Prince William County has no abortion clinics. There is one that has been in the City of Manassas for over 20 years. There are several in Fairfax County. For some reason the Prince William County Board of Supervisors feels it necessary to pass a resolution directing Governor McDonnell to make it more difficult for abortion clinic providers to be able to practice. What a cowardly way, once again, to interfere with a woman’s most personal choice. Over and over again, Roe vs Wade has been reaffirmed. This is simply a back door tactic to prevent clinics that provide abortions to be able to provide services.
The Genesis of Silver Lake County Park
During this June 2006 Supervisors meeting Stirrup appears determined to force through this rezoning application over the objections of his constituents but also over the concerns of his fellow Supervisors. Thankfully Supervisors from other parts of the County delayed the process by several weeks. It was during this interim period that the County(c/o Chairman Connaughton) was able to obtain millions more in proffers. The land value alone of the 120 acres was $3.6 million; additional proffers that further extended road construction on Route 15 from 66 to 234 were also enhanced.
Tom Tancredo’s Aide Charged with Hate Crime
From “The Rachel Maddow Show,” June 2, 2009.
Marcus Epstein, an aid to former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, has been charged with a hate crime for hitting a woman in the head and calling her a nigger. Yes, that Tom Tancredo – the one who has accused Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a being a racist, and who remains a leader of the nativist movement in this country.And Bay Buchanan believes this is “old news”! Mind you, Gainesville Supervisor John Stirrup subscribes to the same idealogy as Pat & Bay Buchanan with their anti-immigrant, “post-American” beliefs. Frightening.
Fewer Illegals, More Crime
In 2007, Prince William County Supervisors passed the “Immigration Resolution” which stated in part that “illegal immigration has been determined to cause economic hardship and lawlessness.” Has our outcome supported the assertion that ‘more illegals cause more crime and worse economic conditions’ with the converse being ‘less illegals therefore less crime and a better economy’?
According to the Prince William County Crime Report for 2008, crime now, one year after the resolution’s passage crime is slightly increased. This effectively ends our 5 year decreasing crime rate trend which obviously must have existed during our “influx of illegals.”
In financial terms, can we state that our economic hardships have lessened since the introduction of the resolution? Prince William County now leads the state and ranks top in the nation in foreclosures, and our home values have dropped 32%. The neighborhood issues that existed prior to the passage of the resolution are resurfacing as foreclosed homes bought by real estate investors are turned into rental properties. And our County budget is facing deep cuts this year with an equally dismal prospect for next.
Many predicted dire consequences but Supervisors refused to heed their warnings. Probably nobody said it better than Oklahoma Republican State Representative Shane Jett, who opposed similar legislation in his state, when he stated:
“[the passage of these types of legislations] will be the single most destructive economic disaster since the Dust Bowl,”
Now with almost one full year of crime figures, foreclosure numbers, home values, and tax revenue numbers compiled can we definitively state that the assertions in the resolution were completely unfounded? Strictly speaking, we had lower crime rates and a better economy when the ‘illegals’ were here. Will the status quo remain, as Stewart continues to assert that the resolution is working well?
Obviously this issue has been the single most divisive issue to happen here. Will Supervisors heed Dr. Fuller’s advice, and change course? Or, are they content with allowing Chairman Stewart to continue down this path hoping that voters will only hold him responsible?
PWCA: Silver Lake – Opportunity Lost
This is a real disappointment. Back in April we hoped that the Prince William Park Authority and Bull Run Mountain Conservancy could reach an amicable agreement with respect to the Silver Lake parcel, apparently those discussions have failed.
The following is an email from the Prince William Conservation Alliance:
Silver Lake: Opportunities Lost
October 21 2008 — The Bull Run Mountain Conservancy (BRMC) today announced the withdrawal of their proposal to partner with Prince William County to open Silver Lake as a park for public use.
That means:
* County taxpayers will now pay all costs to develop and maintain the 233-acre Silver Lake – $1.6 million + $215,000 each year, according to the Prince William County Park Authority (PWCPA) plans;
* An additional 270 acres next to Silver Lake will NOT be opened to horse trails, hiking, and other public uses (BRMC had a commitment from an adjacent landowner to make an additional 270 acres available for public recreational use).
The Silver Lake property was donated (as a “proffer” for County approval of 420 additional houses in Dominion Valley) to Prince William citizens, through the Board of Supervisors, to provide much needed land for public recreation and open space.
The County has kept Silver Lake closed while debating who should manage it. The core issue was land ownership, with some insisting that PWCPA ownership of the entire site was non-negotiable.
The BRMC proposal required transfer – with deed restrictions that pre-determined recreational uses, guaranteed public access and prohibited any resale or transfer – of the land they would manage in order to raise the matching funds required by their $500,000 grant for Silver Lake.
Non-profit organizations like BRMC are unable to attract donations for building a visitor center or other improvements on property that is owned by a government agency. Transferring County land to non-profits is not a new concept. For example, Prince William County donated 135 acres for the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
In the most recent negotiations, the PWCPA would have received the southern portion of the property, including Silver Lake itself. The northern portion would have been transferred to BRMC, with restrictions that guaranteed public access for recreational use. The northern portion would have reverted back to the Board of Supervisors, should BRMC not honor their commitments.
However, after two years of discussion, Prince William Supervisors appear hopelessly deadlocked and, on September 17, the PWCPA Board adopted a resolution by a 6-2 vote rejecting all compromise proposals at Silver Lake.
By rejecting such a compromise, the County will lose the opportunity to develop a 500-acre park with equestrian and hiking trails. Instead, County taxpayers will have to pay 100% of the cost to open up a 233-acre Silver Lake park.
The PWCPA has been struggling to maintain existing recreation amenities, even before the coming budget cuts. In a worst case scenario, Silver Lake could be locked up tight like Dove’s Landing, with signs saying ” Public Land – Keep Out.”
The 270 acres and $1 million in private funding to develop and operate Silver Lake for public use is now lost. The property that could have been added to Silver Lake won’t be developed into townhouses; it is permanently preserved in an open space easement. However, that private land will stay private, closed to the public.
With only 9 acres of parkland/1,000 residents, Prince William is facing an uphill battle to acquire enough new parkland to meet community needs. By rejecting the BRMC partnership, county officials will not acquire new parkland to meet the standards set in the newly revised Parks & Open Space Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan.
In fact, since that plan was adopted, the county has acquired no property for public parkland…. and now has rejected 270 acres of free land.
The Prince William County Park Authority has promised to open Silver Lake to the public in less than a year, with some areas open within six months – so long as the Board of Supervisors provides additional funding.
Will the County find the additional funding needed to open and operate a park at Silver Lake? Or will we see yet another “Public Land – Keep Out” sign?
We Deserve to Know
Please sign this online petition by clicking here. Your address and email will be not published. You have the option of signing your name without it being publicly displayed. It will get sent to all the supervisors. I know it is intimidating to sign a petition or even write a letter to your supervisor knowing that it may get FOIAed by Help Save Manassas and end up on Greg’s blog. We must all stand together to confront their bullying tactics. We can’t give up our rights to representation out of fear. Once you are done signing, please forward to your neighbors, friends and family in Prince William County. Thank you.
To Chairman Stewart and Supervisors Stirrup, May, Nohe, Caddigan, Jenkins, Principi and Covington:
We, the people of Prince William County, express deep disappointment at your appointment of Robert Duecaster to the county’s Strategic Goals Task Force, Human Resources Committee confirmed on September 16, 2008 with a 5-3 vote.
We commend Supervisors Jenkins, Principi and Caddigan for voting against it.
You have the right to vote however you wish as a supervisor, and we respect that is part of the process. However, it light the of fact that Mr. Duecaster has made anti-Hispanic, xenophobic, and anti-Catholic statements both addressing the Board during Citizens’ Time and writing on blogs,
And, in light of the fact that the appointment was confirmed on the inaugural day of Hispanic Heritage Month, we ask you for the following,
1. Please make a statement as individuals, not as the Board, explaining why you voted the way you did. Tell us how you feel about Mr. Duecaster’s anti-Hispanic, xenophobic and anti-Catholic comments. For example:
This really is not about immigration, it’s not about legality or illegality, it’s not about economics, I’m going to tell right what it’s about; it’s about and invasion of this country. This country is being invaded no less than if hordes of armed people came across its borders. This invasion is not armed, but they’ve got weapons. The weapons that they use are their anchor babies…This invasion is being funded by foreign governments…We’re going to repel this invasion, one way or another, it will be repelled. You can either be part of the repulsion or you can be part of the other side. (Robert Duecaster during Citizens’ Time, October 16, 2007)
What’s even more ironic is the fact that el Pape will be here bemoaning how some jurisdictions have ‘treated’ the illegals. He’ll disregard the facts that we’ve educated their anchor babies, provided social services, indulged their vulgarities, cleaned up their trash, and provided them with a higher standard of living and more freedoms than their own countries used to give them. He’ll berate us for not embracing them wholeheartedly, for not allowing them access to our universities at the expense of our own children, and for not rewarding them for violating the sanctity of our borders. He’ll be pandering to them to gather members to replace those who left the Church due to the institutionalized approval of his priests’ penchant for little boys’ behinds. (Robert Duecaster comment written as “Advocator” on bvbl.net, April 14, 2008. He admitted to being “Advocator” to the DC Examiner. Click here for the article.)
Please click here and review this collection of his written comments.
Please click here to review a video documenting his statements to the Board or ask Channel 23 to assemble the county’s own video documentation of his statements.
2. To mark the occasion of Prince William County’s declaration of Hispanic Heritage Month, please make a statement, and take meaningful action as an individual citizen and as a District Supervisor to express your appreciation of people of Hispanic heritage in this community.
We recognize that you have not always voted in accordance with your moral beliefs or your best judgment. We ask that you take this occasion to come forward and make a statement based on your personal beliefs instead of obscuring them behind such protocols as courtesy votes and unanimous votes.
You are our elected representatives in government. We need and deserve to hear you express how you really feel and what you believe.
People of Prince William County, Virginia
Help Save Manassas Summer Edition Newsletter
After a 4 month hiatus, a Summer edition of the Help Save Manassas – Frontline newsletter is now available, entitled – Prince William: An Oasis in the Desert. Obviously, the HSM camp suffers from hallucinations where the mantra about the ‘Rule of Law’ Resolution aka the Immigration Resolution abound and where the resolution is both working well but yet not working at all.
Interestingly, some of the regular names including Steve Thomas no longer appear and there’s no mention of his whereabouts. We do learn that both Greg Letiecq and Dan Arnold of the nightmarish – Cultural Chaos fiasco of the March edition have both been ‘re-elected’.
We also learn that after exhausting local businesses, the ‘Do the Right Thing’ pledge has now ‘expanded’ their reach to areas such as Stafford & Spottslyvannia. One needs to ask whether or not local businesses are being deceived into pledging their allegiance to HSM?
The zeros and heroes section seems to be repeated from past editions.
And then there’s the ‘Crime Prevention’ Team which perhaps has replaced the Special Ops group? According to the newsletter the police department believes the Crime Prevention Team is a ‘valuable resource’. Surely if the police felt such a ‘team’ of local citizens was needed they would have requested volunteers. Instead, Letiecq and cohorts have most likely put the police in the undesirable position of having to mediate any incidents that could result by having this antagonist force thrust themselves into this situation.
Wrong Again, Supervisor Stirrup
Wrong Supervisor Stirrup. They didn’t write you in support of Immigration Resolution, they wrote in opposition. Begs the question, does he even read his emails? My personal email has been selectively purged from their list but this just in from some of his other constituents that DON’T SUPPORT THE RESOLUTION!
Thank you for your support for the Rule of Law resolution, which has been very important to me and to the community.
Beginning on Tuesday, July 1, 2008, the Prince William County Police Department began implementing its revised policy regarding illegal immigration enforcement. The policy was amended that police will now inquire into the immigration status of all persons who are under physical custodial arrest for a violation of state or local law. If an immigration violation is believed to exist, police officers will inform the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) concerning that individual. Police officers retain discretion to inquire into immigration status prior to a physical custodial arrest. Police officers will protect crime victims and cooperative witnesses – regardless of their immigration status. Racial profiling is expressly prohibited. Police officers will not detain or arrest individuals based on their national origin, race, religion or creed. During the month of June, all police officers and relevant civilian personnel received training on the new policy and procedures.
More information regarding the Police Department’s immigration enforcement efforts can be found on the web site at: www.pwcgov.org/police.
Due to the numerous emails I have received, my response to you on this issue is general. If I have not answered you according to your need, please email me again at [email protected]
John T. Stirrup
Gainesville District SupervisorPrince William County Government
Sudley North Government Center
7873 Ashton Avenue
Manassas, Virginia 20109Main: 703-792-6195
Fax: 703-792-7664
Website: www.gainesvillesupervisor.com
Stewart Asks to Change Resolution Again!
News Channel 4 reported yesterday that Corey wants to ‘strengthen’ the resolution and would like it done immediately, claiming that he already has the 7 votes required to alter the resolution. Doesn’t the County have any other business to address? Stewart & Stirrup just voted to strengthen the resolution and now they need to strengthen it again? This is one of the oddest displays of public governence that I have ever witnessed. This smells of desperation on their part and it will be interesting to see what happens.
Update: Looks like we should show up again for the 2:00pm session. If you can’t make it please consider sending an email to the following Supervisors:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Marty Nohe, Wally Covington, Maureen Caddigan, John Jenkins, Mike May, Frank Principi
Update #2: Corey made a statement at the beginning of the meeting saying the resolution would not be voted upon today. So, that’s that. I don’t think it’s necessary to plan on speaking to the issue this evening. I will keep you informed.
PWCBOS 05/20/08 Meeting
The Board will have both a 2:oopm & 7:30pm session tomorrow. Tomorrow’s agenda has the regular hodge podge of quick take, rezoning, special use permits, public hearings, budget amendments etc…
However, the rumor mill has it that the dead horse will be beat again. Apparently, Corey and John want to continue the “probable cause” portion of the “Immigration Resolution”, so stay tuned. We should have more information after the 2:00pm session, so check back to see if you should plan to speak at the 7:30pm meeting.
Here’s the agenda for the meeting.
Immigration Resolution Review
There’s been recent discussion about the initial resolution and what it said or didn’t say. So, I thought it would be a good idea to review. Again, this is the initial resolution submitted by John Stirup of the Gainesville District in the Sping of 2007. If had some interesting aspects including allowing citizens to sue the County government for non-enforcement. I always thought this was one of the oddest things ever seen. Who actively encourages people to sue them?
WHEREAS, the Virginia State Code, Section 15-2-1700, states that any locality may provide for the protection of its inhabitants and property and for the preservation of peace and good order therein;
WHEREAS, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors has determined that illegal immigration is causing economic hardship and lawlessness in this County and that illegal immigration may be encouraged by public agencies within the county by failing to verify immigration status as a condition of providing public services.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors does hereby amend the Prince William County Code as follows:
A. All officials, agencies, and personnel of the County shall fully comply with and, to the full extent permitted by law, support the enforcement of federal law prohibiting the entry into, presence or residence in the United States of aliens in violation of federal immigration law.
B. County Police Officers shall inquire into the citizenship or immigration status of any person detained for a violation of a state law or municipal ordinance, regardless of the person’s national origin, ethnicity, or race where such inquiry does not expand the duration of the detention. In all such cases where a person indicates that he or she is not a citizen or national of the United States, the Police Department shall verify whether of not the person is lawfully present in the United States, pursuant to United States Code Title 8, subsection 1373( c ). If the person is verified to be unlawfully present in the United States, the Police Department shall cooperate with any request by federal immigration authorities to detain the alien or transfer the alien to the custody of the federal government.
C. Pursuant to United States Code Title 8, sections 1373 and 1644, no official, personnel or agent of the County, including officers and personnel of the Police Department, may be prohibited or in any way restricted from sending, receiving, or maintaining, information regarding the immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual, or exchanging such information with any other federal, state or local government entity for the following official purposes:
1. Determination of eligibility for any federal, state or local public benefit, service or license which is restricted, in whole or in part, to persons who are not United States Citizens or non-qualified aliens, pursuant to Virginia Code Ann. 32.1-325.03; Virginia Code Ann. 63.2 – 503.1; and United States Code Title 8, Section 1621;
2. Verification of any claim of legal domicile within the County by a person who asserts that he or she is not a citizen, national or legal resident alien of the United States; where legal domicile is required by law or contract;
D. The Police Department of the County shall as quickly as practicable enter into a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Homeland Security, pursuant to United States Code Title 8, subsection 1357 (g), to designate specific County law enforcement officers qualified to exercise the enforcement powers of federal immigration officers in the United States; and to establish a protocol for the expedited transfer of verified illegal aliens into federal custody. The Police Department may negotiate the cooperative agreement or participate in its implementation in partnership with other state or local law enforcement agencies.
E. The provisions of this section shall allow for a private right of action by any natural or legal person lawfully domiciled in this County to file for a writ of mandamus to compel any non-cooperating agency to comply with such reporting laws.
