Many people have something to say. As promised, a weekly open thread. The other one scrolled too far down.
58 Thoughts to “Open Thread 1/25/10”
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Blogroll
- 9500Liberty
- Bacons' Rebellion Blogspot
- Bearing Drift
- Blue Virginia
- Citizen Tom
- Counts of Monte Cristo. The
- Derecho, The
- Dixie Pig, The
- My Side of the Fence
- My Star Journey
- NARAL Pro-Choice VA Blog
- New Dominion Project
- Nova Common Sense
- NovaTownHall Blog
- One Libertarians's Point of View by Al Alborn
- Pete Candland's Blog
- Potomac Local
- Prince William Muckraker
- PW Conservation Alliance
- PWC Moms
- PWCPolitics.com
- PWCPolitics.com
- Red NoVA
- Shad Plank, The
- She the People
- State of NoVA, the
- The Jeffersoniad
- Townhall
- VEA Daily Reports
- VivianPaige
- WDGolden.com
- You, Me and the Lamp Post
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Upper right hand tab: there is a Virginia Legislative page to link to Virginia General Assembly, track bills and local state legislators.
Today is the last Monday of the first month of the year 2010. Imagine that!
Life is not a rehearsal.
Hi Punchak!! One of my dad’s favorite quotes was “life is not a dress rehearsal”. 🙂
I think it’s the warmest Monday I ever remember in January.
This morning was almost tropical. Great, because my heat pump decided it had done it’s duty and conked out.
I think snow is coming later this week, Punchak. I hope your heat pump is fixed before the snow comes.
Did you catch Big Love last night, Lafayette? Had to get my Henrickson fix. Unbelievable!
Governor McDonnell to give the Republican response to the State of the Union. I hope he does a good job.
@Witness Too
I’m looking forward to it. Jindal was a rising star until his response speech (God, I can’t remember when that was). I hope our man does VA proud!
Emma, I wanted to slap barb. That Indian casino worker is my new hero. I think I involuntarily jumped up and cheered.
Geaux Saints !!
MH- I’m with you on Barb. I haven’t gotten over faking it to the church to get elected. My favorite is Nikki – no pretense there.
Why Gov. Mark Sanford is still in office.
S C. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer compared those on government assistance
to “stray animals” that shouldn’t be fed because it allows them to breed.
“You are facilitating the problem if you give a stray animal or poor person
an ample food supply.”
The state’s GOP chair observed “Andre’s mouth sometimes starts
working before his brain”. That is to put it kindly.
LETTER: Concerns with county plan
Your View
Published: January 26, 2010
» 2 Comments | Post a Comment
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, after two years of collecting input from advisory bodies and planning staff, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors held what it indicated will be its only public hearing on what could possibly become the two most important Comprehensive Plan documents it considers during the current board’s tenure: The Long Range Land Use and the Transportation chapters.
As the At-Large representative and current Chairman of the county’s Planning Commission, I have been closely involved in this process from the beginning. Following the board hearing on the 19th, I received several comments from planning commissioners and numerous comments from citizens concerned about the direction the board seems to be headed with these two chapters. I would like to share some of these concerns.
From all indications, the board seems to be headed for adoption of the planning staff text recommendations on these two chapters at its Feb. 2 meeting, with perhaps some minor “wordsmithing” modifications. Citizens should know that the Planning Commission carefully considered the texts for both these chapters and found the staff recommendations problematic, particularly in the land use chapter. None of these concerns have been addressed. Space constraints here prevent a full discussion, so I will mention just a few of the major concerns with the land use chapter. The planning staff text:
1. Provides no incentives for focused, major development in the two areas of the county identified by the Planning Commission as most in need of redevelopment and revitalization, which already have the basic public infrastructure in place and are the most likely locations for future metro rail expansion from Fairfax into Prince William County: North Woodbridge and Yorkshire.
2. The “centers”, as proposed by staff, have been best described by a fellow planning commissioner as allowing “anything, anywhere, anytime.” There is no limit on the number of these centers that could be advanced and the Land Use Advisory Committee (LUAC) located a large portion of them in the Brentsville District. Planning staff proposes these “centers” comp plan amendment initiations be allowed without form, format, or defined content, other than a vague “mixed use” requirement, and without any major investment in the county or the process by the applicant, whenever a proposal is submitted. It would then be left to staff to work out the details along the way, thus allowing unprecedented “flexibility.” In this scenario, I am sure staff would do the best job possible to “work out the details.” But any such effort will, of necessity, be constrained by resources and staff availability. Due to budget restraints and numerous department vacancies, planning staff is already stretched to its limits. Does it make any sense to add what would surely become dramatic new burdens on an already overburdened department? And if so, what would be the likely result?
3. Provides no phasing structure on mixed use projects. We’ve been down this road before. How many times have mixed use projects been approved in the past, the residential component installed, then the commercial component left waiting for “the market to catch up”? This scenario always results in more rooftops, more congested roads, more overcrowded schools and less revenue for the county to meet it obligations because the commercial component either never happens or happens to such a minimal level as to fail to offset the budget burdens the new homes create.
4. Fails to include the Planning Commission safeguards designed to protect the rural areas from encroachment. Anyone who cares about advancing smarter growth principles knows encouraging and concentrating growth in the development area, and protecting rural areas from sprawl development, are key features. While the planning staff text mentions smart growth principles, and makes plentiful use of smart growth language, the proposed details tell a very different story.
Citizens who care about what the future of Prince William County will look like should let their supervisors know of their concerns before the board’s Feb. 2 meeting, when it plans to act on these chapters.
GARY C. FRIEDMAN
Chairman of the Prince William County Planning Commission
Here’s some good news for the Democrats out there. Mike Pence isn’t going to challenge Evan Bayh for the Senate. That pretty much guarantees that Bayh will win in November. That cuts the likely Republican gains to 4, maybe 5 seats. (ND, AR, DE, NV, and maybe PA) There are still a few other possibilities but those are the ones that seem most likely. (Of course 4-5 seats changing hands means the Democrats retain the majority in the Senate.)
If you are a Democrat, that’s the best news for 2010 since Dodd dropped out of his race.
Pence is apparently considering running for President in 2012. He’ll follow a long line of unsuccessful GOP House Members who have tried that approach and failed.
The House is another story though. These retirements are causing the number of seriously contested seats to grow. It’s looking like 50-60 competitive races, with 3 here in Virginia. (Including VA-11) I still don’t see the Democrats loosing the majority, but they are going to be playing a LOT of defense this year and if they have another month like January (which I think was worse than August was for the Democrats) all bets are off. I think a Republican takeover is still unlikely, but it’s more likely than it was a month ago. (And if the Democrats in Congress keep flogging HCR for three more months expect to see Speaker Boehner come January. Pass something or drop it an move on to something else.)
County rumor is that new CXO will be Pierce Homer who was 15 years with PWC for 15 or so years. He is a former deputy CXO and just recently came off being State Secretary of Transportaion.
There were no fewer than 45 sitings of Pierce in the county complex the other day.
Anyone want to start making book?
Not another rumor. I’ll wait until next Tuesday before I cast my judgment.
Formerly, thanks for the update. I have always heard good things about Evan Bayh. Is he not considered a centrist Democrat?
Lafayette, just telling it like I hear it. That’s why it was an incredible dumb move to postpone announcing a CXO because someone wasn’t there. If John Jenkins has a cold next week and has to sit one out, will we delay again? How about if Mike May has the flu? I could go on.
Bad move Corey.
Oh for Pete’s sake – now the headhunter is contacting Mr. Pugh for copies of his tapes(or appears to) ??? On BVBL? Does Mr. Slavin know he is dealing with a Nativist??!!!!
Oh my sides ache from laughing.
Wolverine, did you get the same sad email I did today?
I just dropped Mr Slavin an email to make sure he knows what he is dealing with… O this is a riot. Our tax dollars going to BVBL? Maybe Slaving Management will make a donation???
I caught them again last night. There’s just so much going on, I had to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Barb is my least favorite these days. Oh, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. What has she gotten herself into? Niki packing heat in DC, PRICELESS. I’ve always enjoyed Sissy Spacek. I think I like her in BL as much as Coal Miner’s Daughter. Then there’s Margine…speechless.
Why would a head hunter be so unprofessional? I have never heard of such a thing…a head hunter posting on a blog over an employee? Our tax dollars going to someone like that?
How does anyone know Mr. Slavin’s email address? Maybe my dark screen person didn’t include that in the cut and paste.
Why didn’t our BOCS just save money and let the lord of the dark screen do the vetting. As a citizen of Prince William County I am offended, if in fact that person posting is really a representative of the search team firm.
Again, this must be an impersonator.
Here’s Slavin’s Client list per the website of Slavin Management Consultants. Good ole PWC is right there for all to see with their own two eyes. 🙂
http://www.slavinweb.com/
You and me both (different reasons, probably).
[email protected]
Whatever brings us together Slowpoke is fine with me. A good laugh is a good laugh and good for the heart.
Ms. Lafayette – it’s been a while. Nikki packing heat in DC made perfect sense to me. LOL
How did Nikki manage to get off so easily? Barb is an idiot–aren’t the Indians helping to cover up the fact that Roman’s body was found on their land? She’s going to tick them off to her (and Bill’s) peril. Margine and Ben have always had chemistry.
The Henricksons are so much more compelling than CNN and Fox these days. I’m sick of the news.
Is anyone else embarrassed that a professional search team would troll the blogs looking for information on our candidates for CXO? Shoot, why pay the big bucks (drop in the bucket probably) to do a search and vet when all the dude had to do was check with Greg. He would have told him!
How much did that cost the county (aka you and me) after 7 months? 50k is the going rate in recession times. That is not how executive search teams are supposed to work.
I believe this is an unauthorized impersonation.
off the Slavin website under current recruitments:
They left off cheap housing, traffic, and a few vital tidbits about their treatment of the ‘diversity.’ World class colleges and universities? Oxford on the Occoquan? Tally Ho, old chap. How about that the blog they are trolling on called the chief of police a traitor? Those rascally electronic paper trails.
The “world-class colleges and universities” is a bit funny. Well, we have George Mason’s Manassas campus. And we have NOVA. However, it makes it sound like we are some place with several big names universities!
Sounds like something written by someone who wants to promote PWC as a great place to live and work, or to recruit future companies to PWC. All of that is not a bad thing, but it is a little over-hyped on the college/university thing.
Moon, no e-mail that I can recall. I hope you’re not going to tell me something bad happened up at St. Joseph’s Indian School. I’ve been wondering why there was such a sharp dropoff in the mail from that direction. Clue me in. I’m not getting on the computer much these days. Spending almost all night and into the early morning hours out on the streets trying to spot a bunch of smash-and-grabbers breaking into the cars around here. Must be upwards of a couple of thousand vehicle ” targets” out there in our patrol area, and I’m getting plumb worn out. So are the cops. Catch you later. Gotta get back out there and watch.
Hi Wolverine, Yes, St. Joseph’s. I got an email from Fr. Stephen saying he just found out he has cancer. I had signed up as a fan or something. And the email just came 2 days ago. I am sick over that news. It just didn’t sound real good.
Good luck catching your smash and grabbers. Let me know how that goes.
Too bad Wolverine about the car problem in your neighborhood. It seems like neighborhoods go through phases like that. In my old neighborhood there was a rash of it at one point and then it went away, fortunately. Not just thefts, but smashing windows and slashing tires of many cars in a single night. I don’t know that the police every solved it actually, but fortunately it went away after being a problem for a short period of time.
I have friend that lives in Wellington in the City of Manassas and her car has been broke into about 10 times in the last couple of years. She’s doesn’t leave anything of value in the car anymore. Yet, they still like to get in her car. Thugs!!
If you are in the area where PWC, City of Manassas, and City of Manassas Park meet. Please, be on the look out for this missing Alzheimer’s patient from Birmingham Green Nursing Home. I hope they find this man in good condition. Click on the link. They have a picture of the missing man.
http://www2.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/prince_william_police_search_for_missing_alzheimers_patient/51200/
He’s found.
I just saw that. They found him last night, but the paper’s just reporting it this morning. Geesh.
No kidding…. How you been?
Well. I’m hopeful for the new year and decade. 🙂
You always have a smile. Always.
Point of Woods had the problem from time to time, mainly for cars parked on Stonewall Road, not so much in the parking lots – for both thefts from cars and just vandalism in the way of tire slashing and window breaking. Of course there were those of us who were constantly forced to park our cars on Stonewall Road, even though allegedly we had one reserved numbered space and one unnumbered space to park in. I only had one car and constantly ended up parking on Stonewall Road. I was fortunate in that I never had a problem, but my one neighbor once had to park one of their 2 cars on Stonewall Road and got their tires slashed along with a bunch of other people. Boy were they angry that several houses consistently parked more than 2 cars in the lot, when that happened!
It did seem to come and go in “waves” – sometimes long periods were nothing happened and then a rash of either break-ins or vandalism, at least to my observation.
Then again, I never left anything of value in my car – I’d pull my GPS unit out and take it into the house, etc. Leaving anything of value in the car, particularly in sight, is just an invitation to the crooks these days, no matter where your car is parked. Same thing at shopping centers for example.
Lets see, Corey wants schools built before new houses are approved, where will he get the money, proffers, I think NOT, if this bill passes and its halfway there.
HB 374 Cash proffers; collected or accepted by locality after completion of final inspection.
John A. Cosgrove
Summary as introduced:
Cash proffers; acceptance by localities. Delays collection or acceptance of a cash proffer by a locality until the residential property has been issued a certificate of occupancy by said locality.
Status:
01/12/10 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/10 10103416D
01/12/10 House: Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns
01/15/10 House: Assigned CC & T sub: #2
01/21/10 House: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (11-Y 0-N)
01/22/10 House: Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with amendments (18-Y 4-N)
01/25/10 House: Read first time
01/26/10 House: Read second time
01/26/10 House: Committee amendments agreed to
01/26/10 House: Amendment #1 by Delegate Marshall, R.G. rejected
01/26/10 House: Amendment #2 by Delegate Marshall, R.G. rejected (26-Y 73-N)
01/26/10 House: VOTE: — REJECTED (26-Y 73-N)
01/26/10 House: Amendment #3 by Delegate Marshall, R.G. withdrawn
01/26/10 House: Engrossed by House as amended HB374E
01/26/10 House: Printed as engrossed 10103416D-E
01/27/10 House: Read third time and passed House (71-Y 27-N)
01/27/10 House: VOTE: — PASSAGE (71-Y 27-N)
The whole thing with developers and proffers is just a ploy by developers to get you to think they’ll pay for all sorts of things. It sounds good at first glance, but in practice it doesn’t seem to work out anywhere near as great as it sounds. But local governments, hungry for revenue, buy into the fact that developers will come and pay for all kinds of infrastructure improvements.
The whole thing with developers and proffers is just a ploy by THE BOCS to get you to think THE DEVELOPERS WILL pay for all sorts of things. It sounds good at first glance, but in practice it NEVER works out anywhere near as great as it sounds. But local governments, hungry for revenue, buy into the fact that MOST RESIDENTS ARE TOO UNINFORMED TO REALIZE developers will NOT come and pay for all kinds of infrastructure improvements.
Which leads back to the question, where will Corey find construction money for schools and how will he stop development in the Linton Hall corridor if this bill passes?
I might also add that this bill probably comes as a direct result of counties like PWC abusing the proffer process while simultaneously blaming Richmond for all the ills faced by the localities. You reap what you sow and this might very well be an FU to counties like PWC.
Moon, that is sad news about Fr. Stephen and sad news for those 200 kids in that school. He has been doing a good job there, including a very heavy emphasis on the Lakota culture and heritage to go along with standard educational efforts. I found a letter from him on the internet in which he stated that they had 150 kids on the waiting list to get into the school. Does he have any kind of prognosis? Is he going to step down or take some sort of administrative leave? Sure wish there was something we could do to help. Maybe everybody increasing their contributions so some of those 150 kids can be accepted — sort of a “thank you” to Fr. Stephen.
Smash-and -grabbers. They do hit in waves. For the past month or so, I have been watching them operate in the areas all around us but not come here. Just a matter of time. You have to be lucky to catch them, especially with so many available targets in one area. No matter how much you preach, there are always those who leave things in their vehicles. You could leave an empty cardboard box in the back seat, and the smash-and-grabbers will break your window just to see what may be inside. Unfortunately, not even a completely clean vehicle works all the time. We now have car stereos being jerked right out of the dashboard in a few instances. Apart from the luck of happening on a break-in in progress, about the best that can be done is to have the police and Neighborhood Watch patrol frequently, “showing the flag”, so to speak. When the word gets around that someone is actually out there and watching, these guys tend to back off. And then there was the case when one of our alert deputies stopped a late-night pedestrian and found a stolen GPS in his possession. That led to the discovery of an apartment crammed with stolen goods of this nature. It was quite awhile before the smash-and-grabbers came back after that one.
The tumor is classified as high grade is what he said.
I think you are right about getting more kids in there. Let me know if you want me to send you that letter.
[email protected]
I’m glad Wolverine has noticed too that the smash and grabbers seem to come in waves. That’s exactly what I noticed in my old neighborhood. It would be a problem for awhile, then go away for a long time, and then all of the sudden come back with a vengeance and the cycle would seem to repeat. I saw probably 4 cycles of that over the last 6 or 7 years in the old neighborhood. It seems to hit all kinds of neighborhoods too, but my only real experience is just from the fact I lived in the neighborhood for a long period of time and noticed how it came and went repeatedly, with often fairly long dead periods where there wasn’t much or any of it.
Wolverine’s also right about car stereos – I’ve heard of other cases where the car stereos were pulled out. Unfortunately, no car is really safe from them.
I’m not sure if I should be flattered or what by this rewording of my post. I am not the best at wordsmithing things, but this rewording I’m not sure I 100% agree with.
Whatever, it is the very first time I’ve ever seen someone take a post of mine and insert words into it.
Interesting.