You’d never know about it from reading our local newspapers (no surprises there—but remember, there’s still time to contribute to the Buy Erika a Phone Campaign), but traveling along with Loudoun Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York (R) on his recent extremely important official economic development trip to Germany was Major Republican Campaign Donor (and Owner of the Loudoun Hounds Baseball Team at Kincora Development Maybe Someday) Robert “Bob” Farren.
Scott York (rechts) und Bob Farren (links) auf dem Trainingsgelände der Redwings (courtesy Hofheimer-Zeitung)
I should clarify that the presence of Mr. Farren on this trip was reported in some local newspapers; those newspapers just happened to be in Frankfurt, Germany.
The German media made much of York’s and Farren’s visit to the local baseball team, Die Redwings, in Loudoun’s sister county (“partnerdistrict” in German) Main-Taunus and the exciting news that cooperation between these two very semi-professional ballclubs, one of which does not exist yet, will be “explored.”
Who says these trips don’t produce results.
The Hounds, which is owned by Farren’s Virginia Investment Partnership, is not even going to be a real minor league team like the Frederick Keys (Class A farm team for the Orioles) or the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge (Class A team for the Nationals)—it will have no affiliation with major league baseball at all. Exactly why the paying public would support a fancy new stadium as depicted in the extremely conceptual drawings for the Kincora development in order to go see distinctly amateurish baseball played within a couple of dozen miles of real baseball being played has always been a mystery.
Build it and they won’t come: very conceptual view of the extremely minor league stadium at Kincora
But perhaps it is no more mysterious than why Farren and his Virginia Investment Partnership would have schmeered his now very good friend York with $6,719 for his reelection campaign, not to mention the $12,500 they spread around to the 8 other successful GOP candidates, each of whom got a minimum of $1,000 apiece, according to the records at VPAP.
Could it be despite the assurances from the Kincora developers about all of the millions they would spend for new roads, that the special taxing district and government-backed Community Development Authority loans arranged to finance the project are now proving insufficient, and they are hoping for a little more help from their friends in not so high office?
Die Press Release from Loudoun’s “sister county’ Main-Taunus-Kreis reporting the exciting visit of the Loudoun delegation, including Der Baseballclub-Führer Bob Farren
Meanwhile, we’re still waiting clarification on who exactly paid for the junket to Germany, which besides York and His Buddy in Chief Bob included York’s aide Robin Bartok, Economic Development Department assistant director Buddy Rizer, Loudoun Tourism head Patrick Kaler, plus former Loudoun Chamber of Commerce president Tom Moler.
We’re sure a good time was had by all, and that the economic payoff to someone in Loudoun will have been well worth it.
realloudoun 