A Virginia teenager who was scheduled to be deporteda few days after her high school graduation earned a last-minute reprieve Monday afternoon. Heydi Mejia, 18, and her mother, Dora Aldana, 40, were granted a one-year deferral by the Department of Homeland Security.
Mejia and Aldana, the subjects of a story in The Washington Post on Monday, were prepared to leave for Guatemala this week. Mejia was 4 when her mother brought her to the United States across the Rio Grande, and she graduated with honors from Meadowbrook High School in Richmond on Friday. She had planned to go to college, until immigration officials came to her family’s two-bedroom apartment in December, turning her senior year into a countdown to deportation.
The one-year reprieve allows her a chance to enroll in college and get a part-time job in cosmetology, as she had planned. Her attorney, Ricky Malik, has filed a motion with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reopen her case, which could lead to a dismissal of the deportation order or a longer deferral.
“It has been an overwhelming week, for sure,” Mejia said Monday. “I’ve had every emotion, and now I just feel so relieved and so lucky.
Virginia student graduates from high school, faces deportation
Some things just seem morally wrong to me. Heydi Mejia graduated from high school in Chesterfield County with a 99 average. She is #22 in her class. She has to deport before June 20. Heydi Mejia came here when she was 4 years old. She knows nothing of her home country.
From the Washington Post:
“For me, this week feels more like a dead end,” Mejia said.
She would graduate from Meadowbrook High School on Friday, her blue gown decorated with awards from the National Honor Society, the school’s AP program and the Virginia governor.
She was scheduled to be deported to Guatemala a few days later.
What we are NOT going to do
I believe I have been fairly opinionated about what went down on June 5 during the BOCS meeting. I had a post up trumpeting my outrage. I took it down because Elena wrote a post that included a little more county history and was more inclusive than my post. My post was simply pure emotional anger. I may take it out some day, but not this day.
That brings us back to what we aren’t going to do. I know the blogs are all full of accusation and finger pointing at this person and that person, in particular, various supervisors. There are stories of church money, special bricks, golden labels etc with these stories being quoted as definitive proof of wrong-doing on behalf of the some of the supervisors.
There is simply too much speculation going around for my tastes. Elena and I will not get in to all of that and we have not accused anyone of monetary malfeasance. I don’t think anyone is a crook nor have I accused anyone of crookdom. I don’t know who did what, therefore, I am not going to speculate. Basically, it really doesn’t matter.
The Candland Mystery Challenge Continues
I have been checking out the blogs and picking up information. I thought today we could just kick around a few ideas.
According to the Sheriff, Supervisor Pete Candland has submitted a second letter to the county attorney asking for clarification. Meanwhile, Chairman Stewart has stated that County Attorney Horan is under no obligation to answer Supervisor Candland. Why have a county attorney if not as a resource for all supervisors?
Let’s put a few things in perspective. Ms. Horan is an employee of the BOCS. She is hired to legally advise the county. I would surmise that her first obligation is to advise the Board on legal matters. First off, I suppose, as an employee, she has to do what she is told. If following directives comes into conflict with her sense of legal ethics, then she can resign. I think this is a long way around saying they are her boss. She is not their boss. County Executive Peacor, same deal. She is the BOCS’s employee. She, in turn, is the ultimate boss of all county employees who are not school board employees. The school board employees answer to Dr. Walts, the superintendent. His bosses are the School Board. He serves at their pleasure.
Supervisor Candland fights back
A thirteen page letter has been provided to the Washington Post, from Pete Candland to County Attorney Horan basically outlining a list of grievances about the way business was conducted June 5, 2012.
You have to read it in its entirety.
His letter demonstrates the terrible governance and the outright hypocrisy of some of our supervisors.
I remain outraged over the fact that the citizens of Prince William County were not given a chance to review, discuss or provide input over the very laws and ordinances of our own county. It is infuriating that our supervisors would vote on any amendments to someone’s resolution that they hadn’t talked about as a group or checked for unintended consequences.
Open Thread…………………………………………….Friday, June 8
My personal favorite of all the national parks-Yellowstone
This is the grandest place in the world and every time I think about the 2 times I have been I just bask in the memories. We took our oldest grandchild right before she got too cool to be caught dead with us and while the beauty of nature still amazed and astounded her.
If you have upper elementary or middle school kids, this is a walk on the wild side they will never forget. Set aside a week to explore. Its hard to say which is best, the geology or the animals.
The Discretionary Funds Aftermath
Far more interesting than the original fight over discretionary funds is the aftermath. There is lots of Monday morning quarterbacking going on and lots of insider conspiracy theory trip trap being cited.
Several things really bother me. The first is that I think that some on the BOCS now see a colleague as being all tumbled in to what was being said on the blogs. I don’t think that Mr. Candland was part of the blog gossip. I hope I am right. I think he learned to avoid that like the plague. Additionally, it seems that Mr. Candland’s reform efforts really weren’t finger pointing but seeking correction where correction was needed. I say that as one who didn’t even like his entire resolution. However, it was a start–a place to begin discussion. Unfortunately, the BOCS felt it was a place to end discussion, so we now have perfectly ridiculous rules that don’t address any of the problems.
Prince William Parkway being renamed
From VDOT:
THREE MAJOR PARKWAYS NOW PRIMARY ROADS
New route numbers and funding for Fairfax County, Prince William, and Franconia-Springfield parkways
FAIRFAX—The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the transfer yesterday of the Fairfax County Parkway, Prince William Parkway and Franconia-Springfield Parkway to primary roads, making them eligible for new funding and maintenance priorities.
As primary roads, the routes can receive federal funding for paving, guardrail, bridge improvements and other projects. Federal funding typically covers 80 percent of the cost to maintain interstates and primary roads, with the remaining 20 percent from state funds.
The Fairfax County Parkway (Route 7100), which runs from Route 1 to Route 7, will be renamed Route 286. The 32-mile road carries between 22,000 and 75,000 vehicles per day.
The Franconia-Springfield Parkway (Route 7900), which runs from Beulah Road to the Fairfax County Parkway, will be renamed Route 289. The 4-mile road carries between 53,000 and 57,000 vehicles per day.
The Prince William Parkway (Route 3000), which runs from Route 1 to Route 234, will be renamed Route 294. The 16-mile road carries between 25,000 and 54,000 vehicles per day.
Here you have it: tax increases for the upper 2%, Paycheck Fairness goes down in flames
Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday that President Obama will not sign an extension.
“He will not. Could I be more clear?” Carney said. “He will not support an extension of the upper-income Bush tax cuts. He could not be more clear.”
Clinton suggested on Tuesday that the cuts on higher-income earners should be extended temporarily to allow the economy more time to heal. But Obama has repeatedly said he wants them to expire as scheduled at the end of this year.
“President Obama has been clear about his position and it has not changed: We should not extend and he will not extend the tax cuts — the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of the American people,” Carney said Wednesday. “It’s bad policy. It’s bad for the economy.”
I haven’t figured out why middle class republicans are protecting the upper 2% like it was their own money. Someone is selling you a bill of goods. Who is better able to take increase? You or them?
On another note, while protecting the rich, it seems that the Republicans threw the American women under the bus:
President Obama railed against a Tuesday Senate vote where the chamber failed to approve the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill designed to Read More
Transit of Venus, North Rim, Grand Canyon
Picture by Roger Pittock, Salcott, England
Roger and June set up shop on the terrace of the Lodge at the North Rim. He used several filters whose names mean nothing to me. It was 98 degrees the other day in Salt Lake City when they came through. the temperature dropped to the 40’s the next day.
I thought this was a fabulous picture since I know the photographer. The sizes are just amazing.
Roger and June are in Bryce Canyon know. Bryce is known for its celestial photography shoots and star gazing. There is just nothing like a Utah sky!
June 6, 1944: D-Day, 68 years later
I don’t do D-Day very well these days. I get horribly depressed. Very few of those who served are left. The WWII vets are dying off at about 1500 per day. Many are in their 90’s. My own heroes of that era, my parents, are both dead. My mother worked for the Dept of the Army and my father served in the Army. D-Day always seems a little more poignant to me because it was my parents’ anniversary. They had been married 2 years on D-Day.
The 68th anniversary of D-Day came quietly this year. It sneaked up on me, to be perfectly honest. Today is June 7. It was wedged between events in Prince William County and a foiled plan to remove the governor of Wisconsin which dominated the news. D-Day marked the beginning of the end, the Allies broke through German fortifications and began the long trek towards Germany, liberating occupied countries as they advanced. Many men never came home. 29,000 Americans lost their lives in the Normandy invasion which included the weeks immediately following as they pushed towards the liberation of Europe.
Bedford, Virginia holds the record for the most servicemen lost from a town on D-Day. The National D-Day Memorial is located there. This memorial has a hard time keeping its head above water because of the recession and because it is a privately run memorial. The Memorial is subject to any glitch in the economy.
American Cemetery in Normandy
Additional film footage http://bcove.me/msfc2e1d
The irony of yesterdays discretionary vote, another example of excluding citizen input
The irony of yesterdays vote was that it was business as usual in Prince William County. Poor Pete Candland had a first row seat to the systemic sickness on our Board.
The amendments John Jenkins proposed were not integral to the problem of discretionary spending, and yet, with no due process, the amendments were passed. Lest we forget, this was simply an example of business as usual. Although Mike May voted yes, his tone was one of indulging a petulant child. He was the only one offering an explanation of how these amendments were simply reinforcing county policy for elected officials.
It is interesting that the events yesterday have brought to the forefront a problem that has existed for as long as I have been watching government in PWC.
How many times has an applicant come before the Board with last minute changes to a development and citizens would have had not time to review the changed and comment? The answer it too many to count.
One of the most egregious examples of cutting citizens out of the process was the recent Environment Chapter update.
Approval of these last minute changes allow input from one special interest group (developers) without providing an equal opportunity to all stakeholders, notably citizens and community organizations.
The effect of these changes is to shift the cost of stormwater management away from developers, forcing local residents to pay higher stormwater fees.
Corey Stewart, having proposed last minute changes from the Dias, was not even able to explain the consequences of those changes! We all can guess why, was he the original author, I wonder , who could it have really been? And yet, those changed occurred, weakening the rules for Developers. Why was the environment chapter important? Who pays for poor development practices when there is flooding? Yes folks, we do, the taxpayers. Who will pay for the fines levied by the EPA when we fail the Chesapeake Bay clean up requirements? Correct again, the taxpayers.
The examples are endless, the Parks and Open Space Chapter update, once again, last minute changes that allowed little citizen input.
The irony is that Pete Candland was hoping to create a more transparent process with greater citizen input, and yet, as the most real life example of how broken our process is in PWC, he was able to witness how easy it is to loop citizens out of their own government. Proposed last minute changes and offer no opportunaity for comprehsive debate or a reasonable to time to reflect of the consequences of those changes.
For me, this is simply the first battle in a long war to create a better government where citizens have an opportunity to become participants and not just powerless bystanders. I am tired of last minute changes that loop citizens out of government.
Keep up the honest approach Supervisor Candland, you have the momentum.
Ding Dong! Discretionary funds are dead
No sooner than the ink dried than Corey Stewart emailed out a message regarding the hotly debated discretionary funds:
Dear Friend,
I wanted to be the first to let you know that today the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted to eliminate discretionary funds from our budgets.
During my tenure as Chairman, I have always looked at ways to decrease the size of government and increase transparency. I am pleased that the Board was able to reach a consensus and agree that these funds were not in the best interest of the county or its taxpayers. It also should be noted that we have put into place tighter controls on how Board members staff their offices or enter into contracts with outside vendors for constituent outreach. These amendments were added to make sure the Board is beyond reproach.
While leading the Board, I have been proud of the financial management of this county. This is reflected in our three AAA bond ratings, a budget that has been reduced by $143 million, and tax bills that are 30% lower than the rest of the region.
Candland proposes beginning fix to discretionary funding problem
Supervisor Candland is proposing a resolution to begin a much more extensive process to our “discretionary” spending problem in PWC. To read the full resolution, click here.
Discretionary money only scratches the surface to a much broader endemic problem in Prince William County– Who, what, when , where receives tax payer funding that is not a direct government entity. I am a strong proponent of private/public partnerships. However, in PWC, there is no real process for which non profit receives tax payer funds. Our “process”, or lack thereof, has been at the sole behest of the individual Supervisor. The only pseudo check and balance is a perfunctory Board approval that we all know is simply a rubber stamp.
Ending discretionary funding will not solve this problem. We give away 12 million dollars in each annual budget to our “community partners”. I would like to know, how are these partners selected? While some may seem obvious, many others may not be. What is the process that defines the success of such groups? How do other counties partner with non-profits?
What citizens like myself are wondering is, where is the transparency for funding these groups? This is not a left or right issue, this is not a republican or democrat issue, this is an issue of fairness and open government.
Prince William County can no longer operate like a “good ole boy” network. It is time to govern like we are a modern exurb of our nations capitol! My hope is that the Board of Supervisors will take Peter Candland’s resolution and not just approve it, but build upon it and really start addressing how we do allocate our government funds in PWC.
This resolution is not about ending private public partnerships, it is about improving our process so that there is a fair playing field, one that is transparent to citizens and non profits alike.
Danger!!! Do NOT look at the Transit of Venus directly
Love is blind! Engraving from Harper’s Weekly magazine (April 28, 1883) shows a woman viewing the transit of Venus through a telescope. Doing so with no solar filter would result in instant eye damage and likely blindness. Do not let June 5, 2012, be your blind date–use proper observing equipment and common sense.
Watch on the internet at 5:45 PM
