WWW.STAFFORDSPCA.ORG

Main # (540) 657-PETS (7387) or (540) 842-9936 - Cell

** !!! Planning Commission - Public Hearing !!! **

Dear All Animal Lovers,

The new Stafford SPCA has applied for a “Conditional Use Permit” from the Stafford County Planning Department. The SPCA seeks to convert the former Brooke Nursing Home and its 10 acres of woods & fields, into the first No-Kill, animal shelter & adoption facility for Stafford County and the surrounding area. The facility is located at 140 Andrew Chapel Rd, about 2 miles from Brooke Point High School.

It is vital that members of the community, who love their animals and are concerned with the welfare of all animals (their own, and those in desperate need of homes), show up on April 1st, to learn about this project, and to express support for the development of Stafford County’s own, local, SPCA facility.

The Stafford SPCA proposes to; renovate the existing nursing home, build new high quality kennel spaces, plus 2 off-leash dog parks, a wildlife rescue facility, an equine rescue facility, walking trails & a memorial garden, in addition to a low-cost spay / neuter clinic on the site. The SPCA will accept the surrender of local animals, rescue animals from unnecessary euthanasia at the County Pound, and provide on and off-site adoption services. The SPCA will assist emergency services personnel in disaster responses, provide humane education services to the schools, as well as provide volunteer and learning opportunities for individuals, families, groups, & clubs at the facility. Please show up & show your support !

** Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 **

** 7:30 PM **

Board of Supervisors Chambers

Stafford County Administration Building

1300 Courthouse Road, Stafford, Virginia

CUP # 2800697

Posted in planning commisioner, Press Release, SPCA, stafford

King Street Blues’ at Aquia Towne Center has closed. There is no note of explanation on the door, and all of the signage has been removed. Last month, we reported that Amici Italian Restaurant in Doc Stone Plaza had ceased operating.

I know business had not been good in months.  And I suspect that a combination of our eating at home more, plus price-competition from larger chains like 5 Guys and Ruby Tuesday’s, played significantly in King Street Blues’ decision shut down.  Not sure if the Aquia Towne Center redevelopment also factored in.

One less locally-owned business.  For Stafford diners it is a sad time, indeed.

What follows is not a Fred2Blue endorsement, but rather that of the author.

He may have been elected Commonwealth’s Attorney, Delegate, and State Senator in the Shenandoah Valley, but Creigh Deeds knows Virginia as well as any candidate for Governor in recent memory. Sen. Deeds passed through the Fredericksburg area many times over the years; first as House Democratic Caucus Chairman, then as the Democratic nominee for Attorney General. So when he spoke to the Stafford Co. Democrats earlier this month at their First Annual Jefferson/Jackson Dinner, he probably didn’t need to stop for directions.

But not everything is about the next election.

After the dust had settled in Nov. 2007, Democrats had gained seats in the House of Delegates and regained a majority in the State Senate. But not everyone was celebrating. In a Stafford County School Board race, Patricia Mancini narrowly defeated Price Jett Jr. by only 55 votes. Jett, a write-in candidate, immediately filed a lawsuit. Jett didn’t have a case, but he had powerful friends. Friends like House Speaker Bill Howell.

The Mancinis are not wealthy, Jett and Howell hired the most expensive lawyers they could find, and most local Democrats were focused on the specal election in the 1st CD. The term “buying the election” gets thrown around a lot….but, let’s face it, that’s EXACTLY what was happening here.

One Democrat that came through for the Mancinis, perhaps more than any other, wasn’t some local elected official or one of Howell’s colleagues in the House of Delegates. It was a Senator from Bath County:

December 19, 2007

Senator R. Creigh Deeds sent a letter to House Speaker William J. Howell today imploring him to withdraw his financial and political support for “a frivolous election contest lawsuit bankrolled with political contributions to your campaign.” Deeds set a deadline of 4PM tomorrow, December 20, for Howell to notify him in writing that he has done so.

School board elections in Virginia are non-partisan.

On November 6, 2007, Patricia Mancini was elected by the majority of voters in the George Washington District to the Stafford County School Board. While she was the only qualified candidate on the ballot, Price Jett, Jr., mounted a last-minute write-in campaign and lost by 55 votes. As that margin was not within the state mandated one percent that would allow him to seek a recount, he is instead contesting that election in Stafford County Circuit Court.

Within two weeks, Speaker Howell paid $5,000 to the legal team of Mr. Jett from his campaign account, Howell for Delegate, for “Retainer for Stafford Co. election contest.”

[See: Virginia Public Access Project, http://www.vpap.org/expends/detail.cfm?VendKey=ORH000200720&ComID=COM00050&CycleID=2007]

“I respectfully ask that you demand the return of your contribution to the legal team of Mr. Jett and so notify me in writing by 4PM tomorrow, December 20, 2007,” Deeds wrote in his letter to Howell. “Should you decline to do so and continue your partisan interference in this matter, I see no choice but to come to the defense of Ms. Mancini. I will not allow you to overturn the results of a school board election by way of a frivolous election contest lawsuit bankrolled with political contributions to your campaign.”

Later that month, a three judge panel dismissed the lawsuit and Sen. Deeds held a fundraiser to help Joe and Patricia Mancini pay off their legal bills (below).

Nothing stands in the way of progress in Virginia more than Speaker Howell and his Roadblock Republican buddies in the House. Killing the bi-partisan redistricting bill that Deeds unanimously passed in the Senate is just the latest example.

Creigh Deeds is the last person Bill Howell wants in the Executive Mansion for the next four years. My first choice for Governor? Creigh Deeds.

Cross-Posted at Blue Commonwealth

UPDATE: World economic collapse has China losing its appetite for America’s recyclable waste.  Story is posted to nytimes.com.

A fortnightly rant, FL-S style with a h/t to my green Twitter friends.

Despite the fact that:

• our kids are walking, talking proponents of sustainability;
• household recyclables are collected curbside;
• the zeitgeist is becoming greener by the day;
• the R-Board (our Regional Solid Waste Management Board) is one of the better facilities of its kind in the Commonwealth of Virginia;
• and that, we tend to be mindful of recycling at work

our consciousness and level of compliance for recycling household waste remains quite disappointing.

But before we practice self-flagellation or bury our heads in shame as punishment for our lagging effort to save the planet, it would be wise to visit some of the reasons why we don’t re-purpose or recycle as much as we should, as well as ponder some possible solutions:

1. We don’t know how much waste we consumers should be recycling. I have not been able to find on the web consistent goal-standards; some non-profit environmental organizations think we should be aggressive and aim to recycle 75% of our gahr-bahge while others take a more-pragmatic approach with a 30-35% target.

We need a goal. And I believe our R-Board representatives need to redouble their efforts to inform and educate the public and show us how to comply. As a community, if we could agree to strive for let’s say 50% compliance - to recycle half of what we consume - then I say let’s go for it.

2. We must get strategic about household waste recycling. Most Fredericksburg-area household waste is collected by private haulers who more often have contracts with local homeowner associations (HOAs) than with local government.

The HOA/hauler model is in and of itself not a bad thing and most vendors do their work on time, and within budget. However, HOA board members tend to focus entirely on the overall cost and pay little mind to negotiating for better recycling service; my residential subdivision is paying close to $100k a year for trash removal - its single largest cash outlay - and yet the recycling service is at best, so/so.

I urge our local HOA boards to give considerable thought to establishing, achieving, and then exceeding their own strategy-driven recycling goals. To that end, I think most haulers are interested in happy customers and would work proactively with their HOA clients to provide the kind of service which recycles more but doesn’t necessarily cost more (or much more).

3. We consumers need more than 1 recycling bin per household. The average consumer today yields considerably more post-consumer waste than he or she did just 5 years ago. From electronics to groceries, many more things we buy are packaged in plastic “clam shells”, bottles, and other containers. And yet the bins most of us have been provided are not large enough to hold a week’s worth of recyclable waste. Our haulers should be contractually-obligated to provide consumers separate bins for glass, plastic, newspaper, catalogs and direct mail, etc. and each of those bins needs to be large enough to hold a week’s worth of recyclables.  Certainly, these are available at retail, but only the-most sustainability-conscious soul would ever spend out-of-pocket for such bins.  The haulers need to be more proactive and provide the extra (and larger) bins.

4. With household members doing the separating, the hauler needs to do a more-considered and consistent job of keeping the plastic separated from the paper, from the empty aluminum cans, etc. The hauler in my community often cuts corners, using the same truck for recycling as it does for general waste removal. Into the same cavity as that gone bad chicken casserole you threw out may go the same week’s worth of newspapers, glass bottles, dog food cans, and plastic containers. That provides me no assurance that my recyclables are getting recycled properly.

5. Those than can should compost for it provides us a way to dramatically reduce the tonnage of household waste transported to landfills.  Fancy drum-style composters are available for online purchase; they accelerate the breakdown of food waste while keeping rotting food odor to a minimum. But plain-and-simple composting bins may be built easily and inexpensively from old two-by-fours and chicken wire. Worms process the compost into black gold, the most-excellent soil for spring flowers, vegetables, and freshly-planted nursery stock.  But best of all, composting is inexpensive and helps your garden thrive.

Interested in composting and its benefits, but not really up to the task? Try it on a small scale: collect coffee grounds to fertilize household or outdoor plants!

6. Get the kids to help out. Remember when we were young how passionate we were about “ecology” and saving the planet? What happened to that youthful passion?

Getting children and grandchildren involved in household recycling is not only a “valuable teachable moment” it is also a great way to increase your recycling yield because the kiddies will absolutely make sure that you comply.

Here in Fred2Blue Land, we have an opportunity to truly make a difference, to be mindful of what we consume, to recycle more, to be smarter about how we use our landfill areas, and to make sure future generations remain passionate about sustainability. 

Going green is transcending politics; no longer is it a left-of-center issue.  But it is something that makes sense for our community, the planet, and definitely our health and financial well-being. Let us get serious about recycling our household waste.

Big, big news from the SCDC:

The SDC is pleased to announce that Congressman Gerry Connolly will deliver the keynote address at our First Annual Stafford JJ Dinner!  The FINAL deadline to purchase tickets is Wednesday, March 11, 2009.  A limited number of tickets remain; as such, we will make these tickets available while supplies last.

The Stafford Democratic Committee is also pleased to announce that 2009 Democratic Gubernatorial candidates Brian Moran and Creigh Deeds will be guest speakers at our First Annual Stafford JJ Dinner!

Also confirmed as speakers are Lt. Gubernatorial candidates Pat Edmonson, Jon Bowerbank, and Mike Signer; and Attorney General candidate Steve Shannon!

You can buy tickets at http://www.actblue.com/page/2009staffordjj.

Please check our website regularly at http://www.stafforddemocrats.org, to keep up with the latest information surrounding our First Annual Stafford JJ Dinner - including future announcements.  Want to be the first to receive breaking news from the SDC?  Text FOLLOW stafforddems to 40404.

Some days are better than others. That’s life.

Today was a good day for Stafford. Stupervisor Schwartz threw in the towell after just 20 short dyas on the campaign trail for Bill Howell’s seat as Virginia Delegate.

In a press release today, Schwartz said he could not run a “targeted, full-time race while simultaneously tending to county business”. As if he were actually “tending” to county business!

Schwartz said the campaign was “overtaking his work as supervisor.” ROFL. That’s the best part!

Word on the street was that he got really annoyed by this blog and couldn’t find any comfort from his Democrat pals whom he assumed would support him. Other bloggers in the area stood ready to start unveiling videos, stats and comparasons between his promises, his destructive agenda and his voting record that when amplified to cover a delegate’s area would have utterly destroyed Stafford’s failing economy.

Funny thing about a voting record… they’re hard to run away from.

Plenty of time remains for another opponent to enter the race for delegate, so Howell is not out of the woods yet and Furious George hasn’t said whether he’ll seek another term as Stafford’s most irresponsible chairman.

No one from the Republican or Independent Parties has announced their intentions to run in the Falmouth District yet either. Two to three are considering the seat. If none emerge, I’ll run a campaign for “Tuna Sandwich” to run against him and see how many votes Tuna can get.

For now though, the scalp count stands at: Rappahannock Red=1 —- George Schwartz=0

Posted in Bill Howell, blog, delegate, democrats, election, George "Stalin" Schwartz, politics, Press Release, Republican Party of VA, Republicans, stafford, state, supervisor, virginia

The next Attorney General of Virginia will be in Fredericksburg this Saturday at 10am at The Caroline Street Cafe for the monthly gathering of Regional Democrats. In addition to representing the 35th district in the House of Delegates, Steve Shannon, along with his wife Abby, co-founded the Metropolitan Washington AMBER Plan in 2001. As a result, more than 195 children have been recovered nation-wide.

Next Saturday the 14th, Del. Shannon will join Brian Moran, Creigh Deeds, Pat Edmonson, Jon Bowerbank, Mike Signer and Rich Savage at the Stafford Co. Jefferson/Jackson Day Dinner. Click here for tickets.

It has stopped snowing here in Fred2Blue Land. About 8 inches of the white stuff has fallen in my neighborhood. The sun is peeking out of the clouds.

For goodness sake, put the Snuggie back in the closet.  It is time to venture outside to start those shovel-ready projects (clearing sidewalks, driveways, etc.) and enjoy watching the kids sled and pummel each other (and you and me) with snowballs! Happy snow day!

!

Stafford Co. Supervisor Bob Woodson and Spotsylvania Co. Chairman Hap Connors are among 55 local elected officials in Virginia who want to know how Bob McDonnell would balance the budget as Governor without funds from the economic stimulus package. Will he align himself with grandstanding GOP Governors like Mark Sanford, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, and Bobby Jindal? Or will he join fellow Republicans Charlie Crist, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jodi Rell, and Jim Douglas in helping their states recover from the current recession?

Mayors: Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille, Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris, Hampton Mayor Molly Ward, Harrisonburg Mayor Kai Degner, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, Richmond City Mayor Dwight Jones, Roanoke Mayor David Bowers, Charlottesville Vice-Mayor Julian Taliaferro, and Martinsville Vice-Mayor Kimble Reynolds.

Supervisors: Albemarle County Chairman David Slutzky, Albemarle County Supervisor Ann Mallek, Arlington County Vice-Chair Walter Tejada, Arlington County Supervisor Jay Fisette, Fairfax County Chair Sharon Bulova, Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, Fairfax County Supervisor Penny Gross, Fairfax County Supervisor Linda Smyth, Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay, Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust, Fluvanna County Chairman Marvin Moss, Henry County Supervisor Paula Burnette, Lee County Supervisor Claude Ray, Loudoun County Vice-Chair Susan Buckley, Loudoun County Supervisor Kelly Burk, Montgomery County Supervisor Bill Brown, Montgomery County Supervisor John Muffo, Prince William County Supervisor John Jenkins, Pulaski Chairman Joseph Sheffey, Spotsylvania County Chair Henry “Hap” Connors, and Stafford County Supervisor Bob Woodson.

Sheriffs: Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur, Bristol Sheriff Jack Weisenburger, Falls Church Sheriff Steve Bittle, Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt, Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe, Roanoke County Sheriff Gerald Holt, and Washington Sheriff Fred Newman.

Treasurers: Arlington Treasurer Frank O’Leary, Falls Church Treasurer Catherine Kaye

Commissioners of Revenue: Bristol Commissioner of Revenue Terry Frye, Buchchanan Commissioner of Revenue Jay Rife Jr., Falls Church Commissioner of Revenue Tom Clinton, and Portsmouth Commissioner of Revenue Franklin Edmondson.

City Council: Alexandria Councilman Justin Wilson, Alexandria Councilman Tim Lovain, Charlottesville Councilman Dave Brown, Charlottesville Councilwoman Holly Edwards, Charlottesville Councilman Satyendra Huja, Fairfax City Councilman Dan Drummond, Galax Councilman John Garner, Roanoke City Councilman Court Rosen, Roanoke City Councilwoman Gwen Mason
Clerks of Court: Portsmouth Clerk of Court Cynthia Morrison, Roanoke County Clerk of Court Steve McGraw

School Board: Mathews School Board Member Jennifer Little

The text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Attorney General McDonnell -

To begin, we would like to thank you for your service to the Commonwealth of Virginia over the course of the last 17 years, serving as both Delegate and Attorney General. As leaders of local government in Virginia, we have appreciated working in coordination with you as Attorney General over the past three years helping to fight crime in our localities. We appreciate your service to the people of Virginia.

We write today to express our concern. Our nation is suffering through an economic crisis and Americans across the country are worried about their jobs and are struggling to get by. Virginia’s cities and counties are bearing the brunt of our economic downturn, as we struggle to balance budgets and keep jobs in Virginia. Every day in our neighborhoods, we talk to families in need of assistance and leadership from their elected officials to help them make ends meet.

As local elected officials, we were pleased to see President Obama take quick action to put our economy back on track through the American Recovery and Assistance Act passed last week. Right here in Virginia, the stimulus plan should save or create 93,000 jobs over the next two years, provide payroll tax cuts for 3 million Virginia workers, and enact the largest investment increase in our roads, bridges and mass transit since the 1950s.

Specifically, we welcome President Obama’s investment in keeping Virginia’s state and local budgets on track by investing in local needs. As you know, the stimulus will provide more than $1 billion dollars to offset even deeper cuts in our state’s budget. Also, according to the Associated Press, nearly $3 billion outside of the state budget will flow directly to residents and local governments.

We are concerned, however, with your stance on this historic investment in Virginia’s economic health. According to recent reports, you said that President Obama’s stimulus would “not be good long-term for America.” You also endorsed Rep. Eric Cantor and House Republicans’ efforts to stand in the way of the much-needed stimulus bill. All of this despite the fact that Governors - both Democrats and Republicans - are supporting President Obama’s plan to provide immediate, vital aid and assistance to state and local governments.

As leaders of our local governments, we would like to know: As governor, how would you balance Virginia’s budget without these stimulus funds? Additionally, if Governor, would you refuse to accept the stimulus money such as the Governors of Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas and Alaska have suggested?

Our cities and counties depend on this immediate economic investment. Absent the stimulus, we would like to hear your plans to support investment in our local economies.

Thank you for your consideration.