Just wanted to put this link up and see what people thought. Are other counties struggling with this mowing crisis? How can we deny that the resolution did not have some impact on our double foreclosure rate? Obviously, if Fairfax and Arlington received many of our students that left PWC, they must be living in homes in that county! Whether they rented or owned, many Hispanics in our community left and now we must reap what we sow. What was the final number we have spent on the resolution so far? How much more money at ADC? What services are we NOT funding now….Adult Day Care, children’s group homes, etc. Are we a county that now mows grass instead of provide critical services to the elderly and the young, the most vulnerable in our society?
http://www.examiner.com/a-1390202~Foreclosures_spike_bill_for_lawn_mowing.html
Not to be snarky – but what about all that talk about being “good neighbors” and helping out?
People shouldn’t have acted upon enacting a resolution, instead they should have organized their neighborhoods themselves to combat the problems instead of relying upon the government…..you know all THAT talk.
My husband and I are taking it upon ourselves to mow our neighbors’ lawns who we know have foreclosed and left. Does no one else have the motivation to do so?
LOL! Let Stewart and Stirrup do it. It would be good exercise in more ways than one.
Actually, my husband and I are mowing the lawn of a house on our street. We have been told that we should not do it because it can be considered trespassing. We will just take our chances. I agree this problem was caused by the mortgage industry and the flight of immigrants compounded the problem, but it seems to me we should all be civic minded and be part of the solution. We can all gripe about the problems but we need to do something to solve them.
I commend you and your husband for being part of the solution.
Does the BoS think the seniors in the eastern are really more important than those in the western end of the county? They need to be reminded we were all young once, and hopefully we will live to be old. How would they like to be treated. Hearth & Home is NOT a viable option. Nursing home standards, not the stimulation and activities of the Adult Day Care Center. Honestly, how can they sit up there with straight faces is beyond me. I will NOT rest on these issues.
PWBOS,
Do the right thing.. Keep these programs thriving in our county. Get real people!!!
I have more on grass later.
@ Marie:
I didn’t know about the tresspassing thing, but since we’re doing the front lawn (to keep up appearances), I doubt anyone will haul us off to jail :>) It seems as if we’re not the only people on our street who have taken to doing this as well. Other homes way down the street from us we know have been foreclosed and are empty have had their lawns mowed and are being kept tidy. Not all, but some. Husband suggested we print up a flier to ask all neighbors to pitch in and help if they know the home next to them is vacant.
Everyone who pitches in should be commended for their actions.
Ruby,
You know, until someone has lived through caring for a chronically ill parent, these programs mean nothing. I believe, as a society, we are guilty of not caring for our elderly. Maybe the govt. thinks Social Security is where our responsibility ends, but I believe it is shameful. I am with you totally.
Marie and Not Me Bubba,
It isn’t your responsibility, but in the end, who cares, if it needs to get done, it needs to get done. Good for you, just be careful! I agree, who is going to cart you off for trespassing 🙂 they ought to pay you for your services!
ALastribAles,
if the county doesn’t have any money to afford it , then Stewart, Stirrup, and Greg have to do it ,I suggest to Stirrup to make a big grass pile in his backyard to feed his horse, in case the horse reject it perhaps Greg can eat it all !
“Marie and Not Me Bubba,
It isn’t your responsibility, but in the end, who cares”
Technically it isn’t our job (although my husband is the one currently mowing, so I cannot take all credit for the upkeep), BUT it is our job as a neighbor and as a homeowner to make sure our property is kept up, and that around us. Now we can make a zillion phone calls and complain, but the grass doesn’t stop growing because of that. And if the county cannot get to it, the bank can’t do it, the RE agent’s office can’t do it – NOBODY does it.
If you care about your neighborhood, and you care about your home you do it yourself. People who complain about falling property values and disheveled lawns of foreclosed homes and do NOTHING to help the situation are in no place to moan and gripe. It’s only an extra 15 minutes of your time (or less if the lawns are miniscule).
Becareful mowing those lawns. I understand and admire your dedication. However, I saw the rats the began to roam our streets last year after the tall grass was cut. There are many that do many things to improve their communities. They just don’t tell all they do.
Elena,
I lived with it for five long years. You can’t describe it words. One must truly live it to understand. I pray these folks don’t have to deal with it. I will be more vocal than ever. Not resting!!
“Becareful mowing those lawns. I understand and admire your dedication. However, I saw the rats the began to roam our streets last year after the tall grass was cut. ”
Well, our aim is to not let the grass get too high so that rats come and roost :>) An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure….
I’ve been mowing the one next to me. And I’m glad there are no longer 12 people, some of dubois character, living there.
Elena, what’s wrong with mowing lawns? You’d rather let it get 12 inches high? Some of you really begrudge people the funds to mow lawns or mail postcards? Law enforcement has SOME cost associated with it.
NMB,
Agreed. We had serious water in our area. My backyard has yet to not have water in the back since the rain last week. I thank you for your efforts even it’s not in my neighborhood. It’s OUR county. We all must do what we can. I pick up trash when walking I average 4-5lbs some days.
I’ve already harped to death on the fact that there are these things called “Teenagers.” That the county should contract THEM to mow the lawns during the summer because it is what WE used to do when we were kids and it much CHEAPER than hiring out professional Contractors and LESS ironic than hiring ILLEGAL ALIENS.
But HOA board members who have under the table deals with these EXPENSIVE CONTRACTORS keep lamenting about OSHA and LAWSUITS which is the same BS Red Tape that got us into this mess in the first place.
It’s called HARD F&@#IN WORK people, it’s how we survive. We either put our money where our mouthes are or use it to hire people that can, Legal or Illegal, if you won’t do the work yourself you have no right to bitch and moan about who ends up doing it.
Come on Greg! Help Fu%^*ng Save Manassass! get your soldiers out in the street and mow some shaggy lawns!!!!! What was it you were saying? Oh if the Government won’t do it then it’s up to the people to take the law into their own hands…
…or in this case the sickle, cause no push mower is going to clear that stuff so easy.
Rick,
What are you talking about? I just said good job to them. Why don’t you read what Ruby posted about trespassing and rats and then maybe you will understand my post better!
Rick,
You are a trespasser if you do not have ID matching you with that property, and yes you’d probably be charged for trespassing. I know it happen in more rural Fredricksburg. But did you see the Channel 5 report on the little girl bit by a COPPERHEAD in her backyard. Rats carry rabies, ladies and gentlemen. If you see rats contact the Health Department.
All,
Seriously, use caution at these yards. The last thing we need is injured good samaritans. Please, think about it folks. The county will recover the costs through the Weed Lien attached to their tax bill which supercedes all other liens. Mr. Horton had to explain this to Attorney Covington on Tuesday. Yes, the money coming will take time. Every dollar spent on Neighborhood Services at this time is worth it.
That was me above. Oh, well. I only use that for providing links and information. I stand by comments either way(name).
To the original comment kicking off this thread, again I find it hard to believe you can attribute many of these foreclosures to “the resolution”. Again, the reason there is such a huge foreclosure rate in this county is a lot of houses were more affordably priced than in neighboring jurisdictions, more lower income people bought these houses even though they still were out of their price range and jumped on the silly adjustable mortgages. I would blame it on the BANKS, more than anyone else, NOT the resolution. I just see holding the resolution responsible is false logic. You could see this happening even a year ago, way before the resolution was enacted or before it probably was on the conciousness of a lot of people. I think if the resolution and this whole issue had never been discusssed, we’d still have 80% of the amount of foreclosures at least. The resolution seems to be an easy target on this board to blame all kinds of ills – not all of which are deserved. Then again some of the people probably aren’t even living near these foreclosures, and are posting from their nice neighborhoods and not living with this!
Idon’t understand why Corey’s reaction. Mr. Wills always speak with such spunk and colorful comments. Clearly, a nerve was hit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2jjbCFyviU
Waiting for the County or the City to send someone out to cut grass is a bureaucratic nightmare. It takes quite awhile for a response and I think the City has a policy where they will only cut three times a season. So the grass will be 4 feet high each time they get around to cutting. I am not faulting them. I know they have other things to do that are important so I can do what I can to help my community. If I get arrested or fined for trespassing, oh well!!!
The BOCS should be so ashamed of cutting services to the most vunerable in the community, the elderly and children in foster care. I am not sure where the boys and girls group homes stand at this point. Eighty-five County employees stand to lose their jobs. I just do not get it!! Where are their priorities? It certainly is not to the elderly, children or their employees.
Marie,
No ma’am their priorties are not with the most vunerable. I find it sickening!
Just watched the Mr. Wills video. Thanks for telling like it is Mr. Wills. I wish I could talk to him. He is absolutely correct. My husband is a stroke survivor and I could tell you how difficult things have been for us but there is not enough time or space here. He is doing well, now but still has many deficits. We work with other stroke survivors and families to offer support and hope. There are virtually no services available in PW Co for anyone with disabilities. Yes, the horses have more clout than the humans.
I was amazed and taken aback by Mr. Stewart’s comments to Mr. Wills. Yet, Mr. Stewart allows Greg L to threaten the BOCS at the same meeting and remains silent!! I ask you who was really out of line, Mr. Wills or Corey’s buddy, Greg.
Marie,
I spoke with Mr. Wills before the evening session started. I expressed my amazement(and not for good) over Corey’s reaction. Mr. Wills didn’t seem too bothered by it. No, not Greggi. Shame on Corey!
Mr. Wills was NOT out of line!
Ruby,
I agree that Mr Wills was not out of line. He was speaking the truth and sometimes the truth hurts. It sure touched a nerve in CS.
Ruby,
I say we wear “What about Bob?” stickers at the next citizen time
Unbelievable video. And this is the same Corey who to exception to Maureen’s statement that she intended to start using some of her supervisor’s time to respond directly to comments made during citizen’s time. I don’t know what it was that Mr. Wills said that provoked such a response, but I do know that sometimes the truth hurts.
And yet GL’s rant that same evening drew no response at all.
Bob Wills Clashes with Chairman Stewart 5/20/08 HOLY CRAP! GL isn’t over the line by Mr. Wills is? How dare Stewart interrupt. Wills wasn’t swearing or anything like that. It’s his right to bash (and he’s justified doing it). Talk show hosts do this all the time. Too f’ing bad! Hey Corey, this is the UNITED STATES. If you don’t like it, maybe YOU should move!
But then Stewart has already shown he defies open government and uses freedom of speech only when it helps him. ACLU, where are you?
From know on when I look at Corey, I I am not going to be able to get it out my head hearing him speak in the voice of Hank Hill saying ” damn it Bobby” 🙂
Wow, this is coming from someone who wants GL arrested for posting on his blog, you can’t want someone arrested for saying something and then a few minutes later say:
“Stewart has already shown he defies open government and uses freedom of speech when it helps him. ACLU, where are you?”
It kind of go against arresting someone for posting on their blog, doesn’t it?
This is what I think. It seems as though Corey was “done” with Bob when he commented about how Supervisor Caddigan knows “all about shopping”. Honestly, not sure what that was about, seemed sexist to me. To me, that appeared to be the stopping point for Bob Wills. Now, what I am wondering is, why,when the citizen accused Supervisor Principi of having “illegal immigrants” as in-laws, Corey, allowed those comments to go unchallenged.
The owner of the property should maintain the property. Yes, that means the bank in many instances; but the bank will probably profit when it sells eventually, and it will certainly sell more easily if it is maintained. Banks have incentive to maintain the lawns on the foreclosed properties. Calm reminders to that fact will probably fall on very receptive ears for them.
Mr. Wills shopping comment may’ve been it. I guess it’s nice to see Corey defending her(Maureen C) instead of bickering with her. I still think Corey should’ve given that bit to about a few of other people that spoke Tuesday. NOT just Mr. Wills who is NOT a “newcomer” to PWC.
Okay, to be fair, Bob could have left Maureen out of it BUT I would be more interested in what he meant in that VAGUE comment.( was it sexist? Do we just ASSUME it was because SHE is a female and the word shopping was used? or was it a bad choice of words and meant as something totally different in the way she spends money?)
“Wow, this is coming from someone who wants GL arrested for posting on his blog,” No I think GL should be arrested for harassing and threatening people. There is a huge difference. The Constitution doesn’t protect your right to threaten, hello.
Sitting around calling us fat broads and making fun of people is one thing. GL crossed that line long ago. This is the same man that hangs out and films people at 7/11’s remember and then says he will come back with a gun.
Mr. Wills calling the BOCS “pathetic” doesn’t even come close.
Maybe Caddigan is known to shop at PM? That’s the first thing I thought. Or perhaps she DOESN’T shop there because there aren’t designer shops. I don’t know. I thought HE knew. LOL. I didn’t take it as sexist.
K,
I didn’t take it that way either ( sexist) and coming from him, HE probably DOES know…lol
I do NOT know him, never met him but I get the gut feeling that if it were “slack jaw” ( damn it Bobby) on his part in the heat of the moment, I see him apologizing 🙂
What happened to all those hard working americans who supposedly couldn’t get good paying jobs because of illegal immigrants? Perhaps you should ask them to mow the lawns.
Just a thought.
Welcome Frazil 🙂
I think that this is a threat! “if you do it next time I am going to stop you” the threat is not just for illegals also he threats citizens.
I think that citizens should stop his verbal aggressions, why don’t we find another chairman?
Mr.Wills was not out of line.
Greg L can harass anybody but that’s ok for Mr. Stewart, “Greg doesn’t hurt anybody” anything that he says is ok!
Hey how about the FIRST online poll :” was Bobby out of line?”
Your question:
“Are we a county that now mows grass instead of provide critical services to the elderly and the young, the most vulnerable in our society?”
Short answer: Yes
But I think the idea of getting HSM people out here to mow those lawns is an excellent idea. What better way to Save a Town that help keep the lawns looking fit?
Talk about unintended consequences! I had no idea it could cost that much to mow lawns. While we all obsess over Greg, our county is having an economic version of a stroke. I think we need to demand involvement as citizens in tackling these economic issues. We need to come together as a community and pull ourselves out of this mess. We can’t rely on this very politicized and divided government to get the job done on their own. It’s really time for something like Prince William Study Group (a la Iraq Study Group) comprised of responsible and caring citizens and truly knowledgeable and competent experts. My dream team would include Sharon Pandak and Sean Connaughton
I don’t think for one minute that Corey was defending Mrs. Caddigan. You all are guilty of the Eric syndrome: cutting Corey too much slack.
notgregl,
That sounds like a great idea!
Moon-howler,
You are probably right!
NotGregL, You have a great idea.
Moon-howler-You are absolutely right. Corey was pissed because he had a nerve hit. The truth hurts. Did you also see how many times Corey blinked his eyes during the time Mr. Wills spoke? Interesting. A little uncomfortable?????????
@Ron Charest
I think getting HSM to mow the lawns is a great idea. Help Save the Community would be a good slogan but unfortunately they are not about helping anyone. They just want to polarize the community, create problems and make threats They are not problem solvers so I do not expect we will ever see any of them cut grass.
All I know is that I’ve dealt with the care of both my ailing parents through to their final days, and I would be outraged to have someone rail to me about not caring for human life. If Mr. Wills knew for a fact that none of the people on the board have ever dealt with that situation, then he may possibly be within his rights to make those derogatory remarks. However, to say that someone or a group cares nothing about human life is one hell of an accusation to be made in public. So, therefor, yes he was out of line for his speech does nothing to promote solutions to county concerns, but only works to personally antagonize the board.
I commend you SecondAlamo for taking care of your parents. It is difficult to say the least. I, too, have had to do the same for both my father and my father-in-law.
I do not think that Mr. Wills was out of line. The BOCS cut funding to the most vunerable in our community and we all should be outraged by that. Where are their priorities?
Was it ok for Greg L to threaten the BOCS???? No one uttered a word to him about his unseemingly behavior.
I understand the outrage, however there has to be a civil way of conveying that outrage, difficult as that may be, without resorting to personal attacks. Antagonizing people generally doesn’t bring forth a cooperative response. It’s just part of our human nature. We all have a certain amount of pride which at times must be defended, and Mr.Wills accusations required an immediate response in my view. I would hate to see citizens time turn into a grade school name calling contest. What would be the point? Constructive criticism will always prevail.
SA,
Why didn’t Corey step in when the citizen made a “personal attack” against Frank Principi and his family?