Moonhowlings

Manassas City Theater in the Round: Epilogue

The election has come and gone, but the theater continues. Those who have lost the most, try not to “wawl and cry” nor “mewl and puke” and instead have chosen to spin with much “pride, pomp , and circumstance,”  the post-election eulogy of their effort.  Much mirth we draw (not to mention laughter) in watching those who made such a noise for their chosen slate, try to salvage a faux victory from what is in fact a stunning defeat.

In some ways, the silence is deafening so, again, rather than charge into the fray, we have chosen to give our “ thoughts no tongue” for a time, let the dust settle, gather numerous perspectives on the election results, and develop what we believe to be a much clearer picture of what happened, and, what it all means.

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Much has been made of the intrigue the past few weeks on the various alliances and coalitions in the city election process.  Now that the dust is settling, we would like to salute the hot pink campaign, run by supporters of Sheryl Bass.  Actually, Ms. Bass didn’t run.  Her friends ran her as a write-in campaign.  Sheryl Bass supported the Republican ticket.   At last count, Ms. Bass received 1052  997 [Ed. Note:  correction given this afternoon]  votes and her name didn’t even appear on the ballot!  That means that Ms. Bass came in 4th without her running and without her name appearing on the ballot.

Ms. Bass should be proud.  She has good friends, the support and respect of  her community, and the friends of Ms. Bass did things the right way.  Several movers and shakers of this campaign had to resign from their political party to run the campaign.  THEY did the right thing.  Will they be readmitted?  Time will tell.  They knew the rules.  They followed them.  The Sheryl Bass campaign made a fine showing at the polls and everyone  showed a lot of class.

Ms. Bass has served her community and will be an invaluable resource for all the elected officials to turn to when they need advice and help.  A toast of our finest ale to Lady Bass and her ever- classy campaign.

The Conscience of a King, Act IV:     The Final Act?

As we enter act IV of our play, a few minor happenings in the wings are worth noting. Please consider these, as we make a few scenery changes behind the curtain, in preparation for act IV.

Late yesterday, we received reports from our ever vigilant roving ‘Howlings reporters. First one in was a report of hot pink flyers being delivered to homes and handed out at spots throughout the city. These flyers encouraged voters to “Write-In Sheryl  Bass” on the front, and gave a very detailed listing of her very impressive record of service to the citizens. No attacks on the other candidates. Just a positive plea by the campaign to consider Bass, as they head to the polls. We Howler ladies have to say, the way this campaign has been conducted reflects the grace and poise that Bass herself has exhibited over the years. Classy. Very Classy.  

Contrast this with a very nasty piece put out by some anonymous pitchfork bearer (or would that be pitchforker?)   that was delivered to other residents of the city. This nasty piece, full of errors and negative-spin, did nothing but attack Mark Wolfe. What we find downright hilarious is the flyer asked voters to pull the lever for Lovejoy, “Carnahan”, Way. (Is this like pull the joystick for the non-existent candidate?)

Last up, a flyer we assume was produced by Doug Brown, because it is being distributed by ABTF and linked to at bvbl, while better written, has its own bit o’ spin: Jerry Carman’s business experience has risen from that of middle management to the “corner office with a view”: He claims Carman “Managed a Fortune 500 Company”.  And what company might that be, that he was president or Chief Executive Officer of? But when you are nothing but the “Alleluia Chorus” for the House Aveni, credibility and intellectual honesty are minor considerations.

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“Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,–
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.”

The Conscience of the King, Act II: The Convention

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes”.  MacBeth, Act IV, Scene I

Yesterday, we Howlets set the stage for what may well prove to be the greatest community (political) theater we’ve seen in years. Just to recap:

-Jerry Carman, Independent uber-conservative materializes out of the mist, and begins a shadow campaign.

-Doug Brown launches “A Bridge Too Far” (ABTF) and begins catapulting [Rhetorical and Theatrical license here] everything from “severed heads” to “diseased cattle” over the MGOP castle walls, and engages in verbal sword-play with GOP chairman Steve “By the Books”Thomas.

-Baroness Aveni,  inadvertently exposes her husband’s support of the usurper, Jerry Carman. (Out, out damn spot!)

So let us now take you back to the convention held on January 28^th, 2012. Before doing so, we need to say that neither of us is a member of either party’s “machinery”.  Some of the “in’s and out’s” of convention politics are very difficult to decipher, and it took quite a bit of research to figure out just exactly what happened. That said, we feel pretty confident that our account is fairly accurate.   The up side is that, we have the scenarios from so many sources.

The way a convention works is people sign up to be “delegates,”  by filling out a form.  My dog Stoney used to get one in the mail each year.  Often those who want to run for office will get his or her supporters to fill out the  convention form so they can go vote for that person.  This form is returned by a specific date, and the MGOP checks the applicants to make sure they are eligible to vote in Manassas elections. That’s it.  Anyone who is an eligible City of Manassas voter can attend, according to the laws of Virginia. Once all the forms are collected and checked, a list is compiled and given to each campaign.

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There’s a city election on Tuesday, May, 1st, and it may well prove to be one of the most interesting city elections any of us can remember.  This one might even out-do the ill-fated Steve Chapman challenge to Rep. Harry Parrish, about 7 years ago, as far as high political drama goes.

We here at Moonhowlings have been watching the developing political drama from the audience, rather than leaping into what is proving to be “Theater in the Round”.   We did have a guest post, but that was not our observations, but theirs.  We chose to observe, gather facts and opinions and wait until we had a clear picture of not only what is playing out on the public stage, but a good understanding of the “backstage dynamics” that are driving this political theater….and theater it is:

Current Mayor Hal Parrish is running unopposed for reelection. All of the excitement in this race was settled at the GOP convention, when Hal held off a challenge for the nomination from Andy Harrover.  We like both of these public servants, as it is clear to us that they place the best interests of the entire community as priority, rather than bowing to the pressure of a very vocal few.   Neither one of them carry pitchforks or torches.

The real excitement is in the city council race. Much more so than may be apparent to the casual observer…or even to those who consider themselves “informed.”   We would like to present a clear picture of what appears to really be going on, and we promise that our dear (and not so dear) readers will not be disappointed.   This ”play” has intrigue and double-dealing, willing and unwilling and even unknowing participants.  Basically, it’s a ”play” about power and retribution, pure and simple.  We here at ‘Howlings will narrate this from stage right (or left, depending on where you sit in the audience). So let’s get to it, shall we?

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Manassas Fire and Rescue Chief Mike Wood has resigned and not as a happy man.  He has been at his post for 2 years.  According to News and Messenger:

However, by his own admission, Wood is resigning a disappointed man. He said the current fire and rescue department gave him a lot of liability and little authority. It’s also a system that he feels makes residents of Manassas less safe than they should be

“[Public safety] is an essential service and an essential service needs a strategic vision, a strategic plan,” Wood said. “Some two years into my appointment, we’ve not been able to develop a strategic plan. There are too many diverse and opposing views on what could be done, should be done and what may need to be done.”

Manassas City established a system that was a six-person public safety committee comprised of volunteer and career staff.  Additionally, there was a 5 person appeals committee.  City Councilman Andy Harrover helped create  this Manassas Fire and Rescue set-up that was organized to prevent problems.  Obviously it didn’t.  Other officials weighed in on the subject in the N & M:

Manassas Volunteer Rescue Squad president Mike Enright was a little more blunt, stating the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company “disrespected” Wood.

 “I am surprised he lasted this long,” Enright said.

Manassas Mayor Harry J. “Hal” Parrish II said it was tough for all parties involved, including City Council. Set up in January, the system established a six-person public safety committee made up of volunteer and career staffers and a five-person appeals committee made up of Manassasresidents and run by city manager Lawrence Hughes. Councilman Marc T. Aveni chaired the public safety committee.

“I can’t help but think that a great system can come together when people decide they both need and want to work together cooperatively as a team, that is the key,” Parrish said.

Woods departure is seen by many as a real set back to City Fire and Rescue. 

Assistant Fire & Rescue Chief Mike Rohs said he could’ve retired a few years ago but chose to stick around to see what Wood could do.  Both Rohs and Enright praised Wood for his professionalism, open-door policy and his ability to obtain grants for the betterment of the department.

How do volunteers and paid staff work side by side?  It never made sense to me how this works.  Obviously someone or several someones didn’t like taking orders from the paid professionals.  They probably thought they were volunteers and didn’t have to go by the same rules as those on a pay check.  Yet, the volunteers help already stretched municipal budgets and provide a great service to the community.   Regardless of what has transpired, Mike Woods seems to have the respect of most city folks. 

Prince William County has certainly had its ups and downs with this issue also.  Regardless, the next Chief needs to have a great deal more authority over all fire and rescue.  The people of Manassas deserve no less.  City of Manassas people also need to be willing to dump a few of their tax pennies into the public jar to ensure that they have the most up to date equipment.  Word on the street is, they rely a little too much on other jurisdictions to make up their equipment deficiencies.   Hopefully, city folks will help fill in the blanks here.  

Let’s see if this second post on the subject brings out the wrath of the christian right [lower case intentional]  like the first one did.  If that happens, we can always rename the thread “Greg Letiecq fights pornography with pornography.”  But I digress…..

News & Messenger  reporter Keith Walker has up-to-date coverage of the latest plan for the City of Manassas during Fall Festival, which is one of the city’s biggest events.  About 50 people are expected to gather in protest at City Hall sometime during the Fall Festival. 

Apparently the plan to coerce merchants into closing their doors between noon and 1 pm didn’t pan out.  I know of 1 merchant who ran off the visitor who came to garner support for her cause.  Picture a restaurant owner telling everyone to stop eating and to get up and leave right at noon.  Sort of makes one chuckle, if some idealistic person didn’t take it seriously.  What shopkeeper closes down during the busiest time of the biggest sale day of the year?

The leader of this pack was quoted in the News and Messenger:

MANASSAS, Va. –

Jennifer Basinger said she’s expecting about 50 people to show up at Manassas City Hall on Saturday to rally against an adult store set to open Oct. 20 on Battle Street in Old Town.

She said KK’s Temptations won’t fit in with the historic nature of the area.

“The shop I feel — and many do — is just not consistent with what Old Town is about,” Basinger said.

However, she doesn’t have anything against Kim and Kristina Skokan, the mother-and-daughter team who plan to open the store.

“It’s not a personal vendetta against the owner. It’s not an ugly, self-righteous march at all,” the 39-year-old Basinger said. “It’s really just wanting to keep Old Town the way it is.”
Basinger said the group will restrict itself to the area around City Hall between noon and 2 p.m. to avoid disrupting the Fall Jubilee that is also taking place Saturday.

“It’s peaceful. It’s non-confrontational. It’s not meant to take any thunder away from the fall festival,” she said. “It’s not going to be a bunch of people marching into Old Town.”

Reality check!  I saw an email or 2 and I don’t think you say some of that stuff to someone you don’t have a vendetta against.  Perhaps I just have different values.   Ms. Basinger needs to be more honest and forthright about that one. 

Another reality check involves the image you want to create for your city.  Do you want to stage a protest of any sort on your biggest tourism day of the year?  Why not just bring Mr. Fernandez back with a few native Americans to parade around.  I am sure he would be glad to accommodate.  Anything to embarrass the City.  How is this different?  At least if Mr. F paraded around with Native Americans you could tell the guests coming in from other areas that it was just the Tea Party, getting ready to dump a few barrels of tea overboard. 

Furthermore, what is it that these people want the City of Manassas to do?  The City  has caved in to every demand.  Many people I know are so disgusted with the City for acquiescing to this group of christian conservatives  [lower case intentional] that they are simply not going to spend money in the City.  In trying to please everyone, you please no one. 

Most of the City Councilpersons are nice people who take their elected position seriously.  They try to represent their constituents, rather than advance their own agendas.  What I don’t think they realize is that many people find KK Temptations a welcome addition to the City.  It breaks up the ho hum and the restaurants.  An even bigger number don’t care one way or the other. 

Kim Skokan and her daughter have postponed their grand opening out of deference to the City merchants who will be their new neighbors.  They didn’t want to draw attention away from a big sales day. They have dotted every i and crossed every t.  Perhaps they, too, have been just a little too accommodating to those who are all about control and bullying.  (and elections)

Yup, you heard it hear first. The roving reporter just returned from the Manassas City fireworks display and emailed me that Mr. F has struck again with more messages. According to RR:

He hung a banner that was the Star of David with “Jude” in the middle of it. He had two signs. One talked about zoning ordinances against political free speech and the other said that PWC and Manassas City were treating “brown” people the way the Nazi’s treated the Jews. He had a shirt with the Star of David on the back and he walked through the crowd several times. There was also a tee shirt on his fence that said “Freedom of speech in Manassas City-hahahahaha…The White Supremacists still rule here”.

He will not get free advertisement on this blog. I won’t post his pictures. He needs to touch up his roots and go back to Arizona if he wants to start that Nazi nonsense. He had his day in court…several of them as a matter of fact. He kept postponing his day in court. That’s more than any Jew in Nazi Germany got and someone needs to tell Mr. F that. The City of Manassas has been more than patient with Mr. F’s shenanigans.

Meanwhile, he and Corey Stewart will each go around, each other’s ying and yang, both strutting attention-seeking behaviors to enhance their own egos.

Today’s MJM is just full of stories about misbehavior and vandalism– basically, people not having respect for other people’s property or other people’s opinions. Major vandalism happened in the Virginia Oaks neighborhood in Gainesville, where spray paint was used to write all sorts of unattractive epithets about Senator McCain on people’s homes. The vandals also spray painted Target, Giant and Best Buy in the nearby shopping center.

Back in Manassas, the vandalism went the other way(see picture above):

Residents in and around the city on Friday lamented that this year’s presidential race has drawn such passion that placards are being destroyed or snatched from yards under the cover of night.
Charlotte Boynton, who’s lived at the corner of Fairview Avenue and Tudor Lane in Ma-nassas for the better part of three decades, erected a handmade sign bearing the message, “Real patriots do not steal signs,” after thieves swiped an Obama-Biden sign from her front lawn.
A Quaker, Boynton had previously put up an anti-Iraq war sign that stated, “War is not the answer.” It fared better than the Democratic candidates’ sign, which she noticed Monday was missing.

Is this vile behavior just kids doing a little pre-Halloween vandalism or is this nastiness rooted in partisanship? I would like to think it is just kids out who need far more supervision. Surely adults don’t think this is the way Americans act or that their candidate will fare a bit better by stealing a yard sign.

Is it just my perception or do areas like Sudley, Westgate, Irongate and Georgetown have more foreclosures than areas in the City of Manassas?  It’s especially noticeable when comparing Bristoe Station to these other neighborhoods that are located within Prince William County’s limits.  Of course there is the perception that the City of Manassas is more hospitable so it is entirely believable that they are reaping the benefits in terms of their housing market.  But presumably that could all change.  Of course, the City of Manassas are well within their rights to do so, just be forewarned of the impending consequences in their real estate market and budget.

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