BOCS meeting: A post mortem

MoonHowler
The PWC Rogues Gallery

Yesterday’s board meeting definitely ended up being a “Sh**-Storm.”  There really is no other way to put it.  To date, the open thread is  the location where it has already been discussed.

I noticed my usual crew was not here.  I know why.  We don’t allow county employees to be beaten up here.  That rule will continue.  They cannot fight back.  However, that does not mean we cannot discuss events that involve them.  There is  a difference in beating someone up and discussing an event.  Politicians are fair game, up to a point.  Politicians  can fight back as we have seen.   I more or less use fact as a standard.

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Not a tea party county: don’t go on the cheap

MoonHowler
CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!!!

Tuesday brings another board of county supervisors meeting and more red meat for the blogosphere.   The red meat lately has come from the supervisors budget time.

Remember last spring when Corey Stewart pretty much told us that if we were going to attract business we were going to have to have services that people wanted?  He actually mouthed the words that taxes might go up.  All that has been forsaken it appears and he is now back to Tea Party Mentality.

The problem with Tea Party Mentality is that Prince William County isn’t a poor county.  We are the 9th richest county in the nation and have the second largest school system in the state.  Our school system is suffering.  Teachers aren’t getting raises and the per pupil classroom ratio is the highest in the state.  There are rumblings now to “adjust” the amount of money given to the schools.  Currently the school system receives 56.75% of the revenue.  I certainly don’t think anyone intends to give the schools any more money.  That would be a first.  There are also rumblings about the BOCS having more input into the School Board budget.  I do not believe this is legal. If it is, it shouldn’t be.  Why have a school board then?

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What is Conflict of Interest? Let’s have a lesson, shall we!

Elena
Are some people in PWC purposefully obtuse?  One can volunteer for ANY organization they want, however, one cannot then direct taxpayer money, in large sums, to their personal non profit.  It’s called special interest for a reason!
 I am shocked at the level of purposeful denial regarding a very basic principal of what constitutes political financial favoritism.  Having friends with family members connected to the pot of tax payer cash IS what constitutes favoritism and special interest.  THAT relationship is what CREATES the conflict of interest.
 FYI, not such a smart idea to high five each other on Facebook.  It appears EXACLTY as though there is special interest being favored due to “friend” status, one even might say, a conflict of interest.
 As more partnerships are formed with government, PWC should get ahead of the curve and establish clear guidelines.  We all have our issues that we feel are paramount for the good of the community.
I am a firm believer in volunteering for your community, I have volunteered my entire adult life.  However, having a direct connection to the county coffers, creates the impression of  preferential  treatment, how can it not.  To suggest that the wives of politicians should not be singled out is simply not realistic.  What would happen if Mrs. Obama served on the Board of Planned Parenthood, imagine the uproar that would ensue!

Post-Mortum of the BOCS Meeting

MoonHowler

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]

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BOCS: I don’t want my money back

MoonHowler

 **UPDATE**  The Sheriff indicates there will probably not be a vote on conflict of interest.  I guess its ok to ignore the people.  More indelible horse manure will stick to more boots. 

**UPDATE 2**  Sheriff thinks there will be a second but it will get voted down. 

Click to here to get to the agenda

Today is the much awaited BOCS meeting where carry over funds are decided and where Pete Candland’s Conflict of Interest Resolution is supposed to be codified.  County attorney Horan, many think at the direction of Chairman Corey Stewart, has advised that his Resolution would violate the law.  Many citizens are crying FOUL over this suggestion.

Conflict of interest discussions have dominated the county landscape ever since Supervisor Wally Covington  attempted to slide $100k to Rainbow riding where his wife served in a leadership capacity until very recently.  Even though Covington pulled back his request after the blogosphere went wild over his audacity, it was like he had stepped in indelible horse manure and he simply has not been able to get it off his boots.  The horsey stuff has also wafted over to the other supervisors and it has been behind most of the discussion about conflict of interest.

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The Pragmatic and the Tone-Deaf: What’s become of the War Museum?

MoonHowler

Guest Post:  The Derecho

de·re·cho/dāˈrāCHō/

Noun:
A line of intense, widespread, and fast-moving windstorms and sometimes thunderstorms that moves across a great distance

 

Disclaimer: All guest posts are the opinion of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views of moonhowlings.net administration.

M-H

 

Two articles published in the morning papers demonstrate the stark differences between the pragmatic and the tone-deaf, the realistic and the desperate.

The Prince William Extra of the WAPO carries an article by Jeremy Borden that details the reason nobody can find funding for the Americans in Wartime Museum.  Allan Cors, unlike county staff and the BOCS, demonstrates that he and the museum’s leaders recognize the current political climate and increased scrutiny of the County budget.  They have decided not to ask for an additional $1 million from Prince William because of the ongoing controversy surrounding allocations to nonprofit groups.  Regardless one’s position regarding the museum and non-profit allocations, one must give credit to Mr. Cors and the museum’s directors for recognizing current circumstances and withdrawing their funding request.

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Why Rainbow Riding Should Not Receive Over $200 Grand of Tax Payer Money

Elena

UPDATE:

(Paraphrased from the Sheriff)  The you-know-what is hitting the fan.  A confidential memo has been leaked from Angela Horan.  Athough the Resolution is on the Agenda, the County Attorney will advise that the current Resolution cannot be approved.  Apparently, having a conflict of interest makes it too difficult for Supervisors to perform their duties? Well, DUH!  That’s why we call it a conflict of interest.  Head on over to Nottingham (with an N not an F, Corey) and get the gory details.

*********************************************************************************************************************

Apparently, Rainbow Riding is “set” to receive 211,000 dollars of carryover money, ie. taxpayer dollars this coming Tuesday.

The county board has already committed to spending $2.3 million on specific projects which were dropped from the budget in April. Peacor specifically mentioned the Rainbow Riding Center, a therapeutic horse-riding program on county-owned land in Silver Lake. It is set to receive $178,000 to pave its parking lot and other improvements, on top of $33,000 it received in April.

Rainbow Riding attracted attention because its former leader is married to Supervisor Wally Covington [who tried to give it $100,000 from his office account in November] and some felt it hadn’t gone through the same budget review as others. Peacor disagreed with that, saying it was fully examined by the board, and provided a service more cheaply than the government could.

Allow me to recap, to date, the tax payer investment of a very small non profit that serves a hundred  people or so.

First, Rainbow Riding,  at no cost, leases 45 acres, valued at approx 976, 000 thousand dollars annually.  Due to this lease,  Rainbow Riding was able to sell their own land, subsequently putting several hundred thousand dollars in the “bank”.

We also know, from their most recent 990, Rainbow Riding has over $800 THOUSAND in cash.

For the past two years, they have recieved approximately 33,000 dollars through the annual budget.

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County Fuster Clucks

MoonHowler
The Hammer of Stewart

The natives seem to be restless down at McCoart Building if one holds one’s ear to the ground and reads the blogs.

Although it does not seem like much is going on in Prince William County, actually, a great deal is happening, mostly behind the scenes.  Maybe what isn’t happening is even more telling.

The Sheriff apparently has a bounty on his head (and other parts) and has had what is more politely described as a change of venue in the eyes of the county chair….at least according to the Sheriff of …Not-tingham.   He has accused the chairman of having one outrageous temper tantrum over his mere existence.

Meanwhile, a little birdie has dropped a little roll of paper on my front porch telling of another temper tantrum directed at a rather high ranking employee.  Does anyone have confirmation of such a thing happening?  It was done in the public arena or semi-public.  How many tantrums can one person have?  I want a front row seat for this Tuesday’s BOCS meeting.

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Peeking in to Sherwood Forest

MoonHowler

Last week I stipulated that we weren’t going to be hanging out on Sherwood Forest, mainly because I was uncomfortable with some unverified accusations.  I know of too many disgruntled employees out there who want to take a shot here, there and everywhere at supervisors and the upper ranking management.  That is not to say that I can’t read and file away information, however.

The Sheriff seems right on about Rainbow Riding.  He says it is a fine charity but that we shouldn’t have to pay for it. He also alludes to a little too much family being involved.  I can handle that and I agree.  I have done much of this research myself so I am not uncomfortable with much of his findings.  Most of it is a matter of public record.  The taxpayers of Prince William County should not be footing the bill for Rainbow Riding.  Period.  The services are a luxury, not a necessity.  Wounded Warriors have other resources.  Perhaps military funds could help out there rather than the taxpayers.

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That Rascally Sheriff (of Nottingham)

MoonHowler

The new kid in town, the Sheriff of Nottingham, is no longer such a newbie.  He seems well entrenched.  I find myself getting up each morning to see what he has in store for us.  Yes.  He is entertaining and I think he is probably what every local government needs.

The board of county supervisors is a body very used to scratching the backs of each other.  They will stab but when it comes to deal cutting, you can pretty much count on cooperation…to a fault.  Then there are the pay backs.  This one and that one will contribute to campaigns.  Corey always has something going so he is probably  has the most expertise at this shell game.

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Time for a Vote of No Confidence from the PWC Taxpayers?

MoonHowler

It is very tempting to call for a vote of NO Confidence  directed at the BOCS from the taxpayers  for allowing last week’s debacle to continue regarding the amendments attached to  Pete Candland’s resolution.  However, No Confidence votes seem a bit melodramatic and are pretty meaningless.

I would hope that those amendments were repealed or rescinded today before the minutes are approved.  Let’s see if the Board of County Supervisors has the integrity to do so or if they are just going to allow Jenkins and Stewart to jerk them around.

What a bogus bunch of crap Angela Horan handed down.  Surely you all don’t believe those “amendments” were germane?

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The Discretionary Funds Aftermath

MoonHowler

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.

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Ding Dong! Discretionary funds are dead

MoonHowler

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.

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Captain Flip Flop, this is your life Corey Stewart!

MoonHowler

Jeremy Borden  of the Washington Post traced the wind blown political career of Supervisor Corey Stewart over the past 9 years, on the eve of his announcement to run for Virginia Lt. Governor.  In his article entitled, Stewart’s changing stance on development in Prince William, Borden shows a candidate who goes where he thinks he will get to votes.  Stewart certainly showed his stripes today as he planned to  announce his candidacy from Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge.  According to Borden, at the Washington Post:

Stonebridge, Stewart says, is emblematic of a new way forward for economic development in Prince William, an issue that was the focus of his reelection campaign last year.

Stewart started out as a politician with a strong desire to stop sprawl and to protect the environment.  He had many folks, both Democrat and Republican on his side for that reason.  This flip flop has caused many of his former supporters to become disenchanted with his political career.

But some former supporters say Stewart has lost his way on development issues.

No longer, critics say, is he seen as someone who would force developers to pay their fair share and help temper the feverish pace of home construction that has overwhelmed roads and schools.

“His campaign account shows he is now beholden to the development community,” said Jeanine Lawson, a former Stewart campaign volunteer. “It’s a disappointment because I thought he was principled on the issue.”

The project’s developers, District-based Roadside Development, contributed $10,000 to Stewart’s campaign account in the past couple of years, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, or VPAP, which tracks money in politics.

In recent years, Stewart has greatly increased his totals from real estate and construction interests, according to VPAP. From that sector, Stewart raised $308,782 in 2010 and 2011, compared with $134,901 from 2003 through 2009.

Back in the old days, Stewart  prided himself on not taking developer money.  That was then and this is now.  The most cursory glance at VPAP tells the story.  Cory Stewart is running on developer money.  He even says:

“Some of that comes with the maturity of being in office and having to govern,” he said of his shift on development issues. “When you become chairman, you get a broader perspective. You understand . . . ‘We cannot provide for increased prosperity and increased job growth without promoting and helping businesses to grow.’ ”

Stewart says that in a free market, developers have a lot of latitude: “The only way is to work with [developers] and cut deals with them.” [emphasis mine]

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Wartime Museum? Is it just another shell game or do they want a million bucks?

Angelina_Apr

Kipp Hanley of the News and Messenger did a great job explaining the recent developments of the proposed Wartime Museum that some day will be over in Dale City.  So far, the County dealings with this endeavor have been shrouded in the haze of politics.  Kipp held up the torch and uncovered a few things.  For starters, and most importantly, the museum wants $200k from us, the taxpayers, for the next 5 years.  Secondly, the CEO hired to oversee all the fund-raising etc. is no longer at the helm  the organization.  However, it does appear that he still sits on the board.  Thirdly, and this becomes a question, why is the director of operations, the same person who is in charge of doling out the arts money in Prince William County?

 

 

Hanley’s article, Wartime Museum gets financial reinforcements, managed to unearth all sorts of information most of us had questions about but couldn’t find the answers to.

Taxpayers were once again bamboozled by the a “land deal.”  Apparently the Hyltons donated the land in exchange for a zoning swap deal.  NO plans have surfaced yet for that parcel of land.  Why was the county even involved?   If the Hyltons want to donate land, have at it.  They shouldn’t get anything in exchange for their generosity from the county.

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