What an awesome letter.
Washington Post Loudoun Extra
September 13, 2007What a relief to see that Manuel the Illegal Alien is the source of all Loudoun ills – soaring taxes, overcrowded schools, endless traffic jams. Until now, some thought these problems were linked to the Board of Supervisors and its smelly relationship with unbridled developers who have overwhelmed county school, police, fire and rescue budgets.
Our local press and political leadership have spotlighted Manuel, who once was viewed as the hardest-working person in Loudoun.
It all became clear when Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling) applied his skills to the issue. Delgaudio is a professional homophobe who raises and spends millions of dollars to make life miserable for people such as Vice President Cheney’s daughter Mary. That is his day job as head of the group Public Advocate. At night, Delgaudio rattles property developer cages for campaign contributions financing his November reelection bid.
Now, Delgaudio’s talent as a hate merchant has led the board’s Republican majority to portray Manuel as devouring Loudoun funds. Persecuting Manuel has proved the ideal distraction this election period.
Fear of Manuel is almost enough to make us forget the Department of Justice’s investigation of possible public corruption in Loudoun. For most of the year, the FBI has been conducting interviews about ties between the development community and Loudoun officials. The U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria is unlikely to conclude the probe before the fall election.
Maybe Manuel will make us forget annual 28 to 40 percent increases in Loudoun home tax assessments from 2004 to 2006 after the Republicans took over. (Some anti-tax party.) Or the supervisors’ near doubling of the county budget in the past four years, in hopes of keeping up with new development after new development.
Then again, maybe voters will look beyond scary smokescreens.
Patrick J. Sloyan Sr., Paeonian Springs
Pure genius.
I think we need to just get rid of all of them (the current BOS that is). There is a cool full page ad in the Leesburg Today from Mike Firetti that makes some very common sense points.
It is kind of a cool ad – look at the attention to detail on the Monopoly board, for example. It seems a little disingenuous to hold York accountable for the actions of the board as a whole, though, when he was stripped of all his powers as chair at the beginning of this term.
I think Brian Roherty is doing Firetti’s ads. He’s the guy behind the Right Growth Institute that was running ads in opposition to the Piedmont Environmental Council last year – they were clever, but really mischaracterized western Loudoun residents as all being wealthy, elitist equestrians, symbolized by the cartoon “Kitty and [some snooty name I don’t remember].”
Politics aside, Firetti seems like a decent guy who is being subjected to some pretty vulgar behavior by some of his fellow Republicans. It’s a very interesting campaign season.
“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
“” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, novelist, playwright, scientist and philosopher (1749-1832)