realloudoun

The last time the very developer-friendly Loudoun Republican Party ran things (back in 2003–2007, when they had a 5–4 majority on the Board of Supervisors), they were notorious for mocking and deriding anyone who dared to suggest that there might be things in Loudoun worth preserving—such as its Civil War and Revolutionary War history, its farmland, or what’s left of its unparalleled natural beauty.

Supervisor Buona's idea of a Loudoun tourist attraction

(The late unlamented Stephen Snow, one of the more triumphalist of the 2003–2007 GOP supervisors, derisively suggested that the “tree huggers” who opposed unbridled development ought to move to Canada.)

The new bunch that swept into office this January on our new all-Republican Board of Supervisors have been trying very hard to be smoother in their outward mien. But they still can’t help showing their true selves. Continue reading →

As part of its very efficient effort to make Loudoun more “business friendly” (see definitions here), the new all-Republican board of supervisors has been very efficiently reconstituting the “stakeholder” committees that will be making recommendations to rewrite rules, regulations, and zoning ordinances.

Somehow, if you merely live here and care about the future of the county, you apparently have no “stake” in the process.

Conversely, if you are a commercial real estate developer, especially one who has given thousands of dollars to local Republican candidates, your interests are vital. Continue reading →

“Ken” Reid, Leesburg’s very proud new Republican county supervisor, has now added himself to the list of local Republican officials who imagine that if they mouth some superficial and insincere pieties about God no one will notice that the true master they are serving is a very earthly one in the form of the development industry.

In “Ken’s” latest news[sic]letter to constituents, he closes, “God bless the beautiful people of Leesburg and Loudoun.”

"Ken" Reid offers a benediction to the "beautiful people" of Loudoun

An old neighbor, a third-generation Loudoun farmer and an unquestionably religious man but one who knew a thing or two about religious phonies, used to say, “When someone comes to your door holding a Bible, make sure you keep your eye on your wallet.”

The same of course holds true even more for politicians. There is nothing more mawkish or self-serving than politicians who are always offering prayers or, worse, attempting to imply that their political positions have been arrived at through divine inspiration. Continue reading →

The political terminology employed by our new all-Republican board of supervisors here in Loudoun County, and by their masters in the local Republican Party Committee, can be a bit confusing to the uninitiated.

As a public service here is a guide to some frequently used terms.

Business-friendly. Friendly to businesses that contributed to the election campaigns of current Republican officeholders.

Business. Commercial real-estate developers.

Citizens. Commercial real-estate developers, major campaign contributors, and local Republican Party Committee functionaries; excludes longtime residents of the county, Democrats, independents, conservationists, and owners of businesses that do not involve the operation of bulldozers.

Ethics pledge. An outmoded concept in which elected officials undertake to disclose financial conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from voting on zoning appeals, legal settlements, or other matters directly affecting major campaign contributors; unnecessary in a business-friendly environment.

Government Reform Commission. A panel of citizens (see above) empowered to make the county more business-friendly (see above).

Illegal. Against the law, such as placing real-estate or political signs in the public right-of-way or failing to disclose financial conflicts of interest, except when such actions are carried out by Republican officeholders or their major campaign contributors.

Nonpartisan. Obsolete; archaic. An obscure term apparently once held to be a virtue in local government; its precise meaning has been lost.

Open meeting. A session at which secretly arranged undertakings are ratified in a public, 9–0 vote.

RINO. Acronym for Republican In Name Only, an epithet applied by members of the local Republican Party Committee to describe Republicans who merely subscribe to the principles of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.