Iris certainly are blooming early this year.  I had three regular blue iris standing at attention on Easter morning.

The political season seems to be at a fevered pitch around Manassas.  We don’t cover Manassas politics as a rule because we are county folks.  Feel free to make your comments here.  If you see our friend Steve, buy him a beer or a cup of coffee.  He is probably running on overtime and fumes from now until their elections in May.

 

Budget news can go here too if we aren’t paying attention since both the City and County are in full budget mode.  Too many special interest groups have their hands out.  We can only focus on a couple.  Right now, we are watching the War Museum and Rainbow Riding since they want particularly large chunks out of the public coffers.

116 Thoughts to “Open Thread…………………………………………………..Tuesday, April 11”

  1. As usual, Marty shows up with the super secret new plan in his back pocket.

  2. And Marty screws the Gainesville District as usual. Come on Petey my boy, show some spine and stick up for your constituents.

  3. And Petey just got checkmated or foisted on his own pitard if you prefer, judging from the look, I don’t think he realizes it. Rhetoric and Karma can be a real bitch.

  4. Lafayette

    @Corey’s Accountant
    Wonder how many extra buck$ will be thrown in the ole coffer for Corey with that hyperlink? 👿

  5. There you go Petey, you have a “plan” but no specifics. Nice work by your budget team. Perhaps less rhetoric and more homework on where the cuts should come from would be appropriate. I give Marty credit for at least noodling his proposal through, putting sweat equity into the proposal, something Petey apparently can’t be bothered to do.

  6. Lafayette

    The sharks are swimming…He’s shark bait, for crying out loud. This is PWC entertainment at it’s finest. I do applaud Marty’s efforts in working on such a project.

  7. Easy Petey, the next election is more than three years away.

  8. I’m just waiting for this little minnow to get swallowed whole.

  9. “You haven’t come here with any of your own”

    Nice smack down Mike.

  10. Petey, you’re arguing with a lawyer, you’re out of your league and I think its time for you to cut your losses.

  11. Lafayette

    Mike is on a roll! I might be sound like a shark… love it
    I hear a lot of frustation in Peter’s voice. It’s too early in the game he signed up for to be so frustrated.

  12. God, I never thought I would say this but I am so ashamed of my Gainesville representative that I think I would prefer Wally as my supervisor. Ick, need to take a shower after saying that.

  13. Lafayette

    @Corey’s Accountant
    Whoa…things must be bad.
    Now, Corey’s ponificating begins.

  14. I think Corey senses the wheels coming off his bandwagon.

  15. Nice speech Lt. Gov. elect. Whoa, did you just attack the board for trying to make political points. Meow you hypocrite.

  16. Lafayette

    The biscuit wheels are falling off the gravy train.

  17. And now, in the interest of gender equity, more hypocracy from the Queen of Dumfries.

  18. Nice subtle shiv in Corey’s back courtesy of Marty.

  19. Lafayette

    I just saw someone applaud her on FB. Why applaud her. She voted for Avendale and many other housing projects.

  20. Ooh, Corey gets a math lesson.

  21. Now for the closed door wheeling and dealing, lets see if Corey can keep the Queen on the dark side. Wonder what Jenkins will counteroffer her.

  22. I sure am sorry I went out and missed the side show.

  23. And now Petey is left alone on the island surrounded by sharks. Hey Pete, you see that dot disappearing over the horizon, that’s Corey leaving with the last lifeboat.

  24. Corey = Captain Soundbyte
    Pete = Supervisor Irrelevant

    1. @Corey’s Accountant

      One of our other contributors nicknamed him Petey the Parrot. I thought that was cute.

  25. Lafayette

    Did I just hear Rainbow Riding??? Grr.

  26. What an understatement

    Candland’s bad day
    Local
    By Tara Donaldson
    Source: Gainesville Times
    TUESDAY, APRIL 17 2012

    Gainesville’s new supervisor, Republican Pete Candland, had a rough day at the budget meeting as he first attacked, and then was admonished by his fellow Republicans on the board.

    Asked for his opinion on Coles Supervisor Marty Nohe’s proposed tax cuts and spending reductions, Candland said it did not go as far as the flat-tax bill he wanted.

    In February, the Gainesville supervisor advocated a rate of $1.175 per $100 of assessed value.

    At that rate, the average tax bill would not rise at all – even once inflation is factored.

    At the time, budget director Michelle Casciato called that scenario “devastating,” saying it could cost schools $9.8 million and the county $7.4 million in the coming year alone. Over the next five years, it would leave a $316 million hole in county services and education, she said then, adding “You would be reducing the size of county government by one-third.”

    Candland hasn’t raised the issue at a board meeting since but on Tuesday, he brought it up again, saying taxpayers have been pressing him to make the cuts.

    That’s when the trouble started.

    Occoquan Supervisor Mike May, a fellow Republican, said he’d be willing to discuss the lower rate and asked Candland to explain his idea.

    Candland said he had anticipated that there would be “sharks circling” when he brought up the flat-tax bill but said he had no firm plans for where to make the massive cuts.

    He said only that it would take a lot of work to come up with it and that the board would have to “roll up their sleeves” to look closely at the budget and make some hard decisions.

    Nohe, also a Republican, stepped in, saying that as he also wanted budget cuts, he had pointed outvery specific reductions he proposed.

    In fact, the Coles supervisor had done just that several minutes earlier, offering up a slide presentation showing specific line item cuts to reduce the county budget by $930,000 in order to reduce the tax rate. Pressed for details about some of the items he wanted to cut, Nohe had led the supervisors through a detailed explanation of debt servicing and capital costs over the next five years.

    “I already rolled up my sleeves,” Nohe said, nudging Candland again to suggest specific cuts.

    Candland again refused. Asked by Neabsco Democrat John Jenkins if his low tax rate would mean county staffers wouldn’t get raises, Candland said he believes that the employees deserve raises but did not discuss whether his cuts would fund them.

    May also jumped back in.

    “Forgive me if I sound like a circling shark,” he began. “It sounds like you talk about reasonable proposals but you haven’t come here today with any of your own.”

    Candland said the county executive and her staff would need to work hard in the next week to find where to make the cuts but other supervisors pointed out that Candland has had since mid-February to make proposals or ask the county staff for help.

    Crafting the budget is a massive undertaking. Supervisors give the budget staff direction at the start of the year and then go back and forth, making small adjustments for months. Tuesday’s meeting was meant to be the final adjustment; the budget has to be approved next week and the county executive had already said that it would be physically impossible for her staff to prepare the documents in time unless the board is ready to commit five votes to a single final proposal.

    It was for that reason that Candland’s suggestion that the staff start from scratch to cut hundreds of millions from the budget before next week – was met with such irritation.

    And it was Board Chairman Corey Stewart who delivered the hardest punch.

    The conservative Republican has long been a poster boy for fiscal conservatives and during his time on the board, has regularly voted against the county budget because the tax rate was too high. Now hoping to be the most conservative candidate in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor, Stewart nonetheless took Candland to task.

    “Tax bills have got to keep up with inflation. If they don’t, we’re not going to be able to finance that growth,” he said forcefully. “It is absolutely critical and I will not accept a budget that cuts the infrastructure out of the budget.”

    Stewart added, raising his voice, that “It’s not responsible” and said supervisors need to act responsibly, “not just sit here and make political points.

    As of 4:45 p.m., a final decision had not yet been reached on the tax rate.

    1. I am embarrassed to admit to living in the Gainesville District. Shame on that little BOY for coming to the BOCS meeting and big assing over cutting the budget. I hope Mrs. Hendley is getting the last laugh. If Petey had gone to more of those Stirrup budget meetings he skipped, perhaps he would know more.

      He appears to be an unknowledgeable buffoon BOY and he got smacked around by those who know more than he does.

      If a recall were possible, I would be calling for one.

  27. Down goes Candland,
    Down goes Candland

  28. Lafayette

    Frank gets a pass for missing today’s meeting. Now, Peter doesn’t get one for last week. We’ve not heard why he was absent.

  29. @Lafayette
    He was busy preparing his budget option for today, oops, never mind.

  30. 85 people my ass, he was lucky if forty were there. I thought the lack of leopardskin would have improved his math skills.

  31. Why did Corey force Jim Livingston to state his address when he said it was on record? I thought it was the policy of this board (for several years) to allow people to put their address on record.

    Was Jim being singled out as the new President of PWEA? Methinks so.

  32. What has been done to this county’s teachers is deplorable. My brother recently got asked for a recommendation for one of his former IU students to teach here. I told him to call the guy and tell him to withdraw his application. Those poor teachers haven’t had a step increase in 3 years and there is no respect. He did.

    The chickens will come home to roost. Mark my words.

  33. Why does it sound like DARTH VADER is on the county video for the bocs meeting? There is also whispering.

    arrggghhhhhh

    I get in a vile mood every time I listen to one of these.

    The positive comment is that they get put up very fast now.

  34. Black Velvet Reporter

    The dark lord is nibbling ‘shrooms. Emplyee unions? Candland a great leader?

    Is he lobbying for a county media job?

  35. Good for Corey Stewart for blasting Candland. As the chairman he let Pete Candland know how unacceptable his words were.

    Stewart added, raising his voice, that “It’s not responsible” and said supervisors need to act responsibly, “not just sit here and make political points.

    Corey called him out for what he was doing. It was so obvious that Candland had skipped too many meetings by then.

    This is the reason so many Republicans were unwilling to endorse Candland. They knew he was unprepared for office. How do I know this? some of them told me.

    I like to be able to say nice things about Corey every so often.

  36. Today’s allergy levels for MANASSAS, VA:
    Wednesday – 10/High

    Today’s predominant pollen:
    Maple, Oak and Ash.

  37. Watching

    Ironically, no one pointed out to Peter that the assessments in his District have gone down for the last couple of years on average, which means tax bills in the GD are actually falling. He must have missed that slide when the budget office put it up. IMHO people in the GD care more about their home prices and being under water than fighting an average county tax increase that is two stops at the local gas station. I don’t think the $1.17 rate that reduces inflow to the schools of $54 million over the next 5 years is going to fly when they are adding 2000+ students a year.

    Were there really only 40 people there on Monday? Did Supervisor Haddow speak?

    1. I am not sure counting is a strong suit of Team Candland. I remember there being all sorts of dust ups every time anyone had an event during election season. The number there was always questioned. Pete announced during the bocs that 85 people were there. Our sources say otherwise.

  38. Censored bybvbl

    The WaPo has an article comparing Manassas Park’s schools to the City of Manassas’s schools.
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/nva-schools-have-much-in-common-get-different-results/2012/04/17/gIQA3m9BPT_story.html?hpid=z4

  39. Forrest

    @Moon-howler
    Moon,
    where do you get your pollen information, especially the predominant pollen types? Weather.com had that information for our area last year, but not lately. My son may be especially allergic to oak pollen – and his allergies definitely got worse when oak started showing up on the ‘predominant’ list.

    1. Hi Forrest. Welcome. I get a robo email every day from http://www.pollen.com.

      My allergies have been horrible this spring.

  40. Elena

    just watched the board meeting from yesterday. Candland sounds like such a tool. corey got all on his high horse and I actually enjoyed it. I wish he felt that way about “not playing politics” all the time. It was refreshing.

    Caddigan was right on target about stop approving development and and instead focus on commercial. I hope her votes will reflect her stance.

  41. Elena

    I see rainbow riding and the war musuem are still in the budget?

  42. Need to Know

    Cut:

    Rainbow Riding
    Wartime Museum
    Manassas Ballet
    Funds for Hylton Center in excess of the original agreement with GMU

    Why didn’t Supervisor Candland name those when asked what he would cut? We could do without all of them and barely anyone would know they were gone.

    We’ve saved at least $1 million.

  43. nova1983

    Watching sounds suspiciously like the woman who was a County employee one minute and the next minute not. Many have said she is now spouting her sour grapes to everyone she thinks will listen, including those on the Moonhowlings blog.

    Here’s the scoop from someone who actually attended on Monday night: AT LEAST 85 people attended the meeting, the vast majority of whom would refute Watching’s so-called humble opinion regarding the views of Gainesville District taxpayers.

    The advocates for the higher tax rate are typically the same people who are on the receiving end of County spending. What about taxpayers who are being bludgeoned by a terrible economy, spiraling gas prices, and food prices that are draining their budgets?

    Just ask taxpayers for more money and spend away.

    Same thing the U.S. Congress — both R’s and D’s — have been doing for the past twenty years, and we see where that got us.

    All that said, I find it more than amusing that Watching, who complained non-stop about Moonhowling’s blog, has now joined her team.

    1. Welcome Nova 1983. “Watching” is not a suddenly fired person. I can assure you. If you are thinking he/she is who I think you are thinking, I expect that person knows better than to come here whining.

      Too funny though and I pinned the thread back up near the front I found your post so entertaining on that subject.

      Remember that many of the folks of this blog are Gainesville District folks. I wouldn’t say I am on the receiving end of County spending nor are most of the people I know who live here. I don’t even have kids in school. What Candland was suggesting was irresponsible and not looking at county obligations. I would gladly pay a little more in taxes to have a sound infastructure and better services. Most people living in GD live in decent housing. They knew when they bought how much the taxes were. I feel about taxes like I do about tipping. If you can’t afford to tip, stay home. If you can’t afford to pay taxes, don’t buy a house (or buy less of a house). Good grief, they come off your income tax as a deduction, for heavens sake.

      I was embarrassed to live in the Gainesville District after listening to what Mr. Candland had to say. I felt like the county step child and like my supervisor had just fallen off the turnip truck and had no idea what he was talking about. To direct the staff to go roll up their sleeves after they have done nothing else for months but work on budget was insulting.

      Mr. Candland really needs to get with an advisor and take a crash course in county affairs and budget. When that many supervisors turn on you, you know there’s something wrong. He owes his constituents an apology for making us all look like rubes.

      When *I* compliment Corey Stewart, something is really wrong here on the home court.

  44. Elena

    I am sooooo entertained by the suggestion that “watching” is an ex employee of Candlands!

    Let me add, watching Candland try to put out those good ole talking points in a vaccum was better than watching Jon Stewart! The republicans sounded like just regular people talking common sense about the needs of a growing community, cudos to them! It was refreshing to watch the meeting yesterday and I hope to see more of this in the future.

  45. Elena

    It made me feel ill watching the BOCS and listening to the foolishness of Candland. When I think about how we were so close to a good public servant like Ann Wheeler, I feel cheated!

  46. Elena

    Peter Candland looked like he was “wearing the short pants” while the other BOCS members were wearing the long pants.

  47. Need to Know

    @Elena

    I was told by someone who would know that Ann Wheeler had been on John Stirrup’s budget committee a few years ago and had attended far more meetings than Candland ever did. She also completed her assignments and probably learned a lot from being there.

    My guess is that John Stirrup is now regretting pulling Candland’s fat out of the fire during the election by saying that Candland had been a key budget advisor. I’ve always held John in very high regard but winced when he said that. The new Supervisor demonstrated clearly on Tuesday that he learned nothing about the County budget process from a few scattered appearances on John Stirrup’s committee.

    Remember also that we could have had Martha Hendley, a well-informed, long-time hard-working community volunteer as Gainesville Supervisor. The Republicans had some other good candidates also.

  48. Elena :Peter Candland looked like he was “wearing the short pants” while the other BOCS members were wearing the long pants.

    I’m guessing he will get stuck at the card table with the kids when the BOCS has Thanksgiving dinner.

    1. Shall we pull our our little Petey puppet for the occassion?

      Apparently Core-man came out a better person that I thought.

      https://www.moonhowlings.net/index.php/2011/11/07/corey-dreams-of-election-day/

  49. Leopardskin Liar

    Thank ya Mr. Stirrup. Thank ya Mr. Candland. thank ya so much Let me give ya my crime report. Let me tell ya about those bad howlers. Let me fill your ears with lies.

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