The Garden Club Government
Vienna Government and South Park Have Much in Common
Several years ago Laine Hyde had her attorney send a letter alleging that this site's statement that she was forced off the Windover Heights Board of Review was damaging to her "social standing". Seriously, think about that pearl from one of Vienna's most powerful politicians for a second. Does that mean no more to the front of the line at Magruders? They take away your library card? No more discounts at the Freeman Store? We digress... Whether Hyde was forced off or not is debatable, but she did leave the Historic Review Board shortly after the Mayor was told that residents of the Windover Heights Historic District could not sit on the Review Board ruling against neighbors. The notion that Hyde's so-called 'social standing' was violated reveals much about the "minds" behind Vienna government.
Vienna government is an interesting dichotomy. One side is the public face. The face that makes mostly retired government employees living on fixed incomes vote overwhelmingly for Maud Robinson's desires. These folks no longer look outside the four walls of Vienna, they just vote the false notion of "no change". Of course Vienna changes daily on its own with no direction or real leadership. Unlike many progressive communities across the country, Vienna is rudderless. Does anyone really believe Vienna, with its current leadership, would be #4 if it weren't for the perfect storm of geography? We are in the smack middle of Fairfax County! Vienna excels in spite of itself. All of that said, the Maud machine controls all, and until she and her voting block of fear-motivated octogenarians and nonagenarians are gone, stasis is the norm. This is not about picking on senior citizens either. Some in this community are very forward thinking, they just have no influence on government. The reality is we have reached a point where Maud and her machine's selfish short-term and shortsighted control of government does more harm than good. Yes, it might be nice to look fondly back to the 1950s, but the time has come for progressive thinking in Vienna government and we simply don't have it.
The other face of Vienna government is the 'behind-the-scenes-not-for-public-consumption' garden club mentality Yes, our government really is run like a garden club or sorority replete with its own caste system. Worse yet, these people have no ideas or visions. They simply want AND need power over others to make their lives meaningful. Remember back to high school or even grade school. Think back to the playground bullies who just wanted to control entry to the "clubs", not because they had a rhyme or reason in their beings, but just because they liked the ability to control other people, settle scores and dole out favors. This is the face that the old-time machine voters can't imagine. All they care about seems to be trash pickup and snow removal. They don't know Maud's "nasty" power hungry side even after all of these years. And for anyone who watched Robinson work the 2006 polls, "nasty" is an understatement.
The garden club face of Vienna government, however, has been exposed with this web site. It has been exposed to a degree that the "machine" finds awfully unsettling. Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel for those who do not want Vienna's dirty laundry hanging out in public. This site will go away into the night the moment the garden club antics end, but not one second before. What is the next step? How can more people be educated beyond the scare tactics of no change put forward by Boss Maud? How can some form of productivity be found? An email came in last night that puts much into perspective fighting the good fight:
"I would like to contribute more to this blog but perhaps on a different plain, and more in the spirit of bringing public opinion, awareness, and involvement to bear on improving Town government and the Town. I think this blog or similar mechanism could easily maintain its positive start, shed any early-on negativity, and expand to become more accepted as a means for public discourse over Town concerns. Of course, you may not have the energy for that long haul, but your initial/original work may lead to a subsequent effort... and there is still time now to shape that direction. I think you can assume that this blog is well and widely read, so there is an inherent responsibility to your readers even when it seems like nobody is really listening... they are and will continue to tune in so that demands quality programming."
This site is open for business and we appreciate your feedback. We will continue to expose hypocrisy, but we will also spell out concrete steps to a better Vienna on a regular basis.
