Its time to do a post-mortum of the fuster cluck that was the BOCS meeting of August 7, 2012.
I have never seen such a display of bad taste in my entire life. Things just went from bad to worse. Parents were encouraged to bring their disabled children out to perform to play on emotions. A supervisor’s wife addressed the supervisors but she was really talking to the blogosphere. Her martyred words were biting, direct and angry. Her husband will have to own that one. It should not have happened. [posts morphed–remarks removed]
Pete Candland asked pointed questions about the carry over as it related to the budget process. Ms. Peacor and Ms. Casiato responded. Corey acted like Pete was finding the learning curve a little steep but actually, Corey didn’t understand it either. We were then bored to tears for a while and then electrical glitches and tornado warnings somehow swept away the Candland Conflict of Interest Resolution and the BOCS left. I sat around on tenterhooks until 9 pm and finally decided they weren’t coming back. (speaking of a steep learning curve.)
So the man behind the curtain really did make the Candland Resolution go away and he was the Wizard of Oz. But we all know that the Wiz is just a little man with a big ego trying to unsuccessfully fool us, the people of Prince William.
Supposedly the meeting reconvened out of the public eye. Candland didn’t get so much as a second for his motion. That leads me to believe that 7 people who serve on our board of supervisors believe that conflict of interest is perfectly ok in this county. Well, no it isn’t.
This is not going to go away. I would like to see a Resolution to clarify conflict of interest. Since those we elected to govern the county won’t do it, perhaps we the people of Prince William County can just get it on the ballot as a referendum.
It really isn’t ok to go off behind closed doors, away from the TV, and conduct the business of the people. It reeks of shady politics. No more Ms. Nice Guy over here at Howler Place.
UPDATE: I am told that a local referendum isn’t possible.
I agree with you — taking the meeting away from the public eye via tv cameras was a bad move on their part, and I lost even more respect for them with that action. One would think that they would make every effort to be above board knowing their previous actions had caused a public outcry. I would like to see if someone would investigate the legality of moving the meeting away from the primary site before the meeting was over. That smacks of the actions of the 4 Horsemen.
I’d like to know how a non profit was morphed into a public park all of a sudden. Why WAS Rainbow Riding there, didn’t we, i.e. the taxpayers, give money to only Parks and Rec? Didn’t we give money under the “guise” of Silver Lake to pave a parking lot and put install heating and a/c at Silver Lake?
IS Rainbow riding now a public park?
Comments on The Sheriff of Nottingham, Virginia Virtucon and Insidenova.com
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2012/aug/07/conflict-interest-resolution-dies-without-vote-ar-2115655/
The two blogs are accessible from our blog roll.
Elena, you asked the $64k question. How did RRC become part of the Park Authority?
Is RRC a private non-profit or are they a government service?
I don’t think it can be both.
And this is ALL about the process NOT the Center.
Absolutely. The goal posts seem to be moving daily as far as the process goes.
As I continue to move through the local blogosphere, the comments are light. I think people are just stunned by what has happened.
It sort of trumps the Grizzlies as being politically audacious.
Moving the meeting so the public couldn’t see what happened was the ultimate in bad governance. Forget the earlier part of the show and concentrate on how you the public were cut out of the process.
No one said anything because we were all blind-sided. I don’t think it is legal to conduct the business of Prince William that way. The lights were shot out and the business of PWC was pulled under a rock, into the shadows. Shadows hell! That non-vote was dragged into a cave.
Its hard to grouse if no one knows what is happening. Who will be the first to draft a FOIA request for a transcript of what really happened?
@Moon-howler
Interestingly the BOCS meeting made the VA Transperency News run by The Virginia Coalition of Open Government.
It’s usually not a good thing to be on that radar..
Marin do you have a link for that? I think some bleach needs to be used on our supervisors. A good scrubbing or something.
Corey thought he was so slick. There are enough pissed off bloggers that I think he can count on this deeds following him all over the state.
The thing elected people count on if that the public rarely (truthfully) organizes. As much as one would like to believe, bloggers are a very small percentage of people in a community. The general public doesn’t have a clue what happened. Read the Washington Post article this morning–if you want to believe it, they just gave money for some soccer fields. It is the only thing that showed up in the “print version”. There are some other articles on the WashPO website but they didn’t appear in print.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2012/08/07/263f7256-e0e5-11e1-a19c-fcfa365396c8_story.html
What needs to happen if people actually want to do something about it is to organize to be a voice. This organization should track every action that is found to be objectionable and find a more public mechanism for dissemination of information. Then a course of action would need to be developed after the information is provided to the public.
Change will not come about without public awareness. One might think that the supervisors have some sort of pulpit, but seriously, how many people actually listen in on the board meetings? They can say whatever they want, but it won’t get to the public to refute. They will also need to adopt a more public discourse to counter an organization.
Then they can explain why they are against disclosure of their associations that could call into question a conflict of interest.
It should be interesting press I would assume. They can also explain if they are against mom and apple pie as well.
I would hope also that people who are up in arms don’t give a pass to any supervisor as they all had a chance to second the motion. In my worldview, that is the same as saying no–even if they offered to disclose it themselves later. Those kinds of statements are what we call “paying lip service” where I come from. It shouldn’t give anyone a pass.
There’s a little blurb on line at washingtonpost.com about the rejection of the resolution.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/pr-william-supervisors-reject-conflict-of-interest-measure/2012/08/08/7d0c9022-e109-11e1-a19c-fcfa365396c8_story.html
@Lafayette
How do we know this all happened? Where is the video of it? What conversation ensued? How come we the taxpayers couldn’t hear it?
Now, I know Corey wasn’t talking about moonhowlings. He would never accuse me of being a conservative blogger. I find that hilarious. He usually says we are screaming left moon-somethings or other.
How come on this one we are agreeing with the coservative bloggers? Our tactics are different but I wanted to hear that conflict of interest discussed.
Funny how Corey has been more than willing to USE the conservative blogs to his advantage while he twisted the arms of the people. It doesn’t feel so good now, does it Corey? It looks a little different now Corey is the dog food. I bet Chief Deane is even having a laugh out of this one.
@Lafayette
But there wasn’t anything in the print version only online.
@Clinton S. Long
Perhaps it was too late for the print edition last night. I hope it makes it to print at least for the Pr. Wm. Thursday local section. I guess we only hope. Who knows maybe there will be a “real” article in the print version.
@Lafayette
Let’s hope so, I agree. I didn’t mean to imply the WashPO was hiding something if it was taken that way by some.
It was an illustration that the ordinary citizen, not one who reads blogs, doesn’t know.
@Moon-howler
I agree. This has taken me aback, and I’m struggling with what to think of it. I never in a million years thought even Corey would go so far as to railroad through the death of a conflict of interest resolution in a closed door meeting out of the public view. I just don’t know yet exactly what to say.
Does Corey know that we live in the United States and not Soviet Russia?
I discovered a witness to the killing of the Candland Resolution. Snooping where I don’t belong.
http://www.bvbl.net/index.php/2012/08/07/time-to-revolt/#comment-107759
The comments were made by Rob Duecaster. He says the supervisors are scared.
It is a very worthwhile read. He sheds interesting light on things.
—————————————————————————————————
@NTK
I am still speechless also. What really has me by the throat is that we got lumped in with the conservative bloggers. Now that makes me laugh. On the other hand, I never thought I would be telling everyone to read what Rob Duecaster has to say.
When something is so wrong all of us are agreeing, then that should send a strong message to the bocs. I don’t dislike any of these people. It isn’t personal. But governing the county needs to come out in the open. This isn’t the land time forgot.
I don’t think the hidden vote was legal. Sorry.
They are all willing victims of collectivism in the Ayn Rand sense….. “the individual has reality only as part of the group, and value only insofar as he serves it”
@Clinton S. Long
I meant no ill towards WaPo either. I was just making note of the time constraints.
“When something is so wrong all of us are agreeing, then that should send a strong message to the bocs. I don’t dislike any of these people. It isn’t personal. But governing the county needs to come out in the open. This isn’t the land time forgot.”
Bluto: Hey! What’s all this laying around stuff? Why are you all still laying around here for?
Stork: What the hell are we supposed to do, ya moron? We’re all expelled. There’s nothing to fight for anymore.
D-Day: Let it go. War’s over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: What? Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he’s rolling.
Bluto: And it ain’t over now. ‘Cause when the goin’ gets tough…
Bluto: The tough get goin’! Who’s with me? Let’s go!
[Bluto runs out, alone; then returns]
Bluto: What the fuck happened to the Delta I used to know? Where’s the spirit? Where’s the guts, huh? This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re gonna let it be the worst. “Ooh, we’re afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble.” Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I’m not gonna take this. Wormer, he’s a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer…
Otter: Dead! Bluto’s right. Psychotic… but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!
Bluto: We’re just the guys to do it.
D-Day: Yeah, I agree. Let’s go get ’em.
Boon: Let’s do it.
Bluto: “Let’s do it”!
If that scenario didn’t make sense to me, might I blame it on being a female?
Just thought the scene relevant given current circumstances.
@Moon-howler
Moonhowler, Elena, MH, BVBL, Rob Duecaster, Jim Riley all in agreement and referencing each other. This must be a “Fringe” event.
@ntk, you left off a few unlikely to agrees.
What were they thinking to go behind closed doors? What were they thinking to cut the taxpayers out of the loop?
I wondered at the time why Corey was allowing Pete so much time to review the budget process. He was being too patient. I understand now. He was allowing Pete to run out the clock. Obviously the two ladies who were so patiently answering questions were in on letting the clock run out. Now I understand. I didn’t at the time. but it was all a set up. Corey simply didn’t want that to happen in the light of day.
There. Prove me wrong, folks.
I wonder how citizens can get a legal opinion regarding the closed door discussion on the resolution.
Ask Lingamfelter.
Does he live in PWC? @Lyssa
NTK,
Funny! “fringe event” LOVE that show!
Yes and he’s running against Corey. He might want to help.
Yes and he’s running against Corey. He might want to help.
There are lots and lots of people saber rattling over what happened. I expect someone has already talked to him.
speaking of conservatives….I on’t know why local government gets so hung up on labels but darn if the dark screen hasn’t defended our reputation. I was horrified that moonhowlings was cast as a conservative blog in the press. Just horrified.
Thank goodness for the dark screen defending (albeit unintentionally) our reputation…not exactly as I would have liked but ” hard-core, pro-abortion, welfare-statist, illegal alien loving, spread-the-wealth-around leftists ” even sounds better than people thinking we had become tea-partyists.
I figured we could clean up the extremes over here. I will describe myself only. Elena can describe herself.
Me: hard core on reproductive rights and contraception, pro CHOICE.
Welfare statist? Not sure what that is but I obviously am fighting just giving money away or we wouldnt have gotten in trouble in the first place.
Illegal alien loving? I wouldn’t say that. Illegal immigration is problematic. However I want to see reform of the process. No I don’t want open borders or “amnesty” for everyone. I would like those with clean slates to be able to do a status adjustment, I want the dream act for eligible kids to go to college or join the military and I want criminals deported.
That should clear that up. Anything else? Leftist? Maybe. I would say left leaning centrist.
It would appear that the Dark Lord has gone “all in” on this issue. He is burning alot of bridges behind him.
@Ivan, I will cut him a break. He saved our reputation from being teapartyhowlings. Can you imagine my embarrassment!
@Moon-howler
Easy there, I resemble that comment.
Moon, I still don’t think we are going to see Greg L. giving the nominating speech for Corey at the Rep. convention.
You think Corey won’t be nominated or that Greg L won’t accept the invitation to introduce him if he were elected?
I think Corey would not like it if Greg showed up in any capacity.