novatownhall blog

Remember the “housing bubble” and how it destroyed the economy?  People of little or no means got loans for homes with no down payment.  When they could no longer afford the mortgage they just walked away.  Then the domino affect took over, exacerbated by downsizing and job loss and you get the economy or what’s left of it.  Lesson learned.

Then why would the Obama administration allow Justice to do this?

“A sampling of Mr. Perez’s thinking, from April 2010 congressional testimony: “The foreclosure crisis has touched virtually every community in this country, but it disproportionately touches communities of color, in particular African-Americans and Latinos.” And: “[C]ross burnings are the most overt form of discrimination and bigotry. Lending discrimination is some of the most subtle. It’s what I call discrimination with a smile.”

So Justice is going after the lenders to punish them for “race” discrimination.  Gee, what will that do to the lenders?  How will it affect the economy?  What will happen to those loans down the road?  Can you say “GOODBYE” to your home equity and the economy!  Someone needs oversight on the Justice Department.

Preface:   As of this time, I have not been given the decency of any type of response from the other candidates for this race.  I will give them a while longer.  I ask the candidates to stand by their remarks and that is the response I am receiving.  That is conviction and speaks loudly.  Bravo.

 NVTH:  What do you feel is one of your greatest attributes that you believe your opponents are lacking?

 Delgaudio:  One of the greatest attributes is the “total skill level” which includes:

Experience. I have learned how to work with elected leaders on the board and at all the many levels of government. When crime threatened to overwhelm Sterling and Loudoun, it took every bit of teamwork to summon federal, state and local efforts including various elements of the news media with a genuine partnership with hundreds of citizens. Sterling united and turned it all around.

Accessibility. I am able to attend 99 per cent of the frequent meetings of the board of supervisor over the past 12 years and respond to emergencies. My regular job as president of a non-profit allows me to do both jobs.

Accountability. I work every day on Sterling issues and am able to
respond to all my responsibilities using the internet, familiarity with
existing problems and knowing many people and their particular projects or issues.  Many people know I am making progress as I can on issues that would take others longer or not even be able to grapple with some of the issues.

Performance. I have routinely proposed legislation that solves and beats back problems. Even with the hardest of concepts or threats, I have worked with proven methods. One example of a dozen would be the tall grass ordinance which overnight solved a problem of abandoned or fore-closed houses having out of control grass.

NVTH:  An out of control school budget, a multitude of new roads and improved ones, concessions towards businesses and even an over-budget metro system soon to arrive have not been able to bring business to Loudoun.  How do you propose to get business here, where unemployment will drop and the tax-monkey will start being relieved from the backs of residents?
 
Delgaudio:   There is an 80 -20 split with residential housing paying 80 per cent of the revenues and commercial properties paying 20 per cent of the Loudoun County revenues. I am honored by being credited with bringing minor league baseball to Loudoun and their partnership with the Kincora proposal is an example of a significant cultural turning point in attracting business development.
 
Along with the critical role I played in keeping the Redskins, I think
bringing minor league baseball to Loudoun will result in enthusiastic
support from the American business community.
 
I authored the resolution to honor Milton Friedman when America’s
foremost economic expert passed away. Along with the city of Chicago, it was noted by America’s business community that Loudoun County honored a free market giant.
 
There are some massive projects that have meant a great deal to the
business community in Loudoun and the world.
 
For 12 years I have worked as a Supervisor to make sure the planned
Route 28 Tax District road improvements continue without any slowing down. Over $600 million in improvements including 3 new massive interchanges for Sterling have been built.
 
There are millions of dollars in improvements coming with new
acceleration lanes at Sterling Boulevard and Route 28 (southbound) and a new secondary road to ease cut-through in the residential areas. This is a massive signal to companies in the region.
 
I voted for the Hybrid Power plant and recently voted for a “secure data center”. Both proposals will generate 100 million dollars in annual tax revenue in commercial real estate value in their plans. This provides major companies with reliable power from a plentiful local source with no pollution.
 
Pairing Loudoun Water with Luckstone Quarries required years of work as a member of the Loudoun Board and the Water Board. The proposed Five Billion gallon reservoir will permanently supply all of Loudoun’s water even during the worst drought by cooperating with Luckstone and accelerating their planned use of their Loudoun quarry to transition to a reservoir for Loudoun Water. This was a dream and it is now becoming an historic reality.
 
Previously, I worked to helped build and finance the $600 million water treatment plant in Ashburn, the most effecient facility on the East Coast.
 
There no-growth anti-prosperity leftists, like my opponents, who attack these gigantic proposals. The thought of alternative power independent of the traditional electric power grid has arrived and is also extremely valuable to businesses seeking to keep their costs down.
 
And a new “secure data center” is singularly unique in the entire United States– a protective buffer in a already developed area between our county jail and a rock quarry. I supported the “secure data center” in Loudoun, which alone is scheduled to bring in $50 million in commercial real estate taxes when built out. 
 
The taxpayer will see hundreds of millions in increased commercial tax
rate revenues and thousands of new jobs which will in turn provide
revenue and increasd value to other commercial properties (supermarkets, restaurants, service companies — all who pay real estate taxes).
 
To accelerate this kind of growth I need a Republican pro-business
majority that does not take four years to play around.
 
These and other efforts by me and the board members I work with like Chairman Scott York demonstrate the kind of effort I put in to create an environment to attract major business interests here.
 
The direction I have led the board in on financial management as
Chairman of the Finance Committee in my 2nd term or as team player with Chairman York and a pro-business majority in my third term is the kind of economic stability business leaders seek.
 
This pro-business majority has some key people retiring like Susan
Buckley (Democrat) and Lori Waters (Republican) so please elect some new Supervisors who understand the role of the supervisor in encouraging increased future economic growth. 
 
NVTH:  Morals and ethics are being demanded of public servants by the residents.  Is there anything you may be keeping from the voters that might cause reprocussions later? 
 
DelGaudio:   I have been married since 1982 to Sheila and have six children and workdaily as a God-fearing Christian in promoting religious and moral values. I live a frugal life style and am constantly faithful to the genuine traditional values that make Sterling great. 
 
NVTH:  With the impact of illegal aliens taking jobs, utilizing general services, school population explosion, over-crowding homes and earned income leaving the country instead of going back into our economy; how do you propose to promote the proven and successful Prince William County initiative on illegal aliens to Loudouns’ BOS?
 
 
Delgaudio:   I proposed a resolution discouraging illegal aliens from residing in Loudoun. The Republican board majority adopted it. When the current board came into office in 2008, they reversed this anti-illegal alien policy. I hope to bring it back if I am re-elected.
 
I also sponsored a dozen major legislative solutions to tighten up the
overcrowding regulations, make putting cars on lawns illegal, requiring
private residents to cut their grass when it gets to over 12 inches
high, requiring the fixing of roofs and repairing structural problems,
declaring a no-abandoned car zone in Sterling by tightening the laws on junk cars left on our streets and giant trailers and trucks.
 
I helped write the laws requiring “no parking at corners” to allow
rescue vehicles into culvesacs and narrow roads,  hailed and encouraged rolling traffic stops and random checkpoints to discourage drunk drivers and sponsored neighborhood watches.
 
This is a partial list of the many initiatives I have pushed and that
the Loudoun Boards, in my 2nd and third terms, supported.
 
My opponents would roll out the welcome mat for illegal aliens and
look the other way when crimes can be prevented and will reverse many of the tough new laws I have put in place. 
 
NVTH:  As the current supervisor, if re-elected, what do you intend to do to further progress in Loudoun County and how will you go about making it happen? 
 
Delgaudio:   I promise not to vote to raise taxes. I have not for 12 years and will not in the next 4 years.  I will continue to also make sure Sterling is not ignored and can recount the many times county, state and local authorities have quickly reversed the neglect when I notice it and bring it to their attention. Services to Sterling will continue to be the number one goal– we will get what we pay for. 
 
NVTH:  A person of integrity will always admit their mistakes.  Is there any one vote from your tenure on the Board that you wish you could have done differently? 
 
Delgaudio:   I frequently work with Supervisors on a hundreds of issues. We work to convince each other of the merits of our respective strong opinions. Thankfully many times I am right about my dire warnings like raising taxes and being able to cut more.
 
When the proposed land purchase for the now built Woodgrove High School Purcellville School site seemed several million dollars too high, I
spoke against it and voted against it.
 
I have told Supervisors that in light of the many years of lawsuits
costing Loudoun millions of dollars and the years it took to build this
one school due to those lawsuits, the price was about right.
 
I admit that I was wrong in my first term to oppose a land purchase in the year 2000 in the Purcelliville area.  If the county had to buy the land when it was needed it would just not be available in the area where the children are.  And that would require a shift and boundary changes that would be horrific.
 
I applied this turnaround in many more  land purchases and construction costs. I am now considered the most pro-school building Supervisor on the board of Supervisors.
 
I studied and concluded based on the economies of scale, timing and land prices versus the many other variables and used this wisdom or
understanding of financial planning, budgeting and cost containments
over years. And the cheapest land is always the land provided in
proffers but as land becomes extremely scarce in Eastern Loudoun and as our Sterling schools become more and more crowded it seems imperative not to waste many millions more on delays.
 
Combining financial anaylysis and analysts in both the school board and the county on the timing of construction and the amount of money has neted a record construction schedule. Getting surplus funds returned sooner from construction projects and limiting the amount of new debt has resulted in keeping the triple A+ bond rating which results being able to borrow more money at a lower cost.
 
I apply similar logic to other land purchases and construction financing plans. This has resulted in greater savings by building sooner and carefully scheduling construction costs over a period of years as money is needed and not as bonds are approved. This cumultively has resulted in saving many millions of dollars each year.
 
That is how I saved $50 million by proposing to build two scheduled  high schools and was the fifth vote to accomplish that. Loudoun County was able to propose one single contract and achieve enough of a savings to build 2 new elementary schools on schedule .

The 2 candidates for Dulles District are Matt Letourneau (R) and Larry Roeder (D).  Both declined the interview because they don’t like old ACTivist being  “anonymous” in nature.  That is their prerogative and they were both kind about it.  I also get to have my say because of it.

Both candidates have credentials that state they are qualified.  Both candidates have lack-lustre websites that state the issues without plans of how they will address the issues.  Both candidates have endorsements from many people I know and don’t give much credibility to, as well as being right along party lines.  Why is there never any endorsements from the other party or Independents?  In other words, I find nothing on either website that tells me these candidates character or who they REALLY are.  I’m not impressed and I’m sure to many of you out there that they are “nice guys”.  Great.  Just tell me where the voters can cash that in for a cup of coffee.

I would recommend to those of you that want to vote the candidate rather than the party, to address each candidate at their respective websites and pose the question(s) of your concern.  Seems more and more that politicians don’t want to address things in public forum for fear of…..whatever.  If their fear is of the people or an individual, can you expect anything but the converse?  Dulles voters will figure this one out on their own.  I cannot help you.

NVTH readers would feel left out if we didn’t have yet another thrilling natural disaster post, and please – consider this an opportunity to post your predictions for the next disaster to strike the east coast. Dr. Keith Albow, Fox News Contributor and Psychiatrist is telling the viewing audience about why people ride out hurricanes even during mandatory evacuations, and apparently somewhere in their past they have felt vulnerable. So, there is that to chew on as we fight over the last bottle of water at Target and Costco here in war-torn Loudoun County.

Seriously folks, while hurricanes are nothing to joke about if you are in a coastal area I think we can all agree that this area is unique in its capacity for full-blown (pun intended) panic mode over any event. Like most people, I have friends and family in North Carolina,Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and northern locations that are either working or staying with their homes during the storm. Lower Manhattan has the potential to fill up like a fish bowl, the last time a storm of this magnitude has threatened this area is the late 19th century. Chris Christie is telling people to “get the hell off the beach” in Asbury Park (bringing an image of Bruce and Clarence fighting the stormy winds on the beach a la the late 1970s) and the President came home early from his vacation. I feel just a bit safer now.

Here is some “free” local advise - bring in your lawn furniture and eat all the perishables you can in the next 12 hours. Hurricane Isabella gave us 12 hours without electricity and I hope this is the worst case scenarion with Irene. Good luck and if we keep power, please report any local events.

 Interview request was sent to the new 24 hour old site created by Mr. Shahriari.  I absolutely could not find anything current or active when I created the post.  Joe got lucky (actually he has a special “wizards magic to him).  Other post was saved.  I am interested now in what this guy really is and believes.  Please stay tuned.

Mitt Romney could have beaten John McCain, and he could have won in the current cycle, too.  However, he has a huge albatross around his neck, and it’s name is MassHealth.  It is widely accepted wisdom that ObamaCare was patterned on MassHealth, a.k.a. RomneyCare.

Rather than disowning MassHealth, he had to own up to it and accept its failure.  Something along these lines:

In 1788, the States established the federal government, but the States retained most of their sovereignty, and many powers were retained by the States.  What is allowable in a State government is not necessarily allowable in the federal government.  A system such as MassHealth is one example.

The States remained individual republics because one-size-fits-all solutions generally do not work, and to be laboratories.  Different States can try different solutions so see what works.  We learn from successes, and we learn from failures.  MassHealth has been a failure.  But through that failure we have learned that such a system will not work.

I do not regret establishing MassHealth.  It was an experiment worth trying.  But it is also an experiment that should end.

OK, so I’m not speech writer.  Still, you get the idea.

However, it is too late for Gov. Romney.  He should have made that speech four years ago.

I have sent out all the interview requests to the candidates for Loudoun BOS.  I was unable to get to Shawn Williams in any form and I already know that Stoner did an interview on him in April.  Still, I would like this to be fair for all as I am asking questions “not mainstream”.  I want these candidates to commit thought and truth to my questions.  The answers will be telling.

I have received a few responses and I might have to change the rules a smidge.  I might use their reply to me of declining as their interview.  Still, I don’t want just one party devulging thier truths and not the other(s) doing the same.  I will request that of the candidates when necessary.  As usual, coming from me, these ought to be some “lively” interviews.

UPDATE:  I looked at the State BOE site and found a second challenger to our esteemed Sterling Supervisor’s seat.  Remember me telling you about the kid that came to my door for signatures?  Granted, every site with this new candidates’ name is void.  I did find one site and will use that as his campaign site.  Needless to say, with the lack of information given, I will not be able to have an e-mail interview.  I request ALL to click on the independent candidate for Sterling District.

UPDATE:  I am receiving both acceptance and declines from both sides.  Some of the declines are weak and I will comment on them.  Some don’t want an interview from an “anonymous” entity.  I’m a voter.  If you look at this website then you know what to expect.  I have even received duplicate decline answers from 2 different candidates in the same party.  That means that party candidates are talking amongst themselves.  The ballot will not show “All districts GOP” or “All districts DEM”.  This is individual districts and individuals running.  I believe that my conservative values mostly lie within the GOP but that isn’t always the case.  I vote for the BEST candidate that fills the constitutional bill.  I’m looking for that “content of character”, not the party above all else.  I received positive replies that are willing but the one that touched me the most in a positive way was this response: “I’ll take that leap of faith!”  That, my friends, is strong character and someone that understands what it is to serve.  These answers really don’t take thought because you already know what you believe.  There are no “right” answers.  There is no second chance to make a first impression.