Last September, perennially ethically challenged GOP Loudoun supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) apologized to the Republican Party for the “embarrassment he had caused” and agreed to accept the unanimous censure of his ethical and financial violations adopted by the all-Republican Board of Supervisors.
Apparently, however, Eugene forgot to explain that the apology was also intended to cover “the embarrassment he will continue to cause.”
Over the last few days, Eugene has continued his non-stop media and fundraising blitz in which he has gone back to denying categorically that he could possibly have done anything wrong (so much for accepting the Board’s punishment, and so much for the special grand jury report which concluded he would have been indicted for misappropriation of public funds were it not for Virginia’s bizarre loophole that exempts “part-time” elected officials such as Eugene from the law).
This weekend, Delgaudio was running a Web ad that declared:
“THIS IS THE REAL STORY
“Public Advocate has been making major headlines lately as the Liberal Establishment goes all out to discredit me.
“They are trying to destroy my livelihood.
“They’d like to pretend that there are issues about me personally, but that’s not the real story.”
Eugene then goes on to explain that the “real story” is that “radical homosexuals” and “liberals” are out to get him.
And in an “interview” with a “Christian” right-wing pseudonews outlet, Eugene goes even further constructing his own special version of reality.
The article, under the headline “Liberals try to oust public official for his beliefs on marriage,” begins: “For a second time liberals have gone to court trying to oust him. His alleged crime is supporting traditional marriage.”
Delgaudio is quoted as asserting that “there are no charges against him” and that the attempt to have him removed from office is the work of “liberals” and the “pro-homosexual side” whose “level of kookiness” has reached new heights in their effort to go after him.
Oy.
Just one question for the Board of Supervisors: at what point does Delgaudio’s continued insistence that he’s done nothing wrong and that there are not now and have never been “any” charges against him start to become contempt for the ethical standards and integrity (such as they are) of the Board and its thoroughly justified decision to censure him last summer for ethical and financial misconduct? Maybe one of them might at least speak up to defend the integrity (such as it is) of the Board and answer Eugene’s fabrications? Last summer, a few Board members briefly showed they possessed perhaps one ball amongst them by noting publicly that Delgaudio brought his punishment on himself, and even condemned him for failing to express any remorse for his violations. Can we hear maybe one word again, now that Eugene is making a mockery of ethics enforcement in government?
Meanwhile, we’ve got a lot to catch up on in the actions Eugene’s fellow clowns and crooks on the all-Republican Loudoun Board.
Here’s one little one we missed back in December. The Board unanimously approved back then a very special zoning exception for a new commercial development, Crosstrail Commercial Center, located right smack next to Leesburg at the intersection of Battlefield Parkway and the Dulles Greenway.
The Town of Leesburg strongly opposed it, noting the saturation of commercial space around Leesburg and the threat this new specially and suddenly exempt-from-the-master-plan development will pose to downtown businesses.
But our Board of Supervisors was very enthusiastic about Crosstrail.
And we’re sure that had absolutely nothing to do with the following little list of contributions made to the campaigns of 7 of the 9 Board members by the very nice sounding “Citizens for Virginia’s Future,” which in turn was funded primarily by one Jon M. Peterson . . . who just happens to be the developer of Crosstrail:
Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian) $22,500
Geary Higgins (R-Catoctin) $10,200
Janet Clarke (R-Blue Ridge) $9,000
Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) $8,750
Ken Reid (R-Leesburg) $6,500
Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles)$6,250
Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn) $750
Reid and Letourneau received some contributions from this outfit within the last 12 months. If they had got that money directly from Peterson, they would have had to recuse themselves under the “outrageous” (to quote the GOP members of the Board) Herring Law that forbids our local officials from voting on land use matters that benefit a party who’s given them dough in the last year. But presumably because Citizen Peterson laundered his cash through Citizens for Virginia’s Future, it’s AOK.
Maybe Reid, Letourneau, Volpe and co. can explain to Eugene that this is the way to behave ethically in government. Or, at least, the way how not to get caught.
realloudoun 