The Case of the Disappearing Yard Signs [Updated]

[Updated: mystery solved! It was an honest mistake and the signs have been re-planted.]

Van Metre gave Cliff (and only Cliff) permission to put his signs on their properties in the Broadlands - near the fountain, alongside both shopping centers, and on their vacant lots.

So on Friday, Cliff went and planted his yard signs in those places. More than 15 feet in from the road so as to be out of the VDOT right-of-way. And today - poof! - they're gone.

If you, or anyone you know, took the signs, it'd be a nice gesture if you'd return them.

If you're thinking about taking the one in MY yard, please note that we've got a security system set up.

(this is a duplicate post from doorbellqueen.com. After the election, I'll be turning this site off)

Andrea's aides speak up on the record

Dusty Smith and Erika Jacobson Moore have the story.

But it was the cat that prompted action. During a meeting among the supervisors’ aides, McGimsey’s current aide Alex Delgado mentioned he was going to feed her cat and clean out the kitty the litter.

“That upset so many of us that one of the aides went to [County Administrator Tim] Hemstreet about it,” said an aide from another office. At least four aides present at the meeting confirmed the account, including Jessica Echard, who made the complaint.

“I went to the county administrator,” said Echard, who worked for Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) before leaving town for an internship. “The meeting was actually over,” Echard explained, saying Delgado raised the cat care half-jokingly. “’Oh yeah, she just told me to put it on my time sheet.’ We all just stopped and said, ‘Whoa, that’s not OK.’”

Delgado said the entire situation was a misunderstanding with the other aides and that the situation got blown beyond what it actually was.

“No county money was spent to take care of her cat,” he said. “She and I have a friendship beyond [supervisor-aide]. That’s all that was.”

I think it's important to remember that staff aides are at-will employees, entirely dependent on their employer's good will to keep their jobs. If you were in that position, and your employer asked you to do them a favor, whether or not it was on the clock, would you feel like you could say "no"?

And, as a reminder, here is an example of how she treats COUNTY staff, on camera:
[first posted on Without Supervision]

I did tell you so.

Meanwhile, in the school board races...

Items of interest from races I'm watching:

1. Joe Guzman endorses John Stevens:
   

   School Board Rep. Joseph Guzman (R-Sugarland Run)
   "The School Board is no place for partisan politics. John Stevens has been a fantastic Chairman. We both believe in putting children first. I am proud to have supported John and I would vote for him again!"
   
   Read more endorsements at StevensForSchools.org.

    Now, I'm no fan of Guzman, but him snubbing Debbie Rose to endorse John Stevens is definitely big news. Good work, John!


2. Bob Ohneiser has a terrific quote in Leesburg Today about the problematic LCPS discipline policy:
   

   School Board member Bob Ohneiser (Broad Run), an attorney who has been openly critical of the district's discipline process, said in the eight years he's served as a board member, the number of lawsuits and appeals has grown from "fitting on one page to eight pages long on both sides."
   
   "Those parents are spending hundreds and hundreds per hour to set the record straight out of principle," Ohneiser said. "People don't do that unless they feel wronged."

   Bob Oh! is outspoken and not afraid to face down his board mates and Hatrick.


3. The one really bright spot in the Loudoun Times Mirror's confusing endorsements was their endorsement of Joy Maloney:
   

   The Broad Run race is a difficult one. While impressed with Kevin Kuesters and the work he has done preparing for the position, we remain troubled by the accusations of assault which cannot be fully resolved by Election Day. Candidates have a time and a place, and perhaps the problem is that Kuesters needs to resolve these issues in his personal life before making another run for public office. While concerned about write-in candidate Joy Maloney’s ability to organize a successful write-in campaign and balance an elected office with her work life, we endorse her candidacy and are impressed by the level of commitment and involvement with the community that she has demonstrated.

As you all know, I'm going to be voting for Joy and Bob on Tuesday. I hope you will all join me!

Still curious: HOW much money have MC Dean etal put into Loudoun Races this year?

When I added it all together a couple of weeks ago, it came to $27,250 for the BOS races alone.

The fresh reports show Bill Dean giving another $2,500 to Suzanne Volpe, MC Dean giving another $7,500 to Eugene Delgaudio (in two installments) and a whopping $20,000 to Va Rep - Nova Business Forum for the anti-McGimsey mailers that my husband, Stevens, reported on.

So let's see...

$27,250
$ 2,500
$ 7,500
$20,000
-------------
$57,250

We haven't even gotten the final reports yet. And this doesn't count their donations to Black, LeMunyon, and Rust.

We're looking at one company, here. MC Dean and Bill Dean together make BY FAR the largest contributor to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors races.

What are they hoping to get for their money?

You may remember, the BOS decided NOT to have a Dean district. Loudoun shouldn't have a Dean BOS, either.

Okay, so Plowman dropped the charges

That doesn't change the fact that you should still write in Joy Maloney for Broad Run School Board.

My issues with Mr. Kuester's candidacy remain the same, I feel that people on the school board should believe in the value of public education, and should be fiscally responsible. Mr. Kuesters fails both those tests.

Mr. Kuesters sends his school-age children to private religious school. That's his right, obviously. But I think someone who wants to be in charge of our public schools, who has school-age children, should be invested enough in the schools to have his children attend them.

The School Board has fiscal oversight over the schools budget. Mr. Kuesters filed bankruptcy last year and is in more financial hot-water this year with his HOAs.

And then there is the arrest. I have volunteered with LAWS, the Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter, and I am aware of how common it is for abused spouses to withdraw complaints against their abusers. Mr. Kuesters may or may not have abused his wife, but whatever happened, it's clear that he has personal issues that are too complex to be completely dealt with before swearing in on January 1.

Meanwhile, Joy Maloney has a daughter at Eagle Ridge, her family is on a good solid financial footing, and she's not facing family turmoil. PLUS, she has a Masters in Educational Leadership and a Bachelors in Secondary Education. She taught high school for 5 years, and she works in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) field.

Write in Joy Maloney for Broad Run School Board.

I would vote for Kelly Burk

Over at his own blog, my husband, Stevens Miller, has said that he would vote for Ken Reid if we lived in Leesburg.

I understand his reasons, and agree with a lot of what he says but from the same facts, I come to a different conclusion.

Yes, Kelly Burk is flaky and never remembers to turn off her cell phone. Yes, she's not a terribly clear thinker. Yes, she's been known to be petty and vindictive.

I would still vote for her, because I fear what we would get with Ken Reid. Ken Reid is a staunch conservative ala Dick Black and Eugene Delgaudio who is smart enough to at least try to hide that he is a Black/Delgaudio fan. If he is elected to the BOS, he could easily use that as a platform to get to the general assembly. We already have enough people running for the GA who think that birth control should be outlawed.

The anti-choice/anti-LGBT folks vote anti-choice/anti-LGBT at every level of government, because they know that local office is where you get your crop for next year's higher office candidates.

It's time for our side to start doing the same. We need to vote PRO-choice/PRO-LGBT at every level of government.

And, while Kelly isn't an ally of Choice, she did stand up to Delgaudio. I'd rather have tepid support than avid opposition.

So, if you live in Leesburg, and you're no Black/Delgaudio fan, vote for Kelly Burk.

In case you were wondering...

Campaign Signs: What are the Rules?: 

Loudoun County’s zoning ordinance provisions require anyone interested in displaying signs on the roadways within the county to obtain a zoning permit. Once the permit is obtained, signs not exceeding four-square-feet may be placed on private property (any parcel of record) upon consent of the property owner. Large billboard type signs are not permitted in accordance with current zoning ordinance provisions. For additional information regarding the sign permit process, please contact Marsha Keim, Zoning Permit Division, 703-777-0648.

No signs are permitted in a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) right-of-way. Under an agreement with VDOT, Loudoun County removes all signs that have been placed within VDOT rights-of-way.  For additional information regarding the sign collection program, please contact Roger Carroll, Zoning Enforcement, 703-737-8818.

Sign regulations may differ within Loudoun County’s incorporated towns and the appropriate town offices should be contacted regarding placement of campaign and other temporary signs within towns.

Letter from Eugene Delgaudio

A letter from Eugene Delgaudio was in my inbox this morning. Mostly, it's got a lot of anti-community activism text, especially,

"COUNTY SUPERVISORS DROP KICK BUSINESS LEADERS?
And in Leesburg-- your Loudoun County Board of supervisors-- hears and considers condemnations of business leaders...[snip]

The pursuit of profit and prosperity is what makes America a great nation.

To attack free market leaders and business spokesman in Leesburg-- our local seat of government-- or on Wall Street-- is an attack on all our freedoms."[emphasis his]

Plus a bit about "donors and their companies". This makes me think that the letter is a reaction to both the pleas by residents to deny a franchise to OpenBand (link from Loudoun Times Mirror*) and the disgust over his taking a $2,500 donation from OpenBand owner MC Dean a month before a vote on that franchise is scheduled to take place.

The letter itself, as it was sent to me, is after the jump.

The upshot of the letter is a message to the people of Sterling: If you want someone who really does support working people, and wants to maintain the rights and freedoms of Loudouners, vote for Al Nevarez.

*"Bill Dean, M.C. Dean CEO and president, holds a minority interest in Times Community Media and sits on its board of directors" - from the article I linked to.

Noticed this while compiling the campaign contributions list

Delgaudio got another $2500 from M.C. Dean. That brings him up to a life-time total of $12,500.

You think he'll recuse himself when they vote on OpenBand in a couple of weeks?

How to vote for Joy Maloney using the electronic voting machine

How to write in your vote using the electronic voting machines

Dick Black is against a woman's right to choose what to do with her...

...Work product.

Catherine Read, a professional photographer, was at the NARAL Black OUT event on Thursday, along with a host of pro-Choice Loudouners and Fairfaxians, and took a ton of pictures, which she put on her facebook page, and...

Well...Let me let her tell you the rest of the story.

Apparently Dick Black's daughter Michelle Black Staton attempted to tag my photos not realizing AS THE OWNER OF THE PHOTO I have to give MY PERMISSION. Which I DID NOT. So Dick Black's campaign simply downloaded it from Facebook and used it for their email WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION OR PERMISSION!! Great judgment call for an attorney to make. I guess he thinks intellectual property doesn't mean the same thing on the Internet. Oct. 14, 2011. http://secure.campaigner.com/Campaigner/Public/t.show?O5Wl--AGQw-rwn1q3

 Here's a screen capture of the requests to tag the photos in question.

And here's a screen capture of the Dick Black fund-raising page, with the stolen photo:

When Dick Black says he is 100% against a woman's right to choose, HE MEANS IT.

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Don't like what Dick did? Donate to NARAL Pro-Choice VA or to Shawn Mitchell.

Write-in Joy Maloney for Broad Run School Board!

My friend and neighbor, Joy Maloney, is stepping up to run against Kevin Kuesters, who was recently arrested for assaulting his wife.

Check out Joy's website and, please, write her name in on November 8th.


Stevens has more at Without Supervision.

The Perils of Having a Common Name

This Michael Chapman

Chapman for Sheriff

is not this Michael Chapman

Chapman for Tea Party

The former one (the one who still has his hair), is a respected law enforcement officer, with decades of experience.

The latter one is a Tea Partier par excellence, and apparently the fact that they have the same name has confused some people.

I hope this clears up that confusion.

Attention Candidates!!!

The State Board of Elections has ruled the following about websites:

Each page is accessible via its own link and address. Therefore, each webpage must include the disclaimer.

Quite frankly, I would never have interpreted the law this way, since the law says,

Radio, TV and print media communications must include disclaimers displayed conspicuously. Print media includes billboards, newspaper and magazine ads, mailings, fliers, email and websites. Printed pieces consisting of more than one page need bear the disclaimer only on one page or face. VA. CODE ANN. § 24.2-955.1 (defining “print media”).

However, I'm not in charge. The SBE is.

I will not insist that your campaign websites conform with this new ruling to be eligible for inclusion in my Campaign Websites page. From here on, I will list one link per candidate no matter what.

If you don't have a campaign website, but you do have a facebook page or a blog or whatever that, please send me ONE link to the site you would like me to include. I would prefer that it not be an official government site, but if that's all you've got, I'll accept it.

67th HOD: Candidates Answers on Metro

Eric Clingan (D)

Completing the Silver Line and extending Metro to Loudoun is one of my top transportation priorities. Dulles Airport is the gateway to the world for our nation's capital and it should be served by a first rate public transportation system.

My District, which is comprised of parts of Chantilly, Oakton, Herndon, South Riding and Centreville, also desperately needs higher quality public transportation options. I strongly support the extension of the Orange Line to Centreville and Chantilly.

Northern Virginia commuters spend more time in traffic every year. Every minute spent in traffic is a minute of potential economic productivity wasted. We need multi-modal solutions to our region's transportation woes to get people out of traffic and into work.

Jim LeMunyon (R)

Elizabeth,
Delegate LeMunyon is out of town today attending a funeral. He was quoted today in the Loudoun Times-Mirror on this very subject. I’ve copied and pasted his quote, specific to providing additional funding for Metro rail to Dulles, below. The entire article can be found here: http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/state_house_of_delegate_candidates_face_off_at_chamber_event898/

But LeMunyon stood somewhere in the middle on his position for additional funding.

“In a word, I’ll say maybe and I’ll explain why,” he said.

“We need to rank projects based on what will give us the biggest bang for the buck based on congestion reduction and spend a lion’s share of transportation dollars funding those projects,” LeMunyon continued. “If Dulles Rail is high on the list then the state needs to step up and fund it.”

If you need more information, please let me know.

Best regards,

Christen Smith
Legislative Aide
Delegate Jim LeMunyon

News you can use:

• The campaigns for Shawn Mitchell, Jennifer Wexton, and Cliff Keirce have all announced yard sign availability.
• The Coalition for Women's Health is having a rally down in Richmond on October 15. Bus ride is free if you RSVP ASAP.
• Jennifer Wexton has challenged Jim Plowman to a debate. This is one to watch!
• I've got 21 responses on the Metro question (out of 39), 7 responses on Full-Day Kindergarten (out of 23), and 4 on Donations (out of 20), with promises of more to come on each. Do you have a question you'd like me to ask the candidates? Let me know.
• Also, sometimes the obvious needs to be stated. Not everyone knows about the election on November 8. Make sure you get the word out to your friends and co-workers. People fight and die every day all over the world for the right to vote. Let's show our support by herding Federal voters of our aquaintance to the polls in the off-years.

A picture's worth a thousand words

Cliff Keirce in the news!

Terrific article on Cliff in the Ashburn Patch. My favorite part?

Keirce sees Metro’s extension into Loudoun as a pivotal hook to bring new businesses to the area, and he fully supports the project.

“I’m 100 percent certain it will be completed,” he said. “It’s important not only to the region but to the federal government.”

In a recent meeting with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Keirce learned that while Phase 2 does not have any federal funding currently, Sec. LaHood promised that the federal government would assist in some way with Phase 2 – likely through low-interest federal loans.

Go read it all.

No, she's not.

Andrea is NOT the Broad Run incumbent, that honor belongs to Lori Waters, who is not running for re-election.

The district that Andrea is running for is a mish-mash of precincts from three of the existing districts. Most come from both the current Broad Run (Lori Waters, Incumbent) and the current Dulles (Stevens Miller, Incumbent). Andrea's current district of Potomac is contributing only part of one little precinct.

For Andrea to tout herself as being the incumbent of Broad Run is, at best, misleading.

Here's how Kelly listed her name on the same program:

You notice something there that Andrea didn't include?

Here's Andrea's again:

Andrea's leaving out her party affiliation may lead to the impression that she is an Independent. Her website goes further to foster that impression, as she never mentions her party affilation, but has as a tag line that she is "Experienced. Independent. Trusted."). There IS an Independent in her race, but she is not him. That honor belongs to Cliff Keirce*, who I support fully.

Andrea is misrepresenting herself. She is NOT the Broad Run incumbent. She is NOT the Independent.

Experienced? At what?
Independent? From who?
Trusted? Not anymore.



*Due to an oversight, no Independents were invited to this forum, though candidates from both the Republicans and Democrats were. Stevens informed Cliff of the event on the morning it was taking place, and Cliff ended up being able to attend.

Two new questions

I just sent out two new questions: one to the Board of Supervisors candidates on donations; and one to the School Board candidates on Full-Day Kindergarten.

Both were inspired by questions I've gotten from readers.

Board of Supervisors:

Several people have been asking me about donations that BOS candidates are receiving and what that means for recusals and conflicts of interest. The questions have focused on donations from one particular donor, but it occurs to me that it doesn't matter who the donor is, the question can apply to all of you. So here's my question:

As a Supervisor, what will you do when one of your donors has business before the Board?

School Board:

Many of my readers have asked me if I know where each of you stands on Full-Day Kindergarten. Loudoun is now the only county in the DC Area without Full-Day Kindergarten in all of its elementary schools, and as far as I know, there is no plan to bring Loudoun into the group that includes Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Falls Church, Montgomery County, Prince William County, and Washington, D.C.

I will create a page like the one I have for the legislative and BOS candidates' answers on Metro, listing every candidate with his or her completely unedited answer to this one question:

Should Loudoun institute Full-Day Kindergarten in all elementary schools and, if so, how can it be implemented?

I will set up pages for their responses. As I get their answers, I will post them unedited and without comment.