Dick Nixon Meet Laurie Cole

Let's see what Bukont is granted for his sure to be "new" development at the old 7-Eleven on the corner of Glyndon and Tapawingo.

Please, please rezone this property back to single-family residential! We don't want his construction company expanding to that property! This is a RESIDENTIAL neighborhood!

I was really disappointed at the Historic Vienna website that attacked and that continues to attack Mrs. Cole on truly out there issues. The daily attacks would be funny, if they were not focused on a real person.

The $200,000 piece was a real hoot. All real estate sales are noted on County records as to whether they are fair market or not. Just look it up, for crying out loud, no investigation is needed. That sale should have been examined by now. In 2002, many sellers were paid, and many buyers did pay, more than the tax assessment valuation for their houses and land. That is part of the economic reality of a housing bubble. If that were to occur in 2006, now that the assessments have caught up to and in some cases surpassed true market value, then, okay, I would see a reason to ask questions, but I still would not judge the seller without all the facts. My neighbor sold his house for $120,000 over assessed value in 2005 to a total stranger who came to the open house. Did he make money? Of course. Did he make it improperly? Of course not. If he had sold it ealier in the decade, I am sure the disparity between assessment and purchase price might have been greater. Digging back to a 2002 transaction that was probably fair market just to smear a candidate is a low tactic.

To me, the Historic Vienna website exists to harrass and not to provide serious reflection. If the site authors have real arguments to make, they are hard to parse out from the sad, comic relief they provide. I feel pity for the people behind the Historic Vienna page because they are tilting at windmills and I feel sorry for any people who really think it made a positive difference for the challengers or advanced any hope of bringing other viewpoints into the arena of debate about Vienna and its future. I do think there is a place for new ideas and viewpoints, but try losing the attitude and maybe your fellow citizens might listen to you and not react to you so negatively.

I believe it is true that the web site mobilized many of us to come out and vote for the incumbents and with those associated with their actual or implied endorsement. You can thank us for the high turnout. And I can thank you, HV people, for making me take a couple hours off and get to the polls. I probably wouldn't have bothered, but I wanted to make sure Mrs. Cole got every vote she was entitled to.

Mrs. Cole conducted herself with dignity throughout a flurry of personal attacks carried out to bring her down. The vote totals do not lie and she whoooopped tail. Even though I do not agree with every single decision she has supported and I certainly do not, I believe she is a sincere and upstanding person and undeserving of the slings and arrows she got.

In 100% honesty, I was inclined to want to vote for Mr. Jenkins in lieu of one of the other incumbents, because of his past military service. I think military service illustrates the highest form of civic duty. Also, I wanted to see balance of pro- and anti-development forces fighting it out on the Council. When it came right down to it, it was the Historic Vienna page that made me decide to give my support elsewhere and wait for the right challenger(s) to come along next time. If only I had seen a strong statement from him saying, "Please don't associate me with these web people becuase I reject them and their negativity," I actually would have cast my vote for him.

I don't think anyone has a problem with people making money off of the housing boom. I do have a problem with a sitting Council member and a sitting Board member making 'deals'. That is at best a conflict of interest. Wake up.