I am seeking election as the Falmouth District member of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors and I’m running as the candidate of unity, opportunity and personal freedoms. I have a vision for our county of how we can create a stronger local economy…

I am seeking election as the Falmouth District member of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors and I’m running as the candidate of unity, opportunity and personal freedoms. I have a vision for our county of how we can create a stronger local economy…

I am seeking election as the Falmouth District member of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors and I’m running as the candidate of unity, opportunity and personal freedoms. I have a vision for our county of how we can create a stronger local economy by having business-friendly policies.

Of working toward creating a Science and Technology Center that would allow the many talented people who live in Stafford to work in Stafford, which allows more time for our families and community.

Of managing growth with better planned roads and making developers pay their fair share for things like transportation and schools.

Of returning to a partnership between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board. Both boards have the same constituents and it is a joint responsibility to ensure that every dollar is put to its best use. Those dollars need to find their way to the classrooms. No more hollow words that teachers deserve a raise. Let’s make it happen.

I’m a graduate of Mary Washington College and have my Masters in Public Administration but I have real-world experience of bringing people together and solving problems whether it’s through my leadership as the Chairman of my homeowner’s association or as the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at Falmouth Baptist Church.

I married a Marine (Go Navy!) and we have lived around the country and raised our family while Dan served. But we chose to return to the area that I fell in love with during college for his retirement.

While it’s true I have enjoyed leading the Stafford GOP as their Chairman and sharing in its many successes, it has become obvious to me that good local government is not about partisan battles. There are many differences between those Democrats in DC and Stafford Republicans but this race is not about those differences.

This race is about choosing the most effective leader for Falmouth; someone who will work with the other members of the Board to move Stafford forward. It’s not about today’s partisan bickering. It’s about results for Stafford and I am ready to lead.

This is an important election because many of the things we hold dear are in jeopardy.

Our world is in unprecedented financial turmoil. Business is slow. Our savings and 401k’s are shrinking. Almost every family has either had someone who lost a job or knows someone who has, or worries at night about their own job. It has affected us all. And the new majority on the Board of Supervisors is more interested in partisan infighting than they are in you and me.

The worst and last thing a leader should do in these times is prevent new jobs from being created. Yet that is exactly what the current majority has done. They have adopted anti-opportunity measures such as levying taxes on businesses that want to create jobs here in Stafford County.

The current majority believes that, having come to Stafford and achieved opportunity for themselves, they want to now cut if off from others.

They have even, in their arrogance, gone so far as to cancel the county’s membership in the Chamber of Commerce.

It’s time we had leaders who operate out of what is best for their constituency.

Secondly, where there’s arrogance there is sure to be strife. The current majority has become so politically motivated and polarized, they spend more time fighting than passing legislation that makes the lives of all of us here in Stafford better.

This doesn’t make them representatives this makes them just politicians.

I want to represent the people of Falmouth because I am, quite simply, one of them. I’m the mom with the school-aged kids. As having recently completed a government contract as a Budget Analyst at the State Department, I was the commuter who wished I could work here in Stafford. I’m active in my church because I want my community to be stronger.

My commitment is to bring to the current board:

1. A vision for Stafford both long and short-term.

2. A boldness to act on behalf of the citizenry to live their lives in unfettered freedom.

3. To be a force of unity, seeking common ground inside the board and between the board and other governing bodies.

4. To return Stafford to a pro-unity stance so that new, clean safe jobs are brought to the area.
To this end, I propose to work toward the establishment of a research and technology center here in Stafford– where the jobs of the future will come from.

I have the commitment, energy and passion to make the lives of Stafford families better year by year through increased opportunity. I have the real-world experience as both a professional in the work force and as a leader in the community to take my vision for Stafford and work with other members of the Board to make Stafford the best place to live, work and raise a family.

I wanted to respond to your blog from September 22, 2009 regarding Mrs. Stimpson’s decision to back out of the Bloggers Forum last minute based on her concerns of fairness.First, I should make it clear that I have never met Mrs. Stimpson and I do not b…

I wanted to respond to your blog from September 22, 2009 regarding Mrs. Stimpson’s decision to back out of the Bloggers Forum last minute based on her concerns of fairness.First, I should make it clear that I have never met Mrs. Stimpson and I do not b…

I wanted to respond to your blog from September 22, 2009 regarding Mrs. Stimpson’s decision to back out of the Bloggers Forum last minute based on her concerns of fairness.

First, I should make it clear that I have never met Mrs. Stimpson and I do not believe it is appropriate for me to discuss her decision to withdraw from September 30th’s event; however, as the ONLY Democrat featured in the Blogger’s Forum and the only subject to a personal and untruthful attack by Mr. Eric Martin, I believe it is absolutely appropriate for me discuss her accusations surrounding the “fairness” of the event because it speaks directly to the integrity of the person who put the event together, Mr. Colin Brehm.

Throughout this entire process, Mr. Brehm has been upfront about what he was putting together and the forum he was hoping to create. He wanted a bi-partisan forum to discuss the issues. Most importantly, he gave each participant the opportunity to submit topics to be discussed and has since offered to accept questions from the participants to be asked throughout the evening.

If anything is unfair about this event, it is the fact that Mr. Brehm and his colleagues are expecting us, the candidates, to actually be able to discuss such an array of topics with knowledge, passion, and without the help of our party puppeteers – quite the task for those amongst us with only one issue to discuss or those running on a party platform.

Quite frankly, I look forward to Wednesday night’s Blogger’s Forum, as it provides each of the candidates an opportunity to present their positions and vision uncensored and each of the bloggers an opportunity to ask the questions we, the candidates, typically avoid. It is Democracy in its purest form!

Thank you for your time and I look forward to meeting you on Wednesday!

Sincerely,

Laura Sellers
Candidate, Garrisonville Supervisor

This is from a story in today’s edition of The Free Lance–Star:
Commonwealth’s Attorney Tony Spencer talked about how decisions have consequences and discussed cases he has prosecuted in the county.
The sheriff and prosecutor say they don’t think the county has any real gangs, but they have seen “gang-like” activity in Caroline.
This is absolutely amazing. A […]

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I e-mailed the Stafford and Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors candidates (except for Mr. Goss for whom I did not have an e-mail) providing them the opportunity to submit a piece of 800 words or less on any topic they felt was important for the voters t…

I e-mailed the Stafford and Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors candidates (except for Mr. Goss for whom I did not have an e-mail) providing them the opportunity to submit a piece of 800 words or less on any topic they felt was important for the voters t…