Moonhowlings

Imagine how desperate developers must be to craft a bill that targets one little ole Planning Commissioner, Kim Hosen. Kim is the executive of the Prince William Conservation Alliance.

I will freely divulge that I am a friend of Kim’s and she is one of the most honest, selfless, decent human beings I have the privilege of knowing. She  has a policy of fairness for all, developer and citizen alike. As a planning commissioner she simply expects that everyone will follow the rules that are intended to be applied to development practices, and for that, she is clearly feared by the development community.

Corey Stewart appointed Austin Hayes who is a partner in Christopher Realty. Apparently for one of his very first cases before the Planning Commission he recused himself. So a Developer is perfectly fine as a Planning Commissioner but someone who has no direct monetary gain is NOT!

Citizens should be furious, I know I am. Kim has nothing to gain but ensuring that PWC citizens have access to clean water and air, she works hard to prevent PWC taxpayers from footing the bill for bad development proposals.

She is only one voice and yet, her voice must be very powerful to have scared so many.

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Critical update!  Susan G Komen clarifies policy to exlude organization found guilty of criminal offense to be exluded from funding.   They will now continue funding critical services to at risk women through Planned Parenthood.  I hope they can recover from the media damage they inflicted upon themselves.

I take this story very personally. My mother is a breast cancer survivor, both my grandmothers died from breast cancer. I am at high risk for carrying a specific breast cancer gene. I use to be a huge supporter of the Susan G. Kohmen Foundation. That support  has ended as of today. Apparently their leadership has made a choice to cut off the most at risk women who require low cost health care from their funding.

Furor Erupts Over Susan G. Komen Halt Of Grants To Planned Parenthood

The reaction has been intense this evening to the news from The Associated Press that “the nation’s leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates.”

Much of it is highly critical of the charity, such as this message from Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.:

“Komen’s decision hurts women — it puts politics before women’s health. @komenforthecure should be ashamed.”

Or this tweet from political satirist and Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead:

“I am crying in a cab at this Komen decision. Tomorrow we will rally. Who is in this fight with me! You can no longer sit idly by.”

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I was thinking, what would be the the best way to celebrate MLK and the civil rights struggle, and I found this old footage from the Oprah Show.  A nice young Jewish boy decides he wants to LIVE the black experience.  He read a book in high school “Black Like Me” and was ultimately inspired to experience what it means to be “black” in America.  This story is from 1995, I wonder, does anyone believe his experiment would have a different outcome in 2012?

I admire his bravery, both emotionally and physcially, to take this personal challenge of racial honesty.  Josh’s plan was to be “black” for 28 days, he lasted 7 days.   He felt like after 7 days, his personal journey was complete.  He now understood what his black friends had been telling him for so many years, it was a white world.  As a white male he had never been treated the way he was treated as a black man.

The real kicker is when two black men “turn” white, it was a different reaction when they asked directions and tried to get into office buildings.  There was a sense of “white” priveledges that seems to be afforded based soley on skin color.

Is our world different today?

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Race-on-The-Oprah-Show-A-25-Year-Look-Back/5

Peter Candland has now demonstrated his willingness to vote against measured development or whatever term he used while running for the seat that John Stirrup vacated.  I can’t tell you for sure how John would have voted, but I imagine, given his land use record in the two terms he served, he probably would have voted against Oaks III in the Occoquan District.

Supervisor Mike May gave a multitude of credible reasons why this rezoning should not move forward. The Mayor of Occoquan, Ernie Porta, also eloquently wrote about why this rezoning was bad government planning, and yet, although it shocked no one, Corey, Wally, Maureen, John J, and Peter Candland voted in favor of the Developer.

I wonder what the reaction will be of the Supervisors, who continually vote for bad development, when the EPA starts breathing down thenecks of the  BOCS about why this County is not compliant with the Chesapeake Bay clean up efforts.

More importantly though, this is a prime example of how citizens once again,  are completely ignored, for the benefit of the developer and campaign coffers.  The Major and the residents, many of whom fear their businesses will be adversely impacted,  ALL expressed valid quality of  life concerns relating to this rezoning, which include flooding and others on serious traffic impacts.  The “locals”  were ALL ignored and their concerns not addressed by the five Supervisors who voted for the Developer instead of the citizens who would be most impacted.  Shame on the BOCS.

I hope citizens are paying attention because at some point we will have to pony up our tax dollars to pay the non compliance fines levied by the EPA.  Maybe Corey figures by then he will have moved into the Governors mansion! As for Peter Candland, now he knows why he is NO Martha Hendley. I imagine he probably had little understanding of what was being discussed anyway.

Kudos to Mike May, Frank Principi, and Marty Nohe for making a stand against poor development practices. In the end though, the poor town of Occoquan will be the ones to directly “pay” for this debacle.

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So my goal today was to work on an article for the blog about a land use application happening in the Occoquan District. The Mayor,Ernie Porta, has written an extensive op-ed on the proposed development on Tanyard Hill Road. One of the major issues with this rezoning is that serious negative impacts of storm water run off to the town of Occoquan.

Although I have the article in PDF format, my understanding was that Mayor Porta had been published in the Journal Messenger. So, I go to search the newspaper, and what jewel do I find front page you might ask? An article titled “Cleaning the Chesapeake Bay Watershed“.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. –

Prince William County is preparing to play its part in the cleanup of the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The problem is, officials don’t know exactly
how to prepare due to a lack of guidance from the federal and state governments,
Prince William Watershed Management branch chief Marc Aveni said.

Really, PWC doesn’t know how to prepare?  How about starting with implementing proper development guidelines!  This impending rezoning in Occoquan is a fabulous opportunity to take charge and stop burying your “head” in the sand.  One way or another this county has to make a real effort to become compliant or ALL citizens will be covering the fines levied on PWC by the EPA.

The county is still factor­ing how much of the cost of stormwater management
will fall on the backs of its residents or businesses, Aveni said. Right now,
single-family homeown­ers pay $26.36 a year in fees through their monthly
mortgage bill, while residents of townhouses, condominiums and apart­ments pay
$19.78 a year. Businesses pay $12.80 per 1,000 square feet of impervious
area.

Here is a portion of the article written by Mayor Porta of Occoquan. I hope the BOCS heeds his warning and sets the example that PWC taxpayers will no longer be responsible for funding the substandard development practices that have previously been allowed to unfold.

PWC can no longer run from its watershed responsibilities, it simply costs too much and the long term consequences are too critical. We all need safe drinking water, it isn’t a choice.

OAKS III REZONING–BAD FOR PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY

On Tuesday, January 10, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) will vote on a rezoning application that is adamantly opposed by Occoquan Supervisor Mike May, the Town of Occoquan, and representatives from nearby communities. If approved, the rezoning would permit the construction of a 32,500 sq. ft. office building along Tanyard Hill Road, which we are convinced will significantly and negatively impact both storm water and traffic flows into and around Occoquan. But the implications of the rezoning’s approval extend beyond simply the Town of Occoquan and surrounding environs, for approval would also result in the BOCS rewarding the type of developer behavior the county should be actively discouraging, particularly when environmentally-challenging property is involved.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/should-prince-william-board-have-discretionary-funds/2011/12/20/gIQAVb0YCP_blog.html

Tom Jackman from the Washington Post wrote an outstanding article on the uniqueness of our Discretionary funds in PWC compared to all other Northern Virginia Counties.

In Prince William County, the Board of Supervisors has access to a fund that no other Northern Virginia jurisdiction offers its governing body: a “discretionary fund,” which is really just the money left over after the expenses of running the district office are spent.

I believe my favorite quote was from  Jacqueline Byers, research director for the National Association of Counties.

Jacqueline Byers, research director for the National Association of Counties, said the number of counties with discretionary funds has dwindled greatly in recent years, because of “abuse. We did see occasionally a little too much discretion,” and that county officials sometimes traded approval of each other’s pet projects.

“The counties that decided to keep them, decided to put guidelines in that they could use,” Byers said. Jim Campbell, the executive director of the Virginia Association of Counties, said discretionary funds were “not a common practice” in Virginia.

Gee, ya think there is the likelihood for abuse?  That is what Wally seems incapable of admitting, that gving 100 grand of taxpayer money to your wife’s charity wreaks of impropriety.   My belief is that being in elected office should be a disadvantage not an advantage.  Haven’t we all heard of those “contests” where employees friends and family are ineligible for the winnings.  Why is government any different.  Family and friends should be ineligible for direct government donations to avoid even a hint of preferential treatment.

Even Corey admits this concern in the statement he gave the reporter.

Stewart, the current board chairman, said, “I personally don’t do it. I don’t know if I ever felt comfortable, even when I was a district supervisor, giving to charitable organizations from a government account. Even though it’s well-intentioned, it’s been controversial. For me, it’s not worth the controversy.”

Almost 1 million dollars has been collected from Supervisors in the past several years.  Does anyone else have a problem with this cause I sure do.  I hope citizens will continue to put pressure on the Board to change this practice.  Apparently Corey’s dismissive remark about citizen participation demonstrates his flippant attitude towards our concerns regarding fiscal responsibility.

Stewart said the issue of whether the supervisors should have discretionary funds “comes up like clockwork every three to four years. And then it goes away.”

 

Corey, I imagine you are hopeful that this will “go away”.    My hope instead is that he will  take a leadership role and address this backwards way of “doing business” in PWC.

So the truth is out.   Confirmed, via the most recent article in the in an interview with The Washington Post that he plans to introduce a policy next year on the concept of “clustering,”a new approach to managing the county’s rural area.

Allow me to interject some facts here.  There IS a “cluster ordinance” in the comprehensive plan for allowing clustering of homes on large tracts of land.  I will put a copy of the ordinance  up on the rural crescent website and link to it so people can become better informed.   I am hopeful that maybe even Corey and Peter Candland will visit the link in order to educate themselves on the current cluster ordinance.

Lo and behold, Peter Candland is already finding ways to do Corey’s bidding!   I don’t think that Peter has a full understanding of land use or else he would understand why Corey’s proposal is bunk.

“That, I believe, succeeds at nothing,” Stewart said. “I think that we need to look at better ways of preserving very large areas of rural ground as well as promoting more commercial office space and high-end retail. We have to take the emotion out of this debate and give it a cold, hard, objective look.”

Stewart said his argument is that having a hodgepodge of 10-acre lots doesn’t make sense. Better, he said, to have a development on 100 acres, where 30 acres are developed and the other 70 are open space, he said. Stewart said that such a policy would take a long time to develop, and the board would do so “in conjunction with the community.”

Candland said he rejects the commonly used term “slow growth,” saying “managed growth” more adequately describes his philosophy to encourage growth along with adequate infrastructure. But he largely agrees with Stewart’s philosophy of bringing the county more high-end retail and office space, he said, adding that improving the county’s quality of life will drive economic growth.

“Plain and simple,” Candland said, “we need to bring business to Prince William County.”

The level of ignorance astounds me.    I wonder if Corey and Peter are aware that there is plenty of undeveloped land in the “Development Area” that has YET to be rezoned for its allowed long range use.  There is not a lack of opportunity for high end retail and commercial (anyone heard of Innnovation?) in Prince William County.  There is a lack of those high end retailers and Corporations CHOOSING to do business here. 

Busting open the Rural Crescent will only have one sure fire result, higher taxes for everyone.  Gotta love those conservative values.

I wonder if Michael Neibauer from the Washington Business Journal will have a follow up article to citizens of Prince William County affirming his pre and post prediction on Canlands election being the “game change” for development in the western end.

Not that there’s some massive push to build new homes in Prince William County, especially the western end. But when a proposal does come along — and it will — Candland’s victory may give the developer a narrow opening.

David and Goliath?  Sometimes you just have to pick up a stone and throw it right.   Go Ann!

I love irony and hypocrisy!  So, here is a story I haven’t shared in awhile.  Signage can be a nasty business during election time.   I had the “privilege” of over-hearing John Stirrup, in his best holier than thou tone, retell the story of someone putting up Ann Wheeler signs over Peter Candland on his property.  Well, you want to talk about hypocrisy!

Back in 2003, John Stirrup’s first election, I supported Gary Friedman.  I have frontage on Antioch Road in Haymarket, a great place for signs.  I had several Gary Friedman signs placed conspicuously.    It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the entire clan was over enjoying the day.  Lo and behold, some stranger comes down my driveway.  I say “can I help you?” ,  to which he replies “I was on my way to visit your neighbor and saw some people in your property” and I reply “Oh, what were they doing?”.  He then tells me that he saw them putting up John Stirrup signs and noticed them throwing something into my woods.    My husband investigates, and, guess what he finds?  Torn up Gary Friedman signs.  Now, you may be wondering, were these just rascally young campaign workers? 

No, you see, John Stirrup has, or had, a very large white F250 pick up truck with the license plate “Stirrup Cup” (or something very similar).   My husband picked up the torn up signs and removed John’s signs.  John knew me as I had helped to get his name on the republican primary ballot, he had even been to my home.  He knew this was my property. 

Later that day, my husband called, he wanted to allow John an opportunity to explain his behavior and apologize for trespassing.  John refused to come to the phone and had his friend deal with my husband.  Needless to say, we did not speak to John until the Dominion Power line issue arose two years later. 

Life sure can be amusing.

UPDATE:  The article has been posted on www.ruralcrescent.org and can be read there.

PDF format

The election of Peter Candland might very well signify the death knell for the Rural Crescent.  For those who may not believe that Peter Candland could be the nail in the coffin for the Rural Crescent and sane land use for the entire county, think again. This article from the Washington Business Journal leave voters with no illusions.    I am going to urge everyone to put this article up on your facebook page, send it to your e-mail list, send it to friends who may have friends who vote in the Gainesville district. People must get out and vote for Ann Wheeler, not just because she signed the Rural Crescent Pledge, but because, overall, she is the more qualified candidate.

Post this thread on your facebook page, the message must get out that Peter Candland, like Corey, like Wally, is sure to be the next “Developers Candidate”. The Rural Crescent protected this County during the last out of control housing boom, now is the not the time to wonder about its fiscal value for all residents!

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Does everyone remember this statement from Corey, Washington Post Oct 19th?

Stewart said that developers were pleased with the direction the board has taken as a whole in easing permit restrictions, building roads and other key infrastructure and keeping taxes low.

He said that he has never taken donations from developers while they have a project pending before the board.

I’ll bet “developers are pleased with the direction of the board!”  Does Avendale ring any bells?!

Tell me, please, why do people spin the truth when the facts can so clearly create obvious contradictions.  From today’s Inside Nova:

On Oct. 7, Bruni Peters of Fairfax-based RK Realty contributed $10,000 to Stewart – just 11 days before Stewart and the rest of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors unanimously approved a comprehensive land use amendment and a re-zoning of one of Bruni’s future mixed-use properties.

At issue is the Hunter at Haymarket development. Thanks to the board’s vote, a six-acre portion of a 44-acre parcel of land off U.S. 15 was approved for office space. The board also approved a higher density residential zoning for nearly 10 of 15 acres that were originally designated semi-rural residential.

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Has everyone seen this story?  Maybe we can take a moment to stop talking about Kim Kardashian’s failed 72 day marriage!  I am being sarcastic of course, but the news does seems to be overwhelmed by stupidity yesterday and today. 

We can never forget the Oklahoma bombing and remember to be vigilant against home grown terrorism.  Let’s not fight about left or right, but remain committed to the idea that democracy has room for many different forms of ideology, but never, ever, can we allow ourselves to become to so angry that we would reap violence and devastation upon our fellow countrymen/women. 

WASHINGTON — Four Georgia men in their 60s and 70s were arrested Tuesday, accused of being members of a right-wing militia group that plotted to attack federal office buildings and to disperse a deadly biological poison in Atlanta.

Their alleged plot was revealed to the FBI by a confidential informant last spring, and members of the group have been meeting since May with someone they thought was a black-market weapons dealer but who turned out to be an undercover federal agent, according to court documents.

The documents say the men, Frederick Thomas, 73, of Cleveland, Ga.; Dan Roberts, 67, Ray Adams, 65, and Samuel Crump, 68, all of Toccoa, called themselves “the covert group” and began in March to talk about staging attacks against federal targets including the IRS.

“While many are focused on the threat posed by international violent extremists, this case demonstrates that we must also remain vigilant in protecting our country from citizens without our own borders who threaten our safety and security,” said the U.S. attorney in Atlanta, Sally Quillian Yates, in a written statement.

Politician Peter Candland missed work 2/3rds of the time as a member of the Budget Committee.

Peter Candland says his experience on a County Supervisor’s Budget Committee shows how he will work for us as Supervisor. But records show that Peter Candland missed 2/3rds of the meetings during his time on the committee. If Peter Candland can’t be trusted to show up to official meetings, how can we trust him to be there for us as our next Supervisor?

Missed 2/3rds of meetings

Peter Candland missed 13 of the 19 Budget Committee meetings while he was a member. That’s about 2/3rds of the time Peter Candland just didn’t show up.

This is the committee that helps our Supervisor make decisions on important issues like taxes and funding for local roads and schools. Yet Peter Candland failed in his responsibility to show up for these meetings.

Missed 90% of meetings in 2010

Missing committee meetings is a pattern for Peter Candland. In February of 2010, he temporarily removed himself from the committee during a critical period of time. And he missed nine consecutive meetings, attending only 1 of the 10 meetings held last year.

We need leaders who will fight every day for our families. We can’t count on Peter Candland if he doesn’t show up.

Paid for and authorized by Hendley for Supervisor.
Vote NO on Peter Candland.
He’s not ready to be County Supervisor.

When Republicans who attended the debate last night agree that Peter Candland presents as an empty suit, you know you are in trouble.

One of the most memorable moments of the evening, for me, was when the two candidates were discussing bringing new jobs to Prince William County. The broader question became–why AREN’T businesses relocating here?

Peter Candland, talked about how he has the business savvy to bring new economic investment to the County. He touted  his experience serving on a corporate relocation task force, but then failed to  verbalize  why he was unable  to bring these business to Prince William County.  Candland freely admitted  that “quality of life” issues are what will bring high-end retail and corporate investment, but  he lost traction informing his listeners how to upgrade the quality of life issues.  He lacked specifics and upbraided his opponent over stimulus money but failed to reveal how he would finance these issue that both candidates feel are important. 

Ann Wheeler was confident and articulate in her answers during the debate.  Wheeler has a moderate and realistic grasp of the needs of Prince William County. She understands that PWC must invest in those quality of life resources like  schools, libraries,  parks and recreation, walkable communities, superior fire, rescue and police services  and decent roads.  These are the issues that attract quality economic investment. 

While both candidates addressed county concerns directed at the Gainesville District, Ann Wheeler clearly demonstrated substance over ideological talking points.  She backed up her remarks with specific examples whereas Candland spoke in sweeping generalities.  She simply appeared to have her thumb directly on the pulse of the community.

Given the recent debacles of rezonings within the 1 mile radius of the Town of Haymarket, it is crucial that the incoming Supervisor have a positive working relationship with the Mayor and Council Members of Haymarket.

I don’t know why Peter Candland did not show, but certainly, given his past record of being absent from the budget committee, his “no show” only reinforces the concerns that citizens have expressed regarding his dedication to the residents of Gainesville.

I see paper signs for Peter Candland, but where, where, is the actual person running and why has he missed such an important opportunity to meet his constituents?

Press Release from Ann Wheeler’s Campaign

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Martin Berkofsky is a gifted child prodigy pianist.  He has spent most of  his life, using his musical gift, to raise money for others in need.  He has invested little in his own life’s needs. 

I have to divulge, he is also my son’s piano teacher.  He has been a blessing in our lives.  In his head, is a library, a libray of almost every piece of classical music you can imagine, its amazing.   Eli describes his playing as “though there are not enough keys on the piano”.  

He is holding a benefit concert on Sunday, October 16th, 2 p.m at the Warrenton Presbetaryn Chuch, 19 Maine Street.
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