Cole's Defenders Ignore the Stench

These defenses of Laurie Cole's money grab were seen recently:

• "Laurie and Harry Cole sold their property, WITHIN RIGHTS, at a FAIR PRICE, to a QUALIFIED BUYER [Steve Bukont]. Her "Sale" was totally legit and not unusual or deserving of question in any sense. Fairfax County records it as such, and there really shouldn't be this huge contentious question as to how and why it transpired..."
• "Mrs. Cole and her husband merely sold their home a year ago. Nothing unusual about that. It was a completely public deal which can be easily found on-line at Fairfax's website (I think that it was listed in the Post last year, too), so it's not like she was trying to hide anything. And when her attackers started slamming her on the eve of the election because in their warped and self-serving view the sale of a house, at market rate, is some kind of crime, I didn't see anything about her complaining about it (even though the slamming was highly personal and probably even libelous)."
• "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 [sic] 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."
• "You made the $200k an issue. You asserted that it was an unseemly profit and a sweetheart deal. But it turns out that it was no more than anyone else made, so there was no sweetheart deal. It's not a crime to sell or buy a home. Should any past, present and/or future business relationships between people running for town counsel [sic] and other parties be disclosed, such as partied [sic] suing the town and having business pending before the town counsel [sic]? Everyone deserves to have full disclosure of these relationships, right? We better make sure that we never elect anyone to the town counsel [sic] who ever has had or ever will have any business with anyone who may have or will have any business before the town counsel [sic]."
• "I do not think a $200 profit is either an "unseemly profit" or a "sweetheat deal" [sic]. I actually think it is exactly, precisely what I would have expected a property in the location of Mrs. Cole's former neighborhood to have sold for at that particular time. There is nothing alarming about it at all. In fact, it is perfectly normal. Certainly, Mr. and Mrs. Cole had the right to sell to whomever they chose. That is, after all, one of the basis tenents [sic] of "Property Rights". Again, I am not at all alarmed that the Coles sold a property to Mr. Bukont. Citizens sell lots to builders all the time. Again, this is perfectly normal, and nothing to be alarmed about."

Amusing to hear Cole defenders talk of property rights isn't? No mention of conflicts of interests either? No mention that Cole was the lone Council member with such a tangled web to one builder? And why all the defenses? "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Think about this in reverse. Go back a few years. Imagine it is sometime during the 1990s. Cole is filling roles on the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. She will soon be elected to Town Council. She lives right next door to Steve Bukont. She is now and will continue to vote for Bukont projects.

Imagine if Laurie Cole had said at that time that 1.) she planned to have Bukont build a new kitchen in her old house prior to 2002, 2.) Bukont would build her new house in 2002 for an undisclosed sum, 3.) she would vote for Bukont's commercial building and town house projects in 2003 and 4.) then would sell her old house to Bukont in 2005 for $625,000 with no agent involved. If she would have laid this all out as her plan before it ever happened people would have smelled the conflict of interest from a country mile. Cole spinners can work this any way they want, but Cole was an elected official engaged in conflicted behavior to pad her pockets.