Cliff is a widely known, very popular, well-liked, hugely qualified candidate for this office. He's been Stevens's Planning Commissioner for the last couple of years. Before that, he was on the Facilities Standards Manual Public Review Committee, all while serving on the Broadlands HOA (including as President) and the Loudoun Library Foundation Board. His wife and his children are wonderful people, and he and his family are seriously committed to serving the community.
The Hatch Act makes it impossible for him to run for a party nomination, but an Independent label suits Cliff better than either party label anyway.
Cliff is, by all measures, a terrific candidate and deserves to have the unqualified support of all who know him.
Meanwhile, Andrea McGimsey, current Potomac Supervisor, is also in the new Broad Run district and has announced that she is going to run for reelection. I agree with Andrea on most issues, she's been a phenomenal advocate for making Loudoun an environmentally responsible locality and her work on that topic has helped Loudoun win awards for energy efficient policies. She's kept her campaign promises to be a proponent of slow-growth and sustainable policies.
Andrea has earned the trust and admiration of many in Loudoun for her strong and outspoken advocacy of many issues. She's a popular and welcomed figure in Democratic and environmental circles and she has done outstanding work in many areas. She has been a good friend to the Community Services Board* and Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter**, as well as many other organizations of which I am fond. Just like Cliff, she deserves to have the unqualified support of all who know her.
And there's the problem. They are both running for the same seat on the Board of Supervisors, and as much I want them both on the board, we can only pick one.
(Before I start discussing the choice ahead, I would like to point out that in the HOA 4 plan, Andrea and Cliff were not drawn into the same district. Actually, they weren't drawn in together under any of the plans Stevens backed. So the very fact that voters are in a position of having to make this particular choice is pissing me off.)
Now, for the race itself:
First is the fact that this is going to be a 3-way race. Members of either party committee who think that Cliff would be a terrific candidate are in a bind, since it looks like both parties are going to have an official nominee. Members of the LCDC have pledged to help get Democratic candidates elected and pledged not to work against a Democratic candidate in a race where there is one. If there isn't one, LCDC members are free to back whichever other candidate they choose. I'm assuming the situation is the same for those in the LCRC.
This means that I, like others on the LCDC who live in the new Broad Run, have three choices in this election:
- Back Andrea
- Leave the LCDC to back Cliff or
- Sit down and shut up.
Second, is the political reality of the new district. I can't speak to the politics of the other areas in the new Broad Run, but I CAN speak to the politics of the Broadlands. The people in Broadlands like to vote for the moderate. They don't like mean-spirited politicians: they didn't like Dick Black or Steve Snow and were ready to vote for reasonable Democrats to get rid of them. But, given a seemingly reasonable moderate Republican or, for preference, an Independent, they'll vote for that person over a Democratic candidate (see the Poisson/Greason election). Cliff Keirce has been elected, and re-elected, and re-re-elected to the HOA board in the Broadlands. The residents know him, like him, and expect him to be reasonable and a good advocate. People who have opposed him on various issues respect him and consider him fair-minded, even when they disagree with him vehemently. All of which is to say that I think that Cliff can win the Broadlands, no matter whether he runs in a 3-way race or a 2-way race.
If Cliff were not in the race, I think the Broadlands would vote for Shawn Williams, unless Andrea can make a big enough stink about him being a Dick Black fan. The residents of the Broadlands don't want to be preached to by either side of the political spectrum. They're proud to live in a community with lots of environmentally-friendly features, but that doesn't mean they want to see any clothes-lines or compost piles. They may or may not care a great deal about social issues, regardless, they don't want the people representing them to be rabid about such issues either.
(Please note I am speaking in generalities here, each resident of the Broadlands is an individual and this generalization will not apply to all those individuals).
It is my opinion that if a candidate wins the Broadlands, they will win the new Broad Run.
Third, what can the opposition use? For the last several months Andrea has said many times from the dais, that her full-time job as the Executive Director for Oatlands makes it difficult for her to attend daytime BOS meetings, or to be prepared for the ones she attends. It makes her sound like she can't maintain the effort needed to stay on top of her committments. I think an opponent could use those statements to ask why she's running for a second term if she's finding it hard to keep up.
Against Cliff is the fact that he was a vocal proponent of the hospital in the Broadlands (which actually will be viewed positively in many quarters), and is a high-order nerd (collecting comic books and signed first editions - much like me, actually). He has large presence online and in the local papers, and that's always dangerous for a candidate who doesn't want his words used against him. His clothing sense is questionable (while I might see it as plus, I'm not sure if voters are going to welcome a guy knocking on their door in a Thor's Mighty Hammer t-shirt).
I wish I didn't have to choose between two terrific candidates. I wish that it were a 2-way race between one of these two great candidates and the LCRC's candidate. And it's my guess that there are many people who consider themselves Democrats who are feeling the same way today.
It's not my way to sit down and shut up, so I only have two choices. Stay with the LCDC and back Andrea, or leave the LCDC and back Cliff. I've never worked against a Democratic candidate before, nor have I ever worked against the person I thought was the better candidate. I've always felt that the Democratic candidate, if there was one in the race, was the better candidate, which is why I'm a member of the LCDC in the first place. But what if a committed Dem thinks that Cliff is the better candidate? For that matter, what if a Republican does?
What are your thoughts?
*I'm a member of the Board of the CSB.
**I did an internship with LAWS.
I, too, am an LCDC member, and truly believe that Andrea won't win this race - Cliff, or no Cliff. You are much more politically correct and generous than I about her. However, as an LCDC member, I think that exceptions ought to be made for candidates who are running as I's because of the Hatch Act. The irony is that this isn't an issue for some other seats, as the positions themselves (such as school board) are non-partisan. Therefore, the LCDC could (and has) endorse a candidate who consistently votes R (Leesburg town council, anyone???).
ReplyDeleteIf this exception was made for Hatch Act candidates, perhaps we could get better candidates who would inspire us to donate money and get our butts to the polls on election day, and we might also get more members in the LCDC.
First of all although Broadlands shares part of it's name with the new Broad Run District, it by no means is the deciding factor on who wins the BOS seat. The new district also comprises a much larger HOA, Ashburn Village, numerous smaller subdivisions from 7 to south of the Greenway and surprisingly a good part of Sterling. Secondly, although Mr Keirce is a familiar name in his HOA, he's by no means a household word elsewhere. Having been PC for only a yr, many of his votes were questionable and would indicate he's still on a learning curve. I've served on various Boards myself in the same capacity and know that holding elective office is a very different animal from being nominated to PC by a friend. Thus Mr Keirce will have to earn his stripes like everyone else. Also serving on an HOA Board that's been largely controlled by developers over the years (and still has seats on that Board) unduly hamstrings and influences that Board.
ReplyDeleteThirdly, to those who actually pay attention to who does what on the current BOS Board, I've noticed that McGimsey has actually accomplished far more than the environmental issues that the press and others seem to single out. In my opinion the press focuses on this because this area lags behind many other communities on environmental issues (regionally and elsewhere in the US/ Voters need to look at voting records to make any assumptions. And as far as the third candidate is concerned I totally disagree that he would win in a 2-way race with Keirce. The R candidate is a neophyte, knows nothing about the complexities of local govt, and has already allied himself with a toxic failure from the past. I do not believe that most of the voters in this newly drawn district are that clueless.
Lastly, one cannot help but notice the absence of any and ALL the supervisors during many day-time or eve mtgs. At any given time, and on a regular basis, York, Waters, Buckley, Miller, Kurtz, McGimsey, Burk, Burton and Delgaudio all take their turn missing mtgs due to schedule conflicts with their day jobs. Life happens. Not all of them apologize for it either.
Anonymous 2, please re-read. I said I thought Keirce would beat Williams in a 2-way race in the Broadlands
ReplyDeleteI think Williams will beat McGimsey in a 2-way race in the Broadlands.
And you're correct that all the Supervisors have missed meetings here and there. I am concerned only that an opponent of McGimsey's can use her statements against her.
Is ALL of Ashburn Village in the new Broad Run? I can't remember. I thought it was split between Broad Run and Ashburn. However, I think that my assessment may still be valid based on previous elections. If all other precincts perform as they have in previous elections, and Broadlands comes out strong for Keirce, then Keirce will win the election.
As you can see by my post, I'm feeling torn about what to do in this race.
---
Anonymous 1, I think I may suggest that an exception be made to the LCDC membership. I don't know if it will be accepted by them.
I have never missed a meeting for my "day job." I am self-employed and have always been able to schedule around the BOS meetings. The only meetings I have missed (I think it's two) were due to illness. In both cases, I followed the meeting on TV.
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of all nine of us, I will add that the statement, "at any given time, and on a regular basis, York, Waters, Buckley, Miller, Kurtz, McGimsey, Burk, Burton and Delgaudio all take their turn missing mtgs due to schedule conflicts with their day jobs" is simply false. Over the last three-and-a-half years, none of us has missed more than a handful of meetings, certainly not "on a regular basis," and most assuredly not "at any given time." At least four of us do not even have "day" jobs.
Everyone has the right to their own opinion. No one has the right to their own facts.
To anon #2, Andrea McGimsey is the only Supervisor who constantly complains about being too busy, about not having enough time, about not being prepared, about not knowing what's going on. The only thing she can point to as an accomplishment was the county energy plan, which is fine but didn't need to bbe the focus of her efforts when there were far more important things to focus on, like the community plans she promised and never delivered and creating commerce.
ReplyDeleteLiz - Let me re-phrase, I was trying to respond to both you and Anon1 at the same time. I don't think Williams could beat anyone. Also, Ashburn Village is completely contained in the Broad Run District, and a small portion of Broadlands is in the Ashburn district.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your honesty about being torn and can understand your dilemma. I agree that the opposition will use almost anything as ammunition -- including the innocuous comments about day mtgs that Andrea made. Both Buckley and Waters have publicly stated they won't run again due to the pressures of time/family which is certainly understandable. It's no coincidence that out of 9 members, 5 are either retired, and/or haven't worked full-time for most of the last 3 1/2 years. The other 4 work full-time, flexible schedules or not and kudos to them all for performing both under pressure.
Stevens - You've missed my larger point altogether, besides misunderstanding my use of the phrase 'at any given time' and 'regular basis'. I simply was referring to random absences -- and because there are 9 of you, one notices there's a missing person regularly. I made it quite clear this was not a criticism of you or your peers.
Anon1 - Several of the supervisors have complained privately (and sometimes as asides to others on the Board) about mtgs conflicting with their schedules. You criticize Andrea because she had the courage to say it publicly. I personally think with a County of this size and complexity the Board should be full-time and professionally paid. The amount of work the supervisors do is astounding and is a tremendous value for the meager salaries they make. You would be very surprised by who on the Board agrees with that sentiment and has made those comments to me personally - of all political persuasions. Also, focusing solely on Andrea's environmental initiatives is short-sighted and absurd, although she is to be congratulated on her efforts in that regard. Do your homework, read the BOS records. She's worked very hard on a whole variety of issues including transportation, budget, public safety to name just a few. BTW If you're paying attention you would know that two community plans have already been completed, and the Dulles/Ashburn community plans will begin outreach efforts later this year. (these areas are somewhat different from the magisterial districts which is confusing).
It never fails to amaze me how one-sided and ill-informed the blog criticisms are -- when it's so easy to find out the truth.
Anon2, I wish I could agree with you about Williams's chances in a 2-way race with Andrea, but I remember Greason/Poisson.
ReplyDeleteAnon, your defense of McGimsey is laudable but it's lacking in context and facts. McGimsey not only complains about meeting times, she complains about not being prepared. She routinely scolds County staff and one of her numerous staff aides (how many has she fired??) because she feels they haven't prepared her. She routinely complains about being too busy. She routinely tells constituents or would-be constituents she's too busy to discuss their concerns (such as OpenBand) and then blames staff and her aides for not being prepared. You can't willfully fail to prepare yourself and then blame others or a lack of time for your lack of preparedness.
ReplyDeleteFurther, McGimsey routinely doeesn't know what the Board is doing at any given time. I might give her credit for admitting she's not prepared, but it's still her fault for not being prepared.
I will respond one last time anon2 and then goodnight and goodbye. It's clear you've borrowed a page from the TP: say it loud & repeat often, the media will do the rest, no matter the truth. You are in no position to know my personal experiences and thus accuse me of lacking context or facts. I completely agree with what Stevens posted above: you're not entitled to your own facts. If you don't like a candidate don't vote for them, but spending your time blogging here and elsewhere trying to crucify someone is despicable.
ReplyDeleteAnon, if saying that a candidate complains about being too busy and blames others for not being prepared is crucifying someone, I guess we just disagree. From what I've seen and the archived video record will back up, McGimsey has routinely demonstrated she was unprepared and in some cases blamed others for that. That's factual.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what TP is or stands for?
Your experience might not have included some context. I encourage you to ask around and go watch some archived meetings on the Loudoun.gov site.
Williams would NEVER win Broadlands. No one knows who he is, he has only been a Loudoun resident for 3 years. Long time Loudouner & Broadlands residents will think twice, since Williams is clearly backed by the Dick Black/Suzane Volpe. Check out his 1st VPAP report, I believe it is indicative of things to come
ReplyDeleteMcGimsey has an uphill battle and I can not see the moderates or Independents in Broadlands shifting their support to her.
Cliff Keirce has over a decade of service to his Community (again Williams is out matched on this factor alone), more importantly the letter I by his name is sure to get him "the middle".
McGimsey has not fired any of her past 9+ Aides - they have all resigned and all for the same reasons.
ReplyDeleteHer current aide is number 11.
ReplyDeleteLiz,
ReplyDeleteMcGimsey would lose a two way race. In a three way race, however, she will win if she identifies the winning issues and and runs a good campaign. Don't count her out; she is very smart.
My apology for remaining anonymous. Too many people know me (no, I am not on the BOS).
Not a problem, Anon 07092011, anonymous comments are welcome, but please do try to come up with a screen name for posting so that I don't have to differentiate people by date!
ReplyDeleteI think Andrea loses no matter what, and I am increasingly thinking that she doesn't want to win.
She has no website, and her campaign manager points people to the now-defunct '07 one when asked.
I haven't heard that she's knocking doors, nor have I seen anything other than theatrics in the board room as indicators that she has any desire to get her campaign moving.
OK Liz, call me Josh
ReplyDeleteI don't want to be specific about issues for Andrea because I prefer Cliff. It would be better for Andrea to change her mind about running for reelection. She doesn't seem to enjoy being on the Board.
BUT Andrea can win.
Josh