Because there are still people who think that words don’t hurt.
Delgaudio Furious That It Might Be Getting Better
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Author Archives: Paradox13
Just Sayin’
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Instead of blogging or commenting this evening, I went to an OFA phone banking event and recruited people to help us out this year and next.
I like blogging and online conversations, I really do. But I like organizing more. And I kinda think it’s the organizing that will win the day in November, which is the point.
A School System Family
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(This Post was written on Saturday by School Board member Robert Ohneiser after attending a LCPS employee’s funeral, but I neglected to post it up until now. I sincerely apologize for the delay. Thank you Bob for your contribution! – P13)
Can you really have a family of four thousand members most of whom are teachers?
I am now a believer. This morning (Saturday – P13), the Christ the Redeemer Church was filled to the brim with teary eyed family members which I believe were mostly teachers and administrators of the Loudoun County School System. As a school board member I attended the funeral of Laurie McDonald out of respect/admiration for her contribution to our community over some 38 years.
While listening to the positive comments by her peers regarding the fun they had at principal meetings I realized that school board members have been denied access to such meetings even if we promise to sit quietly on the side of the room to observe. Not only are school board members denied such access to the information flow among the leaders of the school sytem but now I realize that as a person of interest I had been denied the opportunity to see the McPrincipals in action. (McManus, McGinley and McDonald). Perhaps being able to watch the leaders of the school system is such a way might have allowed a better chance to viscerally appreciate what this wonderful woman brought to her job everyday. The setting today was impressive and I am convinced the teachers of Loudoun County have formed a bond that even death has a tough time breaking.
If I have the privilege of serving for another term on the school board I am going to revisit the level of transparency with which the school system is run and ask for a vote of the new members to allow any of us at any time to have access to management meetings. With a student population fast approaching 70,000, an employee base of nearly 10,000 with a yearly budget approaching $800 Million one has to start to question if school board members can really stay engaged in their representative responsibilities by having the primary source of their information delivered through one person’s perspective.
I was very proud of our school system today because at its heart are people who are truly caring of each other and of our children just like a good family would.
What the 10th CD Might Look Like
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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.
Which District Are You?
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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!
Jennifer Wexton for Commonwealth’s Attorney
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Jim Plowman will have an opponent this year.
Loudoun veteran legal mind, Jennifer Wexton, has announced her candidacy for Commonwealth’s Attorney. Leesburg Today has the story.
Having practiced criminal defense law at Ritenour Paice & Mougin-Boal since 2005, Wexton spent the four years before that as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, including two serving under Plowman. In addition to practicing law, Wexton serves as the current president of the Loudoun Bar Association, where she has previously served on the Board of Directors. In 2010 she also served as a Special Justice and as a Substitute Judge in the Loudoun County District Courts. Wexton also is certified by the Virginia Supreme Court to serve as “guardian ad litem” to represent the interests of children in pending legal matters, and in 2009 was appointed to the county’s Community Services Board.
While a prosecutor, Wexton received the 2005 Izaak Walton League Award for Outstanding Service to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. In 2007 she was awarded the Harry L. Carrico Award for her pro bono legal work in private practice. – Leesburg Today
Judge Wexton presents a compelling alternative to our current Commonwealth’s Attorney, whose history of ethical line crossing was an issue in the 2007 race.
In the interests of transparency, I’ve been working with Jennifer for the past few weeks. I’ve found her to be engaging, knowledgeable and possessing a fundamental caring for the people of Loudoun County. She brings a breadth of experience and qualifications to the office that any County would be lucky to have. Here’s hoping the voters agree on November 8th.
They’ve Earned A Raise
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Leesburg Today reports that the County budget includes a 3% raise for County employees. “For now,” as they put it.
By taking no action to change the proposed FY12 budget, the Board of Supervisors last night left the proposed the cost of living and salary increases in place–but it is not clear whether every employee will see the full 3 percent increase in their pay checks. Some supervisors want to examine a graduated scale of increase based on an employee’s salary.
“I would argue that someone making $100,000 does not need as much of a raise as someone making money on the lower end of the scale,” Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac) said.
While supervisors were told salary increases could be based on employee classifications, the board decided to hold off on that discussion until after supervisors decided school system funding. – Leesburg Today
I would like to be counted among those who believe that County staff have earned their first cost of living adjustment in three years. In this, I fully agree with Supervisor Burton, who said, “Health care contributions have gone up. VRS costs went up. They’ve been doing an outstanding job as an overall staff with diminishing, diminishing rewards. And the cost of living is becoming quite a problem.”
Sometimes, when the subject of cost of living adjustments for public employees comes up, there are people who oppose them. The argument seems to be, “if I’m not getting a raise, they shouldn’t get a raise.” That argument is uncharitable on its face, but it begs the question: Why aren’t people in the private sector getting raises?
Continue reading
Redistricting Approved
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I just heard from my Supervisor, Kelly Burk, that the Board of Supervisors has approved a Redistricting plan for the County that includes most of Leesburg in one District. It was essentially the Miller 5 plan. Supervisors Burton (Blue Ridge), Kurtz (Catoctin), Burk (Leesburg), McGimsey (Potomac), and Buckley (Sugarland Run) were the majority that passed the plan.
Here is the Miller 5 plan they were starting from. Note this is not the plan that was passed, as edits to it were made during the process today. Once we have an accurate map (see the Leesburg Today article for details on that), we’ll make it available.
[Update] Chairman Scott York has shared his version of the plan that was passed. Here it is:
Leesburg Today has the story.
The adopted plan, which will be mapped later this week and may require additional changes to make each district comply with population thresholds, includes five suburban districts in eastern Loudoun and two hybrid districts that include rural areas in western and northern Loudoun as well as subdivisions in central Loudoun. The Leesburg District is expanded, but some town residents will be in the expanded Catoctin District that surrounds the town.
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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
An Election Day For Veterans
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Today, the last U.S. veteran of World War I will be laid to rest in Arlington cemetery. With him dies the last living link to the significance of the date of Veteran’s Day, or as it was called during Frank Buckles’ generation, Armistice Day.
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m. – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
With the passing of Frank Buckles, I believe now is the time to consider honoring all Veterans with a day that all Americans can, and should, use to both consider their sacrifice and make use of the freedoms and responsibilities that our veterans’ sacrifice afforded them. I believe that Veterans’ Day should be moved to Election Day (or, conversely, Election Day could be moved to Veteran’s Day). Continue reading
Splitting Leesburg Defined
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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. Continue reading