And what is (Lowell - 10/2/2007 2:34:01 PM)
this, then?
Pictured from left to right, Dave Speed, Rick Hurwitt, Doug Scott, William A. Hazel, Jay Keyser, John Hazelgrove, David Hazel
As I read this article, I kept thinking that Tom Rust must be taking lessons in unethical campaigning from Tim Hugo. What the hell is THIS?!?
According to campaign finance records, esteemed developer John T. "Til" Hazel is one of Rust's largest contributors."I have known the Hazel family for 30 years," Rust said in reference to the six individuals who collectively have contributed more than $78,000 to his campaign. "They are not developers. They are doctors and contractors and they are very much in favor of education, as am I."
The Hazels are not developers? Check this out:
Among those doubtful of an urban transformation is John T. "Til" Hazel, the veteran developer and land-use lawyer credited with helping transform Tysons from a rural crossroads into one of the largest business districts in the country...
Right, Hazel's not a developer, he just developed Tysons Corner! Still in doubt? Check out the Hazel's OWN WEBSITE:
*"Since 1971, the Hazel family has raised the standards of residential, commercial and retail development"
*"The Hazel Land Story: Creating Developments that Define the National Capital Region"
OK, now that we're through with that whopper from Tom "Abuser Fees" Rust, let's look at some lesser lies (on the flip).
From the Fairfax Times article:
Citing a June 30, 2004, Associated Press article in a recent campaign mailing, Rust accuses Donahue of "looking the other way on residential overcrowding."According to D'Amico, no such AP article exists. "As far as can be determined, the AP did not have any article written about Jay Donahue on this date," he said.
Then there's this:
In the same Rust mailer, a headline from a July 13, 2007, issue of The Herndon Observer is cited, saying that Donahue was "ousted" from the Herndon Planning Commission after 12 consecutive years of service. The Herndon Town Council did not reappoint Donahue to the Planning Commission when his term expired. Councilman Dennis Husch, a Rust supporter, said he wanted to insert some "new blood" into the commission."I used the exact headline from The Herndon Observer," Rust said. "If anyone has a problem with that, they have a problem with The Observer, not me."
Jackie Allder, managing editor of The Observer, said Rust's use of the headline without the accompanying article did not tell the whole story.
Then there's this from Rust: "my opponent did five negative 'robocalls' against me and we had to respond." Er, maybe not. According to the Donahue campaign, all their robo dials were on issues, not "negative" in any way.
And on and on it goes. Oh yeah, we haven't even talked about how Rust has attempted to evade responsibility for the abuser fees, written and initially introduced by him and by his pal David Albo. All of which raises the question, what CAN we believe Tom Rust about?
Go Jay Donahue!
By Kali Schumitz
Source: AP
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30 2004
UPDATED MONDAY, JUNE 4 2007
Proposals would do two things: alter the town's definition of "family" and then place an overall limit on the number of people who can live in a house or apartment, based on the square footage of the unit.
Several commissioners and community members testifying at previous meetings have been concerned that the staff proposal is not stringent enough because it only counts adult residents of a house.
For this work session, staff provided two draft proposals. One counts only adults, but with a more restrictive formula than prior drafts.
"When I say more stringent, I am also saying reasonable ... and accommodating of family life," Town Attorney Richard Kaufman said.
A second option would count children as residents of a house, but staff argued against it.
Of many tricky legal problems, zoning administrator Elizabeth Gilleran noted that counting children could leave only one method of appealing a decision-forcing a homeowner to apply for a conditional use permit to have more children than allowed by the ordinance.
This would disproportionately affect families that live in smaller houses, Gilleran said. Presumptively, she said, these would be lower-income households that could not afford to move to a larger house.
Zoning inspector Vince Diem, who is tasked with investigating suspected overcrowding cases, said complaints he has investigated this year have been for as few as five and as many as 20 people living in a residence. Very few of these people are children, he said, and they are usually very young children, not teenagers.
Diem said that counting only adults would sufficiently improve the enforcement of overcrowding cases.
Commissioner Jay Donahue sided with town staff, supporting the less restrictive of the two draft ordinances.
"We want to make sure that we do not eliminate good situations," he said, such as an aging relative coming to live with a family with children. If children were counted, it could make that situation illegal in some cases, he said.
If the ordinance is too restrictive, Donahue added, "we're going to constantly be embarrassing ourselves in enforcement."
Commissioner Paul LeReche remained concerned that the proposal does not do enough to address parking problems.
A provision allowing a family to have one or two renters, provided that they had sufficient floor space, was removed from both drafts of the ordinance. Families would still be allowed to have an au pair or other live-in servant, but they would have to have a contract or sign an affidavit affirming employment.
The new drafts also include additional language justifying the town's view that overcrowding is a zoning problem that is not adequately addressed by the building code.
The commission will vote July 12 on which version it will send forward to the Town Council for consideration.
Til Hazel might be a developer, but the rest of the Hazels are lawyers, doctors, and at least one was a prominent official in Gov. Warner's administration. Certainly we don't want to represent that the Hazels are "all bad" when they are helping Democratic officials at the highest echelons. Let's also not forget Til's donations to Democratic candidates George Barker, Chuck Caputo, Janet Howell, Bob Hull, David Marsden, Janet Oleszek, Ken Plum, Dave Poisson, Dick Saslaw, and Jim Scott. Are they all bad for accepting Til's money?
Jay must really be trying hard to ignore those large West Group developer contributions he's been getting. Or maybe he really did forget about them. And about the fact that he was a planning commissioner who recommended approval of many development projects over a period of 12 years, including some that were very controversial. If Jay wants to call Tom Rust a "developer," then Jay Donahue was a developer's henchman.
Lowell, you apparently didn't get any of the Robo-calls, or you'd know how awful they were and that they galvanized the Herndon community against Jay. They accused Tom of lying. Nothing says "Go Tom Rust" in Herndon like having someone unfairly criticize Tom. Tom has been with this community through thick and thin, and no one is going to change that - Democrat or Republican.
Bob
Pictured from left to right, Dave Speed, Rick Hurwitt, Doug Scott, William A. Hazel, Jay Keyser, John Hazelgrove, David Hazel
My point is, and always has been, when you start assailing "Developer contributions," you are going to ensnare good Democrats in the process. Saslaw, Deeds, Warner, Kaine, and Moran get a huge bulk of contributions from "developers." But I guess you guys are scorched-earth.
Bob