Are you on the FCDC?  Tell us about that.

Sean Corey
Vienna

The way I see it, Lee---- energized from such a good showing [the large turnout, I believe, was due to interest in Charlie Hall, not because of interest in same old-same old], we all move onto the fall elections.  There is more than one way to power down a Machine.  Sometimes you have to take out a few circuits at a time before the whole thing comes crashing to earth.  Linda Smyth was, in my opinion, only hanging on by the thinnest of guide wires in the end. 

Let's look at who is running for election and reelection and who their challengers are with an open mind this fall.  See who really needs to go and who might best replace them.  I can think of a few seats I'd like to see new butts in next year on the Board of Supervisors.  Who couldn't? 

Here is the actual issue behind this election:

http://www.mydd.com/...

Republican Congressman Tom Davis doesn't want Tyson's tunnel or transit-oriented development in Fairfax because both will increase density and bring more DEMOCRATS out to our area (real Democrats just like me, who used to live in Arlington).

You like Tom Davis?  You like living in a Democratic-leaning district that keeps electing the guy who signed the Terri Schiavo subpoenas and votes lockstep with the Bush neocons?

That is what this is really about.

Lee Diamond, Becky Cate, Ben Tribbett, and now Lowell Feld just have PERSONAL issues with Gerry Connolly.  Apparently Gerry wasn't nice to them.

You know what?  If they all want to come by my place, I will give them each a cookie.

Now can we please start electing more Democrats?

Sean Corey
Vienna

Thank you, SeanC, and Amen.

Many things about the conduct of the Smyth campaign are becoming clear.

Yep, you caught us.  We were secretly working for the Democratic Party the whole time...

Sean Corey
Vienna

This is Gerry's tired game again.  This was the first sign he'll use party line fears, just make up anything, to get his way.  There are lots of reasons to be unhappy about the MetroWest project -- I don't think anyone thought of it as a party issue until Gerry made it up.  Why should I keep electing Dems if they screw me over and isult my intelligence like the Republicans do?

I'm confused.

Gerry Connolly was instrumental in getting transit-oriented development around Dunn Loring Metro.

I moved from Arlington to that transit-oriented development around Dunn Loring metro.  (30-year mortgage -- I'm not going anywhere.)  I moved there in part because of the promise of more density in that area.  You see, you want to put density around Metro.  When there are lots of people, there will be lots of stores and restaurants and pedestrian areas.  And then we won't need cars much, so you would have a lot of people living a pretty green lifestyle.  People who prefer that kind of lifestyle tend to be Democrats.  I like those people -- I can picture myself hanging out with them making jokes about Tom Davis -- in fact you may have noticed that I myself am a Democrat. 

Are you saying I don't exist?

I'm saying that among the people I know, approval or concern about the MetroWest project had nothing to do with the potential party make-up of future residents.  People are concerned about more traffic (even TOD adds traffic), school issues, lack of green space, etc.  Traffic hasn't gotten any better along Gallows since your TOD went in.

1)  I haven't seen any data about party affiliation in TOD developments.

2)  I haven't seen any evidence that any normal people (those not consumed by party politics) (and not even most of those) think about this issue at all when confronted with development.  My disgust at the impending Wedderburn development had nothing to do with the chances that the people moving into the resource-sucking McMansions might be more likely to be Republicans.

3) We've seen that Boss Connolly will use party-line fears to get his way, regardless of their basis in reality.  The first mention I heard about TOD being a party issue was from the mouth of Connolly.

My post was to make the point that Boss Connolly makes up party-line stuff to get his way, not that you and your neighbors don't exist.

They seem to share many traits.

Your conflation of Sean's well reasoned arguments and the tactics you allege against George Burke is bunk.  Much in the same way you have some fantasy that you are in some kind of epic struggle against the powers-that-be, you are further engaging in mythologizing of the lowest order.

How about trying to go toe-to-toe on the issues for a change?  Sean pointed out why he chose to live near the Dunn Loring Metro, acknowledging the transitional nature of the neighborhood and his commitment to having it transform into the vibrant neighborhood that it will become.  The problem with NIMBYs is that they want the results of TOD, but they aren't willing to let change take place in their backyards.  Ballston wasn't built in a day!

So, which is it?  You're a NIMBY scared that Sean's depiction of how the FFX Board's decisions show the importance of what they are doing?  Or, is it that you just don't like Gerry/Linda and decided that that was good enough to start personally attacking Sean?  Either way, you do a disservice to reasoned argumentation and healthy democratic debate.

As Linda Smyth's campaign manager, he shares the blame for her objectionable mailings.

The 11th Congressional 2008 race.  Work and flush out great candidates and nothing is a given.  Andy Hurst could walk away this time with the shift and more $$$$

you know the rest.  Perhaps people on both sides will agree with me.  This is not a useful expenditure of resources.

I don't agree with him on the policy stuff, but I'd be glad to get a beer with Sean.

Please believe that I came to this with a true desire to make our local party stronger.

It's not about me.  It's not about personalities and it's not about what happened in 2006 or earlier.

It's about pulling together and winning.

Sean

You got three emails as Smyth's campaign manager inviting her to a second Candidate's Forum sponspored by Vienna Little League, Vienna Youth Soccer, Vienna Babe Ruth, Hunter Mill Defense League and the North Gallows Road Coalition.  Here is the first.

Why did the campaign never respond?  Don't these citizens count?

And why did Linda publicly say she never received an invitation, even after having acknowledged on May 23 in a personal conversation with a VLL representative that she knew about the invite but had "no time" to attend?

This was low.

Do you mean the same sports community for which Linda Smyth secured proffer funds in the millions of dollars range for fields?  The same Linda Smyth who is adding field capacity by arranging for the construction of three synthetically turfed fields?  The same Linda Smyth who worked with VLL, VYS, VBR, and VYI to figure out how best to improve the community's access to fields?  Do you mean the same sports community that is as a result of going to see two rectangular fields and one diamond field come online within a year through Linda Smyth's hard work to get developers to offset impacts?

Also, about that letter you keep referencing, it is interesting that the address listed on it is Linda Smyth's official address.  I recall someone that posted on RK identified themselves as Smyth's scheduler and said that it never came to the office.  What is that all about?  Why would you initially say that Smyth was invited when in fact the invitation was never sent to the address on the letter?

Read it in the Connection article.

That was how all THREE letters were delivered to the Smyth campaign.  I don't know why VLL put the Supervisor address on the hard copy, but I saw myself that all three emails were sent to Sean at the campaign website.

Why did Sean and Smyth pretend they didn't get them?  Sean or Smyth should answer that one themselves.  If it was simply a screw up then, since Smyth is so attentive to the sports community she should at least have called those organizations to apologize.  She never did.

Something was itching me about how you described a part of Falls Church:  Idylwood Road between Rt 7 and Gallows Rd.  You are wrong about Idylwood Road.  Idylwood is an average mix of small and mid-sized homes.  There are a few lots where the homes were torn down to make way for some big piles of brick - not like there was anything to be done about that.  Yes, there are two dots on Idylwood, but the length of that road has not been ravaged by development as you purport.

Despite what you and other Charlie supporters would have people believe, no one - and definitely not the Board - has the authority to stop tear-downs and other by-right development.  It's called private property rights, and it's one of those funny little principles upon which this fine democracy was founded.

Moreover, with the exception of those two hideous McMansion farms on Gallows near Idylwood, the rest of Idylwood from Gallows down to Cedar is McMansion-free.  So, when you try to frame some kind of argument against development in your neighborhood, try to find examples that are not mere straw men.

Your definitions leave a lot of latitude for driving trucks through them.  I'm done with this ridiculous escalation, but I have to say that.

...maybe you are not done.  Escalation?  Lee, you will reap what you have sown.

There will be no more free passes for you on your mischaracterizations of the facts.  You may live in Providence, where development is one of the most important issues, but you obviously do not understand much.  But, then again, you shouldn't let that bother yourself too much.

So where are these imaginary trucks of yours driving through?  The number of large homes on Idylwood?  Even you must have realized that your characterization was empty when you changed the parameters the other day for your repetitious rant from Rt 7 to Gallows Road to Rt 7 to Cedar Lane.  Even then, there aren't McMansions enough to justify your rants.

Or are these trucks driving through by-right developments and tear-downs?  I know you cannot be suggesting that because anyone with a passing familiarity with land use issues knows that a property owner can do basically anything with a lot if it does not require a rezoning.

Perhaps you are referring to the McMansions on Gallows?  Sure, they're there, but I wrote that.  I hate them, too.  Fairfax doesn't need any more $1.x million and up homes.

So, at the end of the day, I have this sense that your arguments are flip attempts at rhetorical smoke and mirrors.  How about some serious engagement?  Time for you to face up to reality.  Striking a pose without any consequences is fun in print, but perhaps you should try governing.

How about trying to step up as a responsible member of the community?  How about running for office?  How about an appointment to one of the County's boards or commissions?  How about showing people that you are more than a paper tiger?

Your passion is estimable, but why not direct that into some tangible benefit for the community?

I'm not the only one who holds the views I've expressed.  There are, of course, some single home redos on Idylwood, but there are a large number of McMansions shoved in there as well and several large projects.  I haven't actually counted.  The one near the overpass is humongous.

I am not going to waste my time engaging in a property rights debate.  I'm dubious whether at least one person here is genuinely concerned about these issues.

I am moving on now to Dem strategy for the fall.