DEMAND transparent government! I, along with many citizens, were SHOCKED to find out that Corey Stewart, as the Chairman who controls the Agenda, would attempt to circumvent open democracy and put Avendale on the 2 p.m. agenda today. Additionally, John Stirrup is out town, so the fate of the Rural Crescent relies on Mike May, Maureen Caddigan, and Frank Principi. Please, e-mail these supervisors and ask them to vote against any last minute addition to the Agenda and stand up for transparent democracy! Corey needs a majority vote to allow Avendale on the agenda for today.
Citizens are sending in e-mails, please, write one and send it in by 1:00 this afternoon!
I’m perplexed on this one. I trust Michelle Trenum highly and know that she would not spread untrue rumors, or anything that she had any doubt about its credibility. Also, Elena has demonstrated sound judgement on these matters. However, Corey was elected by people who support controlling growth in PWC, dealing with congestion, taxes, etc. He was not elected as the immigration supervisor. If he betrays all of his original supporters the backlash would be incredible. Such a move move would follow him statewide as someone who could not be trusted. I just don’t see him being that stupid. Is it possible there is something going on that Michelle and the rest of us are unaware of?
A telling sign will be if the BOCS has actually made Melissa Peacor the new County Executive. My opinion of Corey going forward will be heavily dependent on that. If so, I want to know which Supervisors voted for and against her. I will contribute to the 2011 campaign of the opponent of any incumbant Supervisors who voted for Peacor, regardless of party.
If Corey hadn’t planned to bring up the Avendale vote, he would have written in his email, “I never planned to vote on Avendale today” or something similar denying the “rumor.”
Furthermore, we now have from Mr. Stewart a written promise not to allow a vote on Avendale unless we voters get notice.
There should never be a vote on anything of that magnitude without an announcement well ahead of time. Is there a current time limit? There should be. Pinko, I am not sure it is fair to say Corey WOULD have. Could we settle on COULD have? I don’t like second guessing people that way.
NTK, no CXO announcement has officially been made. (which I think was not a smart move) Right now everything has to be put in the category of rumor.
Well, after last night’s meeting it is clear that we need to replace the “Welcome to Prince William County” signs with “Abandon All Hope Ye That Enter Here”. In two weeks the board will likely adopt the Planning Staff’s Comp Plan text with amendments gleaned from the worst of the LUAC text and the Chamber of Commerce demands.
Rather than improving the County’s planning process, the board will set in motion embark on a course of the status quo at best, and if the proposed “flexibility” in the language is added, likely even more sprawl, congestion, overcrowded schools, budget shortfalls, well, you get the picture. A pox on all of their houses.
Let me just say, Michelle IS and will remain, extremely trustworthy. This information was extremely troubling for her when she was made aware of it late Monday night. She always trusted Corey and could not believe that he would do such a back stabbing move to the people who have always supported him so strongly. She WAS told this by a Supervisor and it really doesn’t matter WHO it was, the facts remain the same. She took a risk by putting this information out there, but it was more important to stop the Avendale vote than to risk being portrayed as a “rumor” starter. We should be commending Michelle and the unknown Supervisor for standing up for government transparency!
There is precious little transparency in PWC as evidenced by last night’s proceedings. The public hearing was little more than a charade and the months/years of work and input by the Planning Commission and concerned citizens, nothing more than a waste of their valuable time. It is apparent that the board had no intention of even considering the text offered by the Planning Commission and, lipservice to those parents from overcrowded schools aside, don’t give a damn about the problems faced by the residents of the county. The lesson is if you are not a developer or the Chamber of Commerce, your concerns are meaningless to the board, unless its election time.
He probably wouldn’t want to waste his time denying the rumor. Denying it just gives it more attention.
The “anonymous Supervisor” could have just made the whole thing up but we’ll never know, which is too bad. That isn’t transparency – transparency would be for “anonymous” to come forward.
@Moon-howler
Sure, say “could” if it suits you, MH. I just think with Stewart’s history of being blunt, he would have come right out with it.
Either way, I would trust Michelle who not only is honest and bright but has too much to lose. She’s not one to shoot her mouth off in the least. And she’s not just some trouble maker.
Incidentally, I don’t see the BVBL’s complaining about Stewart and Stirrup giving THEM heads up in the past. But when it comes to this, suddenly it’s not okay for someone to talk to a supervisor? Suddenly, it’s a “rumor”? Gotta love that double standard, folks.
There will always be a double standard where the dark screen is concerned.
I don’t trust any of the supervisors not to start rumors. We are talking about government here. I think in more refined circles it is called power brokering.
@ Pinko, I just haven’t figured out what Stewart would have to gain. My dots aren’t connecting. So I won’t indict him on this one.
Remember, I am an in-town county person. We look at things differently.
THIS was NOT a rumor. More than one supervisor was aware of this duplicitous scheme. I wish that one of them would come forward. However, given the reaction by some on this blog and others, I can understand why they would choose to remain silent while Michelle was brave enough to put her name on the line and risk being accused of starting rumors.
Those supervisors that were in the know aren’t going on any blog to set the record straight. The bottom line is the vote did NOT happen yesterday. Next topic…
I will say one positive thing for yesterday’s meeting and that is the Senior bus service will be restored this spring. Many in the county have worked hard to make the service return possible. Good for all of those that spoke at Citizens’ Time, wrote letters/made calls to their supervisors, and the staff that worked to come up with a plan that will be beneficial to many seniors.
http://www2.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/traffic/article/senior_buses_to_return/50687/
Yes Lafayette that was a positive, but one must ask was it necessary to eliminate the program and sell the buses in the first place. It was low-hanging fruit in the budget game and the voucher program and the cost of restoration likely exceed what the cost of continued or more cost conscious service would have been.
Morover, look at the sheer volume of citizen input that was required to make the restoration possible. Was the action by the board taken because it was the right thing to do or had the political heat just become a little too hot.
How’s that lack of HTML skill, PAP? Sheesh.
@Mom
Probably because there was so much outrage, Mom. Does government ever work the other way?
Not since duels were outlawed.
Oh, so now we’re back to everyone who’s saying it’s a rumor being a BVBL. I get it… I thought we’d moved FAR FAR beyond that on this blog, but sadly here we go again….
And, I’m not going to say why but I have good reason to believe what I’m saying as to it being nothing more than a rumor.
Rumors are things that are spread without being verified. Right now, there is a rumor going around about who the new CXO is. We don’t know if it is true or false. We don’t know really who the source of the rumor is since we have monikers here on the blog.
I don’t think anyone here is accusing Michelle of starting rumors as in ‘bad thing’ on this blog. I believe they mean rumor as something we don’t know to be true. If no supervisor will step forward, then we can never KNOW what really happened. That’s a shame. Michelle wasn’t elected. Supervisors were. They need to expose wrong doing if wrong doing is occurring and not hang it on a citizen.
Just out of curiosity, why is it necessary for John Stirrup to be present when the new CXO is announced? If he cared that much, he would be there. The public was told the announcement would be at 3 pm yesterday. The announcement wasn’t made. So what do we call that?
Sorry, John Stirrup needs to have better attendance. Even if he doesn’t, the world doesn’t need to stop because he isn’t here. If your job ties you up during BOCS meetings then perhaps someone else should be elected.
@GainesvilleResident
I’m just responding to particular posts on BVBL as reported here, GR. Never said “everyone.”
I trust Michelle, and Gil, completely. If she says something or that a supervisor told her something that’s good enough for me to believe it.
The WP has an article on Wally supporting Avendale:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/16/AR2010011600049.html
Are we headed back to the bad ol’ days of Wally and Sean conniving behind the scenes to deliver the goods to their developer buddies?
–sigh–
Et tu, Wally?
In fact, let’s get Michelle to challenge Wally for Brentsville Supervisor. I’ll be the first to write a check to her campaign.
It sure sounded that way – the implication seemed clear. Anyway, why drag bvbl into this? I don’t really see the connection in this instance.
And who really cares what’s said on bvbl. This particularly thread is an interesting study in how information is spread and how people react, if you ask me.
Agree with you there, GR!
In favor of Avendale:
Maybe four Supervisors, led by Wally (and Corey?)
Mike Lubeley
Steve Griffin
Ray Utz
Developers
A segment of the business community that profits from development
Against Avendale:
Maybe four Supervisors (that’s enough to kill it)
PWC School System
Planning Commission
Many non-development related local businesses (more than the number supporting it)
Most citizens in Prince William County
Opposition outnumbers supporters tremendously but Avendale is still alive. The problem is developer money and influence among some Supervisors and in the County Government, in particular, the Planning Office.
The current BOCS is not going to clean house. In fact, “rumor” has it that Peacor is about to become County Exec (strong ally of Griffin and Utz). Our strength lies in numbers and votes rather than money. 2011 is not far away.
Did Americans sit around when the Germans attached Pearl Harbor? (sorry, I’ve watched “Animal House” too many times). We need to get our act together for the next election.
In fairness to everyone, GR. some fairly nasty strikes were leashed out by the usual uninformed on the dark screen. I usually get about 5 copies mailed to me when it happens. No one here threw the first punch.
We make no pledge to not respond to falsehoods made about this blog. This blog came into existence to fight the forces of darkness. Fortunately, most of the time it is no longer necessary to square off with our ‘namesake,’ but every once in a while we need to set the record straight.
Bear with us, please.
I have no earthly idea why the transportation for seniors had to be taken away the in the first place. After they’d already deprived one end of Day Care Program first. I do like the idea that they are getting in home care. Inhome care is quite costly and not always reliable and trustworthy. This does actuallyl seem to be a better option than nothing.
I would think the bus that the BoS is possibly buying back from the PA is purchased for less than they sold it to them for. It is a vehicle and it’s value depreciates.
It’s just absolutely ridiculous when you think about the whole issue of the seniors(Day Care and Transportation). I’ve never understood wanting to deprive the seniors in such ways. Many of whom have paid taxes for decades and probably haven’t had a kid in public schools for many years if not decades. These seniors are still paying real estate taxes and the majority of their tax dollars going to schools. I do believe we all want an educated society. These seniors deserve a little something for their tax dollars too.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the citizens speaking out put great political pressure on the board. They are being watched by the public more than ever and the citizens are ready and willing to speak out. The real opportunity for us to speak out will come fall of 2011. We need to have EVERY supervisor challenged, and I mean really challenged not just someone merely running against them. We need to have multiple running for ALL offices in the county right down to the Soil and Water Conservation Board.
LOLOLOL! MH….
“This blog came into existence to fight the forces of darkness.”
Then why do you let me post here?
Sincerely,
The Prince of Darkness
Dear Prince,
Would you stick me with your pitch fork if I said we have lowered our standards?
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The devil made me do it.
Sincerely,
M-H
I don’t feel it is unreasonable to email each supervisor and ask for an up or down. How do they plan on voting for Avendale should it come to a vote. Or we could start off, will you vote yes to bring it back for discussion and vote.
Those who do not answer get marked as an automatic yes…build build build.
They should be willing to tell where they stand on issues without a lot of sweat. That is truly where transparency in government begins.
Where do you stand on the avendale development? Yes…give them the green light. No…tell them to take a hike. Seems simple to me.
Lafayette, Mom told us: low hanging fruit.
The most vulnerable are the first to feel the cuts. Look at who had to go beg for their piece of the pie: the seniors, the developmentally delayed, the youth with social problems. Nothing tough. No one that really could fight back.
The Reynolds and their friends really are to be commended for sticking with this issue and coming back every single week. Thanks also to Frank Principi for making this a huge issue.
Lowing hanging fruit, I understand that. The most vulnerable do have “advocates” that will come out and take a strong stand. I remember the people turning out when there were cuts to basket place at the other end.
I left a message for the Reynolds’ this morning congratulating them on their efforts. They never gave up. The motiviations for fighting for the seniors is sincere. I met them a couple of years ago at the McCoart building after I’d spoke out about the Day Care Program being cut in Manassas. I applaud the efforts of all that made the transportation reinstatement possible. Compromise was key, as always. However, some feel compromise is defeat, and that’s simply not true.
oops. Their motivations….
@Moon-howler
Do it!!
More good news for PWC, Virginia and it’s visitors. The 19 closed Rest Areas are due to reopen by April 15, 210.
http://www2.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/traffic/article/vdot_plans_to_reopen_19_rest_areas_by_april_15/50738/
Moon, how about an open thread? We actually have some good things that need light shed on them, as well as the possiblity of billing for Ambulances in the county.
It’s about time they reopened the rest stops! I’m glad the governor followed through on his promise to reopen them.
That is excellent news about the rest areas. I wonder how much it will cost to reopen them?
Go ahead and put news having to do with with county stuff here. I will put up an open thread tomorrow or later tonight.
Now that sounds like a very reasonable approach to me. I’ve actually in my brief time e-mailing the supervisors about issues I’m concerned about – found them very forthcoming on their views. It would sure be a lot better than what happened over the last day or two on this topic. In fact, my e-mailing certain supervisors on the issue in this thread is why I’m highly skeptical of what was reported in this thread, and that’s all I’m going to say. I’m against the Avendale development too, by the way, but based on a response I got on this rumor, it is why I have a good reason to believe it just didn’t happen the way it was portrayed. I happened to bring it up in an e-mail to someone in the county working on a problem between me and my builder and the county not properly inspecting the area near my lot for water problems and brought up the rumor – and got a most interesting response – and that’s all I’m going to really say on this topic since it really was a private e-mail.
I read $3 million for this fiscal year.
From the news:
“The Virginia Department of Transportation wants to reopen 19 closed interstate rest areas by April 15.
At a meeting of the Commonwealth Transportation Board this afternoon, VDOT officials said it would cost $3 million this fiscal year to reopen the rest areas, which were closed last year in a cost-cutting move as the state faced a budget shortfall.
Gov. Bob McDonnell pledged to reopen the rest areas during his gubernatorial campaign.”
Not surprised about the county wanting to bill for ambulances – a lot of other jurisdictions do that. In these economic times something has got to give so free ambulances might be part of it. Maybe some insurance companies will pay for the ambulance so that might not really cost some people.
@Gainesville Resident
I definately think this is the direction PWC needs to be considering. Especially when the insurance companies can be billed for it. Those without insurance will get the bill or the rest of us with insurance will have to foot the bill.
Makes sense to me Lafayette. I remember reading from time to time when other jurisdictions have done that. I have a feeling most insurance companies will pay for it as long as it is a real emergency requiring a trip to the ER. And like everything else related to the ER, if those without insurance don’t pay it themselves, it will get paid by the rest of us just like the current ER visits get paid for.
This will be an interesting budget year at both the state and local level. McDonnell promised to sell the ABC stores. The problem with that is the profit made from these stores is given back to jurisdictions for mental health. Ironic??!!
Huge cuts have been directed to localities and this will only exacerbate that negative revenu flow. I don’t think the state should be in that business but the timing????? Maybe he will change his mind.
Wonder what will be cut to re-open the rest stops. Next year all the federal funding from the Recovery Act ceases. Things aren’t looking so good…… I think we should learn when we hear a ‘good idea’ to ask ‘what will you stop to implement that’?
Gainesville,
My insurance company did NOT pay for the ambulance ride when my daughter had a subcranial hematoma and had to be transfered from Fauquier Hospital to Fairfax INOVA. My insurance also tried to weasel out of paying the consult from the neurosurgeon because HE wasn’t a participant to my insurance company BUT the hospital IS a provider. Yeah right, we don’t need no stinkin’ insurance overhaul, everything is just peachy fine. Next time I’m in an emergency situation I will make sure to ask if the doctor particpates……NOT likely.
Funny how no one ever hears from the unemployeed when discussing the realities of health care reform.
Now the Supremes have undone any type of campaign reform, it looks like big business will be making all those decisions anyway.
5-4 decision It ,makes me sick.
Every time I think how disgusted I am with this administration, I pinch myself and remind myself of the Supreme Court appointments. Then a little disgust is gone.
Ever since corporations were given the same status as an individual, democracy has steadily been going down the commode.
You know, in times like this, the county just can’t keep up all these free services. We need to be realistic.