Enter the failed project that the county has spent millions, and some amount in kind, to a developer who so far will not disclose his investors or any other money details of his project.

Granite Hills Inn and Conference Center is the project and Bob Fowler is the developer. He is the same person involved with the questionable and failing golf club next to where this new project will go. Twice Community Development Block Grants were turned down for this project. The county is going to a lot of trouble and work to prop up someone who is as yet, unproven. The land for the inn was sold to the developer at about one-fourth or less its true commercial worth.

Enter Route 628, the present road that is running past the school facilities just south of US 460 and Farmville. The county insists that this road needs to be realigned and run through property that is private. Eminent Domain is being used to accomplish this. Never mind that the inn, etc is dead in the water right now, with no hope of financing. The excuse? The moved road will provide more safety for the school traffic. The real reason? The Inn and conference Center would be located on that new road.

One last thing; the county will pay an average of $45,000 for the road land in Eminent Domain proceedings. $4,000 to $45,000. Do you see something wrong here?

Below is a letter from Jack Houghton, an activist and citizen in Farmville who has fought this and other projects for years. It provides a good synopsis of what has gone on. This is what happens when there is no accountability from our local governments and people do not participate. Thanks, Jack.

Thank you also to The Farmville Herald, who also published this letter after I received a copy of it.

One of the points I’d make is the invasive nature of transvaginal ultrasounds, which would be necessary in many cases. I’ve had such a procedure – and without going into too many details, let me just say it was not a fun experience. No one should be subjected unnecessarily to such a procedure.

Members of the Virginia Legislature 1871-1872. Library of Virginia.

My latest op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday. With February being Black History Month, I wanted to write something for it. I had run across Senate Joint Resolution 13 when looking at bills earlier, reading just the synopsis of the bill. Thinking that there might be a local connection, I finally found the time to read the whole thing and noticed that one of those referenced shared my last name.

From the time I moved here, people have tried to connect me to the Paige family of Norfolk. But my own family is from the Peninsula and I’ve never found a link. Seeing the name of Richard G.L. Paige made me spend more time than I have right now to try to find a link again – to no avail. Nevertheless, as is always the case, I learned a lot about Paige during my search.

One of the things I ran across in my research was the photo above, which accompanied the column in the printed paper. Of note is the placement of the black legislators: all are at the bottom. R. G. L. Paige is 5th from the right in that row.

My own great-grandfather, Edmund G. Paige, was a contemporary of R. G. L. Paige. While R.G.L. was serving in the legislature, Edmund was doing some real estate investing of his own. I have a copy of the deed dated July 4, 1874 in which he purchased 6 acres of land in Elizabeth City County, now Hampton. Also like R.G.L., Edmund had been born a slave, but other than that piece of information, which was passed to me by my father many years ago, I have no other information. It is possible that my great-grandfather made his way to Hampton because of Freedom Fortress, Ft. Monroe. But that is pure speculation. Despite my efforts over the past 30 years, I’ve never found anything older than that 1874 deed about him.

As for the Paiges of Norfolk – I doubt I’ll ever find a link between the two families. I’ve been told many times – as recently as yesterday – that I look like them. While that is true, it’s not because of my Paige ancestry; as far as I can tell, there is no white ancestry on that side. My mother’s side of the family is a different story; it is that side which I resemble most.

My weekly column appears in The Virginian-Pilot on Wednesdays. You can see the columns as they are published here. With the recent update to the PilotOnline home page, navigation to my columns has been simplified: click on Opinion and then choose my name at the bottom of the dropdown list. You can also see the columns by liking my Facebook page.

So there is a little proof that gifts received by lawmakers don’t always have their intended results.

Nevertheless, I’d prefer Virginia lawmakers be paid a reasonable salary and not receive gifts at all. So kudos to Senator Harry Blevins and Delegate Bob Purkey for being among the 15 legislators who reported no gifts.

By the way – this is the second time in the last few days that Sen. Blevins gets my kudos. His vote last week on abortion legislation was the other.

I watched the story unfold and read a lot of very strong opinions on the subject on both sides following the articles in the paper. One supporter of Komen’s decision to cut of funding said something that I found to be correct and directly to the point for me. They said it was the Komen’s money and they should do with it what they wished.  That is true in my opinion. Once I give money to an organization, I am trusting them to administrator it with the same criteria in the past which was why I choose to donate to them. I tend to be very picky on who I donate money to, anyway. Researching them on charity search engine, looking at what they have accomplished and what percentage goes to administrative.  So that is why the writer’s comment really made me think. I always buy the pink ribbon products and also sponsor my friends who do the fund-raisers for the pink events.  This amount is trivial to the overall budget of the Komen foundation, of course,but this little contribution is my part. So if I am unhappy with how an organization is being run it is easier for me to switch to some other organization.  This is not the case once I am dead and they have the more significant amount left in my will. This actually was my concern.

The Komen foundation hired Karen Handel as a Senior Vice President.  She has always stated she is pro-life and does not support Planned Parenthood. She never has hidden her personal beliefs in this manner. Now it seems like this whole issue is being linked to her specifically,  calling for her termination. However, Komen President Elizabeth Thompson and CEO  Nancy Brinker knew how strong her personal beliefs were when she was hired. Now some groups are suggesting that Thompson apparently knew that Planned Parenthood was the only organization affected by the new rules. So it came down to for me was the organization’s future. Is this organization in the future likely to be more concerned about women’s overall health or more concerned with their personal beliefs?  Instead of worrying about which it is, I will just move my money to another organization.  Not supporting the Komen foundation does not mean you don’t support education, testing and hopefully the curing of breast cancer. They do not own the color pink nor the concern for breast cancer.

In Virginia there is an organization known as Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation (VBCF) which several of my friends donate to.  Their slogan Educate, Advocate, Eradicate best exemplifies VBCF’s strategy in the battle against this epidemic. They are the people who brought the state the pink breast cancer license plates.

However, I am giving my money to Planned Parenthood. The reason is they are concerned for all women’s health issues and I have had friends die from female issues/cancers related to other areas than breast. They also help the poor get screenings, advice and help. My mother ran a health center for over 30 years which specifically targeted the underserved. This is something I have seen first hand and you really can not relate to it if you are able to drive to your doctor hand them your insurance card and say I don’t feel well.  That is not an option for a lot of people. So that is why I have decided to switch my donations to Planned Parenthood. Also I am hoping that Planned Parenthood will get enough of funding to keep their proposed mobile van for mammograms and screenings. I believe especially when dealing with the undeserved you can help more if you can get to them.

Again my little donations won’t even be noticed by the Komen foundation. Even if some of my friends decide to change it is likely not to be noticed.  It is worth noting that Planned Parenthood has seen a significant increase in donations as well at the Komen foundation has raised a significant amount from the anti-abortion people.  So maybe people taking sides has helped both organizations. I just know that I feel better about my choice now that this has come to light.

Angie that is the best explanation I can give you from my personal point of view.

A quick look at some of the stories and other stuff from the past week.

Scott Rigell disavows tax pledge
2nd Congressional district representative Scott Rigell has stepped away from his no-taxes pledge. Needless to say, there are some folks who are unhappy about that, including two letters printed in today’s paper (1, 2). There’s not much that Rigell and I agree on, but stepping away from the idiotic pledge is one of them. Kudos to Rigell for showing some independence of thought.

Komen vs Planned Parenthood
Over the course of a few days, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation went from one of the most respected organizations to one of the most reviled. It was a PR mistake of epic proportions. No surprise that they backtracked on the decision to continue making grants to PP, but theirs is a brand ruined, because political hacks, including Ari Fleischer, made a poor decision. And, for the record, abortion services represent only 3% of the services provided by PP.

Meanness in the General Assembly
Unless you are a social conservative, the actions so far in the Virginia General Assembly have been nothing short of mean. When conservatives like Kerry Dougherty call you out, you know you’ve gone too far. Between abortion and voter suppression bills, what has this General Assembly accomplished? I feel like Ed Schultz – where are the jobs?

Best joke of the week

Next week on the Apprentice: Trump and Romney try to fire 243,000 people to account for today's job numbers report.—
Don Mark (@DonMarkRVA) February 03, 2012

I think everyone has a favorite Uncle Pete story. Mine is the recording provided to me by pianist Pat Curtis, who worked with Decker on it. Decker sang “My Funny Valentine,” and it was amazing.

I don’t believe it can be said too many times: the issue right now is to get the question on the ballot. Both supporters and opponents of elected school boards should be willing to sign the petition in order to place the question before the voters.

The public lacks the ability to force referendum on most issues in Virginia; normally, that is left up to the legislature. Of course, the legislature could make it easier on the voters to do so, since the petition signature requirements are tough. Guess it would be too much to ask the legislature to reduce this and other signature requirements – like the section on recall, which I brought up earlier.They are a wee bit busy on other matters.

If you believe that Norfolk voters should have the opportunity to decide this, then sign the petition. Then we can talk about whether an elected school board makes sense.

If it weren’t so sad, this would be funny.

I understand the format of tonight’s meeting was changed last night and parents were alerted to the change via the automated phone calling system. (Obviously, I didn’t get the call, as I’m not a parent.) The format will be that of small groups, where each group talks amongst themselves. Presumably, there will be a report out of each group, as has been the case when the City uses a similar format.

If you can attend, please do so and let us know how it went.

In an article today, Smigiel, in his first term on council and a contributor to this blog, stands alone in wanting his colleagues to pursue some kind of action against Councilman Paul Riddick in the wake of the revelation of the latter’s tax problems. There isn’t anything stopping them:

City Attorney Bernard A. Pishko said the council is free to adopt a resolution on any issue it wishes, including one that expresses no confidence in another member.

The editorial board piles on with this piece, although I think the headline is misleading: in order to lose one’s voice, you had to have had one in the first place. But they make an important point here:

A member of Norfolk’s governing body continues to serve under the shadow of federal action with not one voice raised to criticize or even question his ability to do so.

That’s not just ignoring the elephant in the room. It’s giving silent approval to its presence.

Yep. Sorta what I said earlier.

The problem is that Norfolk suffers from a lack of leadership, a point I’ve tried to make in previous op-eds (1, 2). “Leadership is action, not position,” said Donald H. McGannon, a point with which I wholeheartedly agree.

At some point, Norfolk voters are going to realize that we’ve (mostly) not elected leaders.

Geary’s campaign ran into trouble after a highly orchestrated attack on his character by Republican leaders, including U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-7th. The leaders revealed that Geary had engaged in an affair with a married woman in recent years.

I watched this happen from afar, knowing none of the players personally. It was not a pretty sight.

This is why the legislature won’t pass a bill to allow party ID on the ballot for local offices, even when that office is nominated by party. Because it allows party officials to support another candidate – in this case, former Del. Bill Janis, who gave up his seat to run as an independent.

We’ll never know what caused Geary to take his life, but no doubt this effort to smear him played a role. Some people can come back from this; others cannot. Those who participated in this smear campaign should be ashamed of themselves.

My thoughts and prayers are with Geary’s family today.

Participants are asked to gather at the Bell Tower in the southwest corner of Capitol Square (Ninth & Franklin Streets) at 9 am. More details are on the flyer – click to enlarge.

In its first meeting two weeks ago, organizers tell me that they had about 50 people attend.

The group has to collect petitions containing roughly 12,000 signatures in order to place the question on the November ballot.

This first story has the unlikely title, “Another CVS Claims Uterus Is Required for Purchase of Plan B”. It seems two different CVS pharmacies in Texas refused to sell the contraceptive to the person who asked for it, because men were the ones asking. The article explores the timeline and what the chain drugstore did about the situation.

Does broadband shrink local tax revenues? This is the question talked about in the Daily Yonder blog. The answer might surprise you.

With pardons being talked about in the wake of ones given by Mississippi’s outgoing Governor, this ProPublica database is very useful. Correspondence from Senators and Representatives in order to respond to requests for Presidential Pardons are contained in this handy compilation.

The New York Public Library has a wonderful page with access and tools to make animated gifs from stereoscopic photos taken in the early 20th Century. Also available is the tools to make a 3D anaglyph. The photos alone are a reason to go to this site.

As an ODU alum, I would love to have a medical school as a part of the university. But from a practical standpoint, I just don’t see how it ever happens. Not only would it be cost-prohibitive, but I suspect there would be significant pushback from those in Virginia with long memories.

I’m still researching but it appears that the only way the “Norfolk Area Medical Center Authority,” the name of the entity that was created by a 1964 act of the General Assembly, ever came into being was that it would be private and not require state funds. If memory serves, that was part of the argument in 2008 when EVMS asked to be included in the higher education bond package for construction projects.

Right now, I’d like to see ODU get its fair share of state funding. As I outlined in an earlier article, ODU is not getting the funding that its peers are. That needs to change.

Full disclosure: I am currently an instructor of accounting at ODU.

Of equal interest to me in the session yesterday was an update on the Community Services Board. City Manager Marcus Jones’ information on how to handle the CSB moving forward is in this document (pdf). Bottom line is that Jones would like the agency to be brought into the city.

But that wasn’t the best part of the meeting regarding the CSB. Check out Councilman Andy Protogyrou questioning the City Attorney (starts about 16 minutes in).

Must watch TV

Seriously, though – I’m glad the council had these two discussions in public. We’re making baby steps on transparency in Norfolk, and this is another one of those.

Update 2/6/12: The pdf file containing the presentation was moved on the city’s website. I’ve obtained a copy and updated the link.

Hirschbiel kickoff

Businessman Paul Hirschbiel officially announced his candidacy in the 2nd Congressional district today. The picture at left was taken from the campaign’s Facebook page and includes Sen. Mark Warner and former LG candidate Jody Wagner.

I was unable to attend but local TV station, WVEC, was there. Below is their report.

The first is a briefing on the five proposals for Waterside. Originally, the council was going to receive this briefing in closed session but it will now be done in the public, informal session.

The other is an update on the restructuring of the Community Services Board. It is not clear if this discussion will also be of where we are on the whole CSB employee thing.

The informal session of council is where a lot of the work of council gets done. If you can make it, the meeting starts around 5pm at 4:30pm in the 10th floor conference room of City Hall. If you cannot make it, you can watch the live streaming of the session from the city’s website. And if that doesn’t work, you can at least watch the recording later, a link to which will be provided on the city’s website.

The agendas for both the informal and formal sessions can be found here.

A quick look at some of the stories and other stuff from the past week.

VA Republican primary: still Romney v Paul
This was my lead last Saturday but it appears it is now final. Rick Perry appealed the judge’s ruling but the appeal was denied. Absentee ballots have been printed and voting has begun. Oh, and that stupid loyalty oath is gone.

Republican primary field narrows further
Perry was the originator of the lawsuit but Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman, and Michelle Bachmann joined in. Bachmann was gone after Iowa. This week, two more Republican candidates dropped out: Huntsman on Monday and Perry on Friday. Santorum, despite his official Iowa win, will be the next to go. I expect he’ll finish a distant fourth in today’s primary in South Carolina. Gingrich, whose race-baiting is fueling this latest surge, is in it for a while, although I still expect Romney to the be nominee. Gingrich garnered Perry’s endorsement (for what it’s worth) while Huntsman endorsed Romney, as did our governor, Bob McDonnell. As for Ron Paul – well, he’s not going anywhere. I expect him to take it all the way to the convention.

Speaking of Iowa – having watched some of the coverage on caucus night, and then seeing that they lost some of the precincts’ ballots, I think it’s time for them to give up the “first in the nation” position.

Congressional redistricting headed to the governor’s desk
Both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate have passed the incumbent-protection congressional redistricting bill. A couple of tweets from yesterday:

Under GOP VA map, none of 11 CDs are between D+5 & R+5 in Cook PVI. #VA10 Wolf (R) goes R+2 -> R+5, #VA11 Connelly (D) goes D+2 -> D+6—
Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) January 20, 2012

Only non-solid incumbent in our VA ratings is #VA02 Rigell, who is Likely R. VA = perfect example of competitive state, uncompetitive lines—
Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) January 20, 2012

Yep. But at least I live in VA-02. Democratic candidate Paul Hirschbiel, already on the DCC’s Red to Blue list, will officially kick off his campaign Monday.

Uranium ban to stay in place
At least until regulations can be written. This might take a while.

Passenger rail coming to Norfolk
By the end of the year, passenger rail service from Norfolk will restart. I am really looking forward to this. I think it would be kinda cool to take the train to Richmond (although I haven’t figured out how I’d get from Staples Mill into downtown Richmond).

Taxes
No, not Newt Gingrich’s (pdf – the one I’d like to see is Gingrich Holdings, Inc.,  by the way) or Mitt Romney’s (no link because he hasn’t released them yet) but your taxes. It’s time to think about them. The IRS announced a new Free File option that is open to everyone, regardless of income: fillable forms. And the Virginia Department of Taxation has followed suit. Electronic filing of tax returns began this week. The federal tax filing deadline is April 17.

Goodbyes
Once a fixture in my childhood neighborhood, I distinctly recall an item my godmother purchased for me from Mugler’s: a plaid shirt-shaped jacket that was popular with the kids back then. It was one of the few times that I ventured into the store, although I walked past it daily, mostly prior to its move up the street. I really didn’t know that it wasn’t located in Phoebus anymore until I read that the store is closing. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

R&B singer Etta James died yesterday. Another beautiful voice gone. Here is a live version of her singing perhaps her best-known song, At Last.

Playoffs
After going 1-for-4 last weekend, I hope no one puts much stock in my football picks anymore Nevertheless, I’m picking the Patriots over the Ravens and the 49ers over the Giants. (Have I mentioned how much I dislike Eli Manning? )

The documents show unpaid taxes going back to 1998. They show the filing of federal tax liens from 2003 to 2008. These alone were enough for every media outlet in Hampton Roads to run a story about it.

What caught my eye, though, was the government’s claim of a fraudulent conveyance (p.8). Having been an IRS agent for six years and a practicing CPA for the past 26 years since, I know the government doesn’t throw around the word “fraud” very often. This is serious business.

Much of the commentary surrounding this issue (columnist Kerry Dougherty and the editorial board both weighed in today) is whether the lack of payment – combined with Riddick’s previous history – make him unfit to serve. I would argue that the majority of people in Ward 4, as evidenced by his re-election, disagree with that assessment. Further, I would argue, that the majority of his fellow council members, who have stood beside him as he faced re-election and who are quite aware of his past history, would disagree with that assessment.

But fraud? That is a step too far.

I have no doubt that Riddick – a very smart man, by the way – relied on the poor advice of some “professional” somewhere. Transferring property to avoid taxes is an absolute no-no. Even if somebody told him to do it, his ethical radar should have gone off to stop it.

I have, on many occasions, defended the actions of Councilman Riddick, both publicly and privately. But this I cannot defend.

The other thing is that with Richmond Sunlight, we citizens really don’t have to wait for somebody to tell us what bills are out there. We can do it ourselves. Yes, there are organizations that do it for us – organizations who rely on individuals like me to review all of the bills – but that’s really the easy way out. We can all watch Richmond – and hold our legislators accountable.

I’ll be back at it this weekend, although it will be a little easier: only 52 house bills and 24 Senate bills have been introduced since I wrote my column Tuesday.

The University also presents an award each year to a community member whose lives mirror the principles of equality and humanity. The award is named for Hugo Owens, a long time champion of civil rights in the area and the first black rector of the ODU Board of Visitors. Receiving the Hugo Owens Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award this year was Jane Batten, widow of Frank Batten, former chairman of Landmark, which publishes The Virginian-Pilot. Jane Batten is a community activist in her own right, serving on the board of Smart Beginnings and other organizations.

Now I agree that groups need to have a policy about social media to protect from actions that might result in a lawsuit on an entity. It is sad but a reality that they have to put in writing that employees can not blog or tweet about their students. However this policy goes way beyond most general policies.  In fact,  Hampton’s School Board policy pretty much assures that the city will be eventually sued.  The problem arises with the restrictions it places on employees in their off time and on non-city equipment systems. ( full policy here)  What is so worrisome is employees can be fired if their comments  “Harms the goodwill and reputation of Hampton City Schools “.  Now not only does this infringe on the freedom of speech but it would also seem to cross Virginia’s Fraud and Abuse Whistle Blower Protection Act  (Chapter No. 340, 2009) .

On top of that consider that the School Board in Hampton is elected not appointed. Therefore, if someone who currently works with the schools wishes to run for office they have to speak about what they would change.  If this policy goes into effect then they could be fired. This is not just censorship but also an infringement on citizens being able to participate in civic involvement to better the school system.

Of course this will eventually lead to a lawsuit which Hampton will have to defend. I have heard in the past elected officials tell me something is legal till someone sues you.  However, when you knowingly doing something that will take you to court it is not the elected officials who pay but the citizens. This is similar with another case in Hampton where the Sheriff fired all officers who supported his opponent in the last election.  The Sheriff refused to settle as he says his officers “serve at his pleasure” ie they are required to support him . So this case is going to court and who will pay? The citizens because it is his pleasure but not his money.

What it comes down to is if the citizens will care enough to stop this policy or will they just agree to pay off another lawsuit waiting to happen.

In fact, I’d say the chance that those who are elected to represent us in Richmond are less likely to do so today than ever before. They just can’t stop playing politics long enough.

Take a look through the nearly 2,000 bills that have been introduced so far. Show me where the bills are that are about governing this commonwealth. Yes, there are a few. But the large majority – excluding the commemorations and celebrations – are about advancing a political agenda.

What has happened in Washington is happening here in Virginia.

And through their lack of attention, the people are allowing it.

Throughout its history, Virginia has always prided itself on being different. Even in the hated heydays of the Byrd machine (which I will argue still exists in many localities throughout Virginia, and certainly exists in the Code of Virginia – constitutional officers, anyone?), we stood apart from other states.

Now, it’s all about politics. Forget doing what’s best for the Commonwealth.

If they were doing what is best for the Commonwealth, we wouldn’t have the transportation mess we have.

If they were doing what is best for the Commonwealth, we wouldn’t have the education mess we have.

The list is getting longer and longer every day.

We have systematically replaced those who put Virginia first with those who put party first.

On both sides.

So, no, Virginia. We aren’t going to fix transportation, because that would require actual governing, instead of political posturing. And it might include compromise, another dirty word these days.

And so no, I won’t waste my energy on putting out a legislative agenda.

When I see articles like this, I am reminded that our only hope for better government at the top lies with better government at the bottom.

The two are from South Norfolk but are running to bring equality and a voice to all parts of Chesapeake, they said.

Both are independents.

Amick, a Navy veteran who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said voters this year will be able to choose candidates who will vote on the issues, not the party line.

“We are independent thinkers without directed ideology,” Hill said.

Hayes, who was present at the announcement, said there is not a “D” or “R” next to their names, but a “C” for Chesapeake.

“These two want to see what’s best for Chesapeake,” Hayes said.

Yeah.

It sure would be nice to see a V – for Virginia – next to the names of our state representatives.

A quick look at some of the stories and other stuff from the past week.

VA Republican primary: still Romney v Paul
The week started off with a ruling by Judge John Gibney to delay the printing of the ballots for the March 6 primary. When he put the ruling in writing the next day, it appeared that his final order might be in favor of the plaintiffs. (Rick Perry had filed the lawsuit but was joined by Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman and Michelle Bachmann, the latter three having not even bothered to turn in any petitions.) That was not to be. Friday, the judge heard the arguments in the case and ruled that Perry, et al, had waited too long to fight the rules (pdf).

General Assembly back in session: Republicans in charge
The General Assembly convened Wednesday. To the surprise of no one, Republicans in the Senate claimed control of that chamber. With the large majority in the House, Republicans are now in complete control of Virginia’s government. Despite the exhortation of Gov. Bob McDonnell in his State of the Commonwealth address that Republicans not “be arrogant” and not “overreach,” I simply don’t see that moderation coming to fruition. Elections have consequences, and how Republicans act with their control might just come back to bite them in November.

Republicans in charge: fast-track for congressional redistricting
I have to say I didn’t see this one coming, although I mentioned it as being on the table in my op-ed this week. I just didn’t think they would get to it as quickly as they did, with the first committee vote coming on the opening day of session. The bill has passed the House, but not without some division amongst the members of the black caucus. I have seen the memo – and my first response was that was something that needed to be spoken to the members of the VLBC, not committed to writing, simply because I knew it would end up in a story somewhere. The black caucus is a minority within a minority – and the need to stick together on the big issues cannot be overstated. But next time, I hope this kind of conversation takes place in the caucus meetings.

Bob Marshall is in!
Delegate Bob Marshall, author of HB1, the personhood bill, is running for the U.S. Senate. Marshall, who nearly pulled off an upset in the 2008 Republican convention for Senate, is entering an already crowded primary field. If nothing else, it’s going to be fun to watch Marshall debate front-runner George Allen.

Transparency? Um, no
The finance committee of the Portsmouth School Board canceled its meeting on the budget, rather than allow a Virginian-Pilot reporter to attend. When those who are supposed to represent us are afraid of the media, something’s very wrong. “Stop treating residents with contempt.” And the media, too.

Missing
The latest addition to the Virginian-Pilot editorial board, Michelle Washington, wrote a nice piece earlier this week about the lack of women in public life. Women, as I learned during the 2008 Democratic presidential contest, can be our own worst enemies. The sentiment of that woman she quoted in the story was one I heard far too often from women who would not support Hillary Clinton. If you substituted black for women in the article, you’d find a similar sentiment. There’s a name for it: internalized oppression.

Missing, part 2
Speaking of missing, I attended the Norfolk Forum Tuesday night and the speaker was University of Richmond president Dr. Edward L. Ayers. Ayers is a historian and an expert on the Civil War, the topic of his remarks. I don’t recall a speaker ever not having received a standing ovation before, but Ayers didn’t. Perhaps his blunt talk on the causes of the war made his overwhelmingly white audience uncomfortable.

Playoffs
My picks for the NFL playoffs this week: Saints over the 49ers, Patriots over the Broncos, Texans over the Ravens and Packers over the Giants.

Not many details are available, but Mr. Estes at one time was making $285,000 a year for representing this county of 10,000 residents. In recent years, the county has fallen on hard times, and is $50 million dollars in debt. Mr. Estes was present as the County Attorney during most of the adding to that debt.

No one at the Cumberland County government had any comment for this story. It is unknown if this development has anything to do with the swearing in of 4 new Supervisors this week. The Board is comprised of 5 members.

People often ask me how I keep up with what’s going on in Richmond. The live streams are the only way – and that’s assuming I have some time. Otherwise, I’m left to catch up on Twitter later on. I follow enough folks that are either in the legislature or cover the legislature that I get a pretty good idea of what’s going on. (And I use the best Twitter client available: UberSocial, which remembers the last tweet read.)

One thing I didn’t see yesterday, although I mentioned it as upcoming in my article, was the House
P&E committee vote on congressional redistricting. For that, I had to rely on a text that I received, which let me know the vote. I was proud of Del. Lionell Spruill, Sr. who joined Del. Mark Sickles in voting against this plan. Thumbs down to the other Dems on this committee who voted in favor.

There will be plenty of opportunity to watch the show that is the Virginia General Assembly this year. I hope more tune in and see it.

The text of the speech as prepared is here. I still find it ironic that the governor eliminated funding for public broadcasting last year, including money to our local PBS affiliate, WHRO, and yet his speech was carried on that very station.

The Democratic response was provided by Senators George Barker and Donald McEachin. In light of this afternoon’s acrimony regarding Senate control, I found the speech quite conciliatory. The entire text of the prepared remarks is below.

Senator McEachin: Good evening, I’m Senator Donald McEachin, Chair of the Senate Democrats.

Senator Barker: And I’m Senator George Barker.

We’re happy to be with you to discuss our future as Virginians. We have challenges. We have opportunities. And, most important of all, we have responsibilities.

Governor McDonnell presented some lofty goals tonight. We embrace challenges and will work with the Governor, Republicans in the legislature, and all Virginians to meet many of them. Two years ago we adopted a bold plan to restore Virginia’s pension system to fiscal health. We are pleased that the Governor’s proposed budget restores funding as promised, honoring our commitment to teachers and State employees.

Over the past decade, under Governors Warner, Kaine, and McDonnell, Virginia has received many accolades: Best State for Business, Best Managed State, Best State for Children. We have achieved such recognition by working together, Democrats and Republicans, in the interest of all Virginians.

Although our economy struggled recently, Virginia has done far better than most states, with unemployment well below the national rate. Over the past two years, we have partnered with the Governor and our Republican colleagues to help create more jobs in Virginia. We worked with Governor McDonnell to increase funding and improve targeting of money to bring businesses and investment to Virginia. We have put your interests and problem-solving before partisan bickering.

Over the last several years we cut 6 billion dollars and balanced the budget without raising taxes. We also did it without decimating support for education, public safety, and services for children, the elderly, and those with disabilities. We look forward to working with the governor to pass a budget that is best for all Virginians.

But we are concerned that aspects of the budget Governor McDonnell has put forth will damage Virginia and our economy by cutting hundreds of millions from public education and critical initiatives for children and families. Rather than making such cuts, we should be meeting our legal and moral responsibilities to our children and families.

In the past Virginia has met many needs with limited state funds by partnering with local non-profit agencies. However, the Governor’s budget would eliminate funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs and centers protecting victims of child abuse, and slash support for free clinics and community health centers, among others. We and our children need these programs.

Particularly short-sighted are cuts to pre-Kindergarten programs that put disadvantaged children on a path to success. These programs serve children who need to catch up to their peers before starting kindergarten. Studies have shown that children who come to kindergarten well-prepared are more likely to graduate high school, have higher earnings, and are less likely to be arrested. We all have an interest in continuing Virginia’s tradition of investing in our children.

The governor is also short-changing our kids by proposing to eliminate so called “cost-to-compete” money for our local school districts. This fund allows our localities to keep the best and the brightest school personnel here in Virginia, instead of losing them to higher paying states. This amounts to a nearly 65 million dollar cut to Northern Virginia schools alone.

And now I’d like to re-introduce Senator Donald McEachin.

Senator McEachin: Overall in this, his first budget, the governor is cutting Pre-K and K through 12 public education by hundreds of millions of dollars. His proposal to take more sales tax revenue to fund transportation is perhaps where we have our strongest disagreement. Governor McDonnell’s program would take 110 million dollars out of the General Fund, which is money that pays for our schools.

And taking money from education is a terrible approach to transportation funding. The governor needs to work on a real long-term solution to funding transportation instead of treating public education as a piggy bank to be raided. Taking money out of our classrooms to pave roads doesn’t help build Virginia’s future. It doesn’t help our children and it doesn’t solve our transportation problem.

We also oppose another Republican pet project, giving big corporations tax breaks for donations to private schools. We need to educate all of our children, not just the select few who can afford private schools. We strongly believe taxpayer dollars should be used for public education, not for rich private academies.

Weakening our public schools will not only hurt our children’s ability to compete in a cut-throat global economy, but also will make our state a less attractive place to do business. Last year, as in several years past, Virginia was named the “Best State for Business.” We earned that title for a variety of reasons, including education, a category in which received one of the highest ratings. Businesses will choose to come here if they know their employees’ families will be happy and their children will get a good education. We want to be a first choice for businesses so we can offer good-paying and numerous jobs.

This past November the voters of the Commonwealth elected 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans to the Senate, so to pass a budget we need to work together. We will work with the governor and with senators and delegates of both parties toward putting Virginia on the right track to economic growth, but we will not agree to short-changing our children and our future. Short-term band-aids are not a real solution to problems. Public education, transportation, a well-run and efficient state government-these are important priorities and all of them will determine whether Virginia is a state that leads the country with a robust economy in the next decade, or whether we fall behind.

We have obligations to future generations, and I hope we can all keep that in mind this session.

So I say tonight to the governor and his party, we share many of the same goals; let’s work together to make progress this session. That is what the people of this great commonwealth voted for and that’s what they deserve.

Thank you, and God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States.

~

The General Assembly opens tomorrow. This AP story says a fight might break out for control of the Senate. Um, no. One need only read the words of the Democratic leadership to know that no such fight is coming. The Republicans will get their committee chairmanships and control of the committees. And the Democrats will end up going along. Honestly, I doubt there will be many 20-20 ties. There are a couple of Dems who are all too willing to vote with the Republicans on certain issues.

~

The congressional races in Virginia have been rather quiet so far. But not for long. Paul Hirschbiel, who is challenging Scott Rigell in the 2nd CD, is having his campaign kickoff in a couple of weeks. The special guest will be none other than Sen. Mark Warner. This is going to be an interesting race to watch – and an expensive one.

~

On the local level, don’t forget that the first organizational meeting of the Norfolk Citizens for An Elected School Board is this coming Saturday. While not a fight, it’s going to be a battle to get the nearly 12,000 signatures needed by July 18. I suspect this article about the $20 million shortfall may prod some to get involved. Sure would be nice if the legislature would reduce the number of signatures required to a more manageable level.

Wait, he is voting on abortion bills that will go nowhere, while his constituents lose their houses and have lost their livelihoods and can’t afford even the necessities?

Welcome to the 112th Congress, where the Republicans stonewall everything but socially conservative legislation in the House. Bills that will go nowhere, that Robert Hurt has voted affirmatively on, bills that deal mostly with abortion, contraception, women’s rights to determine her health decisions, and more.

Lots of time has been wasted, and unless they are putting on a show, the Republicans seem to scratch their heads and wonder why all those bills die in the Senate, and then vote and pass more of them (going nowhere).

While people in Martinsville, Danville and many other localities suffer at the hand of this cruel economy wrought by Bush, Robert Hurt and his colleagues have decided to do nothing to improve job creation. They say that the bills they pass are “jobs bills”, but they are 100% centered around business and what the House can do to make it easier for businesses to do business.

This is a nice idea, but totally wrong and totally misguided.

Right now, we don’t need Ned to start a cabinet shop and hire two people. We need large, well established businesses to open locations in the 5th District. For instance, IKEA has a factory in the southern part of the district.

We need 20 more IKEA-sized business to come to the 5th District and provide hundreds of jobs. 15.6% unemployment is inexcusable. This climate is tearing at the very fabric that makes the localities, the 5th District, and Virginia a great place to live and raise a family.

When Virgil Goode promised all those great jobs in Martinsville early in the last decade, people believed him and made decisions accordingly. MZM turned out to be a bust, and Goode himself was found to have taken boatloads of money from Mitchell Wade (now a convicted felon) and his employees. (straw donations, company requirement)

Do we really have to wait now and see what another Republican who just follows orders will do to improve the plight of all the residents of the 5th District? We have an opportunity in November to go back to the kind of independent thinking and unbought representation we had before Robert Hurt. What I mean of course, is electing a Democrat to that seat.

After all, we can’t afford to wait for another MZM or other calamity brought on by Robert Hurt. We need help now.

In addition to the website, the group has set up a Facebook page. More information is in the press release, below.

Norfolk Citizens for an Elected School Board

Organizer Representing Norfolk Citizens Files Paperwork to Initiate School Board Referendum

Norfolk, VA – At 10:30am on Tuesday January 3rd, Patrick Smith, a parent with children in Norfolk schools and a retired Air Force Veteran, filed the necessary paperwork with the Clerk of the Court to begin collecting signatures to place the issue of an elected school on the November 2012 ballot.

According to the Virginia State Code, valid signatures from 10% of the city’s registered voters must be turned in 111 days prior to the election in order for the question to be placed on the ballot.

To organize the petition drive, we will be hosting 2 organizational meetings in the month of January.

The first will start at 10am, January 14th at the Pretlow Library in Ocean View and will be primarily for those looking to take a lead role in organizing the operation.

The second meeting will be held January 28th at the same time and place for those interested in volunteering to collect signatures from their friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.

For more information, please visit our website at www.electedschoolboard.com or contact Patrick Smith at 757-284-0022 or at patrick@electedschoolboard.com.

Miller’s announcement read:

The upcoming session of the General Assembly will deal with a variety of issues that will affect you. From budget cuts to gun laws, from lifting the ban on uranium mining to deciding how to improve our transportation infrastructure. Senator Miller wants to hear your views. Join him for his Town Hall meeting.

Williamsburg           Jan 3rd at 7 pm at the library

Hampton                  Jan 4th at 7 pm at the Northampton Community Center

Newport News         Jan 5th at 7 pm at the Ferguson Center

Suffolk                       Jan 7th at 2 pm at the fire station #5

This is an excellent opportunity to have your voice heard on the budget priorities. I encourage all of Norfolk to attend one or more of the meetings.

See you there!

I guess it’s true that a broken clock is right twice a day

First we have an editorial calling out council for acting on The Palace so quickly:

Perhaps Kenny Bullock is qualified to serve as a manager for his restaurant, The Palace on Plume Street.

But the people of Norfolk don’t know that, because the City Council approved his request to serve as manager of the club without a single word of public discussion.

In other words, business as usual in our fine city.

Even bigger was this story on the separation of school superintendent Richard Bentley. As quoted from the termination contract:

“The board agrees that the termination is an ‘involuntary separation not for cause,’ for internal, VRS and contract purposes. For public relations purposes it will simply be characterized as a separation ‘by mutual agreement.’ “

In other words, they lied.

At some point, the citizens of Norfolk are going to wake up and realize that those elected to represent us aren’t dealing fairly with us. I hope it is sooner rather than later.

There are numerous arguments for and against an elected school board. At the end of the day, it is accountability that is important.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a copy of the following letter that the Legislative Committee of the Larchmont Elementary School PTA sent to the Norfolk School Board:

Two years ago, the Larchmont Elementary School PTA formed a Legislative Committee. This committee took on the task of supporting our schools by connecting with a variety of city officials and community leaders. Our top priority is to explore funding solutions to maintain the quality of our children’s education in the face of continuing local, state and federal budget cuts. Today we find ourselves and our children faced with a far bigger problem than a multi-million dollar budget shortfall. The premature departure of the superintendent gravely concerns our committee. It comes at a great cost to the morale, continuity and credibility of the school division.

Communications from NPS via an automated phone call and a division-produced video on its website have only described the leadership transition. We are concerned about the impact that this change will have on teacher retention, the ability to select another qualified superintendent, and the perception of NPS in the community. Focus in the press on short-term issues, including immediate improvement of test scores, on-time graduation rates and school accreditation, has not given us the clarity we need.

Therefore, we respectfully ask the board to describe its vision for our children’s schools. We want to know what short-term solutions are being sought, and more importantly, the long-term vision of the board. We need the opportunity to understand the board’s vision, the plan for its implementation and the timetable for accomplishing its plan.

As stakeholders, we believe that understanding your vision will enable us to continue our support of NPS.

Thank you in advance for devoting the time necessary to address our concerns.

We are all stakeholders in our public schools, whether or not we have children there. I believe our future depends on a well-educated populace. And part of that requires that those who are responsible for overseeing that education be accountable to all of us.

First up: in a sharply worded editorial, the board calls for the election of the School Board. Ask me how happy I am that we have an editorial board member living in Norfolk for the first time in ages While I’m sure the day is going to come when we disagree, for now I’m just enjoying having a voice on the board who is looking out for Norfolk – and convincing the other board members (all editorials “represent the consensus of the editorial board, which is independent of the newsroom,” as stated) to go along.

Second: in the Norfolk Compass Sunday, Harry Minium wonders if council is conducting too much of the city’s business in private. He acknowledges that the public presentation was progress, but argues that alone isn’t enough. For those who attend only the public session of council meetings, the votes seem weird and are often without explanation. The work of council actually goes on in the work sessions but in this case, the real discussion took place in closed session. Norfolk has made progress in transparency – live broadcasts of council work and public sessions, with the video available for later viewing – but if they are simply shifting the work to closed sessions, that’s not good for us.

Finally: in celebrating the 500,00th rider, The Tide, Norfolk’s light rail system, will offer free rides this Wednesday. Even though it has been operational since August, I’ve not managed to find the time to ride it yet.

There are so many issues with having judges chosen by the legislature, some of which I mention in this article. I have to admit, though, that having lawyers pick the judges they practice in front of is at the top of my list.

A couple of the references in the article that you might find interesting:

• The O’Connor Judicial Selection Initiative
• American Judicature Society

In an interview with the Farmville Herald published on October 6, 2011, Robert Hurt answered the questions of Ken Woodley, the Editor of that publication.

The interview was interspersed with Woodley’s comments, which makes it harder to pay attention to the meat of the interview. Woodley has a love affair with one line sentences/paragraphs, something which bugs me to no end.

Enough about the newspaper (which is in the 5th District, located in Prince Edward County in Farmville.) On to the interview and my take on it.

Hurt seems to talk only about businesses when he talks about the economy. He mentions the bills that have backed up waiting for the Senate to act on them. There is “so much” opportunity to cut expenditures. He sounds like a campaign commercial, almost indistinguishable from during his term.

A balanced budget is one of the congressman’s high priorities. With no consideration of how we got to this place of economic calamity, talk of balancing the budget is spoken of in the same breath as cutting taxes on the wealthy. This is a fairy-tale proposal.

“I don’t want to hear excuses but I will tell you that my frustration is compounded by the fact that since January on the House side we’ve taken very serious, serious, serious action in terms of trying to promote job creation. We’ve sent dozens of bills from the House side down to the Senate and Harry Reid and the United States Senate haven’t done anything. These are jobs bills that are stacking up. These are bills that would make it easier and less costly for people to run a business, to stay in business, and make it more attractive for them to hire and reinvest…”

Look at the way a “jobs” bill is described. Bills that “…would make it easier and less costly for people to run a business…” Who will be running this business? There are so many unemployed, so many struggling just to remain in their houses. Since the upper end of the income spectrum is where this is really aimed, why lie about it?

The richest of the rich are who are targeted by Republican lawmakers. They recite the mantra, “taxes are bad” and go about their way to taking money from education and other worthy programs, like the law enforcement in your communities. The richest citizens need another $30,000 tax cut? This is clearly not in sync with reality.

Just like Robert Hurt, Cantor, Forbes, Wolf, Griffith and the rest, the script calls for more tax cuts, so that’s what they are pushing.

Grover Norquist would have the groupthink no other way. Robert Hurt knows where his orders come from. Look at his record, it is almost a mirror of many others. No votes on what his district needs, yes on motions to reconsider in order to gut a competing bill. Don’t watch the sausage being made.

Norfolk Circuit Judge Norman A. Thomas faced tough questions Friday from state lawmakers with the power to give him another eight-year term. Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Ramona D. Taylor was not invited for an interview – the only judge with an expiring term to be so snubbed, according to a legislative official.

An earlier blog post mentioned the two lawmakers who grilled Thomas about his 2005 plea by name: retiring Del. Bill Janis and announced candidate for AG in 2013 Del. Rob Bell.

I guess the panel figured Taylor, who was censured in 2009, is just not going to be re-appointed so why waste the time on an interview.

Judges from across the state were interviewed (pdf) Friday. It will be interesting to see the outcome as time progresses.

The project, as outlined in this article, includes input from business executives in the region and is being led by the Hampton Roads Partnership, which describes the project here. The report from the committee is expected in early 2012.

Virginia is unique in the nation to have all of its cities independent of a county; only three other such cities – Baltimore MD, St. Louis MO, and Carson City NV – lie outside of Virginia. When coupled with its strict interpretation of the Dillon Rule, I would suspect duplication of services in Hampton Roads to be rampant. I applaud the cities for taking on this effort, despite its $150,000 price tag.

My only complaint (you knew there would be one, right? ) is that the steering committee has no ordinary citizens included. The members:

The steering committee includes E. Dana Dickens, III, president and CEO of Hampton Roads Partnership; William Harrell, Chesapeake City Manager; Rick West, Chesapeake City Council; Marcus Jones, Norfolk City Manager; Barclay Winn, Norfolk City Council; Jim Spore, Virginia Beach City Manager; Glenn Davis, Virginia Beach City Council; James Fothergill, chief people officer of Dollar Tree; Jeff Gough, Smithfield Foods vice president for Logistics, Human Resources and Safety; and Tina Gill, Amerigroup vice president for External Relations Operations.  Jim Hixon, Norfolk Southern executive vice president-Law and Corporate Relations, serves as chair of the steering committee, which plans to meet monthly.

I believe the inclusion of the citizens’ perspective is critical to any undertaking like this. The top-down approach doesn’t work in business and it certainly doesn’t work in government. Surely they could have expanded the steering committee to include a citizen from each of the cities who are party to this.

This one was included in last Friday’s paper:

And this one was in Wednesday’s paper:

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words

As always, click to enlarge.

• Location: Hampton Convention Center in Hampton, VA 
• Date: December 11, 2011 @ 3:30 p.m.
• Speakers:

• Ray Ganthner from Virginia Energy Independence Alliance
• Mary Rafferty from the Sierra Club
• Nathan Lott from the Virginia Conservation Network
• Patrick Wales from Virginia Uranium
• Tom Leahy from Virginia Beach Public Utilities

This is one of the issues that the 2012 General Assembly will be taking up when they are called into session.  This was a topic that was discussed a lot this year in the media because of the sponsored trips to France for a site visit for the General Assembly.  Also it was a frequent topic in the elections debates.  However, it has not been in the media so much recently. That is likely to change this week however as the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report is due out this week.

This has been a controversial issue. Pro people are saying the Uranium Mining will help the economy (example here and here)  .  The other side has voiced concern over possible contamination of water, including the City of Virginia Beach. Also many have voiced concerns over the fear of how it will be regulated.

You can submit questions for the forum in advance here.  You can also see more information on the Virginia Peninsula MAL League of Women Voters website.

Filed under: Hampton Roads, Local, Politics, Virginia ]]> http://blog.vivianpaige.com/2011/12/08/uranium-mining-forum-by-lwv/feed/ 2 LWVLogoLarger post2it LWVLogoLarger http://blog.vivianpaige.com/2011/12/07/a-date-which-will-live-in-infamy/ http://blog.vivianpaige.com/2011/12/07/a-date-which-will-live-in-infamy/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:23:39 +0000 Vivian J. Paige http://blog.vivianpaige.com/?p=19025 ]]> So said President Franklin D. Roosevelt, referring to December 7, 1941, 70 years ago today. (You can hear the entire speech here.)

The Virginian-Pilot has printed a four-part series on the ever-dwindling witnesses to this horrible event, culminating with today’s article. Well worth a read.

A copy of the Hampton Roads map with a ring of fire engulfing the region has circulated around city halls and in the community. (City of Norfolk staff)

A second Midtown tunnel means tolls are returning to Hampton Roads. And not just the 25-cent variety. As announced by Gov. Bob McDonnell yesterday, a public-private partnership to build the second Midtown tunnel, rehab the Downtown tunnel and extend the Martin Luther King Freeway (whoops! – guess that’s the wrong name for the road) means tolls “initially ranging from $1.59 to $1.84 per car for the tunnels and $.50 for the Martin Luther King Freeway extension for tunnel users and $1 for non-tunnel users.”

In an op-ed published in today’s Virginian-Pilot, Art Collins, the former executive director of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and Metropolitan Planning Organization, eviscerates the deal.

The rest of the commonwealth gets its operations and maintenance paid out of the state transportation accounts. So Hampton Roads drivers will pay to maintain facilities in our region as well as the rest of the state through the existing gas tax and other fees.

And he raises a good question:

If the state is going to mandate a toll, which is a tax, without a referendum, why not mandate a sales tax and fix all our major transportation deficiencies?

I think I can answer that one: tolls aren’t taxes, Mr. Collins, at least not in the language of the legislature. That’s why they gave us the referendum. We are allowed – if approved – to raise taxes on ourselves, but Richmond can’t do that.

UPDATE: At the time of writing, the article had not been posted online. You can now find it here.

We elect them [council members], but with such a small number of voters showing up to participate, are we always getting the best candidates?

That so few show up to vote in municipal elections is a big part of the problem.

More than anything, I’m glad to see a conversation about the pros and cons of an elected school board taking place. This is what it’s all about: having folks participate in our process.