The Atrocity at Silver Lake–

MoonHowler

 

I refer everyone to The Derecho blog spot for the full story.  The Derecho has provided excellent coverage of this horrible event, to take place next weekend.  He has included pictures and has walked the Silver Lake Park for miles, just documenting this bi-partisan outrage.

Most of us hold each of the supervisors responsible for allowing our parkland to be decimated.  (Mr. Victor was not in office when the contract was signed so he gets a pass)

This same county wants to float a bond this year for an indoor sporting area.  I think I will just vote NO.  The county made promises about Silver Lake that they have never kept.  Now, they not only haven’t provided the stewardship for Silver Lake but they also signed a contract for 4 years to allow it to be man-handled and misused.  The Lake area is already being partially destroyed, never to be returned to its pre-tough mudder state.  Trees have been cut down, trenches dug, pits excavated, and land transformed.

To those who loved Silver Lake, the death knell has rung.  Giving the OK to this event has to be just shit-for-brains stupid on every level.  Where is/was the oversight?  Prince William makes no money off of this misadventure.  Just another stupid political move by people who have no understanding of how to treat land designated for public use.  Poor governance.

Bat.Shit.Stupid.

 

It looks like Corey bet on the wrong horse, he got Trumped…errrr dumped

MoonHowler

ManassasPatch.com:

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Donald Trump’s Virginia campaign is ending its relationship with state chair Corey Stewart following a Monday afternoon protest event at the RNC headquarters.

Stewart was promoting his busy day just minutes before news broke that the campaign would replace him over the event.

“Tons of interviews today on behalf of Mr. Trump,” Stewart wrote on Facebook on Monday afternoon. “Then, I went to start a rebellion against GOP establishment pukes who betrayed Trump.”

It wasn’t long after that post that news broke of his exit from the campaign.

“He is being replaced, effective immediately,” said Trump Deputy Campaign Manager David Bossie in a campaign statement. “Corey made this decision when he staged a stunt in front of the RNC without the knowledge or approval of the Trump campaign.”

It sounds like Corey was being a good soldier and he got dumped.   I don’t feel sorry for him at all.

Now the Republicans should dump him for excusing horrible behavior and for staging a rebellion of sorts. What is going on here?  Stay tuned.

Read more from  Washingtonpost.com.

Corey Stewart: You will never get the Stench of Trump off you

MoonHowler

stench2

RichmondTimesDispatch.com:

Corey Stewart, chairman of Donald Trump’s Virginia campaign and a 2017 GOP hopeful for governor, stood by the Republican presidential nominee Friday night after his crude comments about women provoked a firestorm.

Stewart’s defense of Trump stood in stark contrast to the condemnation from two other 2017 GOP hopefuls for governor, Ed Gillespie and Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st.

Asked about the condemnation of Trump by Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Stewart, called them “establishment pukes” and said they want Democrat Hillary Clinton to win.

“What do you expect from the Republican establishment,” said Stewart, a Prince William County supervisor. “They want him to lose and they want the other establishment candidate — Hillary Clinton, to win.”

Stewart said the economy “is heading into the gutter and we’re supposed to vote for president based on some locker room statements by Mr. Trump? I think people are smarter than that.

“He’s not an angel — he’s not a pope. We’re voting for president of the United States. When we nominated him we knew he wasn’t a saint, but he’s probably the only person who can change its direction.”

 

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Where is the Virginia Republican moral compass?

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

In a state that is home to the world’s largest naval base and one of the nation’s largest veteran populations, military voters and their families hold sway in Virginia politics. Trump’s unusual foray into a fight with a grieving military family prompted repudiation from military groups. Both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called out Trump on Monday.

But Trump’s Virginia campaign chairman, Corey A. Stewart, who is also seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination, said Trump’s words were misconstrued by Democrats exploiting the family for political gain.

 “The Democrats have really, in a very disgraceful way, tried to put this poor grieving family in the middle of a nasty political situation,” said Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

Like Gillespie, another Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, praised Khan but did not directly criticize Trump in response to questions from The Washington Post.

“Our military men and women and their families answer a calling that is higher than politics, and we must honor that by condemning attempts to politicize and especially to criticize sacrifices military families make,” Wittman said in a statement.

At some point, Stewart, Gillespie and Wittman are going to have to find their respective moral compasses and simply denounce Donald Trump’s behavior toward the Khan family.

No Corey, no one misconstrued anything.  We all heard what he said with our own two ears.  When criticized, Trump failed to take the opportunity to walk back his hatefulness.  Instead, he doubled down and made things worse.

Don’t blame Democrats.  That just sounds stupid.  Democrats and Republicans alike find Trump’s behavior simply unacceptable under any circumstances.

I call on all Virginia Republicans to denounce this narcissistic megalomaniac and insist that he start behaving like a  civilized  adult rather than someone totally lacking adult social skills.   Responsible leaders think before they speak.  If they insult someone, they fix it.  Trump is unwilling to assume responsibility for his boorish behavior.

You will be held accountable.  This issue will not go away.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. 

—Edmund Burke

Candland, Lawson and Anderson attempt to “blackmail” school board

MoonHowler

crowdedclassroom

Insidenova.com:

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors is threatening to cancel a promised $1 million grant to help reduce class sizes in county schools if the school board won’t comply with their request to sign a formal agreement about how the money will be spent.

The school board signed such an agreement last year, but has so far declined to renew it, based in part on advice from their attorney that Virginia law does not permit county officials to dictate how school boards spend local tax dollars.

Still, the school board pledged in their recently approved budget to spend an extra $2 million to continue class-size reduction efforts they began last year. The money includes the promised $1 million grant from the county board as well as the required $1 million in school-division matching funds.

School Board Chairman Ryan Sawyers said Tuesday the school division is already spending the money to hire teachers for the coming school year.

Also, at the supervisors’ request, Prince William Superintendent Steven Walts sent a letter to the supervisors Tuesday reiterating the school board’s commitment to fulfill the terms of the grant.

“The school division, in the spirit of trust and cooperation, funded its $1 million on a recurring basis,” Walts wrote in a letter dated June 16. “Not only are the funds budgeted, but the school division has affirmed its commitment to the program by assuming the risk of authorizing the contracts necessary for applicable staffing to sustain the program in 2017.”

But apparently the “spirit of trust and cooperation” is not flowing both ways.
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Stewart’s statements disavowed by the Trump campaign

MoonHowler

I hesitate to post this.  I feel certain Corey will want to walk his words back at some point.  I will do so upon request.

Washingtonpost.com:

RICHMOND — The chairman of Donald Trump’s Virginia campaign on Friday placed responsibility for a police massacre in Dallas on Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and another Democrat, Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam.

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R), who like Northam is planning to run for governor in 2017, posted an article about Thursday’s slayings on Facebook early Friday, along with this comment:

“Liberal politicians who label police as racists — specifically Hillary Clinton and Virginia Lt. Governor Ralph Northam — are to blame for essentially encouraging the murder of these police officers tonight.”

Trump’s campaign disavowed the post, issuing a statement through John Fredericks, host of a conservative radio talk show and vice chairman of Trump’s Virginia campaign.

 

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Corey, Corey, Corey….NO! Walk this one back, please!

MoonHowler

Stewart__9431446045910-0438

Washingtonpost.com:

RICHMOND — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s remarks about the “Mexican” judge presiding over a fraud case against him has drawn condemnation from many Republicans.

Corey A. Stewart is not among them.

Stewart, the chairman of Trump’s Virginia campaign and a GOP contender for Virginia governor in 2017, turned to Facebook to offer Trump his full-throated support.

When Trump travels to Richmond on Friday for an evening rally at the Richmond Coliseum, Stewart will welcome him to the commonwealth. Stewart has warned that if there are any illegal immigrants protesting at the Richmond event, “we’re going to kick their asses out of the country.”

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Conservative faction on BOCS attempts to take away discussion

MoonHowler

house

 

 

 

 

 

One of our contributors, Wombat, breaks through all the BS and tells us what  REALLY happened Friday night at the emergency BOCS meeting to set an advertised tax rate:

“News Flash! All those years – including this one – of these big showdowns and death by powerpoint arguments over what tax rate to advertise have been completely unnecessary! The staff can advertise the rate as an administrative item, just like they do in neighboring counties. So they will advertise the 3.88%. That’s what goes in the paper. Now everyone can actually look at the budget and figure out what should stay, what should go, and what the actual rate will end up at. But not before we had to go through two incredibly painful and embarrassing meetings. The county needs to add money to the budget to pay for all the PTSD counseling we need after that.”

A huge thanks to Wombat for setting the record straight.  How long were we going to be kept in the dark over this process?  How long were we going to be subjected to the antics of the BOCS–with 4 of them trying to get their conservative cred on?  (all at the expense of the county residents, I might add.)

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Oh Corey! Leave it alone!

MoonHowler

 

buses
Prince William schools closed for the rest of the week  
This announcement apparently didn’t suit the political ambitions of the chairman.

wmal.com:

Stewart told NewsChannel 8 Thursday that it was “ridiculous” that children still had not returned to class after a week-long closure.

VDOT did a good job of clearing roads, Stewart said, and that every road in the district had been hit by a plow at least once by Monday.

He blames “helicopter parents” and risk-adverse school systems for the lengthy closures, adding that schools systems tend to copy one another with school closures because they don’t want to be culpable if something bad happens.

“It’s gotten to the point where we’re pushing our kids through an entire week of school, and that’s going to, at some point, cut into their summer time recess,” said Stewart.

“So I’m a bit concerned about the school system.”

Stewart also noted the inconvenience that the extended closing had on parents in the area.

“Most parents got Monday off, and a lot of us got Tuesday off as well,” said Stewart. “Most people were back to work Wednesday, Thursday, and then tomorrow, and their kids are going to be off of school. So this presents a major inconvenience for many people.”

Steven L. Watts, the Superintendent of Prince Williams County Schools, could not be reached for comment, as the offices were closed for the day.

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Water line to nowhere

MoonHowler

A water line to nowhere.  What a great line and one which  pretty much describes the $1.5 million dollar expense to construct a water line from somewhere to Long Park.  The annual operation costs are estimated to be $166,000.

There must be something I am missing.  The county says the water to the fields tests negative for nasty microbes.  The little library is closing in the fall.  The county also reports that digging another well is a far cheaper expenditure and that it will solve the problem.  So why is a water line going in?

Where is the money coming from?  If I heard correctly, it is coming from Gainesville proffers?  What about all the other parks?  Is their fair share being siphoned off?  How about Silver Lake?  It’s still crappy.  You sure can’t get potable water there.

Ben Lomond soccer fields also do not have water.  Splash Down might, since it is an aquatic center but the soccer fields do not have fountains.  Parents and kids bring their own.  It’s been that way for years.  Apparently toting your own water to not good enough for those using Long Park athletic fields.  Big Government should be providing “the chosen” with water.  Deer Park just isn’t good enough.

Dig a new well for the sports fields.  Give the little library bottled water until the new library opens up in a different location.  Hmmmm….did I say new library?  Gainesville Magisterial District now will have 3 libraries.

So how does the proffer money work?  Do individual supervisors get to keep the money within the district and spend it on their pet projects?   Aren’t proffers legally attached to specific rezonings?   How can you take park money  specifically proffered to the Braemar development rezoning dedicating to creating Catharpin Park and give it to Long Park?   Some proffer money is general.  Isn’t the money supposed to be shared among all parks and open space?

These are some of the questions PWC residents need to be asking.  It sounds like they are being fleeced and they are getting a water line to no where.

Al Alborn hits a homerun out of the ball park

MoonHowler

sad elephant

Today’s MUST READ is from fellow blogger, Al Alborn, entitled “Supervisor Candland, you are no Corey Stewart.”  In his opinion piece, Alborn  explains the growth of Chairman Corey Stewart as a seasoned, political conservative who, despite some ideological bumps in the road, has landed on his feet and has guided the county through rough times politically and financially.  Alborn points out that Stewart is likeable and listens to everyone regardless of district.  Al is right.  Corey has become the face of Prince William County.

So why did Alborn attempt to compare and contrast Candland, a 1 term (thus far) supervisor from the Gainesville District to a 2 term chairman?  Why not.  Candland has made saber-rattling chairman noises since he first came into office, either directly or through his anonymous support blog that mysteriously sprung to life shortly after Pete was inaugurated.

The central theme of Alborn’s piece is that Candland is only 1 of 7–he represents only one District, the elite well-heeled Gainesville District, yet he expects the rest of the county to conform to Pete’s “my way or the highway” modus operandi.

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Greg Reynolds gets it right!

MoonHowler

Greg Reynolds called out Pete Candland and Jeanine Lawson over their budget machanations. How many more times are they going to waste valuable staff time by “tweaking” the budget?

The majority of people in PWC approve of the 3.88% budget. Pete and Jeanine, give it up. Listen to Greg. He has been around a long time and is a very wise man.

The BOCS needs to pass the 3.88% budget without further ado.

Where were the thundering hordes?

MoonHowler

As I watched speaker after speaker go to the podium in the Supervisors chambers last night, requesting that the BOCS advertise a tax rate high enough to support the 5 year plan, I questioned my own sanity.  Where were the thundering hordes of people I had heard about?  You know, those people who wanted the tax rate frozen at some ridiculously low figure that would pretty much halt most progress in Prince William County.

Our house-mate suggested that I must have been listening to talking hand  sock puppets–that old propaganda trick of making people think that there were a lot more people out there than really exist.  Sometime after 9 pm, a lone man got up and asked for a 1.3% rise in taxes.  Actually, I think he thought that was even too much.  He was also plenty irate about the budget sheet that got sent home with each school kid.  I wonder if he got irate last year and the year before that?

Sending materials home with students is the main way the school system communicates between school and home.  It always has been.  Just because we live in an age of technology doesn’t mean that all parents have computers.  Even in households with computers, often the computers were bought for the kids to help them with their studies (forget enhancing their social life).  I don’t think some of our middle and upper middle class residents understand that everyone isn’t just like them.

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Lawson and Candland: F in diplomacy

MoonHowler

Insidenova.com:

A weekend meeting between the Prince William Board of Supervisors and school board to discuss budget challenges devolved into bickering over a flier about the school division’s “current budget challenge,” sent home with students last week.

The meeting, held Saturday at the Buckhall Volunteer Fire Station in Manassas, was called ahead of Tuesday’s supervisors’ meeting, when the board will vote to advertise a tax rate for fiscal year 2016, which begins July 1.

By law, once supervisors approve an advertised tax rate, they can vote to reduce the rate but cannot raise it.

The vote is important for Prince William County’s 95 public schools, which receive about 45 percent of their funding from local real-estate taxes.

Under controversial “budget guidance,” approved by supervisors in December, local tax bills would rise 1.3 percent next year – or the inflation rate as defined by the Consumer Price Index. The move would mean an $11 million reduction in expected revenue to the school division for the 2015-16 school year.

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Budget work session part 2: untelevised at Buckhall Fire Department

MoonHowler

buckhall

The next budget work session will be this coming Saturday at the Buckhall Fire Department on Yates Ford Road.  It will probably be a  lot more comfortable and a lot more homelike for the supervisors and staff.  I am not so sure it will reach more people.  In fact, I am betting it reaches fewer.

The session cannot be broadcast.  The only possible broadcast must be from the board chambers.  The meeting cannot be changed back to the chambers because it has already been advertised for the Buckhall Fire Department.

I felt the session last Saturday was very informative.  Even though the session ended early because of the horrible weather, I felt like I was coming away with a lot better knowledge of how the county worked.  I am so sorry the decision was made to hold part 2 in another location.

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