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It has taken three days to get through Tuesday’s BOCS meeting.  I cannot tell you how many times I fell asleep listening to the droning on and on.  Little did I know that the fireworks would be at the end.  It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Gainesville Supervisor Candland needs to be assigned detention.  During that time he needs to watch some play by play video of Manassas City Council meetings.  Manassas City, once you get through the seemingly endless parade of anti-abortion activists speaking into the mic about something the City has no control over, is a model of how good government should work.  Mayor Hal Parrish is the quintessential southern gentleman  and most of the council pretty much follow his lead.  The meetings are  the genteel south at its best.

Mr. Candland was combative, snide and rude to those around him, in particular, Supervisors Nohe and Principi and Chairman Stewart.  He was particularly aggressive to Corey Stewart, challenging his budget presentation in derisive ways at every turn.  He accused Stewart of sticking it to tax payers this year and backing down in an election year.  It made no sense since Stewart had clearly explained the 5 year plan in terms of revenues, rather than expenses.

Marty Nohe, whose only crime seemed to be asking a couple of questions for clarity, also caught the wrath of Candland and was accused of just criticizing everyone else’s budget while not presenting one of his own.  No one I have talked to seems to remember any real criticism.  The entire remark just seemed strange.

Corey Stewart ruled the day.  He remained calm and vigilant in his attempts to explain the 5 year plan which Candland either didn’t understand or didn’t want to understand.  Politics at its ugliest out of Gainesville District.  Stewart’s budget proposal is moderate.  He presented a $1.148 tax rate which includes an extra $6 million for the schools, starts a jail fund, opens libraries and calls for a bond for the libraries and parks in the future.  No major programs are cut.

Corey reminded the board that the school board was an autonomous body elected by the people.  He said it was unproductive to finger-point and suggested that they knew their needs better than those who had not run for that office.

Pete Candland needs to understand that the school board does not answer to the board of supervisors.  Additionally, some  old-fashioned good manners are in order here.  The continual carping and sniping at others, all while smiling and obsequiously feigning courtesy, really just don’t cut it at public meetings.  He needs to take a page out of Hal Parrish’s book and abide by it.  Such behavior has always served Mr. Parrish well, even in the face of adversity.

Addendum:

Candland also owes Michelle Casciato a huge apology.  You never tell an employee they are wrong in public, especially on television.  I believe that the treatment towards Mrs. Casciato was  inexcusable and grievable.  I hope she files a grievance.  I would be so ashamed of my son for exhibiting such bad manners.

39 Thoughts to “A combative Candland carps at colleagues”

  1. Charlotte

    I have to generally disagree with the assessment of the interplay between Candland, Stewart & Nohe. I think it got pretty heated overall, and Stewart clearly set up Candland on details of his cuts to vacant positions by trying to corner Candland on cutting public safety personnel. Nohe took his shot on Candland’s budget not funding the schools completely, but Nohe offered no counter budget.

    I was also surprised that I could not download the video clip from the County website, so I called them. The Communications staff indicated I had to make a specific request for what I wanted. I have no interest in them knowing who I am, so I asked if there was a public way to get it. They said no. You obviously have some in with the staff there (that I do not begrudge) but it would be difficult for someone like me to get the same treatment — particularly because I have no axe to grind against the more conservative members.

    My main point is that you had to go out of your way to pick this clip when the meeting was far more contentious across the board — with Stewart & Principi taking their shots at Candland from the start.

  2. Rick Bentley

    Thanks for posting this. I like it when this stuff happens in the open air and not behind closed doors.

    Candland seems silly here to me. These guys are all bean counters reacting to real-world things that they do not control. Anyone who thinks that a “5-year plan” is meaningful except as some type of facade is being naive.

  3. Confused

    Candland is trying to set himself up to run against Stewart for chair – that was so transparent even the blind could see that coming. Candland’s problem is that he mistakes combativeness with his colleagues as populism – you’re not a populist when you’re being difficult, you’re a jerk.

    1. Well said and to the point, Confused.

      After last nights meeting where high ranking county employees were questioned like school children and some even told their numbers were wrong, morale is even lower. Mrs. Casciato is owed a public apology. Last night was the nadir for how not to treat employees.

  4. @Charlotte
    I don’t have an “in” with anyone. I took it off the county website. Anyone can do it. click the embed signs and then capture the html text that appears. Embed it on your website.

    I didn’t have to interact with anyone, although I don’t care if anyone at McCoart knows who I am. I have nothing to hide.

    Perhaps Mr. Nohe supports the CXO budget. I didn’t hear him take any shots at anyone. Candland set himself up. The line item step by step personnel analysis was a huge waste of time. That could have been done by department, not in a public meeting.

    Morale is already low. Now it is worse. I am ashamed to say I live in the Gainesville District.

  5. Charlotte

    On the video issue, I don’t have a blog or a website, and I am too tech challenged to understand what the Communications staff meant when they said I had to provide the start and end points if I wanted a specific segment of the video. I thought I could get a segment to just email around to you.

    That said, I went back and watched the budget presentations again. I heard lots of shots taken at Candland by Principi, Stewart, Jenkins and Nohe. Nohe said the least, but the attacks were – at least from my vantage point – pretty pointed all around. Candland gave as good as he got – but he did get a lot of zingers.

    Did you miss the zinger from Principi that Candland should replace Mrs. Casciato?

    Maybe this blog is becoming the same kind of blog that you claim to hate in the Sheriff blog. Biased against Candland is just as offensive as being biased for him in my book.

    I believe Candland made a very good presentation. I do not agree with him on everything, but I thought his presentation was the most well developed, well thought out, and by far the most detailed. Stewart made a very persuasive argument initially, but then he fell down when it came down to basic details. Principi was very hard to follow, but it appeared to me that he just wanted an even higher tax rate than had been approved as the cap.

    All in all, I think you are far too hard on Candland, and too cozy with Stewart, Nohe and Principi. That just looks like a very strong bias against Candland. What are the odds that they would all be right and Candland completely and totally wrong.

    Something to think about Sheriff Moon.

    1. If you want to email me a certain part, just write the time down and I will go find it. If it is like at 2:55:30 and is 7 minutes long.

      Charlotte, you are obviously a big fan of Mr. Candland’s and will support him regardless of what he says or does. Perhaps you don’t feel it is wrong to tell a senior department head their math is wrong publically, on TV. I do. I also know that kind of attack is probably fodder for the grievance procedure because there is an employee/employer relationship involved. Barring that, it is just rude. Bad manners. There are plenty of other ways to say that you disagree other than “You’re wrong.”

      A public meeting really isn’t the place for all this adversarial behavior. This is not election season nor is anyone on the campaign trail.

      Candland was well-prepared. He should have been. He has been running for Corey’s spot since he first came on the board. Just calling it as I see it.

      Principi does want a higher tax rate. So what? So do I. I think all in all, Corey’s plan will work though.

      I will continue to be hard on Candland when he does things I do not approve of. At no time have I mocked him, mimicked him, ridiculed him or discussed his family. I haven’t made nasty comments about how much or what he drinks or doesn’t drink.

      I have discussed policy and his observable behavior. I will do the same to Stewart, Nohe and Principi, and have done so in the past, if they suggest policy I don’t like or behave in a way that I don’t think is befitting an elected official.

  6. George S. Harris

    While I don’t keep a close track, I can say that Marty Nohe has never presented an alternative budget–he has said that the voters wouldn’t understand it and I’m not sure any of the others have either. At least, Candland does some homework and presents an alternative. Meanwhile the rest of the BOCS snipes at him. What are we paying the for? Damned if I know.

  7. You have never heard the sniping go both ways? Hmmmmmmm.

    I wish you could read some of my email from some employees today.

    I believe Pete has been campaigning for higher office since the day he stepped into the his current position. That is becoming more transparent as he gets further into his term.

    I am more comfortable with local politicians who try to coalition build. They get more done when they work together. Our most effective local elected officials have formed coalitions and have worked for the betterment of the county, in one way or another or at least what they saw as better for their region.

  8. Wendy

    Supervisors too busy doing agency director jobs they forgot to do theirs _ prepare a budget for adoption by next week!

    1. No kidding. Why have the agency directors and why have a CXO and deputies. Let’s make the supervisors come in and do all that work on a part time salary.

      It seems like the supervisors got led down the yellow brick road by Mr. Candland. Good for Mrs. Peacor for reminding them all of what they were there for. Too funny.

  9. Charlotte

    I have no preference one way or the other about Candland or Stewart or Nohe or Principi. I guess I am just agnostic. But my observations were actually about the bias against Candland on this blog when the argument against the sheriff is that he is biased for Candland and that somehow is a major sin.

    It should go both ways, that is all I am saying. If the argument is that Candland can do no wrong in the eyes of the sheriff, why is it that you see nothing good that he does Moon? Who is more right or wrong on the “blogger meter.”

    I say recognize the good things any of them do, and point out the mistakes.

    Not to be perceived as anti-Principi, but when he took the direct shot at Candland about the role of a supervisor just being to hire good people and get out of the way, he completely lost me. That was the same philosophy Reagan took, and look at the problems that created.

    I think the Board has to exercise oversight. It is our money and we elect them to spend it appropriately. Not just hand money to Departments and say do the best you can.

    1. @Charlotte, I believe it you look back through this blog, the person who has caught the most flak from two two blog owners is Corey Stewart. I have been pleased in recent months with the leadership Corey has shown and I say so. I am very situational. If a politician is doing something I like, I say so. If they aren’t, I say so. For instance, about a month ago, I criticized Mr. Principi. Candland and Caddigan also caught a little of that.

      I have not been pleased with the way Mr. Candland has handled things for some time. I was willing to give him a chance when he first came to office. I see him getting more and more bad advice as time goes on. I was particularly offended as a constituent that he posted someone’s FOIA on his website. Very bad taste. I saw that as bullying. I don’t want bullying done on a website, especially one that the public is footing the bill for.

      I also disagree with low balling the costs of good government. I don’t like tea party mentality and will criticize any supervisor I think might be adhering to bare bones budgets with a slice and dice mentality.

      I do approve of Candland’s emphasis on reducing class size and paying teachers more. I think he is going about it the wrong way. It takes money. Lots of it.

      Most of all I disapprove of these blogs appearing that either support Candland when he is running for office or when he gets into office. It is totally transparent. Actually. That’s a story for another day.

      Finally, we don’t just cover local politics. There are other things to talk about. What I just said is MY opinion only, not Elena’s. She has other issues she values and has found Pete supportive of her issues. Elena and I are not the same person.

      I

  10. George S. Harris

    Would someone explain to me why it is wrong for Candland to seek higher office? Think of politicians you know. How many of them have wanted a higher office? Corey Stewart wanted to be Lieutenant Governor, so did Scot Lingamfelter and of course, there is Bob Marshall who wants to be a congressman. Jerry Connolly once served as chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Attorney General Herring was a State Senator, former Governor McDonnell was the AG, AG Kenn Cuccinelli wanted to the Governor. And the beat goes on. How many here in Prince William County would like to see Stewart replaced?

    An the idea that you just hire good people and turn them loose? Are you kidding me? Even “good” people need direction. Otherwise how do they know where they are supposed to go and what they are supposed to be doing? How many remember this scene between Alice and the Chesire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland”?

    “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
    “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
    “I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
    “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
    “–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
    “Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

    That is exactly what happens to “good” people who are not supervised. Frank Principi obviously never read “Alice in Wonderland” and I wonder if he has ever studied anything about leadership.

    Praise in public, censure in private–probably the first rule a good leader should learn. But telling someone their numbers are wrong in a public meeting? Hmmmm–doesn’t the public have a right to know when an elected official thinks something is wrong with what the public is seeing? Remember, this was a PUBLIC meeting where the staff is presenting PUBLIC information to the PUBLIC. Is is the role of the BICS and the PUBLIC just to sit there and go into what I call “auto-bob”, agreeing with everything? If that is the kind of government being proposed, then why have elected officials? Let’s just have a dictatorial government and we can save a lot of money by not having any PUBLIC participation and no need for a bunch of do nothing elected officials we waste tax dollars on. Might work for some but not for me.

    1. Well, there are ways to say things and ways not to say things. My husband has always used the following as an example.”Your face is so ugly it would stop a clock” or “when I see your face, time stands still.” You don’t have to bark out, ” You’re wrong!” Mrs. Casciato is owned an apology.

      They can all run for higher office. First they declare they are running, then they should do so. They shouldn’t be running during a public meeting, at least not so obviously. If they do, I will criticize that person.

      Line item vetoing is probably something that should be taken up with the CXO, in my opinion.

  11. Confused

    @George – there is nothing wrong with having ambition for higher office – that wasn’t my point. There *is* something inherently wrong with grandstanding instead of governing – that is my issue.

    1. I agree 200% with Confused. Candland isn’t the only one who ever grandstands. I criticize the others also. However, he is the only one who has been doing it lately. Not even sure which office he is grandstanding for, although I expect I can guess.

      Does he have to resign to run for the chair?

  12. Ray Beverage

    “Manassas City, once you get through the seemingly endless parade of anti-abortion activists speaking into the mic about something the City has no control over, is a model of how good government should work. Mayor Hal Parrish is the quintessential southern gentleman and most of the council pretty much follow his lead. The meetings are the genteel south at its best.”

    Moon, that is true for the televised version. Many times, there are the Council’s Work Session held in the City Hall 2nd Floor Conference Room where there is no media recording of any sort. Those meetings, especially during budget time when the idealoughes push for reductions in the budget which is already lean, or stand against a greater vision for direction of the city, it gets messy and no longer cordial, genteel or any other soft word.

    I’ll give the BOCS this much….at least it is televised/audio recorded so folks know what the various spats are about and can address it. Unless you attend the Council’s Work Session, or maybe Andy puts something up on his blog, we City Folk have to wait several weeks to see the Minutes. And then even those can be sanitized.

    1. Well, the part we can see looks good and your mayor is a true gentleman, at least in public.

  13. Charlotte

    I personally do not have any preference on the people that run the county, but I simply observed that this blog has adopted the same style as the blogger most of the commenters (and Moon) hate; the sheriff.

    You are piling on to Candland because he dares to take on the old guard. It is what newly elected officials tend to do. I just find the whole attitude terribly disingenuous and bordering on being hypocritical.

    I personally decided to get more informed today and have read all of the proposals submitted. Stewart’s was vague and contained no details on the five year blueprint that the County Executive has to provide in her budget. Principi’s was a wish list – nothing more. Candland’s budget was detailed, showed where the funding would come from, evidenced a clear understanding of budgeting and finance, and laid out the out-year implications for taxpayers. You don’t have to agree with his plan, but it is undeniable that his was the most complete and honest of the bunch.

    If the Stewart plan passes, it is because of some deals made in the back room. Not in public. That is not the kind of transparent government that we deserve. Sorry. My opinion.

    1. Charlotte, You apparently don’t read very closely. I also know you were ‘sent.’ No, I don’t mimic and ridicule people. I don’t talk smack about county employees, only elected officials and when I do talk about them I don’t talk about how much they drink or about their wives. I also don’t have them cross dressing or as car ornaments. Come back when you understand the difference.

  14. Pat.Herve

    @Charlotte
    This blog is nothing like that other blog run by that Vile Man. Go troll over there where your comments are tracked and deleted better than the NSA can do.

  15. Charlotte

    @Moon-howler
    I honestly don’t understand what you mean when you say you “know” I was “sent.”

    I was “sent” by no one. I like to read various blogs, but I only comment on rare occasions. The budget is important to my family, so I have been more alert to what is going on.

    You obviously want to focus on the differences between your blog and that of the sheriff. I never suggested you were exactly the same. But I did observe that this blog engages in the same BIAS as you accuse the sheriff of, only it is a reverse-bias against Candland as opposed to being for him.

    You don’t like that. I understand. The fact you don’t like the comparison doesn’t mean it is not true.

    While it is likely to upset you even further, I agree with Mr. Harris that when a county employee provides inaccurate information to the BOCS — information that is being used to make decisions by the BOCS — should not be corrected.

    The specific issue was a question posed by Chairman Stewart on the debt service costs of the libraries that Mrs. Casciato had confirmed would be somewhere around $1.3 million a year and only going down at the very end of the 20 year repayment cycle. Mr. Candland corrected the record — upon which decisions were being made — that the debt repayment changes in 2021 and goes down to about $600,000 a year. That is a very big change and bore directly on the misstatement made by Chairman Stewart.

    You chose to make this your example of rudeness and violation of decorum by Mr. Candland. It was, in fact, a proper action that corrected a record that needed to be corrected in the context of the discussion at hand.

    I am not willing to follow because I am told to follow. Sorry.

    1. The way it was said was rude. Let’s think about a better way of correcting someone if you disagree with them.

      You seem extremely obsessed with the Sheriff. I would hope blogs aren’t where you get your news, including this one.

      If you want to think I am a sheriffy kind of blog, have at it. Whose character should I attempt to assassinate first? Any suggestions?

      I am curious about something. You assume right off the bat that Mr. Candland was correct about the debt service, not Mrs. Casciato. Why did you make that assumption? Was that an example of this bias you keep talking about? I have no idea who was right. I don’t know that much about the debt service costs of the libraries, especially since I don’t think that the bonds have even been sold yet. I don’t know who was right or who was wrong. I just know that isn’t the way any of the supervisors ought to talk to county employees. Let me just be blunt. Such behavior is rude, crude, and socially unattractive. Mrs. Casciato is an employee and should be treated with respect. Clarify the issues politely. Its just a case of having good manners. Telling someone YOU’RE WRONG in the public venue is just classless–almost as classless as posting a constituent’s FOIA request on a county provided website.

      You see, Charlotte, I am also a constituent and that sort of thing bothers me.

  16. The anonymizer is working great.

  17. George S. Harris

    C’mon Moon, it’s time to “fess up about why you abhor Candland. I suspect if he walked on water and changed water into wine you might still dislike him because…(fill in the blank).

    1. I don’t abhor Pete as a person. Far from it. I don’t know why you would think that.

      As a politician he has done things I find unacceptable, starting with the attack on this blog and personally on Elena. We did not throw the first punch.

      I don’t care for the style of the two supplemental blogs that have sprung up around him to do his dirty work and in-fighting. He could stop what is going on. He choses not to. I had the same problem with another local politician.

      George, because I live in the Gainesville District, I will probably get more involved with the political shinanigans here than say the Occoquan District. I don’t pay much attention to what happens over there. However, all the supervisors’ actions affect our quality of life.

      Pete tried to get things moving on Silver Lake through private efforts. That simply isn’t going to work. Too much investment is needed to really gentrify the place. I will give him high marks for his earlier efforts there though. I would give him higher marks if he went to the board and used that same tenacity to get funds to really make Silver Lake acceptable. Promises should be kept there before new park initiatives are even begun. Even asking for and giving a really indepth report would earn high marks. Right now you could break an axle getting in the place. Promises were made by the county (before Pete’s time) that have not been kept.

      There still are no trash cans there and I really hope I don’t see any more league sports teams practicing there. There has to be some park somewhere in this county that isn’t used for league sports.

      I will leave changing water into wine to you, George. wink wink.

  18. George S. Harris

    the reason for no trash cans: From the Silver Lake website:

    No trashcans. Our “Trash in, trash out” policy means that whatever you bring into the park, you are responsible for bringing back out with you. Let’s keep our park clean and trash-free!

    The Silver Lake Park restoration effort was awarded the 2009 “Best New Special Event Award – National Public Lands Day at Silver Lake” from the Virginia Recreation & Park Society.

    As to the league teams practicing there–I suppose you could check with the Parks Department to see if it is permitted. If not, then ask to have teams notified.

    1. I know what the website says. It is a stupid way to run a park. Public parks in suburbia need trash cans. Someone is just trying to cover up stupidity on that one. (and cheapness) There sure was trash service when summer camp was out there. then the trash cans went away.

      I have no idea where that award came from. Have you ever been out there? Talk about buying an award. I didn’t know about that award and it is a farce if I ever heard of one.

  19. George S. Harris

    There are many parks that have a ” Trash in-Trash Out” policy. Rhode Island beahces have had such a policy since 1992. Minute Man National Historical Park has a carry in, carry out policy. The George Washington Memorial Parkway joined the Trash Free Parks program on April 22, 2013. Trash cans were removed from the following areas:

    Clara Barton National Historic Site
    Clara Barton Parkway
    Daingerfield Island
    Great Falls Park
    Fort Marcy
    Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove
    George Washington Memorial Parkway Overlooks
    Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary
    Theodore Roosevelt Island
    Turkey Run Park
    United States Marine Corps War Memorial
    The entire Nation Park Service is pretty much “Trash in-Trash Out”.

    Annapolis officials are considering a plan to remove trash cans from city parks, a strategy they say would save money and could keep public spaces cleaner.

    Moon–I think you are out of step with the times and need to reconsider your statement that, “It is a stupid way to run a park. Public parks in suburbia need trash cans. Someone is just trying to cover up stupidity on that one. (and cheapness)” Trash-in, Trash-out programs can and do save hundreds of thousands of dollars.

    You may also want to reconsider this statement: “Talk about buying an award. I didn’t know about that award and it is a farce if I ever heard of one.” The VRPS is a subset of the National Recreation and Parks Society–not some peanut operation where you “buy” rewards. Here is their website if you care to take a look:

    http://vrps.memberpath.com/Home.aspx

    As Sy Sims used to say, “An educated consumer is our best customer.”

    1. I would say that an educated consumer goes out and visits the park in person before having such a strong opinion.

      That would be me, George, out of step with the times. Do a little history on Silver Lake Regional. You will see that once again promises were made that have not been kept. That association gives away awards apparently. Whoever wrote that piece for the county is delusional.

      I am aware of trash-in/trash-out programs. Silver Lake needs cans. Modern suburbia parks need trash cans. They need their roads graded. Parks like Silver Lake soon become slums if there is no where to dispose of trash.

      We aren’t talking about a leave no trace facility here. We are talking about a park that now backs up to a middle school.

      Annapolis will regret that decision. Has the Tea Party taken over the city or something? Places that go on the cheap soon look cheap.

    2. Social experimentation does not make an action a good idea. The best example I can think of is highway 101 down the Pacific coast. Part of the turn outs along the Oregon Coast had no trash cans. They were a mess. The other part had cans with regular service. They were not a mess.

      I have never been in a National Park that didn’t have trash cans. How long would it take to have those trashed up with millions of visitors a year.

      I have no idea what that society is basing its award on. That is simply a joke.

  20. George S. Harris

    You say “Tomato”, I say “Tomahto”. I think at this point I would just have some wine.

  21. George S. Harris

    Maybe go take some pictures, send to the internet newspapers, post on your blog, send to the BOCS members.

  22. I went out there today, after being at beautiful North Fauquier Regional Park. I nearly broke an axle. The road needs to be graded big time. It probably should really be paved.

    The tables have all been moved down close to the water. No provisions have been made to let people drive to the picnic area that has grills. You have to schlep a fairly long distance to get to it because there are big signs forbidding vehicles past a certain point.

    The entire park is just unattractive. What a shame. What a waste.

    There was also rubbish. Not a lot but any is too much.

    I have no idea where that award came from but it is bogus. Someone is either delusional or has a lot of jingle in their pocket.

  23. http://www.pwconserve.org/issues/conservation/silverlake/background.html

    Here is some factual background knowledge on the genesis of Silver Lake. What could have, no, should have been a real asset to the citizens of PWC sits having no new capitol improvements to its original infrastructure. Instead, hundreds of thousands of OUR tax dollars are funneled to a small non profit that sits on land worth millions for virtually free. We should rename Silver Lake, Prince William County’s Rainbow Riding Facility.

    Oh, and guess what, we may see the “Lake” attribute taken out of Silver Lake. Know why? Because the damn needs a 2.5 MILLION dollar fix in order to be compliant for flooding risk to surrounding houses. good thing our BOCS was SO insistent on taking on this supposed “gem”. Who wants to bet they end up having to drain the lake because we don’t have the fund in our budget to fix the dam!

    BRMC was willing to not only double the amount of land for access to the public but make a 500 thousand dollar investment, immediately, in order to create a real long term usable asset to citizens. Instead, the BOCS at the time REFUSED to create a real private public partnership. I have pictures of Northern Fauquier Park, a mere 8 miles down route 55 that is shining star when it comes to how providing quality passive recreation to residents.

    It’s beautiful…..natural landscaping, stone walls with natural fencing, docks for the pond, covered gazebo’s, excellent playground for kids, picnic benches. This park tells people who visit that this is a county that gives a shit about providing quality parks for families.

    In fact, my biggest compliment to Pete is his initial interest in working to create such a park, Silver Lake, in PWC. But guess what that requires, INVESTMENT, MONEY investment!

  24. Furthermore, and let me add, I am sick to death of comparing government budgets to the same as my family sitting around the kitchen table. What a ridiculous analogy. The government has social contract with its citizens. It’s understood, we give taxes the government provides for a stable community so that its citizens have the opportunity to thrives. FIRST we figure out what the costs are to provide for this social contract, then we figure out how we pay for these community investments. We don’t say, here is the tax rate but if it isn’t enough for police, fire, schools, libraries, parks, then screw it, we just won’t pay to have a functional society!

    I hate HATE agreeing with Corey, but to suggest that you have a strict budget when you must work within the confines of so many unknowable variables is unrealistic. Corey is correct, you should have a general outline with room to adjust. What’s that saying, the reed must bend with the wind or it will brake if its too rigid.

    1. I agree with Corey also. This is the Corey we like to see. I hope this form of good governance on his part will continue.

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