $10,000 in advance of the Wartime Museum vote, recently gave Marty $5,000 (perhaps as a reward rather than advance payment for support of the Wartime Museum and the Hylton land deal behind it?)

  5. Moonhowlings stages its battles very carefully. There is only so much energy to go around. We find concentrating on fewer candidates is far more productive for us than the shotgun approach.

  6. Theseus

    “Bushwhacker” and all-around developer stooge Sean Connaughton is still in the game. His New Commonwealth PAC gave Marty $1,000 in the first quarter of 2011. Connaughton and his pals are waging a campaign to the get the Dulles Road to Nowhere approved from from where the 234 Bypass stops at I-66 to somewhere in the rural area west of Dulles Airport on behalf of his developer supporters.

    For anyone interested, the State Board of Elections already has first quarter campaign finance filings available for all candidates who file their reports electronically:

    http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Campaign_Finance_Disclosure/View_Disclosure_Reports/CF_Reports_Cidate.asp?optSearch=Candidate

    The data for those candidates who still live in a previous century and file with hard copy (or are trying to delay public access to their campaign finance information for as long as possible) will be available later.

    Later this month, http://www.vpap.org will have the data complied on their web site in a more readily accessible form.

    Note also that the next quarterly filing won’t be due until July (just a month before the primary). A great deal of questionable money, and money that represents substantial conflicts of interests, is going into these campaigns right now having waited to avoid showing up in the first quarter reports.

    Maureen has also gone all-in with developer money this time. Probably a lot of that money is payback for switching her vote on Avendale last year.

  7. @Theseus

    How about who has NOT taken in lots of developer money. It might be a shorter list.

  8. @Lafayette

    You just had to stir me up, didn’t you.

    I was one who thought that spending over $30,000 inviting people to citizens time was absolutely criminal. In the first place, Corey shoved some business the way of one of his Republican buddies. The work wasn’t even done in-house or in County.

    Secondly, the BOCS already knew what they were going to do and how they were going to vote before that marathon citizens time started.

    Thirdly anyone who didn’t know that issue was coming down the pike lived in a cave. If people don’t read the papers and don’t watch TV and don’t talk to their neighors, how concerned are they anyway? Those same people probably don’t get their mail or read it.

    Fourthly, it was all a cheap political ploy. Corey wasn’t going to give people more than a minute each to speak.

    What a waste of money! Thirty thousand dollars would buy support staff for the police.

    I will never be convinced wasting $30k of taxpayer money on that debacle was a good idea. Speaking of…where is that ‘immigration resolution’ today? How is that working out for us?

  9. Theseus

    @Moon-howler

    Moon, you are absolutely correct.

    That list would at best be:

    John Stirrup (least amount from developers relative to total contributions)
    Frank Principi (marginal, record not as good as Stirrup’s but certainly better than the rest)

    None of the other supervisors come close to eligibility for that list.

    Note that Stirrup and Principi are the only two supervisors who signed and honored the pledge to protect the Rural Crescent.

    1. It is important to note that some supervisors signed but did not honor the Rural Crescent Pledge of Protection. Corey Stewart comes to mind.

      Some never signed it in the first place. I don’t have a problem with someone who doesn’t pledge in the first place. However, I am an in-town person and the Rural Crescent Pledge isn’t the sword I will fall on. Breaking a pledge, regardless…now that I will take note of.

  10. Theseus

    I need to apologize to Mike May. I forgot him. He’s taken some developer money, but belongs in the same category as Frank Principi, having not taken a huge share of such money relative to his total campaign finances and what other supervisors have done.

    Mike also signed and honored the protect the Rural Crescent pledge.

  11. Theseus

    @Moon-howler

    As I recall four signed the pledge and three honored it. Elena could verify, but I think I am correct.

    Moon, you’re an in-town person but you also pay the higher taxes from the revenue-negative residential development, your grandkids or your friends’ kids suffer in the overcrowded schools, and you are stuck in the cogestion on the roads.

    1. @Theseus, my problems along those lines started many years ago. I am not trivializing the Rural Crescent issues. I probably just look at it from a different perspective. These issues didn’t just start 10 years ago. The county has a long history of poor planning for growth.

      The Disney fight was really over stopping the endless housing developments. I guess I just don’t know how to explain. Rural folks have a different perspective than the in town people.

  12. Lafayette

    Moon,
    Not everyone has cable/satelite tv. Therefore, the paper or mail is a very realistic/reasonable solution to getting the information out there. Clearly, the issue of River Oaks is being brought up at the 11th hour. I know there are many that could care less what goes on in the county. However, if they knew half the crap that went on, they might care more. Someone who doesn’t have cable and/or computer, would’ve only read the articles in the paper and would have to drive to their Supervisor’s office or the McCoart Bldg for a view of the maps.

    I still like the postcards. 👿 I liked it even more when Ms. Caddigan told Corey to give the people their time, after all he did invite them. Where’s that clip? I’ve had a vicious afternoon in land records and could really use a good laugh.

    1. @Lafayette

      Do we invite people by written invitation to attend all citizens times or do we just do it when an election is 3 weeks away?

      I don’t like spending $30k for electioneering which is really what that was all about. Hey Look at Me, I’m Coree Dee. It was done at tax payer expense.

      People who care what goes on around them will have tv (and yes it was on the news alot), newspapers, or they can talk to their friends.

      While we are on this subject, please tell me exactly what they benefits of doing that were to the poor old people who don’t know crap?

  13. Elena

    Frank and John Stirrup both signed the pledge in addition to Mike May. ONLY those three have honored their pledge, but more importantly, they have demonstrated their core belief in sane land use. Smart growth protects ALL PWC citizens and what is clearly, a diminishing quality of life, given the over development of PWC.

  14. Lafayette

    Poor old people do get out and vote. It’s a shame that more younger folks didn’t get out exercise their right to vote. We can all participate in government if we want, or we just sit back and let others have their way. I’m willing to participate and vote.

    I still like the postcards. I wish I’d told him that when I spoke tonight about getting the word to all residents’ homes. 👿 I recall some people wanting Corey to sign the invitations.

    Redistricting happens once a decade, not every year. I believe we are worth the expense of mailing/printing this information for every household. Citizens’ Time, election happen regularly and frequently. Redistricting does not.

    Limestone stays in Brentsville!!! Now that redistricting for the county is done, let the challengers come forward. 🙂

    1. Some people vote. Some people don’t. The habit is set when people are young, I think. Mr. Howler and I always felt it was a responsibility.

      I am still waiting to hear what we got for the postcards. What did it do for us?

      So did the Alternative District 7 plan go through?

  15. Wolverine

    Moon, that graded area at Silver Lake? I would bet part parking lot and part a new, level pasture for the horses during off hours. Maybe even an additional outdoor riding ring to increase capacity when the weather is good. I would think that they would have to keep the horses there permanently, not bring them in everytime they are needed.

  16. @Lafayette,

    I failed to say that I think there was a more compelling reason to mail out readable maps to the citizens over redictricting. Publishing them in the local papers for several days would have done the same thing. Names should have been on major streets.

    Obviously the citizen input made more of a difference here. I do think the citizens were listened to this time. It wasn’t a done-deal from the git-go.

  17. Wolverine, I have never seen a pasture graded like this one. There is a large area for the containment of horses across the street. They don’t have THAT many horses.

    I suspect parking lot. I hope I am wrong.

  18. Wolverine

    It sort of amazes me how you guys still have to put out these blog queries about this Silver Lake project. Has anybody received any answers as to how this project was approved? Is there no public access to the final planning drawings for the project? I mean, this is not exactly the Manhattan Project we are talking about here. What gives?

    1. @Wolverine, Exactly! I agree. You would think it was the Manhattan Project.

      It was very contentious and it was mishandled. I believe there was probably a little nepotism involved. All was not above board from what it seems.

      Elena will explain further. She knows many more details than I do.

  19. Wolverine

    And let me add one other thing. I agree with the first sentence of #1. You find some extra cash laying around, you put those resource officers right back in the schools. You couldn’t get a better investment for your money.

    1. The school resource officers have been an excellent investment in Prince William County.

      When they are in the schools they not only build a good relationship between kids and cops, they are also there to put out potential ‘fires.’ They know the kids and become more a part of the community.

  20. Theseus

    Limestone stays in Brentsville!!! Corey had better sense than to fall on his sword to save Wally trying such a boneheaded move as trying to get rid of Wally’s main challenger. Now I hope we can have a retirement party for Wally and get someone in the Brentsville seat who represents us rather than developer and big landowner interests. Now, on to finding a challenger for Marty.

  21. Lafayette

    Challengers for them all I say, Theseus. Enough of them running unopposed and raising money for a nonexistent campaign without a challenger. I’m pretty sure Marty has gained a new fan base in our area. I know several that are very pleased with his work on redistricting and that our looking forward to being in the Coles district. I’m sure they’ll tell their friends too. Just my two cents from talking to many residents in my area.

    1. The more people willing to run for office, the better off the rest of us will be. I have to say though, my hat is off to anyone who will run in this day and age. The abject nastiness that is said about people is just unforgivable. It no longer is about a person’s views. It seems that the politics of personal character assassination without regard for the truth is the order of the day.

      As for Marty, he should have a new fan base in our area. He worked long and hard to make sure that the citizens’ voices were heard. He humbly refused to take recognition for what was done during the special hearing last night.

      His efforts kept upper Westgate and Sudley together as a community.

  22. As much as I appreciate trails, I think in this budget crisis we need to take care of priorities first, namely emergency response, heath and human services, etc. Why isn’t this money going to the free clinic or homeless shelters?

    1. The employees haven’t had a raise in 3 years.

      We are down cops. Considering all the things that go on in PWC, keeping enough police officers seems to be a priority.

  23. Elena

    Good news THeseus!

  24. T

    Today’s News & Messenger says that Stewart is increasing taxes to put millions of dollars into trails but is not fully funding social services.

  25. Mom

    You skipped the $400,000 last minute BPOL tax break that residents will now have to shoulder. Just like Avendale, the chamber gets whatever it asks for.

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