The primary election is very late this year. Usually all primaries are over in the late spring and the emerging candidates have had an opportunity to campaign all summer. This year the candidates for the general election sat back, if they were not challenged in their own party, and let the primary candidates duke it out. The delay was caused mainly by the redistricting that occurs every ten years as a result of new census numbers.
The primaries have brought about the usually cases of devouring one’s own young, with some campaigns being more vicious than others. The Internet is a powerful tool. It allows some a louder voice than one would normally have and it gives those who oppose a candidate an even louder voice, if they so choose, because they can spew venom at will without detection. The Internet political enemy can change identities or they can clone themselves into multiple villains all with the same target. In a democracy, disagreement is normal and even healthy. The anonymity of the Internet creates a situation where attackers do not have to assume responsibility for their words and deeds.
Normally nice people can cause hurt. However, bullies love the Internet because they can become bigger than life and can inflict pain and political damage on people with very little effort. The bullies don’t just emerge at election time. They are always lurking in the shadows, ready to hurl some nasty invective at someone who has displeased them or at some perceived enemy. However, an election can become a feeding frenzy for the bully. Bullies can keep decent folks from even wanting to run for office.
People of good will and decent character need to shun these bullies and refuse to associate with them. We know who most of them are. It is critical to a democracy to keep good people who bring a wealth of talent to public service wanting to serve. They will not if we allow meanness and character assassination to drive them away.
Editors note:
Results:
Covington wins Brentsville
Candland wins Gainesville
Nohe wins Coles
Stirrup loses 13th to Black
Ramadan wins 87th
I opened at Stonewall Middle this morning. There was one person that was not aware that they were no longer in the Gainesville District, until they looked at the voter registration card. I have a feeling this is going to be a frequent mistake today. I just hope people aren’t discouraged when they find out they have a new polling place. Many of these folks will not be voting in their neighborhood anymore, but at Ellis and Stonewall Jackson Senior High School on the other side of 234. This is for those that we redistricted out of Gainesville and into Coles and Brenstville.
I have voted at my new precinct of Sudley. The were some Candland folks trying to “push the envelope” by standing in the area within 40 feet of the polling place entrance. Hello, Candland Clan, you are NOT allowed to do this. Then we have the Black campaign with signs and a volunteer at Sudley. This is quite laughable, because NOT a single person is in the new State Senate 13th District. Way to waste the energy of the volunteer. She decided she’d be staying until someone told her that there were NO voters for that primary at Sudley.
Go Martha!!
Sorry, for the double post.
P.S.-I voted stickers are back! PW thought is was good idea to skimp on these little stickers last election. They do remind others that have not voted, to vote when they see someone with an “I voted” sticker.
Why is Greg such a lying fool? He said I am working at the Alvey precinct for Martha Hendley! Apparently I am not allowed to vote at my own precinct without feeling stalked?
Geez Greg, get a life!
We didn’t have a primary elections down this way. Darn.
No lines, no waiting.
Elena, I believe that might be an election violation. People are entitled to vote without having it publicized. Obviously some of the volunteers at your precinct phoned to others.
Do you feel like you are being stalked or spied on? If you had no official election duties, which I know you didn’t, then for sure as a voter your rights were violated.
You might want to check with ADL on that one.
thanks for your suggestion Pat, I will check into that with ADL.
Can’t say how pleased I am that Stirrup has been put to pasture. He’s a one trick pony without any true leadership abilities. Let’s keep up the pressure on making sure we neither see nor hear from him again.
Results:
Covington wins Brentsville
Candland wins Gainesville
Nohe wins Coles
Stirrup loses 13th to Black
Ramadan wins 87th
And PWC looses, Elena! I’m just sick.
I know Chris, me too, me too.
Corey, his developer cronies, Mike L. are the winners tonight. The Rural Crescent is gone.
@Need to Know
We’ll be paved over like Fairfax before we know it. Look how quickly those fields got ready for the Grizzlies.
@Chris
Much worse here. In Fairfax people like Pat Herrity and his dad at least gave some rhyme and reason to development. Corey, Wally, Marty and their new stooge Candland, plus Jenkins and Caddigan are going to sell us out to developers like no one can imagine. It’s all goingbto be driven by Corey’s lust for developer money and higher office.
You all are overlooking that there is a Democratic candidate, Anne Wheeler who will be running in the general election for Gainesville Superevisor. I hear that there is already a FB page, Republicans for Wheeler being created.
Ms. Wheeler has a long record of service and is a very qualified candidate. Mr. Candland better not get everyone fitted for Team Candland uniforms just yet.
I would also hope to see better behavior out of them for the general election. Turning on and lying about constituents is not good business and it might not work so well for them next time.
Additionally, Elena should be able to go out and vote at her precinct without it being reported on a blog that she is working for a candidate. That was just common out of everyone involved.
Finally, we did not want to be involved in the primary. Team Candland and bvbl insisted on drawing us in by misrepresenting facts.
Perhaps all of them might want to check the results of the in-town precinct where the most offense was taken by boorish behavior.
Patty is to be commended for her day-long work at her precinct. She even endured an earthquake to uphold her convictions. Pretty impressive!
@Moon-howler
I’m not! I’ve already contacted her. As I promised her I would if Martha lost the primary.
I would support the 👿 himself over that Candland Clan.
I’m ready for a new day, this one has sucked! It’s whole new game tomorrow!
If the earthquake missed you, there is a hurricane bearing down on us. @Chris
s@Elena, is this meant to be YOU?
wowowowowowowowowowow!!!
Can I have your autograph?
What AH thinks you are a Democrat?
I believe we have always said straight up that we are Independents.
For those who may have vociferously and very publically backed the wrong candidate–here are three recipes for crow:
Crow and Mushroom Stew
3 crows
1 Tbsp lard/shortening
1 pint stock or gravy
2 Tbsp cream
1/2 cup mushrooms
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
Clean and cut crows into small portions and let them cook a short time in the lard/shortening in a saucepan, being careful not to brown them.
Next, add to the contents of the pan, the stock or gravy, and salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.
Simmer 1 hour, or until tender, add mushrooms, simmer 10 minutes more and then stir in cream.
Arrange the mushrooms around the crows on a hot platter.
Potted Crow:
6 crows
3 bacon slices
stuffing of your choice
1 diced carrot
1 diced onion
chopped parsley
hot water or stock
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup flour
buttered toast
Clean and dress crows; stuff and place them upright in stew-pan on the slices of bacon. Add the carrot, onion and a little parsley, and cover with boiling water or stock.
Cover the pot and let simmer for 2-3 hours, or until tender, adding boiling water or stock when necessary.
Make a sauce of the shortening and flour and 2 cups of the stock remaining in the pan.
Serve each crow on a thin slice of moistened toast, and pour gravy over all.
Crow Pie:
1 crow
stuffing of your choice
salt and pepper
shortening
flour
2 Pie crust mixes
2-3 hard-boiled eggs
Stuff the crow. Loosen joints with a knife but do not cut through.
Simmer the crow in a stew-pan, with enough water to cover, until nearly tender, then season with salt and pepper. Remove meat from bones and set aside.
Prepare pie crusts as directed. (Do not bake)
Make a medium thick gravy with flour, shortening, and juices in which the crow has cooked and let cool.
Line a pie plate with pie crust and line with slices of hard-boiled egg. Place crow meat on top. Layer gravy over the crow. Place second pie dough crust over top.
Bake at 450 degrees for 1/2 hour.
I kinda favor the Crow Pie–reminds me of the old, “Four and Twenty Blackbirds baked in a pie.”
P.S. When are Republicans going to figure out that Bob FitzSimmonds should probably run for nothing higher than dog catcher?
Did I mention I am a life-long Democrat and had a pretty good idea about how things would go in Coles District so saw no sense in wasting my time voting. Apparently many others felt the same way. Many other more important things to do like dealing with dying and seriously ill friends not to mention a very ill wife.
@ Chris and Need to Know–NOW is the time to start thinking about how you will encourage smart development of ALL of Prince William County–not just the sacred Rural Crescent. Obviously signing a pledge didn’t do it. It will take one heck of a lot more work since now everything must be done working up hill. Do I have any answers? No. If I did, I would be running for something–maybe Cat Herder or something like that.
@George S. Harris
I don’t have the answers either. I believe in smart growth, especially after the explosion of new homes over the past decade or so. I live in-town and the RC is not a my numero uno concern, but I do realize that it does have a major impact on the county as a whole. I hate LIARS, and the Candland Clan had that market cornered in the Gainesville district. Of course, he didn’t act alone he the help of one supervisor wanna-be and one of Stirrup’s former staff member.
I’m an Independent and have NEVER voted a straight ticket. However, it looks like this will be the year. I absolutely REFUSE to touch the screen for Del Boob (HOD-13), and Candland will not get many votes from those that came out to vote in the Republican primary yesterday.
@Chris
I sure see a lot more donkeys on the screen than elephants. I used to not let party influence me in local elections. I am finding pulling the R lever is getting less and less frequent.
What the western end experienced last decade is pretty much went on on the eastern end of the county for a long time. The only reason it slowed down over there is because there literally is almost no more room. Strange. It really is almost like there are 2 counties. I worked over there a long time. There sure was no smart growth. It was obscenely stupid growth for decades. For years 3/4ths of the schools were on the eastern end. That speaks volumes.
And who could forget year round school. What a crock that was!!
George,
The Rural Crescent does encourage smart growth county wide. that is the premise of why the RC is so critical to everyone. Why do Frank Principi and Mike May support the RC? Because they both know that tax payer dollars directed at builidng new infrastructure in rural areas takes away tax dollars from the eastern end.
In fact, I would say, the protection of certain areas from high density development during the housing boom proved how critical the rural crescent is as a land use tool. HOw many more schools would have to have been built to handle the influx of kids in areas where there are no schools. How many roads would have to be built in areas where they are substandard country roads. No other county has a land use tool like the RC and we see how it has turned out for them, look at Loudon. Protecting the rural crescent isn’t about just saving open space, it promotes development in the areas where the comprehensive plan has designated it should go.
@Elena,
There seems to be a great deal of misinformation floating around about the goals of the rural crescent. I found this out in my own house yesterday.
I’d like to see more development/redevelopment dollars poured into the Rt. 1 corridor near Woodbridge. As large tracts of housing age, they become less appealing to consumers unless they’re historically significant or in a good location. Mixed use with less residential development would seem to help eliminate or fight aging housing stock. And it would be better placed in areas that need renovation and that already have schools and fire stations in place…places convenient to interstates.
I doubt that redevelopment appeals that much to a Republican dominated BOCS that doesn’t like investing tax dollars. Larger parks and open space, better policing, and effective neighborhood organizations can make older tracts more appealing but they also require an investment from the county.
Your are exactly correct Censored, exactly.
just when you think the primary is over……I go to the mail box today and what do I find but a Candland mailing attacking Martha.
After Tuesday’s primary results, I see no hope that anything good will come out of the new BOCS. Even if Anne Wheeler is elected in Gainesville, Mike May is her only likely ally. The rest are 100% or nearly so owned by developers. Thinking about the last few years with Martha Hendley, Kim Hosen, and Gary Friedman, probably the three most informed and dedicated smart growth advocates in PWC ever, on the Planning Commission, everything they sent to the BoCS was overturned by the developers who controlled the board votes. Hendley and Friedman will be off the Planning Commission when the new board is seated. That leaves only Hosen there who will be as isolated as May will be on the BoCS, with no natural allies.
Where is Mom?!!
Doggoned if I and Censored aren’t on the same page about something. I have long wondered why PWC was so negiligent about the quality of its portion of the Route 1 corridor. Route 1 is part of a long and storied national road; and, in my opinion, a strong effort should be made to turn it into an equivalent of Route 15 and the planned Journey Through Hallowed Ground. With all the tourist attractions in the entire area, you would think that your politicians would want to put the best possible face on such a major PWC portal. I cannot imagine how much revenue has been lost to PWC because of the tendency of many just to get through that area on the way to someplace that looks better and safer.
Have you checked out route 28 coming in to Manassas?
To my eyes, Route 1 hasn’t changed a bit in 40 years. It also isn’t any uglier in PWC than anywhere else.
Hey, just you wait…..we’ll run Fimian again! 🙂
@pokie,
Who would win between those 2?
Much has been made about who did and did not sign the pledge to the Advocates for the Rural Crescent. Well, I would like to knowjust who those advocates are. I get the strong feeling they are the people who live in the “Executive” homes, you know–4,000+ square feet on 10 acres who suffer from NIMBY disorder. But they tell you it is all about taxes and infrastructure and sewers and all that stuff. I say it is about property values–period. They don’t mind at all about developing the east end of the county–the Route 1 corridor, which I admit needs it VERY badly, but it seems to me it is do anything, but just don’t screw with us. Jam eveybody together elsewhere, but don’t touch us. But, of course, I live in a parallel universe.,
I went through part of it today and I saw a lot of houses like mine. Just plain houses. I was back on Vint Hill Road, Owl’s Nest, that area.l I saw no high end homes other than the one called The Lawn which is an historical site. It wasn’t high density until I turned up on Sudley Manor and all the newer housing was there. Of course I am not exactly sure where the RC is. Obviously not anywhere on Sudley Manor Drive.
P.S. Why did John Stirrup support the Rural Crescent? He has a horse farm there–duh!!!
@Wolverine
While your are partially right, Route 95 killed the communties along Route 1. Just as other major roadways have killed “historic” communities by bypassing them. Many people no longer care about the “byways”, they just want to ge to where they are going.
Moon — Have I seen Rte 28 into Manassas? Girl, I hate that damned racetrack called I-95 so much that, whenever I go south, I go Rte 28 to Rte 17 to pick up the interstate at Fredericksburg. Agree that Rte 28 into Manassas is not exactly eye candy anymore, however.
As for Rte 1 Woodbridge to Triangle. When the development wave hit Loudoun, I was more than a little upset when they began cutting down the trees and paving over the farms along Rte 7 between Sterling Park and Leesburg. But the BOS and Planning Staff made a promise that they would try to preserve the greenery along that route as much as possible or at least replace that which was lost with things pleasant to the eye. And no end to end strip malls allowed. Well, you can see all the development — houses, apartment buildings, business centers, the new GWU satellite campus, etc. from the road; but they also worked on the verges and on the land immediately adjacent to the road. It is still in some ways a “green” drive — just not rural like it once was when I first moved in here. Except for the excruciating delays created by the rush hour traffic, it is not an entirely unpleasant drive from an aesthetic standpoint.
Not having been on Rte 1 in PWC for awhile, I did a Google Map street level look from one end to the other. Strip mall country with some business centers and compact shopping centers, apartment complexes, older single family develoments etc. Down by Triangle the place gets old and somewhat grungy — old homes deteriorating, as Censored noted. In my opinion, one of the things PWC could do would be to work on the verges and adjacent strips of land with trees, other types of flora, and other landscaping techniques to make the drive more garden-like and pleasing to the eye for locals and visitors alike. More flyovers at major intersections would also help.
Wolverine, I think we are talking about different stretches of 28. I am speaking of the Centreville to Manassas route. The other side is more scenic. I agree about going down that route to Frediericksburg although I am not sure I would now Dumfries Rd is several lanes.
I think Loudoun has less of a sprawl look that PWC. PWCs sprawl is old…from the original growth days, before beautification was even thought of. I totally agree with you about adding trees and landscaping. It makes all the difference in the world and is a lot less expensive than so many other things.
This is where we become penny wise and pound foolish.
@Moon-howler
You’re right about parts of the RC but I wonder who the “Advoccates for the Rural Crescent” are. Is there a membership list somewhere?
A lot of what used to be Triangle along Route 1 has been razed; hopefully it will redeveloped with a town center idea in mind.
@Moon-howler
You’re right about parts of the RC but I wonder who the “Advoccates for the Rural Crescent” are. Is there a membership list somewhere?
A lot of what used to be Triangle along Route 1 has been razed; hopefully it will redeveloped with a town center idea in mind.
It is an electronic organization. Most organizations don’t release lists like that. Why? They probably don’t want to be stalked by those who disagree with them. I mean who wants a blog report on when they go vote.
Moon, I think you are missing my point. I am convinced that the Advocates are only those people who live in the McMansions and suffer from NIMBY disorder. If they are so secretive, then they should be suspect.
A bunch of us are supporters. I don’t think I would consider it a membership organization like dues paying or anything like that. I won’t speak for others but I don’t even come close to live in a Mcmansion. My interests come from working in the eastern end of the county for years and seeing how many schools were needed because the bocs rubber stamped every ounce of land for developement. It started back in the 60s. Dale City, Marumsco Hills, etc etc etc. Then came the rape of Old Bridge Road. You can’t imagine what all is sitting on the Blevins old property and the Woodbridge Airport. After seeing the mess that was made over there, whatever it takes to have it not happen here on the western side. For the longest time 3/4 of the county schools were in the east. They even had year round school for the kiddies in the 70s. Too many kids, not enough schools. Too many housing developments.
Folks just sort of team up. I found out about it from watching the board of supervisors fight over and stall a decision on Silver Lake. Now there is an example of very poor decision making.
Different people will have different ideas on county resources and how they are managed.
George,
I do not suffer from NIMBY. In fact, altough I live in the Rural Crescent, there have been a host of issues that I been involved in that had no effect on me personally whatsoever, in fact, most issuse would have little impact on me personally. Even if the Rural Crescent ceased to exist, that would not effect where I live. When Greater South Market was defeated, a proposed development on route 15 in Haymarket, we won because so many people turned out from areas all over PWC that were not in the Rural Crescent.
Believe what you want, that the issue of the RC as land use tool is a ruse for NIMBY. ARC is not secretive, what are you suggesting George, that I am doing something untoward along with other regular citizens who care about taxes, overcrowded schools and roads, along with clean air and water ?
Do you think that people like Mike May and Frank Principi who live on the East end of the county only support the rural crescent because of elitism? They don’t live in the Rural Crescent, it simply is a smart land use tool that benefits everyone.
In this climate, where people who are “associated” with me are attacked by Greg, why would I make anyones names public. It isn’t a secret society and there are plenty of people who support the Rural Crescent who aren’t members. Geez, even Greg believes the Rural Crescent is a good idea.
@Elena
The Rural Crescent is not the issue–the pledge is the issue. That is as simple as I can make it. I do not believe in pledges– they are simply wrong. If you wish to make something more of it I can do nothing about that. I don’t like all the buildup either but I don’t go around with a pledge. Signing or not signing the RC pledge has become like the Norquist pledge–a right of passage if you want to get elected. While that is not completely true here in PWC, it hasn’t hurt those who have signed.