The Essence Of Corruption

By: Evan M
Published On: 9/28/2007 5:31:30 PM

If a single person financed the vast majority of your campaign, wouldn't you feel beholden to that person if you were elected?
One candidate who has not garnered much financial backing from individual contributors is Republican County Chairman candidate Mike Firetti, whose campaign is primarily funded by a loan from his campaign manager, Brian Roherty. Roherty said the $40,000 in loans from his Fineline Marketing and Communications firm to Firetti will be repaid once the candidate starts gearing up with fundraising.

"I didn't put in $40,000 in loans with the expectation that it wouldn't get paid back," Roherty said, adding that Firetti's next campaign finance reports should be filled with contributions that can be used to repay him. - Leesburg Today

Talk about owing someone a favor.
Here in Loudoun, we are in the midst of the vortex that is the culture of corruption. Our Republican candidates are completely beholden to interests that run counter to the values of our community. From gay-bashers to immigrant-haters, the worst of Virginia society has come out to Loudoun to make a stand.

Mike Firetti is the Republican running for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in Loudoun. Leesburg Today does a great job of going into detail as to the financial arrangements of Firetti's campaign for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. The people financing his campaign are the same people who poured money into earlier campaigns against smart growth initiatives in Loudoun County. This is just more evidence that the Republican claims of probity are in fact merely smokescreens issued in an election year. Nothing has changed, and the developer interests are seeking to expand their presence on the Board by inserting Firetti as Chairman. After all, Firetti's campaign manager is an expert at protecting the developer's interests in elections.

Roherty first became involved in Loudoun politics when he arrived as executive director of the Right Growth Policy Institute, a group that conducted a similar advertising blitz that targeted the Piedmont Environmental Council and slow-growth advocates while declining to identify the source of the organization's funding.
And the developers' influence isn't limited to Mike Firetti.
At a total of $246,243, developers remain the largest contributors to the local races. In total, Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) leads the pack with $81,490 raised from the real estate/construction industry; followed by Supervisor Mick Staton (R-Sugarland Run) with $76,974; Supervisor Stephen J. Snow (R-Dulles) with $33,428; and Supervisor Bruce E. Tulloch (R-Potomac) with $16,750. No other candidate raised more than $2,500 from that industry.
Follow the money, see where it leads, and ask what's best for our community, then vote on November 6th.

(Crossposted from Leesburg Tomorrow.)

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