Leesburg Tomorrow

Our President

2011-11-21T16:21:00.000-05:00

Yes.

A Hero For Senate

2011-11-02T15:59:00.000-04:00

In Loudoun, and the southern part of the Town of Leesburg, there's a choice for Senator on November 8th. On the one hand, you have a right-wing ideologue who believes that married men should be allowed to rape their wives.

On the other hand, you have an actual American hero.

The above is from a letter of commendation that Shawn Mitchell received from his commanding officer in Iraq. If you cannot quite read it, it explains how Shawn drove an unarmored vehicle through hostile fire while operating the radio, keeping his cool the entire time.

The entire letter is worth reading. Shawn is worth voting for next Tuesday.

Vote Today!

2011-11-01T11:22:00.000-04:00

Did you know that you can actually go vote today! You don't have to wait for November 8th if you're at risk of not making it to the polls next Tuesday.

Extended Absentee Voting Hours Offered in Loudoun through November 5

Extended hours for absentee voting in Loudoun County in advance of the General Election on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, are being offered through Saturday, November 5, 2011.

Absentee voting is available at the Office of the General Registrar, 750 Miller Drive, S.E., Suite C, Leesburg, 20175, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., through Friday, November 4, 2011. Absentee voters may also cast ballots at that location on Saturday, October 29, and Saturday, November 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Absentee voting is also offered at the Cascades Senior Center, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 20165. Monday through Friday hours at Cascades are from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. On Saturday, October 29, and Saturday, November 5, the hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 5, 2011, is the last day to vote an absentee ballot in person.

More information about voting in Loudoun County and the upcoming election is available on the Loudoun County website at www.loudoun.gov/vote.

One More for Shawn Mitchell

2011-10-31T09:15:00.000-04:00

A friend who lives in the southern part of Town has decided to support Shawn Mitchell in this year's election for state Senate there. She wrote a letter to the editor of the papers explaining her support, but they have declined to publish it. I've taken the liberty of doing so below, for everyone's consideration.

On November 8, I will be voting for Democrat Shawn Mitchell to represent me in the State Senate and I urge all residents of the 13th Senate District to join me. Mr. Mitchell is a Loudoun small businessman who is focused on jobs and the economy. He has been endorsed by organizations as varied as firefighters and realtors and has the support of Senator Mark Warner.

In contrast, Mr. Mitchell's opponent, Dick Black spent his years in the General Assembly promoting divisive and extreme social issues. He attracted negative attention when he passed out plastic fetuses to his fellow legislators to demonstrate his uncompromising opposition to a woman’s right to choose in all instances, even when the woman has been raped or is a victim of incest. He even voted to inhibit women’s access to birth control.

Education is another issue important to me and my neighbors. Dick Black opposed decreasing class sizes in public schools and voted to cut more than $250 million from Virginia’s colleges and universities. Mr. Mitchell, however, strongly supports investing in our schools, at all levels. He has pledged to fight for lower class sizes and is committed to retaining the best teachers to ensure that Loudoun's students are prepared for the jobs of the future.

Every vote this year will be very important. You can make a difference by joining with me to vote for Shawn Mitchell. The 13th Senate District needs Mr. Mitchell's vision for jobs and the economy.

Patti Maslinoff
Leesburg, VA

I, too, consider schools to be a critical issue this year, and that is among the reasons I also strongly support Shawn's election.

The Real Moral Majority

2011-10-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

An Interlude: Mom!

2011-10-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

Go mom! (Who is among the singers.)

New Jersey: We're everywhere.

Joy Maloney for School Board

2011-10-26T21:59:00.000-04:00

For those of you who live in Broad Run District, you might have heard about the domestic violence arrest of the sole candidate officially on the ballot for School Board. Needless to say, someone arrested for domestic violence should not be eligible to run for school board.

Thankfully, an amazing, long-time community member and parent has stepped up to offer her services to her neighbors in Broad Run: Joy Maloney.

Joy is a friend. We've worked together on Democratic campaigns, and talked about Loudoun schools. But more importantly than that, she's a mom and a neighbor. She is completely focused on her family much to her (and their) credit. But her commitment to her community is undeniable, which is why when no one else would, Joy stepped-up.

So, if you see "Kevin Kuesters" on your ballot on November 8th, be sure to go down to the write-in line, fill in the circle there, and write in "Joy Maloney" (as illustrated above).

Jennifer Wexton Gets Key Endorsement

2011-10-25T12:58:00.001-04:00

The most highly regarded organization in support of female candidates in the Commonwealth, the Farm Team, has enthusiastically endorsed our own Jennifer Wexton for Commonwealth's Attorney!

James E. Plowman has been the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County since 2004, and he is up for reelection on November 8. As a two-term incumbent, Plowman has an extensive record to evaluate when considering his re-election bid. This record reveals a pattern of poor judgment and abuse of office that has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Plowman has been rebuked repeatedly by the courts for his actions. He also has unduly politicized the office. When all the FACTS been reviewed, you will agree that Plowman’s performance is not what we expect of our chief prosecutor, and he should NOT be re-elected on November 8.
...
(What follows is a long summary of the myriad conflicts and missteps by Jim Plowman during his term in office, they're well worth reading!)
...
This overt politicization of his Office is wrong and contrary to law. It also has led to a Judicial rebuke, and a bill to Loudoun taxpayers for almost $40,000 for Plowman’s legal defense of his errors.

On November 8, let the FACTS speak for themselves. Elect Jennifer Wexton Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County! For more information and to volunteer for Ms. Wexton’s campaign, go to www.votewexton.com.

Of course, we here in Leesburg have known about Jennifer's amazing contributions to the legal, and Leesburg community for years. From her service as a prosecutor and substitute judge to her stewardship of the Loudoun Bar Association, Jennifer has gained the support and respect of the entire Loudoun community. And on November 8th we will ratify that support by electing her our next Commonwealth's Attorney!

[Update] For more details of Jim Plowman's disgraceful record, check out www.theplowmanrecord.com.

Councilman Reid's Influence Peddling

2011-09-20T15:10:00.000-04:00

Well, we've reached that stage of the campaign where Republicans are no longer even bothering to hide their blatant influence peddling. Indeed, they're promoting their fundraisers with it! In this case, Councilman Ken Reid is soliciting donations to his campaign using the dual approach of waiving the 9/11 flag (channeling his inner Rudy Giuliani) and offering email advertising to his donors.

It's one thing if you list the sponsors of an event at the event. It's an entirely different thing to offer an advertising service in return for a political donation. The latter sounds to my uneducated ears like a commercial transaction. The company gives Councilman Reid $1,000 dollars, and Ken sends twelve advertising emails. Indeed, it sounds like a sale to me, and one that quite possibly should be subject to Loudoun's local sales tax. I wonder if Mr. Reid's friend Bob Wertz is going to do his job and collect the taxes owed?

Another interesting aspect of this fundraiser is the group co-hosting it, America's 9/11 Foundation, Inc, which sponsors the 9/11 ride through Town (and through much of the mid-Atlantic). I love the 9/11 ride. I think it's a fantastic event. But it is interesting that a non-profit charity would be co-sponsoring a politician's fundraiser. Indeed, such an action may very well put that non-profit status at risk!

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes. - IRS.gov

It will be interesting to see what happens on Saturday and afterwards. I believe that a candidate willing to peddle his influence for campaign donations is not one we should be sending to the Board of Supervisors. Our government isn't, and shouldn't be, for sale.

Critical Issue: Schools

2011-09-13T12:29:00.000-04:00

It seems to me that this year's election will turn on two issues, Schools and Jobs. And those two issues are fundamentally inter-related. Good schools make businesses want to locate here, bringing in good jobs. And correspondingly, many businesses see the role of schools as creating the next generation of employees, while schools have a fundamental public charter not to create employees, but to educate citizens. This tension is often at the root of many efforts around school "reform" and debates over funding. If we don't need to educate our kids to be able to think critically about public policy, then we can certainly pack them in 30 per class!

In this post, I want to express some thoughts on Education as an issue this year.

There are about 312,000 opinions on how to "improve" Loudoun County schools, which is to say about one per County resident. From our land acquisition policies to student achievement to "doing more with less," every candidate - and voter - seems to know what's best for the Loudoun County Public Schools. Of course, this begs the fundamental question as to whether LCPS is actually doing a good, or a bad, job educating our kids. I think in general, and overall, LCPS does a good job. The vast majority of LCPS students graduate on-time, with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in our society. (Nevermind whether other parts of society are failing to provide them with the educational or vocational opportunities to put what those students learned in Loudoun schools to use...)

Are there areas where we need improvement? Of course. Minority student achievement is an area that needs continuous focus and attention. In-school hiring policies are an integral aspect of addressing that weakness. Similarly, many people have apparently drunk the "it's not the class size, it's the teacher" kool-aid. I believe the science is still out on that.

I mention all of this on schools after reading an amazing piece by Virginia's own TeacherKen, over at DailyKos. (with a tip-o-the-hat to Emily's "Learning: Theory, Policy, Practice" blog) Here's a little taste, in which TeacherKen succinctly outlines the paradox behind "AYP."

Simpson's Paradox - a statistical anomaly which explains why you need to disaggregate data. Let me illustrate

Year One ten students take an exam with a score range of 400-1600 (the old SAT0.
9 are white upper middle class who average 1000 = 9000
1 is black working class who scores 800 = 800

Total points 9800 average score is 980.

Next year both groups do better, but the mix is different

white upper middle class 8 x 1010 = 8080
black working class 2 x 810 = 1620

Total points 9700, average score is now 970.

OHMYGOD - our SAT scores dropped!!! Yes, but that was mean SAT score, and your mix now has more lower scoring students. If you report is the one overall mean score you present a distorted representation of what has actually happened, which is improvement in both groups. - TeacherKen

Go. Read. You'll be much smarter for it.

This is not to say that every opinion about schools and education is uninformed, but it is to make the point that education is a profession with just as much skill, training, and critical value to our society as lawyers, doctors, policemen and firemen.

This is among the reasons I strongly support Kelly Burk for Leesburg Supervisor. She's a teacher, and has spent decades teaching in Loudoun County schools. Education is the largest single budget item the Board of Supervisors deals with. I think it is invaluable to have an actual teacher involved in those debates and decisions! And it must be noted that Kelly got clearance from the Attorney General of Virginia to participate in those debates, and she recuses herself from any debate or vote that involves teacher compensation, to avoid any appearance of impropriety. (Something that cannot be said for others.)

It's also the reason I strongly support the election of Valdis Ronis in Ashburn and Tom Bellanca for Chair. Both Valdis and Tom have made the point that our schools need the right physical resources to get the job done as well as possible. Valdis is focused on school overcrowding, while Tom Bellanca has promised to bring his real-estate experience to bear on the school land acquisition process. A process that has improved under the current Board, but is far from perfect.

Kelly, Tom, and Valdis are campaigning on a recommitment to our schools, even as their opponents are campaigning against our schools, accusing them of being inefficient or ineffective. My kids will attend Loudoun Schools in the not-too-distant future, so I admit my vested interest in this question. But all of Loudoun has a vested interest in good, well-run schools, with sufficient staff and space to ensure a quality education for every child. Because that is our legacy for the future, that is our responsibility to our community, and that is a testament to our strength as a society. And that is an important issue in 2011.

Presentation on the Atlantic Coast, August 23rd

2011-08-12T14:09:00.000-04:00

A good friend, Nancy, and her husband have spent a lot of time documenting our Atlantic coastline from a conservationist's perspective. They're presenting their work on August 23rd, at ArtSquare!

“Life on the Edge — America’s Atlantic Coast”

On Friday evening, September 23, at ArtSquare, Nancy Goetzinger and her husband Tom Ramsay will present a lecture and multi-media presentation focused on the ecological evolution of the North American continent’s Atlantic shoreline.

Their 50-minute production utilizes video, stills, and graphics to demonstrate the beauty of coastal habitats and the diversity of the resulting life forms there, all within the context of the geologic and hydrologic formation of the East Coast shoreline.

The Atlantic Coast program is delivered as live narration with full digital visualization, sound effects, and music. This lecture promises beautiful images of the natural world from Georgia to Newfoundland, as well as an incredible educational experience.

The program begins at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $15.

ArtSquare is located at 12 Cardinal Park Drive SE in Leesburg, 703-777-5498, www.LoudounArtSquare.org

Leesburg's Budget

2011-08-11T09:44:00.000-04:00

Jim Barnes over at Leesburg Patch has a fantastic article on "nuggets found in the Leesburg Town Budget." It is really worth a read. Here's a taste.

Only 13.5 percent of town revenues come from real property taxes. Overall revenues total about $84 million. $11.4 million come from taxes on real estate.

The Utilities Department, which provides water and sewer, is self-supporting. Its revenues and expenditures total $21.3 million. This is about one-quarter of the town budget. - Leesburg Patch

Many thanks to Jim and Leesburg Patch for providing facts in an era of opinion (including, of course, mine, here :).

Local Races, Local Contributions

2011-08-09T10:09:00.000-04:00

Putting my money where my keyboard is, as it were, I am proud to have just contributed to four of the campaigns I am strongly supporting this year. Tomorrow is a filing deadline for campaign finance reports, so I encourage you to contribute to those campaigns you are supporting, too!

Kelly Burk for Supervisor

Al Nevarez for Supervisor

Andrea McGimsey for Supervisor

Dave Butler for Delegate (And kudos to Dave's campaign for putting "Democrat" in their banner!)

Councilman Reid's Campaign Finance

2011-08-03T11:23:00.000-04:00

I spent a bit of time looking through the wonderful campaign finance data on the Virginia Public Access Project this morning. It's an motherload of information about candidates, campaigns and who is playing where in Virginia Politics. After all, in a Citizens United world, money talks - literally. So it will be very interesting to see which money is talking to which candidates.

You can take a look at Kelly Burk and Ken Reid's major donors online, through VPAP. Kelly's donors are a mix of Leesburg businesses, residents and Loudoun community leaders. Both Kelly and Ken get donations from a typical mixture of attorneys and local technology consultants as well.

Other than attorneys and technologists, however, most of Councilman Reid's other donors have a common thread running through them: They're people in the real estate development business. In fact, of the thirty donations over $100 that Councilman Reid has received, no fewer than 10 of them came from people who make their money on real estate and development. That group includes Mr. Reid's single largest donation, $3,500 from a property manager in Reston. In fact, a third of Mr. Reid's campaign warchest comes from folks with a vested interest in real estate development. That's more than three-times as much as the next-largest industry that has helped him: Technology.

Anyone from any industry is welcome to participate in Virginia's elections. And everyone has the right, and privilege, to support whomever they choose in the manner they choose, as long as it doesn't break the law. But we, as voters, have a co-equal right to evaluate candidates, at least in part, on the types of donations they get, and from where. Loudoun County has a long history of development money playing a role in our elections. I believe that Leesburg will do well to look at candidates financed by such money with a jaundiced eye, because it is hard to tell a friend who financed your campaign "no" when they ask to clear cut a farm for the next strip mall.

Supervisor Burk on Stonewall Approval

2011-07-26T10:47:00.000-04:00

Supervisor Burk has issued the following statement on the approval of the Stonewall Business Park (data centers and office towers), which will be built off of Sycolin Road between Leesburg and Ashburn.

Recently the Board of Supervisors received an application to rezone a parcel of land off of Sycolin Road from Transitional Residential, which is one house per ten acres, to a Planned Development Industrial Park. By making this change, it allows the development of up to 4.9 million square feet for the building of a data center and also non- data center use of this land. The planning commission voted to deny this application and the commission permit forwarded the zoning and special exception application to the board with a recommendation of denial.

I did not support this application. In my opinion, this has received special treatment by coming before the board before a CPAM. The application did not go through the transportation land use committee and there was a special committee of the whole meeting just for this application. The handling of this application does not pass the “smell test” for me as a supervisor.

My first issue is with the location of the application. The transition zone was created to protect and guide sprawl. Development of any kind would be less dense than the land in the east but denser than the land in the west. By allowing such a huge complex in this area we are saying the transition area does not matter. If you think that saying yes to this application will allow you to say no to another large application in the transition area you are fooling yourself. There is nothing unique about this application. It is an office complex with data centers. These types of developments are located all over Loudoun County. The application is not unique because of the power plant. One must remember that the applications are separate and not related. The power plant does not come online until over one-half of the office complex is built.

Transportation is the next important issue for me. Sycolin Road is an important road for the residents of Leesburg. The county’s guidelines indicate when car trips reach 8,000 a day then it will need to be widened to accommodate the additional traffic. Right now it is estimated to have two to three thousand car trips a day and the applicant has proffered that at 7,930 daily car trips they will stop building. That is just 70 car trips short of having to contribute much more money to help defray the cost of widening Sycolin Road. So who will have to pick up the estimated $17 million cost of that road widening project? Loudoun taxpayers. Even though this application will be the main reason it needs to be widened.

Another issue is that the height and scale of the buildings are way too big. This application will be the beginning of allowing the transition zone to become one high rise after another. There is nothing wrong with high rise buildings in the right place, but this is the wrong place. There are almost 4 million square feet of office and data center space in the project, not a small development within the transition zone. In fact, it is a huge commercial sprawl insinuating itself into the area where it is not supposed to be.

This project does not support the comprehensive plan. The plan is the guide on what and where building occurs. This application has major environmental issues between trees, wetlands and water quality, none of which are being addressed. We’ve had speaker after speaker come before the board and many emailed us, asking us not to support the plan and deny this application. They suggested that if it were to go forward, it should be smaller, less dense, have lower heights, and move the linkage of the power plant to lower square feet of the office complex. The developer should also be asked to pay for transportation costs that it creates. These are hardly minor details; yet this board approved the application and allowed it to happen. The developer even made a point of saying that when completed, in twenty or thirty years the project would have contributed $50 million dollars in taxes. Yet, when I added the numbers they did not come even close to that much. However, it was approved without getting the numbers checked and substantiated.

What does the town get out this application? No taxes and no money for water. It is important to note this application is not served by Leesburg Water Utility. The Stonewall Secure Office Park will be served by Loudoun Water, not Leesburg Water Utility. Any water money coming from the Energy Plant, which was a project approved previously but on the same site, will go to the utility enterprise fund and not to the town general fund. Another important point is that data centers do not employ many people, so there will not be many jobs created from this application. What the town will get from this application is increased traffic, gridlock, and higher taxes to pay for the road widening.

This is the wrong application, in the wrong place and I cannot and did not support this application. This project will have negative impacts on Leesburg quality of life and its tax base. - Supervisor Kelly Burk

I agree with Supervisor Burk's analysis. The proffer, or lack there of, regarding vehicle trips on Sycolin is particularly galling. The paving of Sycolin has greatly improved the quality of life for many residents of Leesburg who commute to Ashburn and Dulles for their jobs every day, keeping those trips off of Rt 7 in the morning and evening.

Business, Development, and Supervisor Kelly Burk

2011-07-23T16:18:00.001-04:00

Business and development are not synonyms.

As Loudoun’s 2011 election season heats up, it is worth remembering this simple fact. Many candidates and campaigns will spend the time between now and November trying to conflate the two, though they are quite different. Often, you will see candidates who are in favor of careful consideration of development, what has been termed as “smart growth” in the past, lambasted as being “anti-business” or even “anti-job,” when nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, the best way to be pro-business in Loudoun County is often to examine questions of development with an eye towards their economic impacts and benefits. After all, every development application is, by its very nature, a short-term zero-sum game. The decision to use a parcel of land for one purpose necessarily eliminates the option to use to another purpose, at least for the foreseeable future. Loudoun has seen this principle in action over the past decade, with the decision on, and subsequent collapse of, One Loudoun being the most striking example.

You will recall that One Loudoun was supposed to have been an engine of business growth at a perfect, unique location. In fact, it was billed as a centerpiece for economic development in the County. But a funny thing happened on the way to paradise, One Loudoun’s developers went bankrupt, and the residents of Loudoun have gained nothing in terms of revenue, job growth or economic development from that once-paragon project.

This is why all questions of development must be examined closely, and with a critical eye. Development, by necessity, means permanence. And the costs and risks of a wrong decision echo through the county for decades.

Leesburg’s own Supervisor, Kelly Burk, is the Chair of the Transportation and Land Use Committee on the Board of Supervisors. She takes this job as Supervisor very seriously. When making a decision for the County, she considers not just the short-term, but also the long-term impacts of that decision. This is true for everything she does, from budgets to zoning to, yes, development decisions.

Witness, for example, the process that the Loudoun Hounds baseball stadium went through for approval. Supervisor Burk was at the center of that process, working with all stakeholders and eventually forging a compromise that allowed baseball to come to Loudoun while preserving critical habitats for endangered species and ensuring the benefits of the project, including much needed transportation improvements, accrued to the residents of Loudoun. The successful approval of the Stadium was the result of Supervisor Burk’s efforts, and in the end, Supervisor Burk voted “yes” because she found a willing partner in the Stadium’s development team.

Kelly Burk has made a career of working with local business communities in Leesburg and throughout Loudoun to create sustainable conditions for business, and job, growth. During her terms on both the Town Council and the Board of Supervisors, Ms. Burk has worked tirelessly to improve the business conditions at the Leesburg Airport, and has been widely recognized for those efforts by Republicans and Democrats alike. Unlike this piece of land, or that piece of land, the Leesburg Airport truly is a unique factor in Loudoun’s economic engine. It’s enhancement and protection creates good, long-term, high-paying jobs that return revenues to the County’s coffers and bring business to the County’s companies.

Furthermore, Supervisor Burk has actively, and regularly, put together events to find jobs for her constituents. She has sponsored two annual job fairs (so far) that connect local businesses with young people looking for work. In this, she has directly addressed the single largest portion of Loudoun’s unemployed: young people. No one else in Leesburg, on the Board or on the Council, has pro-actively connected employers with job seekers as a regular part of their elected duties.

All too often, Republicans in Loudoun County equate development with economic growth, when all evidence is to the contrary. Indeed, in the past few years, Loudoun's growth has come not from development (witness, again One Loudoun), but from the expansion of Loudoun's existing businesses and the development of new ones. It is this kind of economic development that brings good, long-term, well-paying jobs to Loudoun. Those are the kinds of jobs that improve Loudoun's revenue and can sustain our success.

Perhaps this is why so many businesses in Leesburg, and throughout Loudoun, trust Supervisor Burk. They come to her with their problems and concerns, and she looks for ways to help. And more often than not, like with the airport and the job fairs, she finds ways to help, and makes them happen. That is putting Leesburg first, and that is the job of a Supervisor.

Supervisor Burk Jobs Symposium

2011-07-22T16:12:00.001-04:00

Supervisor Burk is hosting a Leesburg Jobs symposium with key local business leaders to discuss growing jobs right here in Town and across Loudoun. The event is on July 28th and is open to the public.

Dear Friends,

I would like to invite you to the Leesburg Job Symposium on Thursday, July 28th from 8:00 am – 10:00 am at the REHAU Palladium, 1501 Edwards Ferry Road, NE in Leesburg.

I am calling members of the community as well as business leaders to participate in this symposium in order to identify the components necessary to improve the growth and success of Leesburg’s existing businesses. A 10-member panel, comprised of business leaders from key business sectors, will discuss the current business climate and identify the steps needed to achieve a thriving business environment in which local businesses prosper. At the conclusion of the panel discussion, the floor will be open to the audience to participate and share their ideas for business growth.

I encourage you to participate in this very important discussion. Please RSVP to my office at 703.777.0203 or to Supervisor.Kelly.Burk@Loudoun.gov. A light breakfast will be served.

I look forward to your participation and, as always, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me with your concerns.

Sincerely,

Kelly Burk

My Political Philosophy

2011-07-20T14:11:00.000-04:00

Over the past few months, I've begun exchanging letters with a long-lost cousin. In a recent letter exchange, we got into the question of political philosophy, which I thought would be hard to describe. But a few minutes later, staring down at a couple paragraphs, I realized maybe it's not.

Here's what I wrote.

That’s a hard one, because I’m so much more of a process than a policy guy, but in the context of Loudoun politics, I do know a few things. I’m skeptical of development. Not because it’s bad, but because we have such a long history of doing it badly. I’m pro-schools and teachers. It’s a huge part of our budget, and an enormous expense out of taxes, and it should be. 30% of Loudoun’s population is under 18, and we have a public duty to educate them so they will be stewards for the community when I’m old. I’m pro-equality. That means race, gender, sexual orientation and socio-economic status. I don’t think there should be cut-lines for VIPs at airport security, for example. I think that every family should be recognized as a family, regardless of whether there are two moms or two dads. And I’m in favor of raising taxes on the wealthy to mitigate the hurt of the poor. Everyone deserves to be able to raise their family. Everyone deserves a good job on which to pay for that. And everyone deserves a hand when they find themselves in a hole they did not dig themselves. I believe in equal justice, which means that if you commit a crime, you go to jail, whether that crime is breaking into my car and taking it on a joyride (which actually happened to me a couple years ago), or that crime is defrauding thousands of homeowners out of decades of savings pursuing your own greed.

They say that a Republican is a Democrat who has been robbed, and a Democrat is a Republican who got laid off. All I know is that I’m a Democrat because I believe in the power of the public, through their agent the government, to help those who can’t help themselves. And it is only the government with the authority and legitimacy to do so equally and fairly. Sometimes they get it wrong, but they get it right way more often than any of the alternatives. For this, I cite the example of Catholic charities, which has pulled out of a lot of philanthropic projects over things like abortion and same-sex couple adoption. They put their politics ahead of the need of the people, and that is frankly despicable. Governments, in the long run, aren’t allowed to do that, because ultimately Governments are the people.

On The Doors

2011-06-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

I was driving through a neighborhood in Leesburg earlier this week, my daughter in the back seat, when I happened upon two people walking happily down the sidewalk. It turned out to be our School Board representative, Tom Marshall, and our Supervisor Kelly Burk. They were taking the time to walk through the entirety of Potomac Station and meet as many neighbors as possible, to talk with them about what was important to them.

It is this kind of determination to listen to the voters that characterizes the candidacy of Democrats like Kelly Burk and Tom Marshall, and is among the reasons I am proud to support them. They're not afraid to work as hard or as much as it takes to get the job done for Leesburg and their neighbors.

Supervisor McGimsey's Results

2011-06-29T09:59:00.000-04:00

When Supervisor McGimsey was elected to office, she had some goals and some challenges. Her goals centered around reorienting Loudoun's government and governmental decision-making towards energy and environmental wisdom. Her challenges included expected opposition from Loudoun' business community regarding those goals. That is why it is remarkable how successful and effective Supervisor McGimsey has been in accomplishing her policy goals on the Board.

The Loudoun County Energy Plan was passed and executed with the support of a large majority on the Board of Supervisors, money from the Federal government and, critically, the backing and buy-in of Loudoun's business community. An environmental activist got the enthusiastic support of our local business community for a pro-environment government policy.

And Supervisor McGimsey hasn't looked back. Bike trails, pedestrian walkways, development that is based on transportation capacity and planning (instead of transportation that's based on development), these have been the hallmark of Supervisor McGimsey's term in office, in strong partnership with Leesburg's own Kelly Burk, Chair of the Transportation and Land Use Committee.

The standard by which voters should evaluate a Supervisor is how effective they have been in getting the job they were elected to do, done. Supervisor McGimsey was elected to secure and plan Loudoun's future, and her record has been one of remarkable accomplishment in that effort.

Dave Butler Office Opening

2011-06-28T13:07:00.000-04:00

Councilman Dave Butler is opening a campaign office in downtown Leesburg on Friday. Come out and say hi!

LEESBURG COUNCILMAN OPENS HOUSE OF DELEGATES CAMPAIGN OFFICE IN DOWNTOWN LEESBURG

Office to be open, active during First Friday

Leesburg, June 27, 2011: Leesburg Town Councilman Dave Butler, Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates in the newly-drawn 10th District, will open a campaign office at 2 Loudoun St SW, Leesburg, this Friday during the “First Friday” celebration.

This office will serve as the headquarters of an aggressive and active campaign to bring responsible leadership to the House of Delegates. During First Friday, 5-9pm on 7/1, campaign materials and give-aways will be available to the public. From then on, the office will be active for volunteer activity during business hours seven days a week.

As the only elected official in the race for Delegate in the 10th District, he is uniquely qualified to defend our interests in Richmond. Councilman Butler was the deciding vote to reduce Leesburg’s taxes every year, and this sound fiscal management led to an increase in the town’s bond rating. Butler is focused on holding the line on income taxes, sustainable funding for roads, and creating jobs.

For additional information in advance of this event, please contact the campaign at the phone number or email above.

Vote Dave Butler in Richmond - Getting our Fair Share.

Supervisor McGimsey's Excellent Questions

2011-06-24T08:54:00.000-04:00

Supervisor McGimsey, of the former Potomac and new Broad Run district, has a history of asking difficult questions that powers that be have a hard time answering. As a leader of the smart growth movement in Loudoun, she asked questions of the former Board about the impacts of the decisions it was making. Questions about costs, and impacts to our environment and quality of life. As a Supervisor, she has continued asking the difficult questions about developments being proposed. She also has been asking questions that have led to great answers for Loudoun, questions like "how can our government save more money, and energy."

This week, Supervisor McGimsey asked another question critical to the well-being of her constituents: What should be done about the traffic bottlenecks in the new Broad Run District?

County staff members will soon begin eying long-term solutions to address one of Loudoun's most congested areas, following the urging of Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac).

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to support an initiative by McGimsey to conduct a traffic analysis of the Ashburn-Sterling "traffic funnel." This area is defined as the roads surrounding and including the Dulles Greenway, Rt. 606, Waxpool/Church Road, Gloucester Parkway/Nokes Boulevard and Rt. 7 between Belmont Ridge Road and Atlantic Boulevard.

In a brief introduction on the subject Tuesday, McGimsey explained that this is one of two areas in Loudoun with "geographic barriers" limiting where roads can be built. In this area, Dulles Airport cuts off a great amount of potential east/west traffic, which then feeds out onto the existing roads.

"Pretty much all of Loudoun County traffic goes funneling through a short piece of land between the airport and the [Potomac] river and it all funnels down to a very small part of the county," she said. - Leesburg Today

The traffic funnel that Supervisor McGimsey identified is indeed a critical issue in future planning for Loudoun County. If we ever hope to improve traffic flow for commuters who live west of Dulles but work at jobs east of Dulles, it is important for the community, its businesses and its leaders to start collaborating on answers, now.

I comment Supervisor McGimsey for both recognizing the problem, and inviting the entire Loudoun community to come together and ask the right questions to get the best answers.

An Interlude: Coffee

2011-06-23T16:14:00.000-04:00

Here's a REAL interlude.

An Interlude: Clicker Fence

2011-06-23T11:08:00.001-04:00

Okay, possibly too political to be an Interlude, but it's my blog.

The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Return of Push Polls?

2011-06-22T10:51:00.000-04:00

In 2007, negative push polling in Loudoun's Supervisor races got so bad, that the Board of Supervisors actually passed a resolution condemning it. Again in 2010, during the Leesburg Town Elections, there was an outbreak of push polls against a few of the incumbents during the last week of that race. They did not affect the eventual result, but they were there.

Today, in the 2011 Supervisors' race, it appears that such polling may be back. A number of friends and neighbors have been getting survey calls, asking there preferences among the Republican candidates, and in multi-way match-ups for Leesburg Supervisor.

In general, we Democrats don't waste time and money on polling local races. The whole point of a local campaign is to reach out and talk with voters, directly, regardless of their polled preferences. The best way to poll your constituents is to knock on their doors and talk to them, personally. Our Democratic candidates, like Kelly Burk, Dave Butler, Sen. Mark Herring, Josh Actor and Jennifer Wexton understand this, which is why they and their campaigns are spending the time to talk to voters, rather than paying for sketchy telephone polls.

Or perhaps the Republicans aren't confident in their candidates, and are trying to discover their viability before committing more money and time to certain races? If that's the case, why should the voters of Loudoun believe in the Republican campaigns, if their own Party doesn't?

Virginia's Non-Surplus

2011-06-21T11:08:00.000-04:00

Leesburg Today reports some "good" news! Virginia has a surplus!

Virginia is tracking to meet or beat revenue projections as the end of the fiscal year nears but much of the extra money is already spoken for as the state works to pay down some debt.

Finance Secretary Ric Brown said Monday that the state could end up bringing in $100 million to $200 million in unanticipated revenue - all depending on the past 10 days of June collections.

June is the last month of the 2011 fiscal year.

The potential accounting windfall is a pittance compared to the state's overall budget, and legislators portend that the next two-year budget will be lean as revenues grow slowly.

The state is forecasted to collect $14.7 billion and needs to collect another $1.4 billion in June to meet that projection. Last year the state took in $1.6 billion in June, Brown said.

"We're obviously in good shape for a surplus," he told legislators during a House Appropriations Committee meeting. - Leesburg Today

Here's the problem with calling this a "surplus:" It's the result of defaulting on contractual obligations to fully-fund the Virginia public retirement system. That's like saying you have extra money in your pocket because you refused to pay your bills.

To Leesburg Today's credit, this point is made quite effectively as the article continues:

But any extra dollars will disappear in the state's underfunded pension system and to repay a federal loan among other debt and transfers required by law.

For example, a portion of the money will go into the state's rainy day fund and to a water quality improvement fund. Little would remain to pay for operations or programs, Brown said.

Virginia also owes $8.9 million in interest to the federal government for money the state borrowed to pay unemployment benefits, he said.

Nice work by Leesburg Today to observe that the surplus Mr. Brown is projecting is not, in fact, a surplus of any kind. We're getting lucky in having a bit higher revenue than projected, but the fiscal awfulness in Richmond remains.

Ken Reid Was Out Before He Was In

2011-06-17T10:49:00.000-04:00

There's a new blog for folks here in Leesburg, Leesburg First. (In the interests of disclosure, I'm one of its authors.) While Leesburg Tomorrow has been a broader collection of my thoughts and observations on politics generally, Leesburg First is going to be more tightly focused on the Town and the interests of its residents.

In the current post on Leesburg First, an interesting video from the Town Council meeting on September 28th is posted. In it, Council member Ken Reid, now running for Supervisor, states, unequivocally:

I am not running for anything else, whatsoever.

And he does so, publicly, as part of his comments on Council. That would seem to an interested observer as a declaration of non-candidacy for the future. And it gave his advocacy for the policy position at issue at the time (November Town elections) a sheen of disinterested altruism.

Of course, not six months later, Mr. Reid was running for Supervisor.

Draw your own conclusions.

The Economy in 2 Minutes

2011-06-16T13:52:00.005-04:00

Robert Reich is one of my favorite economists.

Worth Repeating: The 14th Amendment

2011-06-14T16:51:00.000-04:00

It's elegant, and the basis for constitutional progressivism. So it's worth repeating.

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

So yes, calls to deport the children of immigrants are unconstitutional. And equal protection is inviolable.

Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

Key phrase here, "whole number of persons." No longer would an African-American be only 60% of a white person.

Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

It's notable to see the Constitution pro-actively prohibiting people who violated their oaths of office from regaining those offices. Something to think about.

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Heads up to Republicans who would allow the U.S. to default on our debts. Public debts are constitutional and binding, unless they're incurred in rebellion against the Constitution (hear that Gov. Perry?).

Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Remarkable that this needed to be added, but just in case anyone wondered if Congress had the power to enforce equal protection...yes, yes it does.

Dave Butler Kickoff!

2011-06-06T11:21:00.002-04:00

Leesburg Councilman to formally kick off campaign for house of delegates

Democrat Dave Butler to launch campaign Sunday, June 12th

Leesburg, June 5, 2011: Leesburg Town Councilman Dave Butler, Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates in the newly-drawn 10th District, will formally begin his campaign this coming Sunday, June 12, 2011, in a series of events spanning the length of the district. The schedule is below:

1:00-3:00pm – Main Terminal, Leesburg Airport, 1001 Sycolin Rd. SE, Leesburg, VA
3:15-4:30pm – Middleburg Community Center, 300 W. Washington St., Middleburg, VA
4:45-6:00pm – Mr. B’s Barbeque, 6967 Lord Fairfax Highway, Berryville, VA
6:00-7:30pm – Winchester Circuit Court House, 5 North Kent St., Winchester, VA

At each stop, Councilman Butler will focus on his record of accomplishments as well as his dedication to the entire district. As the only elected official in the race for Delegate in the 10th District, he is uniquely qualified to defend our interests in Richmond. Councilman Butler was the deciding vote to reduce Leesburg’s taxes every year, and this sound fiscal management led to an increase in the town’s bond rating. Butler is focused on holding the line on income taxes, sustainable funding for roads, and creating jobs.

Vote Dave Butler in Richmond - Getting our Fair Share.

Vote for Leesburg

2011-05-23T12:46:00.003-04:00

Vote for our home town as the best small town in America!

Dear Friends,

Rand McNally (the map people) have an online contest to find the best small towns in America. The winners will be featured in the Best of the Road cross-country rally this summer and in the 2013 Rand McNally Atlas.

Please go to www.bestoftheroad.com and vote for Leesburg! It’s quick & easy. Just follow the link and enter Leesburg, VA in the search box. Voting has been extended to May 30th, so we have just a few days to let the whole country know that Leesburg is the best town in the U.S.!

The competition is fierce, so if you find that you cannot get through on your first try, please be sure to try again!

Please forward this message to your friends, and ask them to vote, too!

Thanks ~

Kelly Burk

Prioritizing Disasters

2011-05-20T21:02:00.003-04:00

It has been far, far to long since I told you to go read Digby.

But who's supposed to pay for this? It does cost money. And while this is a major disaster, there are all kinds of unforeseen disasters that happen on a national scale -- like a housing crash caused by crooks and a very high unemployment rate that lasts for years or becoming disabled and not being able to work or getting old and needing health care that you cannot possibly save enough money in your lifetime to pay for. Life happens to everyone in one way or another and you never know if you're going to be hit with a major disaster in your own life. Are you less worthy than these victims of the tornadoes and floods?

It's very easy to say that your particular disaster is worthy of spending tax payers money. But why you and not them? How do you "prioritize" that? - Digby

So. Go. Read.

Profitably Undocumented

2011-05-20T09:34:00.006-04:00

Did you know that there's profit in keeping migrants undocumented, and therefore detainable?

There is.

Something to keep in mind this election season.

Medicine, Progress, Politics and HIV

2011-05-19T12:18:00.006-04:00

An incredible, amazing headline was posted on CurrentTV's website this morning:

San Francisco Man First Person Ever To Be Cured Of AIDS

In essence, a bone marrow transplant from a man with an incredibly rare immunity to HIV was able to, apparently, cure another man's HIV. This is the kind of "miracle of science" we've become all too used to. We will do well to reflect on where these incredible advances come from.

This incredible breakthrough is the direct result of progressive perspectives and policies, and flies in the face of conservative opposition and backwardness. At each step of the way towards this advancement, progressive ideas made things possible, even as conservative voices decried the emergence of hope or acknowledgement of human need.

First off, HIV is a problem that originally manifested in the public imagination as "the gay cancer." As a result, it was dismissed and ignored for far, far too long. Indeed, even today there are advocates opposed to HIV research on the basis of their anti-equality agenda. Had the Republicans been in charge of the House in the 1980s, you can bet that AIDS would be a far greater epidemic today than it already is.

Second, the procedure that yielded this miracle, a bone marrow transplant, is the direct result of generations of applied science, pushing the cutting edge of medical knowledge. Modern Republicans are more interested in cutting off the advance of medical knowledge. Indeed, in Arizona, Republican policies directly led to the death of a patient who was denied a bone marrow transplant. Throughout history, conservatives have stood in the path of science and medical progress.

Finally, the future applicability of this cure could be dependent on the ability to clone and grow the bone marrow of those incredibly unique individuals with HIV immunity. It is just that kind of medicine that stem cell research enables. Again, Republicans for reasons of irrationality, oppose this kind of essential medical research, and would stand in the way of research on a promising treatment option - an option that has been shown to possibly cure the plague of my generation's mindset - HIV.

Reflecting on this headline, I could not help but think of my extremely conservative grandmother, who tells me the world is an awful place and nothing good ever happens whenever I talk with her on the phone. This all too often seems true of Republican policies and opinions. Their policies are about what we can't do, what we mustn't do, what we should forbid. Even their budget proposal reflects this dark pessimism. As President Obama observed:

It’s a vision that says if our roads crumble and our bridges collapse, we can’t afford to fix them. If there are bright young Americans who have the drive and the will but not the money to go to college, we can’t afford to send them. Go to China and you’ll see businesses opening research labs and solar facilities. South Korean children are outpacing our kids in math and science. Brazil is investing billions in new infrastructure and can run half their cars not on high-priced gasoline, but biofuels. And yet, we are presented with a vision that says the United States of America—the greatest nation on Earth—can’t afford any of this.

It is my opinion, and my experience, that things to get better, over time, with the work and energy of inspired people, that leads me to progressive politics. My grandmother, who claims the world is an awful place, nearly died of diptheria when she was a child. Diptheria is something I was inoculated against when I was a baby. I remember, clearly, my week home itchy and ill, with the chicken pox. Decades later, the virus returned as shingles. This is something my children will not have to experience, thanks to a vaccination against chicken pox. These are tangible, proven examples of the world actually getting better for everyone, thanks to open minds, research and generous public support for medical science. That is progress, made manifest in our lives.

And it is the result of Democratic policies and progressive principles. Period.

Though I have no doubt that in fifty years, conservative politicians will happily take advantage of stem cell transplantation procedures to cure their ills, even while decrying the immorality of the medical advances of their day. After all, it was the ministers and conservatives who led the charge against the inoculations of the 19th century.

I guess it's a good thing they were wrong.

The Right To Rent

2011-05-16T13:49:00.002-04:00

Ever since the foreclosure and housing crisis hit, there have been a lot of creative ideas about how to minimize the impact it has on communities. This is a different issue from that of the debt incurred by the people who took out the mortgages, or the fraud committed by the people who marketed the mortgages. The issue here is what foreclosed homes do the the neighborhoods they're in.

One idea, which has been bandied about for a long time, is to allow people who get foreclosed upon to continue renting the house they once owned. Rep. Raul Grijalva, Chair of the House Progressive Caucus, would see that idea made law.

Just another great idea from Democrats in the House of Representatives, who have been, by far, the most enthusiastic and stalwart defenders of Americans' interests over the past five years.

(With a tip-o-the-hat to David Waldman.)

An Interlude: Manamana

2011-05-11T12:28:00.000-04:00

With a tip-o-the-hat to fellow UVA grad, Rai.

Tavistock, Kinkaid and The Government Center

2011-05-05T15:19:00.002-04:00

Loudoun County owns a parcel of land across the street from the Leesburg Airport that is being developed as a badly-needed nexus of public service and government buildings for the County. There are two Leesburg neighborhoods in that area: Tavistock Farms and Kinkaid Forest. These communities were understandably concerned about some of the features of the Government buildings that were planned for the land next to their communities.

Supervisor Burk reached out to her constituents in these neighborhoods, heard their concerns, and worked through her role as their Supervisor to ensure that issues were resolved, and concerns mitigated.

In her newsletter this month, Supervisor Burk summarizes the timeline and process that brought the potential for major conflict between Leesburg communities and the County government to a close. This is an example of the way Supervisor Burk serves both Leesburg and the County, diligently and conscientiously, every day.

Government Support Center Master Plan

I would like to thank members of the Kincaid Forest and Travistock communities,the Government Support Center Steering Committee, and County Staff for their support in resolving the Tavistock and Kincaid Forest Communities’ concerns regarding the construction of Crosstrail Boulevard and the Loudoun County Government Support Center. I am extremely proud of the joint efforts of the Steering Committee members - each worked diligently to respectfully and creatively resolve outstanding issues. I think it is worth noting that this endeavor is a wonderful example of how government and citizens can work together to address citizen concerns and ultimately create a better community. Following is a timeline of the events as they occurred.

November 8, 2010 - Loudoun County’s Office of Transportation held a Citizen’s Information Meeting on the Crosstrail Boulevard project at Heritage High School from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, where my staff met concerned citizens from Kincaid Forest.

November 9, 2010 - My office contacted a concerned citizen and set up a meeting for later in the month that included an additional member of the Kincaid Forest community as well as a representative of the Tavistock community.

November 24, 2010 – The community meeting was held, along with County Staff from Capital Construction, Office of Transportation Services, and the engineering firm Dewberry and Davis. Not only was I made aware of citizen concerns regarding the roadways, but also their concerns about the Government Support Center Master Plan.

It was at that meeting that I decided the best way to resolve these issues was to create a Steering Committee to bring together the affected communities and county staff in order to develop a feasible plan for the Government Support Center in which the surrounding communities felt vested.

February 28, 2011 - I requested the Board of Supervisors support an item to form a Government Support Center Steering Committee. Members of this steering committee included residents of the Kincaid Forest and Tavistock communities as well as staff from the Town of Leesburg and Loudoun County. This item passed with a vote of 9-0.

March 1, and March 3, 2011 - The County held two Information/Public Comment meetings at Cool Springs Elementary to present an overview of the amended master plan for the Loudoun County Government Support Center and plans for the extensions of Kincaid Boulevard, Crosstrail Boulevard, and Miller Drive.

March 22, 2011 - The Leesburg Town Council passed a resolution requesting changes to the currently proposed Loudoun County Government Services Support Center Master Plan.

March 29, April 5, and April 12 - The Steering Committee met and worked diligently to come up with creative solutions to the concerns that were raised previously. Following these meetings, County staff prepared a report, incorporating recommendations proposed by the Steering Committee and presented it to the Board of Supervisors on May 3, 2011.

On May 3, 2011, the Board voted to switch the locations of the juvenile detention center and the warehouse and to send transportation-related recommendations by the Steering Committee regarding timing of the construction of Crosstrail Boulevard, Miller Drive, and traffic calming strategies for Kincaid Boulevard and Tavistock to the next Transportation and Land Use Committee meeting. That meeting is scheduled for 6:00 pm on Wednesday, May 18 in the Board Room at the Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, SE in Leesburg.

Again, I am grateful to the Tavistock and Kincaid Forest communities, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Leesburg Town Council, Government Support Center Master Plan Steering Committee, and Town and County Staff for their hard work in resolving these issues for the benefit of both the citizens of Leesburg and Loudoun County.

That is putting Leesburg first, which Supervisor Burk always has.

Taxes, Then and Now

2011-05-04T10:26:00.003-04:00

A lot going on, and not a lot of time to blog, so I'm reprising a note I got from a friend that I found to be fascinating.

Just thinking you might be interested in this b/c of your political interests. I do a lot of internet research about the deficit/debt because I'm kind of a finance nerd.

Anyway, using these two sites, you can see what our personal tax brackets have been and would be nowadays.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html

http://www.measuringworth.com/ppowerus/

Using the first site, you can see a history of tax brackets going back to the beginning of the income tax. Using the second, you can plug in the numbers from earlier years to see what the current brackets should be, if we used the same rates.
Using 1964 as an example, you can see that a couple in that year who made $9,000 was taxed at 23.5%, but in 2011 that salary is worth $62,000 and will be taxed 15%. A couple that made $400,000 was taxed at 77%, which is equivalent to $2.7 million today, but our top rate is 35%.

Just thought you might like checking that out.

Thanks for the links and info, Cody!

The Birth Certificate

2011-04-28T09:04:00.002-04:00

Goldie Taylor explains how America should understand the request for President Obama to prove his birth. The entire thing is well worth your time to watch.

The context of American history matters, and cannot be denied.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Clean Streams Rally Monday

2011-04-26T22:41:00.003-04:00

The Loudoun Clean Streams Coalition is a local organization dedicated to the preservation of our local water quality. It has been instrumental in raising awareness about our stressed streams, and advocating for rational, reasonable solutions like the Chesapeake Bay Protection Ordinance (CBPO). The Clean Streams Coalition will be holding a rally in front of the Loudoun County Government Center (1 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg VA) on Monday, May 2nd at 6pm to advocate for the Ordinance.

The Loudoun Clean Streams Coalition will hold a rally at the Loudoun County Government Center on Monday, May 2nd, 2011 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM and we invite you to add your voice and show your support for implementing the Chesapeake Bay Protection Ordinance (CBPO) as a critical way to protect our streams.

As discussed in detail on this website, we believe that implementing the CBPO is an important step toward protecting water quality in county streams – water that ultimately is withdrawn from the Potomac River and Goose Creek to be used for drinking water in most homes in the eastern half of Loudoun County. While we freely admit that the Riparian Buffers (streamside vegetated filter strips) protected by the CBPO will not solve all of the chemical and sediment pollution problems noted in county streams, they are already in place in many areas of the county, require little maintenance, work 24/7 to filter water BEFORE it enters the streams they abut, and are scientifically endorsed as very effective natural filters. Given the seriously compromised state of county streams and the already high levels of sediment and chemical pollutants in the Potomac, the CBPO makes not only good ecological sense but it will save many cents as well by saving the amount of time, money and effort needed by water treatment plants to bring river water to drinking water standards. - Loudoun Clean Streams

The CBPO is more than just smart policy, it's an important line in the fight over land use. The CBPO is really nothing more than a zoning regulation. Just like Leesburg can regulate the height of buildings downtown in the interests of community preservation, Loudoun can - and should - manage the use of land that directly impacts our water quality. Those opposed to the CBPO are fighting the very idea that the public has an interest in managing the impact that private land use has on neighbors, communities and future generations.

And streams like Catoctin, Goose Creek and Broad Run do have a direct and significant impact on our water quality. The Town of Leesburg gets all of its water from the Potomac River. The more work our local water authorities need to do to clean and filter the water we get from our rivers and streams, the higher our water rates will wind up being. It is entirely appropriate for our elected government to protect our collective, public interests. That is what the CBPO does. That is why I support it. And that's why I'm asking you to join us on Monday evening at the Loudoun Government Center.

Living With Wildlife

2011-04-13T12:27:00.002-04:00

Supervisor Burk shared this information about upcoming sessions with the Loudoun Department of Animal Control.

Hello Friends,

I have attached a flyer announcing three public sessions titled, "Living with Wildlife in Loudoun County.” Animal Control, in cooperation with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Loudoun County Health Department, will be conducting these sessions in response to the growing numbers of wildlife calls and the demand for quick and easy resolutions.

Attend one of these sessions and learn to safely cohabit with the wildlife in your landscape.

Kelly Burk

Wildlife Education Presentations

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Ashburn Library
43316 Hay Road, Ashburn, VA
In the Story Time Room
7:00pm—9:00pm

Monday, May 9, 2011
Rust Library
380 Old Waterford Road, N.W., Leesburg, VA
In the Large Meeting Room
7:00pm—9:00pm

Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Purcellville Town Hall
130 E. Main Street, Purcellville, VA
In the Council Chamber Room
7:00pm—9:00pm

If you are seeing an increase in the frequency of wild visitors to your lawn, then these are for you.

Teachers Make a Difference

2011-04-11T15:26:00.002-04:00

Mrs. Buskirk is a friend and fellow UVA graduate.

Yeah, you got that right. A public school teacher who got her degree from a public university is doing incredible, innovative things to inspire her students while living the ideal of continuous improvement. And all without a personal profit motive.

The New 10th CD Might Look Like This

2011-03-29T12:05:00.002-04:00

Here's a picture of what the Redistricted northern Virginia map of Congressional seats might look like.

Tip-o-the-hat to my friend Tony who provided me a link to the image.

What District Are You?

2011-03-28T12:11:00.002-04:00

Are you wondering what new Magisterial (Supervisor) District you're in? Loudoun County has made a tool available online from which you can drill down to your block and see!

http://logis.loudoun.gov/redistricting/

Major kudos to the Loudoun County staff who put this excellent piece of public communication together!

An Interlude: Shaken Manchildren

2011-03-25T14:51:00.001-04:00

Cases Of Shaken Manchild Syndrome On The Rise

R.O.C.K. and SROs

2011-03-24T09:56:00.008-04:00

At the Council meeting earlier this week, many residents came to speak out in favor of preserving the R.O.C.K. program. As mentioned earlier this week, the R.O.C.K. program provides after-school programming for at-risk kids here in Leesburg.

In other news, the Town and the County have also come to an agreement on a point of contention: funding for School Resource Officers (SROs) in Leesburg's schools. The County provides SROs from the Sheriff's office to the schools in Loudoun County, except in Leesburg where the SROs come from the Leesburg Police Department. The Leesburg school SROs are funded largely by the Town of Leesburg, a de facto subsidy from the residents of the Town to the rest of the Couny.

In recent weeks, the Leesburg Town Council has pressed the Board of Supervisors to contribute about $160,000 more annually to fund SROs in Leesburg schools. The county government has traditionally given the town money to offset the cost of placing Leesburg Police officers in town schools, although council members were requesting that these funding levels equate to 70 percent of the total, or about $463,000.

Council members have long stressed that this is one service the Leesburg Police Department can provide at a more affordable price than using the county deputies that are provided in other schools. On the flip side, if the county chose to staff the Leesburg schools with sheriff's deputies, the total price of the program would balloon to about $1.1 million annually, or $800,000 more than the county is contributing. - Leesburg Today

Councilmember Marty Martinez emailed me this morning to let me know that the Town and County have come to an agreement that will ensure that the County provide a more appropriate level of funding for SROs in Leesburg. As a result, the Town will be expending less of its own general fund budget on SROs in Leesburg schools, and that frees up general fund money for the R.O.C.K. program!

BOS approved full funding for SROs. This is great because it will give us the funding for R.O.C.K. The council is moving to do just that.
...
It is important that council direct staff to re-instate those dollars and fully fund R.O.C.K.

And that it is important that we as a community understand the value of the program and would like to see it protected from future budget cuts. - Email from Councilman Marty Martinez (reprised with permission)

It is inspiring to me to see our community come together to defend a program that does not serve the wealthy, or even the merely comfortable. It is inspiring to see the community come together not to defend a tax break for storm windows or complain about the placement of a traffic light, or a speed limit, but instead to speak out strongly and with one voice, for those who would otherwise have no voice.

The R.O.C.K. program has no beneficiary with a right to vote, as it serves children from the communities with the least opportunities in Leesburg. But it had an eloquent champion who made her voice heard in spite of her disenfranchisement: Amira Bray.

Amira Bray held up a sign in Council Chambers proclaiming her love for the R.O.C.K. program. Her mother, Adrianne, said her daughter, a student at Ball's Bluff Elementary School, had been a participant in the program since she was five years old. Adrianne Bray noted that many of the students in the R.O.C.K. program have been recipients of Good Citizenship Awards at Ball's Bluff.

"She's found a way to connect with her peers and her community," she said of her daughter. "We're seeing changes in these children." - Leesburg Today

We are stronger when we are connected as a community. Together programs like the R.O.C.K. and SROs are the left and right hand of community cohesion. The SROs provide a backstop against community destructive behavior among our young people in the schools, and the R.O.C.K. program provides those same kids with a path to enjoyment of the best opportunities our community can offer when the school day is done. By providing them both, Leesburg and Loudoun County say to our young people more than just "don't do that," but also, and more importantly, "you have the opportunity to do this!"

Let us all push to keep the R.O.C.K. program as fully funded as the SROs are, because neither one, alone, can provide the multiple, lasting, long-term benefits that they both provide, together. Because together, these programs knit us closer with all our neighbors as one Leesburg community.

(Incidentally, this post was originally title "R.O.C.K and SROll" but that was too awful, even for me.)

Following Town Council

2011-03-23T09:02:00.003-04:00

I've lived in Leesburg for six years, and during that time I've paid attention (as best I can) to what goes on with our Town government. I served on a Town commission, got involved in local campaigns and (obviously) started a blog focusing on politics in and around Town. When I started, I would spend time digging through the Town's online documents repository to review the minutes of Council meetings and reading the papers for quotes from our elected officials. In the past few years, however, the methods available to track what's going on with the Council have improved markedly.

Witness what may be the best development in Town Council transparency yet, the running Liveblog of Council meetings that Leesburg Patch's Christian Brown runs every month. It's one thing to read the news stories published after a Council session, but a running liveblog gives the reader a real sense of the flow of the meeting, which can help explain the nuances of outcomes that might otherwise go underreported in an article the next day.

And for those who really want to indulge their civic geekiness, there's Comcast Chanel 67, the Leesburg Government Channel. You can literally watch council sessions, live, on TV. It had been my plan to go to the Council meeting last night, to express my support for the R.O.C.K. program, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I couldn't attend. Instead of going to Town Hall, I watched the session live on TV. (Or, watched as much of it as I could before I had to go to bed to be up with the kids in the morning.)

In addition to these methods of following Council meetings, live, some members of Council have stepped up their personal online presences. For example:

Councilman Dave Butler has both a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

Councilwoman Katie Sheldon Hammler also has a Twitter account.

Councilman Kevin Wright has a Facebook page.

And those are just the ones I could find with a quick search. I'm sure some digging will turn up others!

It's great to see the Town and it's Councilmembers participating in the wonderful electronic media that enable them to engage with Leesburg's residents frequently and fully, and it's nice to know that even if I am not at the Council meetings, I can still be part of the discussion, online.

Youth Job Fair Saturday

2011-03-22T17:00:00.000-04:00

As a reminder, Supervisor Burk's second annual Youth Job Fair is this Saturday!

Second Annual Leesburg Youth Job Fair

March 26, 2011
12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.
Pro Jet Hanger at Leesburg Airport

Leesburg District Supervisor Kelly Burk will host the second annual student job fair on Saturday, March 26th at the Pro Jet Hanger at the Leesburg Executive Airport.

From 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. high school and college students will have the opportunity to apply for jobs at more than 35 local businesses. A variety of industries will be represented; from retail and banking to hotel/hospitality and transportation, to mention a few. Interview tips, resume pointers and other job-seeking skills will be provided by Inova Loudoun Hospital.

Last year Ms. Burk's event served more than 600 student applicants. It proved popular with youths of all ages and backgrounds. Both job seekers and businesses were pleased with the connections made.

Join Supervisor Burk and take advantage of this opportunity to showcase your skills and talents to all the companies interested in you and what you have to offer.

It should be noted that this is a youth job fair, focused on high school and college students. After all, it is that cohort who has been hit hardest by the Great Recession.

Fund The R.O.C.K. Program

2011-03-21T10:18:00.005-04:00

By now, you have probably heard that the Leesburg Town budget is undergoing some significant cuts. In fact, there will be layoffs among Town staff this year.

Two major headlines have emerged from the proposed budget: layoffs affecting 28 full-time town employees, in an effort to close a $2 million deficit, and Wells' stated intention to present an unchanged real estate tax rate for the next three fiscal years. - Leesburg Today

One of the programs that is on the chopping block is an amazing resource for underserved children here in Town, the R.O.C.K. program. The R.O.C.K. program provides after-school activities and mentoring to at-risk kids who would otherwise not have the opportunity to take part in the activities that so many other Leesburg kids take for granted. In specific Leesburg neighborhoods, many young people would not have the opportunity to participate in sports, go on field trips, or even interact with an adult mentor except for this program.

Programs like R.O.C.K. help prevent young neighbors from getting involved in anti-social, or even illegal, activities. They save our community money in the long-run by reducing the kinds of petty crime that consume police and Town resources, as well as creating a basis for young people to become participants in our community, with the benefits that come from their getting jobs, doing volunteer work and general civic engagement. And these are just the economic benefits. There is the more important moral aspect of this program. As one of the wealthiest areas of the country, it is our privilege, and obligation, to to right by the young people in our community who have not had the opportunity to participate fully in the cornucopia of Leesburg's prosperity.

If you believe that the R.O.C.K. program should be fully funded, please contact our Town Council, and tell them so. If you are so inclined the Council has a business meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday March 22nd), at the Council chambers in Town Hall, at 7:30pm. The public is welcome to come and share opinions and ideas with Council. I encourage people to come and tell Council, in person, that the Town's budget should not be balanced on the backs of our young people who have the most to lose.

One Leesburg District

2011-03-16T15:36:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors approved a Redistricting plan for the County's Magisterial (Supervisor) Districts. That plan, a slight modification of the Miller 5 plan that has previously been discussed, was approved by a vote of 5 to 4. It looks something like this:

Leesburg Today explains the modifications that were made during the discussion before the Board yesterday.

Among the changes made to the published Miller 5 plan was to move the area north of Hamilton into the Catoctin District; move Hillsboro into the Blue Ridge District; and move the Oak Grove area from the Sterling District to a Sterling/Ashburn District. - Leesburg Today

Under this plan the Board maintained one Leesburg District that contains most, but not all, of the residents of the Town of Leesburg. It was impossible to retain all people who vote in Town elections, because the population of the Town (42,616) exceeds the maximum allowable for a single Magisterial District (39,039 + 5%). Some precincts at the southern end of Town that vote in Town elections will not be represented by the Leesburg Supervisor, but instead by the Catoctin Supervisor, as they are today. Some precincts that were part of Catoctin, but within the Town (for example, Balls Bluff) will be represented by the Leesburg Supervisor next year. It is not a perfect plan for Leesburg, but it is a lot better than the alternatives which were proposed, which would have cut up the Town much more severely. It is regrettable that some Town residents will still be unrepresented by the Leesburg Supervisor, but with the legal population limits imposed, that was unavoidable.

The bottom line is that our Leesburg District was maintained as unified with the Town insofar as that was possible. This is a win for all of us here in Leesburg.

Many thanks to Supervisors Burk, Kurtz, McGimsey, Buckley and Burton for listening to the people who spoke before the Board, asking them not to split Leesburg. Your attention and service is deeply appreciated.

Koffee with Kelly Tomorrow

2011-03-11T10:34:00.002-05:00

If you'd like to have a conversation with our Leesburg Supervisor, Kelly Burk, she's holding a coffee with constituents tomorrow!

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow I am hosting another "Koffee with Kelly" from 10 am to Noon, at Burnett & Williams Law Offices, 105 Loudoun St SE, Leesburg.

Stop by for some coffee and donuts and an informal chat about town and county issues... or just drop by and say hi.

Spring is almost here!

Kelly Burk

Come out and talk with Kelly!

I Have Sex

2011-03-09T16:20:00.003-05:00

Now that I have your attention:

Go get a license plate.

Splitting Leesburg

2011-03-09T08:57:00.002-05:00

Over on Without Supervision, Supervisor Stevens Miller's blog, there has been great discussion of the various plans, requirements and interests behind the Redistricting issue currently before the Board of Supervisors. One of the flashpoints that has come up is the issue of "Splitting Leesburg." In many of these discussions, parties are talking past each other because there is confusion over what it means to split Leesburg. For example:

I heard repeatedly yesterday at the hearing that Leesburg shouldn’t be split and frankly it was driving my crazy–Leesburg is ALREADY split into two districts. -Matt L.

Matt is correct, as currently configured there are residents of the Town who do not vote in the Leesburg Magisterial (Supervisor) District, but rather vote in Catoctin. This is an artifact of the lines drawn in the year 2000 that were not able to account for later growth and annexation, which changed the Town's borders without a concurrent change in the Supervisor District.

As I said in a comment on Without Supervision, those of us advocating for a united Leesburg district do not discount the fact that the Town is too large to fit within one Supervisor's District. Regardless of the outcome of the Redistricting debate, some current Town residents are not going to vote with other Town residents for the same Supervisor. That does not mean, however, that the County should abandon the oft-iterated goal of keeping as many Leesburg residents as possible together in the same District.

From the beginning of this process, the Town of Leesburg and its residents have asked to be kept together in the same District to the extent that is possible. The Leesburg Town Council respectfully made this request at the very first public input session on the Redistricting question. Since then, a wide variety of Town residents from all walks of life, and neighborhoods of Leesburg, have united to make this humble request again at each subsequent opportunity for input. In doing so, we have all understood the limitations that the Town's population places on the extent to which our wishes can be fulfilled. We're not asking for an exception, we're asking for consideration.

Scott Parker, Assistant to the Leesburg Town Manager, came before the Board of Supervisors to address the ambiguity over the question of how to shave off the necessary population of Leesburg, and provided as concise a definition of what the Town requests as I've yet read:

“Should the population be too large, we request that priority be given to precincts already in this districts to allow for continuity,” Scott Parker said. - Leesburg Today

So please, in discussions of Redistricting, understand that when residents of the Town speak of "Splitting Leesburg" we mean drawing District lines that cut more of us off from one another than is absolutely necessary. We understand some shaving of Town voters into another District will be necessary, we simply ask that it be minimized.

"I Make a Difference, What About You?"

2011-03-08T10:21:00.001-05:00

For all my friends and family who are teachers.

(With a tip-o-the-hat to my cousin Robin, who is also a teacher.)

Inspiration from Maddow

2011-03-03T12:20:00.004-05:00

Feeling frustrated about Democrats? Take a little hope from our friend Rachel Maddow.

"Policies that help people who have to work for a living are popular."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(With a tip-o-the-hat to our friend Heather.)

Bay Act Histrionics

2011-03-01T11:59:00.004-05:00

I'm not above a little political theater, let me say that right up front. But what happened at the Board of Supervisor's public input meeting last night went from political theater to theater of the absurd. Groups of children walking around with signs criticizing a highly technical zoning ordinance (and it is just zoning folks) joined their parents and a person dressed as a pig to make a scene in the lobby of the Loudoun Government center last night.

Carrying signs with slogans such as “Who is the board listening to,” “Hear us now or hear us in 2012” and “CBPO is for clean water or dirty politics,” protesters chanted “Just say no, CBPO!” in unison before the board’s 6 p.m. meeting began.

The board is scheduled to continue discussions on the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance today, but a vote is not expected.

During the protest, Roy Jacobsen, founder of the Loudoun Environmental Council, a group formed last year during heated discussions about the ordinance, told onlookers that the proposed legislation was nothing more than “a land grab.”

“It’s got nothing to do with science. It’s got nothing to do with cleaning the bay. It’s got nothing to do with drinking water. But the [county] staff has presented it this way,” Jacobsen told the crowd.

Jacobsen claims that the science county staff used to justify the need for the ordinance was “biased, either through incompetence or fraud.” - The Loudoun Times

Mr. Jacobson's assertions are uninformed at best, and intentionally misleading at worst. First off, the CBPO is not a land grab, it can't be. The CBPO doesn't actually impact enough land to qualify as a land grab, and even if it did, it does nothing to change a person's right to own land (the definition of a land grab). Yes, it would require an extremely small number of Loudoun property owners to take some care with doing major construction around streams. Characterizing such a requirement, which is no more burdensome than requiring fire lanes be constructed in new developments (commercial or otherwise), as a land grab is so absurd as to be laughable. This is about long-term public health and the livelihood of our neighbors who make a living off the Chesapeake Bay.

Furthermore, the CBPO has everything to do with science. The science of riparian buffers when it comes to the quality of persistent waterways is well known and documented. The science of our degraded stream water quality is equally well known.

The CBPO has everything to do with cleaning the Bay. The health of the Bay is directly related to the quality of the water entering the Bay. Water from Loudoun, flowing in our streams (Broad Run, Goose Creek, Catoctin Creek, etc.) feeds directly into the Bay through the Potomac River. The CBPO seeks to improve the quality of the water flowing through our streams by reducing the amount of pollutants that enter that water in runoff. That's the whole point of the CBPO.

And as for drinking water, one could make an argument that it has nothing to do with drinking water, except for the fact that the Town of Leesburg, and most of our neighbors across the river in Maryland, gets their drinking water from the Potomac River, fed by our streams. So yes, cleaner stream water actually means cleaner drinking water.

The protest last night was simply about raw electoral politics. The Republican opposition in Loudoun is flexing their muscles and ginning up outrage over a false issue in the hopes of driving up the enthusiasm of their base going into the 2011 election season when they hope to retake a majority on the Board of Supervisors. They believe that they can win by demonizing those that are advocating for clean water. That bears repeating, they want to win...by demonizing...clean water.

Of course, buried in the excellent coverage of this story by Leesburg Today is an important salient fact of yesterday's hooplah that might otherwise go missed.

While those opposed to the proposed ordinance, billed as a way to keep Loudoun's waterways cleaner, dominated the evening with their protest, inside a majority of those speaking to the board on the issue urged supervisors to support the ordinance-and continue work to fix problems and address concerns such as the width of the riparian buffers and cost to property owners. - Leesburg Today

Yes, a majority of those actually testifying before the Board last night spoke out in favor of a well-considered CBPO.

It can be frustrating to actually need to campaign and fight for common sense, but if that's what it's going to take, we'll do it. The future of my kids, and even the kids holding signs they do not understand, is worth it.

An Interlude: For All My Band Geeks

2011-02-25T21:13:00.002-05:00

It's getting circulation out there, so I'll get on the bandwagon.

(Pun completely intended.)

Scramble on.

Sen. Herring Explains Assembly Process

2011-02-23T10:40:00.003-05:00

This week's video update from Sen. Herring does a good job explaining how the legislative process works in Richmond, given the Assembly's short session. For example, the Senator discusses how the Senate's budget provides more funding for education, healthcare and public safety than the House of Delegates' budget.

Our Senator, hard at work for us in Richmond.

Youth Job Fair 2

2011-02-23T10:07:00.002-05:00

Last year's Youth Job Fair was so successful that Supervisor Burk is doing it again.

Second Annual Leesburg Youth Job Fair

March 26, 2011
12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.
Pro Jet Hanger at Leesburg Airport

Leesburg District Supervisor Kelly Burk will host the second annual student job fair on Saturday, March 26th at the Pro Jet Hanger at the Leesburg Executive Airport.

From 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. high school and college students will have the opportunity to apply for jobs at more than 35 local businesses. A variety of industries will be represented; from retail and banking to hotel/hospitality and transportation, to mention a few. Interview tips, resume pointers and other job-seeking skills will be provided by Inova Loudoun Hospital.

Last year Ms. Burk's event served more than 600 student applicants. It proved popular with youths of all ages and backgrounds. Both job seekers and businesses were pleased with the connections made.

Join Supervisor Burk and take advantage of this opportunity to showcase your skills and talents to all the companies interested in you and what you have to offer.

It should be noted that this is a youth job fair, focused on high school and college students. After all, it is that cohort who has been hit hardest by the Great Recession.

Free Tax Help At Rust Library

2011-02-22T13:46:00.001-05:00

Did you know that Loudoun County provides free help preparing taxes for families making less than $49,000/year? It's available at various places around the County, including Rust Library.

VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Program) offers free tax services for individuals and families in Loudoun County earning $49,000 or less. Walk-ins are welcome for one-on-one assistance. Two locations are available in Leesburg:

* Loudoun County Workforce Resource Center, 102 Heritage Way N.E., Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 12 noon
* Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road, Mondays & Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

AARP offers free tax preparation services at two locations in Sterling:

* Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
* Falcons Landing, Algonkian Parkway & Potomac View Road, Monday, Thursday & Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Customers must call for appointment, 703-404-5216.

Services are provided by trained and certified volunteers who will complete accurate and secure returns for both individuals and families. Families earning up to $57,000 who would like to complete their own taxes may go to: www.myfreetaxes.com/metrodc. Tax preparation at either a VITA or AARP site or at a free online site is fast, easy, safe and secure. For a list of additional sites in Northern Virginia visit www.nvacash.org. - Loudoun.gov

What a great program! If you know people who could use the help, spread the word.

Public Input on the County Budget

2011-02-18T11:02:00.003-05:00

Supervisor Burk's office has sent out this information update about public hearings on the County budget.

Public May Sign Up in Advance to Speak at Budget Public Hearings

Advance sign-ups are now being taken for the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors’ public hearings on the proposed Fiscal Year 2012 (FY 12) fiscal plan for the county government.

Hearings will be held on Wednesday, February 23, 2010, beginning at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., at the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., in Leesburg. An additional hearing at the Government Center will be advertised for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, February 24, if needed. A hearing is also scheduled at the Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building, located at 21000 Education Court in Ashburn, at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 26.

Anyone who wishes to speak at the public hearings may sign up in advance for one speaking slot by calling 703-771-5072 or 703-777-0200. Residents may also provide their comments to the Board of Supervisors by e-mail at loudounbudget@loudoun.gov , by calling the Citizen Comment Line, 703-777-0115; or by writing to the Board of Supervisors, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, VA 20177.

The Board’s budget public hearings will be televised. They will also be available for viewing through the webcast system at www.loudoun.gov.webcast.

Detailed information about the proposed fiscal plan for FY 12 is available on the Loudoun County website at www.loudoun.gov/budget.

Details on the proposed budget can be found here: Proposed Fiscal Plan for 2012. County Administrator Hemstreet has proposed advertising a maximum tax rate of 1.32, which would allow full funding of the LCPS adopted budget.

Loudoun County Administrator Tim Hemstreet today presented to the Board of Supervisors a proposed fiscal plan for the Loudoun County government for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY 12). The fiscal plan totals about $1.610 billion in appropriations for the general county government and school system.

The proposed fiscal plan includes $1.001 billion for the school system, $599 million for general county expenditures, and $10 million for the Comprehensive Services Act for At-Risk Youth (CSA).

The FY 12 proposed fiscal plan incorporates the School Superintendent’s proposed $778.2 million operating budget, which will require a local tax funding transfer of $521.6 million. The proposed schools’ budget includes $79.6 million for capital projects and asset replacement, and $118.4 million for debt service. Under the proposed fiscal plan, about 69 percent of local tax funding would be used for the school system’s operational, capital and debt service needs, while 31 percent would go to the general county government.

The expenditure request for general county services includes $386.6 million for operating expenditures, $116.6 million for capital projects and asset replacement, and $40.3 million for debt service. About $233.3 million of the general county government operating budget would require local tax funding.

The proposed fiscal plan also includes charges and fee increases that will provide $2.7 million of additional fee-based revenue to offset the current reliance on real property tax. - Loudoun.gov

I, for one, support full funding for cruicial services in Loudoun that have been on the chopping block for the past few years. But that's just one tax payer's opinion.

Other Places To Follow

2011-02-18T09:43:00.004-05:00

Just a reminder that I am blogging a bit more frequently at Loudoun Progress than here, these days.

Also, I've apparently joined Twitter: @Paradox13VA, so follow me there, too.

As to the frequency of posts here, I'm pretty deeply involved in the 2011 campaigns going on in and around Leesburg, so my political time has been a bit more focused on the things that will win elections (getting boots on the ground) than blogging here.

Fear not, however, as I intend to keep blogging here at Leesburg Tomorrow for a long time into the future, regardless of the infrequency.

CBS's Women Reporters

2011-02-16T10:09:00.002-05:00

I admit being a tiny bit closer to the story about Lara Logan than some others might be. A friend from New York works for CBS news, and through her, I've been following the story of another CBS reporter, blown up in Afghanistan. Today's news about Lara Logan's assault while reporting in Egypt made me take pause.

If it hasn't been said, let me say thank you to all of the reporters, but perhaps especially the female reporters, who go into the field to bring important stories home to those of us comfortable in our living rooms. These journalists willingly put themselves in harm's way, often in a culture hostile to the very idea of women with jobs in the news, an they do so simply to bring us stories that would otherwise go missed. And too often in today's world, the stories they bring home go missed anyway.

So today, I'm taking a moment to give thanks for Lara Logan, Cami McCormick and all the reporters who literally put themselves on the line for three minutes of airtime on low-rated news shows in an attempt to get America to notice things going on around the world.

Thank you.

What is Family?

2011-02-04T13:37:00.001-05:00

This is worth three minutes of your time this weekend:

Were You Towed in the Snow?

2011-02-01T11:58:00.004-05:00

After the horror stories of last week's commute, we can hope that the storm that's predicted for this week will cause less of a mess. Many of our friends and neighbors were unable to get home, and had to abandon their vehicles around Town and find alternative (walking) ways to get home. As a result, towing companies were called in to clear hundreds of cars from around Leesburg. In doing so, many residents discovered they were suddenly on the hook for hundreds of dollars in towing fees, with little if any apparent recourse, simply for trying to get home.

This is exactly the circumstance that our Supervisor, Kelly Burk, anticipated when working to setup a Towing Advisory Board.

Recently, I successfully sponsored an item that will allow Loudoun County to deal with just this type of issue. According to state law, the Board of Supervisors must appoint a towing advisory board consisting of citizens, law enforcement, and towers in order to make the changes which are necessary to protect our citizens. This Towing Advisory Board will advise the BOS as to appropriate ordinance revisions to rates and terms of contracts that regulate private as well as police tows. The BOS would then vote to adopt these new ordinances.

Unfortunately, this Towing Board is not in place yet, but will be established soon. In the meantime, my office is working with local law enforcement and towing companies to remedy this situation. We contacted a specific towing company that was called out in online newspapers comments. The owner was out of town on vacation during the storm but returned our called immediately and told us he is working with law enforcement and has promised to review each and every invoice when he returns and make necessary refunds. I applaud this towing operator and encourage other towing companies to also review their charges.

If you were a victim of unfair towing practices, please contact Captain David Domin of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-771-5937 to lodge a complaint. If you were towed in the town of Leesburg, contact Lt. Jeff Dube at 703-771-4538

Hopefully, the ”Perfect Storm” will not happen again, and I want to assure you that the Board of Supervisors is taking steps to make sure price gouging is not part of that experience. - Supervisor Kelly Burk

Once again, Supervisor Burk showed prescience when working on the under-appreciated issue of towing rates last Fall. Her foresight has given the Board of Supervisors, and the residents of Loudoun County leverage to reduce the high fees many neighbors incurred last Wednesday. It's just this kind of thoughtful effort on day-to-day issues that makes Kelly Burk such an effective, and successful, Supervisor for Leesburg.

Health Care Reform and 500,000 Jobs

2011-01-19T12:43:00.006-05:00

The Republicans want to eliminate 500,000 jobs from the economy by 2019.

So who is on the side of job creation, again?

Speak Justice

2011-01-17T11:36:00.005-05:00

This morning, I was privileged to walk in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade in Leesburg, from the Courthouse to the Douglass School. If you do not know the history of race relations here in Leesburg, I encourage you to read about the history of the Douglass School, and the history of the Leesburg Firehouse pool as a start. Leesburg itself is a remarkable testament to the progress of the past forty years, and the distance still to be travelled.

Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr. He is, simply, one of the greatest orators in history. I have tremendous respect for people who can use language and voice to channel meaning and emotion to others. The excerpted speech below is Dr. King's so-called "I've been to the mountaintop" speech, given the night before he was killed in Memphis. It is poignantly prescient and prophetic. And it's message still resonates today.

And that is just an excerpt. The full speech is all the more powerful. That speech gets the last word, as they were among his last words.

Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. - Martin Luther King Jr.

The President in Tuscon

2011-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

It is this man that I fought for in 2008. It is this speech that reignites my faith in his leadership.

Financing vs. Funding Our Roads

2011-01-14T11:23:00.003-05:00

As we enter the 2011 commonwealth election cycle, there are a number of proposals coming from Republican sources that rely on bonds to pay for needed improvements to our infrastructure. The problem with that is the fact the none of these bonds come with an attendant new source of funding to service them in the long-term. In essence, these proposals put major new expenditures on Virginia's state credit card, leaving us with the bill after the Governor (and others) leave office.

The issue of addressing Virginia's (and Loudoun's) needs is not one of financing, but one of funding.

Governor McDonnell's proposal is perhaps the most prominent.

As part of his budget amendments presented in Richmond in December, McDonnell said he wants to help pay for $4 billion in new transportation spending by issuing $3 billion in bonds. Pulling in more money for road improvements is a major component of the governor’s initiatives for the upcoming 2011 legislative session, which starts Jan. 12. - The Loudoun Times-Mirror

The Loudoun Times gets it right in using the language "pulling in more money" rather than saying "finding new money." The money the governor proposes to use is already in the Commonwealth's financing plan for the long-term. He just wants to spend all of it, now. He wants to max out the state credit card on the first of the month. Which begs the question, how will we finance needed improvements in three or five years, when those bonds were already issued?

A similar argument is advanced by Leesburg Councilmember Ken Reid, in terms of the Silver Line and the Dulles toll Road.

Therefore, I have been proposing to several Fairfax and Loudoun supervisors, and state officials, to have the state take back the Dulles Rail project from the Airports Authority, use state-backed bonds for construction and apply for federal mass transit New Starts funding for Phase II. - Ken Reid, Leesburg Patch

Leaving aside for the moment the irony of Council member Reid, who voted against essential maintenance of roads in Leesburg, advocating for more local control of the most significant transportation improvement in our region's history, Reid's "use state-backed bonds" plan is a dead letter from the start. The Governor's plan already uses up all the state's debt capacity. Furthermore, even if those bonds were available to apply to the Silver Line, getting Assembly buy-in for allocating them in that manner is no slam-dunk. And this is ignoring the fact that the cost of issuing and maintaining bonds (interest rates) is getting higher, not lower, for local governments.

Ultimately, however, the procedural niceties of using bonds pale in comparison with the risks to our Commonwealth's future of issuing bonds without an attendant funding source to service them.

When we issue bonds, we need to pay them down, and pay the interest on them, every year. That money comes directly out of general (tax, fees, etc.) revenues. If we issue more debt without finding a way to also increase general revenues, we must, necessarily, allocate more future revenues from a fixed pot to debt service. When we do that, we leave ourselves less money to maintain our roads in the future. The money we could use in 2014 to pay for road maintenance and construction would have to go to servicing the bonds issued in 2011. Yes, issuing bonds so we will have more money for roads today will actually leave us with far less (not more) money for roads tomorrow!

The Governor and Mr. Reid's proposals boil down to "let's get another credit card, and max that one out." Any financial advisor, or high-school student with a job and a credit card, can tell you that you don't get a new credit card unless you have gotten a raise. Well, the Governor and Mr. Reid have proposed no way to give the state coffers a raise. Maxing out the state's debt today is not just imprudent, it is fiscally reckless.

Virginia has a long, and worthy, tradition of fiscal astuteness. The last time we tried a financing-without-funding scheme, we were promised "no car tax."

How did that work out?

It is up to the people of Virginia, and Loudoun, to be the parents in this analogy. we must send a message to Mr. McDonnell and his allies like Mr. Reid, that new debt without new funding sources is irresponsible. It puts our commonwealth's future at risk for the sake of a political goal today.

Virginia is better than that. Virginia deserves better from our elected officials, at every level.

[Update] - Sen. Mark Herring addresses this very issue in his response to the Governor's plans.

He also questioned the governor's proposal to borrow $3 billion for transportation and transit projects. McDonnell's plan doesn't provide a long-term funding solution to fix northern Virginia's congested roads, and it doesn't provide a revenue stream to repay the bonds, Herring said.

"What are we going to do over the next 17 years while we're repaying this? (McDonnell) kind of punted the problem to his successor instead of being bold and dealing with it now," Herring said. - Sen. Mark Herring

(Crossposted from Loudoun Progress.)

Access To The ER

2011-01-12T12:07:00.002-05:00

Did you know that under the Affordable Care Act (i.e., Health Care Reform), insurers can no longer charge you higher rates if you have to go to an "out-of-network" ER?

In the past, some health plans would limit payment for emergency room services provided outside of a plan’s preselected network of emergency health care providers, or they would require that you get your plan’s prior approval for emergency care at hospitals outside of its networks. This could mean financial hardship if you get sick or injured while away from home. The new rules prevent health plans from requiring higher copayments or co-insurance for out-of-network emergency room services. The new rules also prohibit health plans from requiring you to get prior approval before seeking emergency room services from a provider or hospital outside your plan’s network. - Healthcare.gov

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Balance The Federal Budget

2011-01-05T16:09:00.003-05:00

Here in Loudoun County, our Democratic Board of Supervisors has successfully balanced the budget throughout their term of office. In fact, in 2010 the County ended the fiscal year with a surplus.

In general, balancing government budgets is a good idea. That's among the reasons I'm a proponent of a balanced Federal budget as a general goal. I believe in running deficits for specific emergencies (say, the greatest economic downturn since my grandmother was choosing between buying coffee or butter on her weekly grocery list), but in times of economic prosperity, the budget should aim towards balance.

Of course, I also agree with most Americans as to how that should be acheived.

Sixty-one percent of Americans polled would rather see taxes for the wealthy increased as a first step to tackling the deficit, the poll showed.

The next most popular way -- chosen by 20 percent -- was to cut defense spending

Yes, I believe those who gained the most from our American system should pay their dues to keep that system sound and prosperous - just like 61% of my fellow citizens.

Water Management and "Cause and Effect"

2010-12-30T08:51:00.003-05:00

Leesburg District Supervisor Burk has a short and strong letter in the Loudoun Times-Mirror and on Leesburg Patch this week. In it, she briefly lays out the long-term economic case for managing our water quality in a natural manner, rather than through expensive industrial solutions.

Environmental protection and economic development are linked. The protection of water resources is itself a powerful economic engine, which will allow businesses locating in Loudoun to be assured of a clean and reliable water supply. Clean water frees up our limited funding resources, so therefore, will allow the County to spend money on other areas rather than on chemical refinement and increased infrastructure.

Storm water treatment alone is estimated to need millions of dollars in improvements to holding tanks and conveyance piping. However, Jim Gordon of Westfair, Inc. suggests in his article, "Rich in Water," that it is foolhardy to recommend spending that money since the structure sits unused most of the time. Instead, the county should be examining green solutions such as engineered wetlands as bio-filters and holding ponds and other measures which could provide open space and other benefits like cleaner air, higher property values and reduced energy usage. Some of these very solutions can be found in the water protection CPAM we currently are reviewing in the Transportation and Land Use Committee. - Supervisor Kelly Burk

Supervisor Burk has made a career out of this kind of long-term thinking an planning. Not only will bio-filters for our water help keep it cleaner, it will help the County economically by reducing the water management spending necessary in future years.

It is for reasons like this that the County has a comprehensive plan, and why I am glad Supervisor Burk is doing a great job managing to that plan.

(Crossposted from Loudoun Progress.)

Progress in Northern Virginia

2010-12-28T09:30:00.003-05:00

Did you know that in the western part of vorthern Virginia (otherwise known as VA-10, until Redistricting changes it) has seen 76,000 jobs created or preserved thanks to actions taken by President Obama and the Democratic Congress of 2009-2010?

Did you know that over 11,000 neighbors have pre-existing conditions that inhibited their ability to get health insurance before the Affordable Health Care For America Act was passed?

How about the fact that some 3,800 teachers and educators had their jobs saved by Federal financing, funding which was implemented without adding to the deficit.

These are just a few of the things accomplished by President Obama and the Democratic Congress.

Something to remember when people wonder what President Obama has done since coming into office.

Leesburg's Roads Are Incomplete

2010-12-22T08:26:00.009-05:00

The roads network in and around Leesburg may seem confusing to many. For example, I cannot tell you the number of friends who call me when their GPS sends them up Catoctin Circle only to run into a barrier across the roadway. It is important to understand, however, that Leesburg's roads aren't confusing insomuch as they're incomplete. Battlefield Parkway, Sycolin Flyover, Crosstrail Boulevard, Kincaid Boulevard, Russell Branch Parkway, these are only a handful of the roads that are partially complete, and in that partial state lead to some confused visitors to our wonderful Town.

Our Democratic officials have made completion of this critical road network a high priority. Supervisor Burk has been instrumental in fighting for and securing funding for the completion of Battlefield Parkway and the Sycolin Flyover throughout her career on both Council and the Board of Supervisors. Sen. Herring has been working diligently to find creative solutions in the face of Assembly inaction, witness his Rt. 7 Task Force, which has brought together a wide variety of stakeholders to set transportation priorities independent of political machinations. On Council, Dave Butler and Marty Martinez have helped to lead the fight for funding major road improvements (Sycolin Road) when the state abandoned their responsibilities to get local roads done.

In fact, every since I moved to Leesburg in 2006, the state has been failing in its transportation responsibilities (roads funding, transportation safety, Metro funding) and the Town of Leesburg, led by Democrats on the Council, has been stepping in to pick up the slack even while fighting ever harder for Richmond to do its job. That is real leadership on the most critical issue facing our Town. And it has been consistent for five years and across a half-dozen elected officials in a series of offices. That is what commitment to solving problems looks like. That is what governing, not complaining and dodging responsibility looks like.

Democrats simply get to work, and get things done. Sure, right now Leesburg's roads are incomplete, but thanks to Sen. Herring, Supervisor Burk, Councilman Butler, Councilman Martinez, (and Mayor Umstattd!), they will get done, in spite of the procedural hurdles and roadblocks others may put in place.

(With a tip-o-the-hat to Leesburg Patch.)

Sen. Herring's Supports Those Who Choose To Serve

2010-12-21T21:32:00.003-05:00

Sen. Herring has always stood up for everyone in his District, no matter what. This week is no different. When a fellow member of the Assembly tries to legislate hate while at the same time harming our military readiness, our Senator stands up to the crazy, again.

HERRING CRITICAL OF MARSHALL’S EFFORT TO BAN OPEN SERVICE IN VIRGINIA’S NATIONAL GUARD

Leesburg, VA – Senator Mark Herring (D-Loudoun and Fairfax) today issued the following statement with regard to Delegate Bob Marshall’s (R-Prince William and Loudoun) effort to prohibit open service in Virginia’s National Guard:

“The era of discrimination in our Armed Forces has come to an end, and it is unfortunate that Delegate Marshall continues to try to prevent patriotic Virginians from serving their country and their commonwealth.”

“The citizens of Loudoun County and all Virginia deserve better from their representatives. It is time for Delegate Marshall, and those who would support discrimination in our National Guard, to move on and focus instead on other difficult challenges facing our commonwealth.”

Senator Herring is the co-Chairman of the Virginia General Assembly’s National Guard Caucus.

Leesburg Income Changes

2010-12-21T15:31:00.006-05:00

The New York Times has an awesome feature that provides a wealth of mapped census data on every tract in the U.S. You can slice and dice the maps by race, income, housing and education, just to name a few. When you do so, you learn a lot about where we live.

Like, for example, for what I'll call "Greater Leesburg" the side of Rt 15 you live on matters quite a lot. If you live West of Rt. 15, your neighborhood's average income probably went up since 2000. East of Rt. 15, it probably went down.

Blue sectors are areas where incomes declined, orange sectors are areas where incomes increased.

And then compare that with the median income in 2010 map.

Deep green simply designates median household incomes over $100,000. In the case of Leesburg, the two light green sectors have median incomes of $73,431 (NE Leesburg) and $82,083 (SE Leesburg), respectively. All Leesburg sectors west of Rt. 15 have median incomes over $113,000.

Something to think about when people are crying socialism and fascism over a local tax bill that might be $100 higher next year. I rather doubt it's the people in those blue / lighter green sectors - the ones who had lower median incomes, which then declined over the past 10 years - doing the screaming.

(With a tip-o-the-hat to OpenLeft.)

An Interlude: Five Things

2010-12-20T21:18:00.003-05:00

Cracked.com is a comedy site. But this is something that should run on the front page of a "real" news site.

Five Ridiculous Things You Probably Believe About Islam.

Yes, there are Middle Eastern countries where the veils are required by law (namely Iran and Saudi Arabia) and combined those countries have less than 5 percent of the world's Muslims. There are actually more Muslim countries that outright ban the wearing of the veils than there are that require them. They can do that because wearing a veil is not required in Islam but is more of a custom, depending on where you live and who's in charge.

Go. Read.

What Is A Legacy?

2010-12-07T20:20:00.002-05:00

What say we not give up on real healthcare for all, as in a public option. It seems to me that would be the best legacy for Elizabeth Edwards.

Kelly Burk for Supervisor

2010-12-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

Supervisor Burk is running for re-election, asking the citizens of Leesburg to give her four more years to fight for development done right, improved transportation and a healthy environment for everyone.

When asked about what she considers to be her biggest success on the board, Burk, a Democrat, points to the relationship that exists between the Leesburg Town Council and the Board of Supervisors. While she calls her job of bringing district issues to the attention of the full board “challenging,” Burk says that she has been successful in helping them understand the town issues.

“That didn’t develop by accident,” says Burk, who served on the town council before her election to the board.
...
Burk is also “very proud of the baseball stadium,” pointing out the huge environmental concessions the board was able to negotiate with the developer — concessions that Burk says should be the model for future projects.

When asked about the biggest misstep made by the current board, Burk pointed to last summers’ approval of the Kincora housing project adjacent to the ballpark.

Having addressed the effects of prior development in school construction and transportation funding requests, Burk worries about the effect of “building houses before they put the infrastructure in.” - Loudoun Times-Mirror

Supervisor Burk will be officially announcing her re-election campaign on Saturday at the Loudoun Government center at 11:30am. Incidentally, the County is hosting an information session on Redistricting at 10am that morning, so people could attend both the information session and Supervisor Burk's announcement.

Supervisor Burk has been a tireless advocate for the Town, its people and its business on the Board of Supervisors. She has gamely led the most challenging committee of the Board, the Transportation and Land Use Committee, and not shied away from difficult decisions or votes. The Baseball stadium negotiations are the perfect example of Supervisor Burk's productive, effective, style, which values results over posturing and progress over obstruction.

Supervisor Burk also has the distinction of being the only member of the Board of Supervisors to have a full-time job throughout her tenure in office. That job, as a teacher in the Loudoun County Public Schools, gives her a special insight into our county's future, once that is critically necessary for the kind of long-term planning our County so needs in this time of reduced revenues and budget challenges.

Supervisor Burk deserves re-election, she has done all that has been asked of her, and more, and been champion for Leesburg.

Dave Butler for Delegate

2010-12-01T20:43:00.004-05:00

Great news from Leesburg, our very own Councilmember Dave Butler will be running for the House of Delegates!

Although the lack of transportation solutions was the primary driver for his decision to run for a House of Delegates seat, Butler also cited his desire to give local governments more autonomy, particularly related to environmental issues, as another key issue for him.

"We just don't have the ability to require the same level of environmental regulations that are I think needed now," he said.

Butler also points to the recent erection of many Dominion Virginia Power monopoles throughout the county, a point of consternation for many residents who said the poles added to visual blight. He said the process of deciding the route for the power lines and the resulting timeline of events was "very heavily weighted to Dominion Virginia Power" and "not friendly to residents."

Butler said he believes he can serve as a "consensus builder" to work across party lines to help solve the problems that plague Leesburg and Loudoun County to improve residents' quality of life. - Leesburg Today

I've worked with Dave a lot over the past few years, and he's been an amazing member of Council. He's tireless, dedicated and always willing to talk to and work with anyone who has something to contribute. He is truly a person who can build consensus from democratic principles. His work on some of the most challenging issues facing the Town over the past five years is proof of that.

Dave is also a proven vote-getter. He received more votes for Council than anyone else when he ran in 2008, and his voters spanned geographic and ideological lines. He has the skills and passion necessary to challenge Joe May, should that be the District he runs in as seems likely.

Go Dave!

About Those Power Lines

2010-12-01T15:51:00.003-05:00

Funny thing about those power transmission lines. It turns out that one of the partners in that little endeavor was charging ratepayers for lobbying, and that's a big no-no. This is from an email I received.

An investigation by two West Virginia citizens has uncovered approximately $3 million that has been wrongly passed on to ratepayers footing the bill for the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline's (PATH) high-voltage line project. The 275 mile transmission line would carry coal power from West Virginia up through Virginia and Maryland.

Keryn Newman of Shepherdstown and Alison Haverty of Chloe, filed a Preliminary Challenge to PATH's Formula Rate showing that the company improperly charged lobbying expenses, work of its propaganda arm (PATH Education and Awareness Team), membership dues for groups like the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), and over half a million on "reliable power coalitions" in each of the three states, to ratepayers under the guise of construction and development costs. Newman and Haverty are both customers of Allegheny Energy, who has partnered with AEP on PATH.

"The challenge to PATH's formula rate reinforces what the Sierra Club has been saying for years," said Jim Kotcon, Chair of the Energy Committee for the West Virginia Chapter. "Ratepayers should not have to pay for PATH's lobbying and advertising campaigns because the project simply is not needed."

Details of the legal challenge are available.

The PATH line is currently under consideration by the SCC here in Virginia. Leesburg's own Joe May has been an instrumental supporter of various power line projects and the power industry in general.

It would be interesting for someone, or some newspaper, to do a similar investigation of Dominion Power's rates and expenditures.

"What Can We Do To Help?"

2010-11-17T15:13:00.004-05:00

This morning, I had the pleasure of speaking to a Young Democrats club at a local high school. It was 8:30 in the morning, and the students were just getting into their day before classes began. I gave them my pitch for helping the Democrats in Leesburg out, and in doing so discovered that this group of engaged young people wasn't even aware that our own Supervisor was the excellent Democrat, Kelly Burk.

After giving my initial little speech, I asked if there were any questions for me about the Party, or campaigns or Democracy in general. The students looked at me, and the President of the Club asked the only question from among them:

"What can we do to help?"

These students did not care that we had lost on the first Tuesday of November in 2010, in spite of working for Jeff Barnett. They did not care that the President was considering compromise with a side that showed no signs of respecting him or any compromise he might offer. They did not care that recrimination was being tossed across blogs and emails from great Democrats seeking to make sense of the last year of politics. All these young Democrats cared about was what they could do, next, to try to win.

It is from them that I take my inspiration as I continue to make phone calls to my fellow Leesburg Democrats, inviting them to our next meeting on December 9th (join the Google Group for more information). It is from them that I hear hope and fortitude. It is through them that I remember why I still think electing Democrats matters.

Most of these kids cannot even vote, and it's not a Presidential election year, and it's not even three weeks after a major election - and they still want ways to help!

So shame on us if we feel uninspired. Shame on us if we feel apathetic. Shame on us if we cannot find it within ourselves to continue to fight for the future of our Town, our County, our Commonwealth, our Country. Because if high school Young Democrats can find that time with their overscheduled lives, surely we can.

Fight on.

Sen. Webb in Leesburg for Veterans Day

2010-11-09T12:06:00.002-05:00

Sen. Webb will be speaking here in Leesburg on Veterans Day.

Senator James Webb and Rear Adm William Cross (ret.) will be speakers at a Veterans Day Commemoration on Thursday, Nov 11 at 10:15 a.m. a ceremony to honor the courage and sacrifices of our Vietnam War veterans.

Participants will include members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 227, Leesburg VFW 1177, Sterling VFW 9478, VA Hospital of Martinsburg WV, American Legion, Virginia Defense Force, Virginia National Guard and Loudoun County High School NJROTC.

The free event will be held at the George C. Marshall International Center, Dodona Manor, 217 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA. Dodona Manor was George and Katherine Marshall's residence from 1941 until the General's death in 1959.

Tours of the manor and refreshments will follow the event.

Parking is available at the Shops at Dodona Manor (310 East Market Street) and the Loudoun County Government Building parking garage (entrance on Loudoun Street, between Harrison Street and Church Street). For more information and directions, contact Dodona Manor at 703-777-1301 or info@georgecmarshall.org or go to: http://www.georgecmarshall.org/AboutUs/Contact_Us.asp

The Costs of Fiscal Conservatism

2010-11-05T21:02:00.002-04:00

Fiscal Conservatives(tm) are agitating to permanently extend the Bush tax cuts.

To do so will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 trillion dollars over ten years.

That is $1.3 billion a day. Every day. For ten years.

2011 Starts Today

2010-11-03T10:10:00.004-04:00

2011 starts today.

We will have a half-dozen races in 2011 that directly impact Leesburg, and those races start today.

I choose to focus on that this morning, because yesterday did not turn out the way we would have liked. As good Democrats, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I take heart in the fact that Harry Reid won and we retained the Senate. I choose to see Tom Perriello not as a former Congressman, but as a future Governor. I recall the dedication and energy of our fantastic Leesburg volunteers and smile in the knowledge that the return of the Democratic Party in Leesburg rests on a solid foundation.

2011 starts today. Kelly Burk is running once again for the Board of Supervisors, and Leesburg Republicans have their eyes on that seat. Mark Herring is running for re-election to the Virginia Senate, and the odious Dick Black is likely to oppose him. (For those, like me, who were not here when Mr. Black last served in public office, all you really need to know is that he mailed plastic fetuses to people in his zeal to oppose the right to choose. And he did this while serving in the Assembly.) I strongly suspect that great Democratic candidates will emerge to challenge for our Assembly seats and the countywide Constitutional offices that are also on the ballot in 2011. Rebuilding our Democratic base in Leesburg will be essential to stopping the negatives to which Republican governance tends, as Loudoun counts on Leesburg being a bright blue beacon in a fog of Republican red.

So, today, take heart. Stay strong and true. Talk to your neighbors about what is important, and have them stay informed and get involved. Plant the seeds of Democratic action early. Proudly advertise your affiliation on your car. There is no place in Leesburg where Jeff Barnett, out-spent 3:1 in a strongly Republican year, did not get at least 30% of the vote. That is a strong core from which to build. And you, each, are part of that effort. The first step to reasserting our majority here is letting our fellow Democrats know that they are not alone. That we are in this together.

Politics and elections in Leesburg are constant. That's one of the great things about living here. There is always another chance to make things better just around the corner. The only question is whether we take that chance.

I know my answer. 2011 starts now.

Thought For Today

2010-10-26T10:03:00.002-04:00

Going into the last week before the election (Vote November 2nd!), I thought it might be nice to share this thought from one of my favorite comic strip writers, and fellow Wahoo, Jen Sorenson.

I've always felt that humor was a more effective medium than anger. I tend to think that humor's more persuasive, and maybe even a bit trickier to do, more of an intellectual challenge. And so, you're providing more for the reader if you try to make it funny and it's not just a straightforward rant. - Jen Sorenson, Slowpoke Comics

If you're going to the Rally on Saturday in DC, have fun!

Everybody else, Get Out The Vote!

Our Moon Tree

2010-10-22T14:17:00.003-04:00

Did you know that there is a tree in Loudoun County that was grown from seeds that orbited the moon in 1971? How cool is that!

Apparently, it is on land that is designated for a future park. I hope I'll be able to take my kids there some day.

(With a tip-o-the-hat to Keith.)

The Cost of Getting Towed

2010-10-21T10:55:00.008-04:00

Leesburg is a town of Home Owners Associations (HOAs). Of course, the town itself is not an HOA, like Ashburn or Reston, but we certainly have our share. One of the defining characteristics of HOAs is the debate over, and enforcement of, parking regulations. The HOA where I live, for example, has no assigned parking. It also was built at a time when planners included sufficient parking for the number of townhouses to be built. These factors make my neighborhood a great place to live. This doesn't mean that people from anywhere can park wherever they like for as long as they like, but it does mean that when we have visitors for a couple days, they do not need to worry about where to park.

That doesn't mean that people don't get towed. If a car is left too long in one spot, or is clearly not owned by someone who lives here, it will be towed away. I know that other HOAs are much more aggressive in their towing policies than mine. That brings us to the issue of towing enforcement and costs. As of right now, there are no rules on how much a towing company can charge someone to get their car back.

Ever accidentally park your car in an unauthorized space? Then you would know that exorbitant towing fees often ensue.
...
Towing fees normally total $125 with administrative or storage fees sometimes included. However, many Loudoun residents were facing towing fees of up to $600. - The Loudoun Times

$600 is a lot of money to be able to get your car back. Especially when that car is so necessary to simply live life in Loudoun. Luckily, our Board of Supervisors, at the behest of Leesburg's own Kelly Burk, is doing something about that. This month the Board voted unanimously to establish an Advisory Committee to look into and manage towing fees. The goal is to bring Loudoun more in line with neighboring jurisdictions when it comes to commercial towing.

If you’re one of the constituents who complained to Supervisor Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) about the wide variance of prices charged by Loudoun towing firms – she and the rest of the supervisors heard your call.

The board voted at its Oct. 19 meeting to form a citizen advisory committee to ensure fees charged by towing companies in Loudoun are fair. The committee will include one towing representative, one government representative and one citizen.
...
Virginia code allows for two types of towing enforcement regulations: police tows, or law enforcement towing, and non-consensual towing, which is the towing of vehicles that have trespassed onto private property. Other regional jurisdictions, including Fairfax County, already have towing advisory boards. - The Loudoun Times

I am glad that the Board has established a Committee to investigate towing prices. Towing impacts people with low incomes quite harshly. A lot of towing happens in rental complexes and townhouse communities where the residents are often in the lower tiers of County income. Thus, high towing fees when these neighbors do get towed impact them more heavily than others who have more disposable income to work with each month. Also, people with higher incomes often live in single-family homes on private parking, and can park without any worries about towing. This is not true of renters or people in townhouse communities whose cars and trucks must be parked in community parking lots. Thus, people with lower incomes are not only more impacted by the cost of towing, they're more likely to be towed in the first place!

Lest someone think I am against all towing, please understand that I believe that towing is a perfectly valid way to enforce community rules. It can be critical for ensuring people get what they signed up for when they moved into a neighborhood. I am not against towing. I simply believe that the cost of being towed should be proportional to the infraction. If getting your car out of impound for an HOA parking violation costs 25-50% of your monthly mortgage or rent, that is not proportional, that's simply taking advantage of someone with no option but to pay.

It is great to see Supervisor Burk was able to get the unanimous consensus of the Board on this issue. There are very few things of substance on which this Board votes unanimously. (Indeed, it often appears that the Supervisor from Sterling votes "no" simply out of spite.) Supervisor Burk excels in heads-down leadership that focuses on getting things done, and it is this kind of leadership that leads to 9-0 votes.

So yes, the Board can make progress to get things done for the residents of Leesburg and Loudoun. Supervisor Burk has shown us how.

An Interlude: Ignorance

2010-10-20T16:23:00.002-04:00

The frightening thing is that this ad would probably work.

Tax Cuts, Job Growth

2010-10-20T09:09:00.006-04:00

I've recently discovered that I have a new hero, Austan Goolsbee. This discovery is based almost entirely on the white board videos he is doing at Whitehouse.gov. These videos do an amazing job of explaining, simply and directly, the economic ideas behind the President's plans.

For example, the debate over tax policy, effectively explained in two minutes.

And the last three years, explained in four minutes.

And lest it be forgotten, some of the investments that Mr. Goolsbee mentions in the second video, the ones going to Mayors and businesses, went to us right here in Leesburg. The macroecononic policies implemented at the national level by President Obama and the Democratic congress preserved and created jobs at the microeconomic level here in Town.

Incidentally, Frank Wolf voted against a lot of those investments. Then turned around and took credit for them. After 30 years, does Frank Wolf really need to run on someone else's record? It is time to vote for someone who will stand up for the investments necessary to keep America and Leesburg moving forward, it's time to vote for Jeff Barnett.

Leesburg Air Show This Weekend

2010-10-19T16:11:00.002-04:00

This weekend, the Leesburg Airport is holding its annual air show. It promises to be a great time. Some of the details include:

Gates will open at 10 am and Air Show will run from 1:00pm-2:45pm
2009 Open House was attended by 7,000. 2010 Air Show is expected to attract over 15,000.
Experimental Aircraft and other static aircraft on display in addition to local and national aerial artists.
Airport Businesses including aircraft finance, flight schools, petroleum helicopter (Air Care medivac) will be represented in addition to aircraft manufacturers.
The evening will end with the Annual 1940's Hangar Dance sponsored by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) at 5pm. Tickets to the Hanger Dance can be purchased here.

The Leesburg Airport is one of the great assets our Town has. If you've not done the tour and air show, it's worth checking out!

(Thanks to Supervisor Burk's office for bringing this to my attention!)

Eight Million for Cornwall

2010-10-15T11:03:00.002-04:00

The health care reform bill that passed earlier this year is having a direct impact on the quality of available health care in Loudoun county. Contained within the bill was a provision providing over $8 million to the Loudoun Committee Health Center, aka Cornwall medical center in Leesburg.

The Loudoun Community Health Center found out Oct. 8 that it has been awarded $8.7 million in federal grant money to build a new facility.

It is one of 143 community health centers across the country to be awarded funds to address pressing construction and renovation needs and expand access to quality health care.
...
The Loudoun Community Health Center opened in 2007 in the old Loudoun Hospital on Cornwall Street in Leesburg in space donated by Inova Loudoun Hospital. It provides medical, dental and mental health care to those in need, regardless of age or ability to pay, whether they have insurance or not. Since opening, more than 6,000 patients have been cared for at the Loudoun Community Health Center, but with limited space, the wait list continues to grow.
...
“In short, we have reached a limit that prevents us from keeping up with the overwhelming demand for our services.”

Kenyon said the facility receives between 400 and 500 calls a day from patients and those wanting to establish care with the center.

The new 25,000 square foot building plans include 18 exam rooms, 10 dental operatories, a full on-site pharmacy, optometry, mental health counseling rooms, patient education meeting rooms and prenatal services. It is anticipated that the new facility will enable the Loudoun Community Health Center to expand from its current annual patient base of 5,000 to more than 12,000 patients and will create dozens of jobs locally.
- The Loudoun Times

You may recall that earlier this year, Cornwall was awarded a grant under the Recovery Act. That means that under President Obama and the Democratic Congress, Leesburg and Loudoun have seen a significant $10 million investment in our local ability to provide health care to people who would otherwise not be able to get it outside of expensive (for us) emergency room care. And that's just the benefit of the services themselves. That doesn't count the jobs created and money spent by those employees that boost the local economy.

Great news, and well done. Congratulations Cornwall! You've come a long way from being threatened with closure if BRMC was built.

(Crossposted from Loudoun Progress.)

Bullying Sucks

2010-10-01T10:03:00.004-04:00

Being a teenager sucks, but that's the point. - Harry, Pump Up The Volume

Being teased sucks. Being bullied sucks. Being teased and bullied while trying to figure out who you are and your place in the world really sucks. I know, I was teased and bullied badly when I was young. I find this to be a true statement about many of my friends, and many of the more successful people I know in the world. The fact that we rose above that as we grew up, and got our revenge by living well does not make the moments we went through any easier or better.

There are a lot of kids who do not survive their bullying and teasing. And with the advent of cyberbullying, there is no escape in going home. For some kids, the only escape is ending their own lives.

I strongly recommend taking the 90 seconds it will take to watch Ellen's appeal on this issue, below.

Pump Up The Volume, the movie I referenced at the beginning, is about the awfulness that is being a teenager. The disconnection and craziness of trying to figure yourself out. That movie remains a touchstone for me. It's message of survival, unity among misfits and even opposition to top-down media transcends time and place. If your kid is an outcast, it might be worth finding and showing him or her (warning, it contains boobies!).

What is remarkable about Pump Up The Volume is that it was made in 1990, and three of the key storylines are about a disconnected "strange" kid who kills himself, a pregnant girl betrayed by her guidance counselor and a teenager coming to terms with his homosexuality. In fact, this movie was the first thing I ever read or saw that treated homosexuality as something other than "icky" and wrong.

The problem is that the message of "survive it" and "ignore it" only works most of the time. For some kids, the awfulness is too much, and they take their own lives.

I do not know the answer. I can only sympathize with the victims of bullying, and their parents. This is a problem that has always existed, and isn't going away. I wish I could say more, do more, than "hang in there, high school isn't reality." But I honestly don't know what more to do.

Kids are sent off to spend six years memorizing meaningless facts in a world ruled by a caste of giants who run after an oblong brown ball, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. And if they balk at this surreal cocktail, they're called misfits. - Why Nerds Are Unpopular

An Interlude: Grunge Music

2010-10-01T09:55:00.003-04:00

Surviving the World is awesome. Thanks Doorbell Queen.

P.S. Happy birthday (two days early), honey!

Absentee In Person Voting

2010-09-29T09:25:00.001-04:00

A friend emailed me to let me know that he would be unavailable to volunteer on Election Day because of work. He isn't even sure he's going to be able to vote because of job commitments. No one should be asked to forgo their right to vote in order to put food on the table. (This is why Election Day should be a non-negotiable national holiday, but that's a different diary entirely.)

Luckily, Loudoun County recognizes that people have lives and commitments, and provides an opportunity for people who may not be able to vote on Election Day to vote early, through Absentee In Person voting at the Board of Elections.

An in-person absentee voter visits an absentee office location to vote. In Loudoun County there are two locations: the Voter Registration office in Leesburg and the Cascades Senior Center in Sterling. Arriving voters complete the Absentee Ballot Application and provide appropriate identification. The Absentee Ballot Application is processed there and voting takes place on a voting machine just as is done on Election Day.

Absentee in-person voting begins approximately 45 days prior to a general election (30 days for primaries) and ends at 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday before Election Day. - Loudoun County

The process involves going to the Board of Elections and filling out an application for an absentee ballot. They will process the application right there, and then provide you with your ballot and let you vote, immediately.

Here are the dates and locations where Absentee In Person voting is available.

Absentee Voting Hours

Extended hours for absentee voting in Leesburg will be offered at 801 Sycolin Road, Suite 102, Leesburg, 20175

November 2, 2010 General Election
o October 18-22, 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
o October 25-29, 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
o Two Saturdays: October 23 and 30, 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m

Satellite absentee voting will be offered at the Cascades Senior Center, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 20165.

o October 18-22, 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
o October 25-29, 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
o Two Saturdays: October 23 and 30, 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

Here is a map showing the Board of Elections office, just north of Leesburg Airport on Sycolin Road.

View Larger Map

(Crossposted from Loudoun Progress.)

Power Leesburg With Sludge

2010-09-27T09:26:00.000-04:00

Out in Nevada, they're starting to generate fuel for power plants from wastewater sludge, "inexpensively."

The new patent-pending, low-cost, energy-efficient technology is an experimental carbon-neutral system. The solid fuel it produces will be analyzed for its suitability to be used for fuel through gasification, and the refrigerator-size demonstration unit will help researchers determine the optimum conditions for a commercial-sized operation.

"The beauty of this process is that it's designed to be all on-site, saving trucking costs and disposal fees for the sludge," Victor Vasquez, a University faculty member in chemical engineering and collaborator, said. "It uses waste heat from the process to drive the electrical generation. It also keeps the sludge out of the landfill." - ScienceDaily

As you might know, a new power station has been approved for south of Town, one that is planned to be green. That power plant has already planned to use wastewater as part of its design.

The hybrid plant will be designed to use natural gas, steam and Virginia's largest solar array to generate 981 megawatts of electricity. The natural gas transmission lines already in place on the property would serve as the fuel source for the plant and the company is seeking to purchase 5 million gallons per day of treated wastewater from the Town of Leesburg. Green Energy Partners has indicated it could get effluent from Loudoun Water if the agreement with the Town of Leesburg could not be finalized. - Leesburg Today

It seems like a logical step to implement wastewater sludge as a power input once the technology for that sludge is ready for prime time.

Of course, getting that technology ready is a few years off. And the technology is in Nevada, not Virginia. Perhaps some kind of partnership with UVA or Virginia Tech (or other excellent Virginia schools) could expedite the availability of the technology, locally. As an added bonus, such a partnership might make Leesburg an attractive location for a new branch college. The Town has been an inviting location for a school of higher education for some time, and personally I think siting a college here makes a lot of sense. A research technology partnership around existing resources, like the power plant, would be a nice foundation for an engineering school.

Battlefield Parkway North Progressing

2010-09-24T12:51:00.002-04:00

Lest people think I'm nothing but a traffic naysayer, there is some GREAT news for those of us who live on the Northern side of Leesburg. Battlefield Parkway between Ft. Evans Road and Edwards Ferry Road will soon be completed.

Project Description: The project includes construction of approximately 1,650 feet of 4-lane arterial roadway with a sidewalk and multi-use trail immediately south of Edwards Ferry Road.
...
This will complete Edwards Ferry Road as a four-lane divided roadway between the Bypass and the Town limits. By completing this final segment of Battlefield Parkway between North King Street and East Market Street, access to the northern portions of the Town will be improved and congestion on the Route 15 Bypass will be reduced.
...
As of September 24, 2010 - For the final phase of work on this project, the contractor was given a Notice to Proceed effective September 13, 2010. Currently they are mobilizing, with survey work expected to begin within the next two weeks. - The Town of Leesburg

I am continually impressed by the effectiveness with which the Town makes use of limited resources to address unlimited transportation and traffic needs.

Leesburg Bypass Woes

2010-09-24T10:40:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week, Leesburg Councilmember Dave Butler introduced a resolution to provide pedestrian crosswalks on the Leesburg Bypass. This is in response to the significant danger posed by people crossing the Bypass unsafely, today.

To protect residents that need to cross the Bypass, and to further the goal of increasing bicycle & pedestrian use within the Town, on Monday, Town Councilman Dave Butler will propose installing crosswalks at all four Bypass intersections including Battlefield Parkway, Edwards Ferry Road, Fort Evan's Road, and Sycolin Road.

"Obviously, Leesburg Town staff will need to investigate cost and feasibility, but this is a critical need for Leesburg and we need to move this forward. Too many of our residents cross the Bypass to earn a living to survive," said Councilman Butler. "We owe it to them to come up with a better solution than just a bus." - Dave Butler

The best solution for the Bypass is a series of interchanges from Fort Evans Rd. north to Battlefield Parkway, and a flyover at Sycolin Road. These are, in fact, the Town's plans for the road, but there is no funding for these critical, necessary plans.

The fact that we need to consider pedestrian crosswalks on the Leesburg Bypass is due to the total ineffectiveness of our legislative Republican representation in Richmond and Washington DC. Yes, the mess that is the Leesburg Bypass at rush hour is the fault of Joe May and Frank Wolf. For lack of legislative gumption from our representatives, the Town is forced to consider striping a major throughway in the name of safety.

Both Joe May and Frank Wolf have served as chairmen of their respective chambers' Transportation Committees at various points over the past decade. Joe May is Chair of the Transportation committee in the Assembly, today! And yet, in spite of these positions of power within a legislative majorities, they ignored the emerging need for a solution on the Leesburg Bypass as the problem was building.

During this past decade, the commonwealth faced its biggest battles over transportation funding and planning, but Joe May and Frank Wolf were conspicuously absent from those important debates. In fact, in 2008 - after the 2007 compromise that yielded the NVTA was declared unconstitutional - Joe May said, "We need money raised in Northern Virginia to be spent in Northern Virginia. It is becoming rapidly apparent that we're at the point where if we don't address transportation in Northern Virginia it will start to affect the rest of Virginia."

That was two years ago and yet Delegate May has done nothing to address that imbalance since then.

Similarly, Frank Wolf's signature legislative accomplishment of the past five years is the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. A significant portion of this "Journey" is US 15 from Charlottesville to Gettysburg. That means the Leesburg Bypass, here in Mr. Wolf's district. If ever there were a vehicle for addressing the need for interchanges on the Leesburg Bypass, this was it. And yet, though he had been Chair of the Transportation Committee, and though there was bipartisan support for the bill establishing the Journey, Frank Wolf did nothing for Leesburg when given this golden opportunity.

For the record, by the time the Journey Through Hallowed Ground legislation was finally passed, the need for interchanges on the Bypass was clear. The fact that the longest-serving member of the Virginia delegation to Congress could not secure at least some part of $35 million to make his precious Journey Through Hallowed Ground actually safe for pedestrians in his own District is laughable.

Both Joe May and Frank Wolf have served for decades in their respective chambers. Both of them have seen to their personal, parochial issues during that extensive period. But both of them have failed, miserably, to address the real, pressing traffic problems of their Districts. Both of them deserve to be sent home. We need to change our representation in Congress and Richmond before anything will be done to solve the problems of the Bypass.

[Update] I was remiss in not mentioning that Sen. Herring has put together a Rt 7 Task Force to look at interchanges on that critical artery.

On Sept. 21, state Sen. Mark Herring (D-eastern Loudoun) told the Times-Mirror he will soon announce the formation of a new community task force with the goal of developing prioritized solutions to alleviate congestion on the Route 7 corridor between the Fairfax and Loudoun line in the east to the town of Leesburg in the west. - The Loudoun Times

Adam from Sen. Herring's office has confirmed that the Leesburg Bypass was part of the area that the Task Force is going to be examining closely. Once again, Joe May is silent, absent and ineffective. Thankfully Sen. Herring is looking out for us and building a consensus among stakeholders in the County.

An Interlude: The Dad Life

2010-09-13T14:51:00.002-04:00

From a friend here in the neighborhood. This is pretty much how Loudoun County rolls.

Vehicle Milage Labels Redux

2010-08-30T23:51:00.002-04:00

Back in 2007, I posted a diary on DailyKos calling for Vehicle Milage Labels to be put on cars, showing relative levels of mileage.

I believe we should institute a policy of vehicle labels, applied by the dealerships, and linked to local property taxes. The labels would reflect the predicted around town gas mileage of the vehicle. I propose four levels of labels, to be applied as a sticker to the back of the car just below (or above) the dealership sticker/medallion. Each level would correspond to a mileage range. And localities would be given the right to impose a sliding property tax surcharge based on which mileage label the vehicle carries. The property tax surcharge money could be explicitly designated for road maintenance, traffic enforcement and related spending, but not new road construction. - Leesburg Tomorrow

Funny thing about that.

"The EPA and Department of Transportation on Monday proposed a fuel economy label overhaul to reflect how electric and alternative fuel vehicles stack up against gasoline passenger vehicles. ... The changed label, mandated by the 2007 energy law, includes the same information on city and highway miles per gallon and estimated driving costs based on 15,000 miles a year now available. But the new labels add more comparative information, rating cars on mileage, greenhouse gas contribution, and other air pollutants from tailpipe emissions. That means that consumers can look at a label to see how one vehicle compares to all available vehicles, rather than only cars in a specific class. One label proposes grades, ranging from an A-plus to a D. There are no failing grades, since vehicles need to comply with the Clean Air Act." - Slashdot

It's not the same thing, but it's close.