RK ARCHIVE - Desperate Devolites

Desperate Devolites

By: Lowell
Published On: 6/4/2007 6:22:48 AM

I received the following account from a reader and thought it was worth sharing. Enjoy!

A seemingly angry and outraged Jeannemarie Devolites Davis rudely laid into a member of Historic Fairfax City Inc. (HFCI) last Saturday (June 2) at the historic Civil War era Blenheim Estate in Fairfax City following a groundbreaking ceremony for a new visitor's center at the site.
The HFCI member is also a member of the organization's Blenheim committee, which worked on the visitor's center project.
Speaking in an uncalled for chastising tone, Devolites Davis told the HFCI member she considered it insensitive or inconsiderate of the HFCI member to mention Chap Petersen's name twice and her name only once during the HFCI member's public introduction of elected officials and other dignitaries at the Blenheim event, which was attended by about 100 people.
Devolites Davis seemed very hurt by that.

Devolites Davis then went on to tell the HFCI member that it was because of her efforts in the general assembly that $25,000 in state VDOT funds went to Fairfax City to pay for some part of the restoration of the Blenheim estate.
The HFCI member on Saturday publicly cited Petersen for his work in the mid to late 1990's, prior to his being on the Fairfax City council, in getting the city to purchase the Blenheim property, which it did in 1999.
Something the HFCI member did not publicly say at the Blenheim event, is that when Petersen was on the Fairfax City Council for about 4 years till he went to the house of delegates in 2002, the council voted to spend much more than $25,000 of its own city money on the Blenheim project.
Devolites Davis was probably in the right to feel slighted the way she did, but her scolding tirade was no way to win votes in her upcoming election against Petersen for the 34th district senate seat. The HFCI member and about three other adults standing nearby within earshot of her rant are all residents of the 34th senate district.

Comments

Blenheim (Susan P. - 6/4/2007 7:24:45 AM)

We used to live within a block or two of this estate, and I am very glad to hear that it has been preserved. When my kids were little, we rode our bikes past that house almost every day. We owe Chap Petersen our thanks for his early and persistent efforts to preserve it. I am glad to hear that Davis also had a later, smaller role in this effort, but she really needs to keep this in perspective. For crying out loud, she's married to Tom Davis, who was on the Board of Supervisors when much of Fairfax was paved over. Even with all of its recent development, the City of Fairfax is an oasis compared with Fairfax County. Thanks, Chap Petersen.

Blenheim (voter4change - 6/4/2007 8:36:07 AM)

Susan P, Fairfax County is being paved over even as we speak. Smyth, who has a PhD in Historic Preservation, loves to approve high density land use projects. That is why she needs to go. Charlie Hall is the choice.

What the heck? (code - 6/4/2007 9:52:09 AM)

Does every comment on RK for the next week have to be about the Providence Race? This one was a stretch.

She is spoiled by Tom (Rebecca - 6/4/2007 11:59:30 AM)

She is used to getting free speaking engagements at the TD town halls (to captive audiences). She is also used to getting automatic financial support from Tom's machine. It's harder when she has to function without the intervention of Sugar Daddy.

Bleheim (HerbE - 6/4/2007 2:13:32 PM)

JMDD needs to do better with her tirade factor. She needs to be more gracious... too often I have seen her go after someone to "look tough". It's unnecessary and it loses voters. Chap is much more conciliatory and moves the discussion forward without the audience thinking that we just witnessed a tantrum.

We appreciate everyone for their help in fundraising and the behind the scenes action to preserve Blenheim. It wouldn't have happened without the unspoken numbers of volunteers who first brought the issue to the attention of all the politicians.

Time for anti-gun DD to go! (opencarry - 6/6/2007 4:50:36 PM)

DD's idea of liberty is to expand the gun dealer loophole to require gun buyers in private transactions with non-dealers to present their identity papers and undergo decentralized gun registration via dealer paperwork.

No thanks DD.

Let's go Chap!

Time for anti-gun DD to go! (opencarry - 6/6/2007 4:54:53 PM)

No thanks DD.

Let's go Chap!

Devolites is an anti-gun Republican (nvcdl - 6/8/2007 9:16:41 PM)

This is one of the rare races in NoVa in which the Republican is trying to say she is more anti-gun then her Dem opponent.

I predict that Chap Petersen will be sucessful in defeating DD - as the gun issue is a true wedge issue. Many voters who swing to the R side are pro-gun rights - Devolites literature lauding her anti-gun ways and anti-gun pals will have many voters voting Dem. Good for them!