September 2006 Archives
September 30, 2006
Richard Denbow & Howard Springsteen: Incompetent Comments (8)
Vienna Politicians 'Receiving' Approvals
Richard Denbow and Howard Springsteen serve on the Vienna Transportation Safety Commission. For the intersection of Church and Lawyers, they should both be relieved of duty. How many more accidents have to happen at that intersection for these busy bodies to do something? They should both stop kissing Maud's butt and propose a solution for the intersection - an intersection the Vienna Police will flatly admit is the worst in Vienna. Stop sign, stop light - do something please. And yes, there was another accident there today. What will it take? A dead child on the sidewalk for you to act? That will be too late of course and given the known problems not fixed - lawsuits will cost the Town plenty when the worst happens.
Why is this not fixed? Denbow and Springsteen don't care about safety, they care about what Mother Maud wants. Maud doesn't want the intersection fixed, so her political piglets Denbow and Springsteen keep ignoring the problem. Pathetic isn't? Vienna needs leaders, not twits.
September 28, 2006
Special Pickups View Comments (5)
The following was submitted by 'Town Green':
Stop Special Pickups and Save!
I propose that the Town stop its free special pickup service and start charging a fee. This will encourage people to put their trash in a can instead of just throwing it on the ground in a big pile a couple times a year. Our streets will not look so trashed out year round. It's more cost efficient for the Town to remove this trash with conventional trash collection instead of sending a crew of men and a front-end loader around to watch one guy load each pile into a dump truck... while damaging pavement, curb, and lawn. And the Town could shift most of the special pickup expense to those who actually use or abuse the service. Less trash piles, more efficient trash collection, and savings for those who don't consume so much in life and who know how to put their trash in a can. Look around... do you see any other local governments providing free special picks and sending a crew of men and construction equipment all around town to pickup up trash that could very often have been put in a can? Stop piling up the trash in Vienna.. throw it in a can or pay as you go! I figure $75-100 a pickup ought to tidy up Vienna in no time. Should even encourage neighbors to coordinate pickups, further reducing the special pickup trips the Town is required to make.
September 26, 2006
Syd Verinder Resigns Effective October 1, 2006; Dan Dellinger Appointed; Paul Layer Rejected Comments (2)
Syd Verinder resigns Vienna Town Council effective October 1, 2006. We have learned that Daniel Dellinger will replace him. Vienna can rest easy that the sock puppet Paul Layer, a historic district crony, was not inserted.
Tool of the Trade in Vienna Politics
Open for Submissions Comments (6)
While we welcome comments to posts, we also welcome submissions as topics. Feel free to submit posts as main articles. We only ask that you spell check it and make sure punctuation is proper. If you can't do that, we won't post it as a main article.
September 24, 2006
Maud's Apologists Whine Up a Storm Comments (3)
Don't Talk About Maud,
I Need My Building Approvals!
This site and many of the people who participate with comments have diametrically different political views, ethics and morals compared to Maud Robinson. The case is made over an assortment of issues.
However, we are learning that there are a handful of weenies running around every chance they get complaining that this site is picking on a little old lady. Isn't that a convenient retort? We should feel sympathy just because she happens to be 80 something? We could care less her age. A bad leader is a bad leader - regardless of age. She doesn't want the heat, step down.
We will make it real clear: If you are tired of seeing Maud Robinson savaged politically (and apparently there are some of you out there), remove her from power. As long as she sits there in control of Vienna, acting with an iron fist and questionable ethics, this site will expose her politically at every opportunity it can.
And for any of you long time residents, wasn't it nice when Charlie was still here and she was kept under wraps? Now, she has reduced Vienna government to a club of busy bodies and pet projects. One day change will come...
Ben Andrews Outlines a View Comments (2)
At this post, Vienna resident Ben Andrews recently commented:
"I am curious why this article accuses Maud Robinson of limiting elderly, young, and minority residents (pesumably because they cannot afford to live here because of a lack of afordable housing) yet an article on the same page ridicules the town for allowing an affordable motel to remain in the community. I admit I am one of those town residents who has never stayed at the Wolftrap, mainly because, well, I have a house here, but I certainly would not advocate tearing down a motel because it is affordable enough for "manual laborers" to stay."
Is he recommending that young people and minorities spend $2100 a month ($69 a night) to use the Wolftrap Motel as condos? $2100 a month is affordable?
A community with a median income exceeding $90,000 a year can do better than a dive motel. The big picture view should have Vienna leaders pursuing some form of basic economic development, not holding on to a dead end past no longer worthy of prime time. Andrews sounds like someone dying to defend Robinson, but with little ammo to do so.
September 21, 2006
So We Want Video Now? Comments (4)
At another post tonight, this comment was made:
"If one is to be "Open", then one is not to shy away from the camera. Public Meetings SHOULD be televised. Vienna is a Grand Example. We have many older voters here who do not drive, and simply cannot get out at night to attend meetings. As a local government it is reasonable and fair to them that we should offer an alternate way of communication."
Maud and Jane don't want video. We all got short-term memory loss here? These clowns tried to BAN it last year. How hard is it to put up video? Not hard at all. A teen could do it with a few hundred bucks.
Better yet, ask the Town Clerk and Town Staff in the Planning Office how many days a week they spend transcribing minutes. Upwards of several days each! That is idiotic. They could simply use some basic digital equipment to record all meetings, put it all online for everyone to hear instantly and save the Town thousands of dollars.
Why is this not done? These people know that they will never be elected again once they are exposed. No more showing up in pajamas and disheveled looking half in the bag on a jug of wine. The whole no video thing is plain gross arrogance. One day Maud you will be on TV and your political career will be an instant footnote.
September 17, 2006
Something Fishy in Piney Branch Comments (4)
Tap water spill yields fish kill in mid-August.
By Mike DiCicco September 13, 2006
It turns out the hazardous material that left about 100 dead fish floating in Piney Branch near Center Street North was ordinary tap water. On Aug. 16, Greg Brown, regional biologist for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) went out to Piney Branch to investigate calls from the hazardous materials team at the Fairfax County Fire Marshal's office, as well as from four local residents, describing the localized marine carnage.
September 14, 2006
Maud Says Wear a Belt! Comments (1)
There has been a run of recent attacks against women in the Vienna area and now another attack has just happened. While we have plenty of money for Town Greens in Vienna, we are cutting corners on the funding of Police protection. In all seriousness, we see Maud's response to the attacks as one of, "put a belt on."
Vienna, Va. (AP) - Police are investigating another assault on a woman in Fairfax. Fairfax County Police say late Sunday night, a 26-year-old Fairfax-area woman was assaulted near her home on the 3300 block of Willow Crescent Drive when a man approached her from behind. The suspect pulled down the victim's shorts, who then screamed and the suspect fled. The victim was not physically injured. This is the fourth such attack in Fairfax. The three prior attack occurred near the Vienna Metro station. Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic male in his twenties. He is about 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs between 130 and 150 pounds. Police continue to ask anyone with information about these incidents to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or the police non-emergency number at 703-691-2131.
September 09, 2006
Vienna Parents Seek Greater Pedestrian Safety for Students Comments (4)
From Brian Trompeter at the Sun Gazette:
Parents of students at Louise Archer Elementary School in Vienna are pressing county officials to participate in Safe Routes to School, an international program that encourages children to walk and bicycle to school.
Continue reading "Vienna Parents Seek Greater Pedestrian Safety for Students" »
September 08, 2006
Dissension within Town Staff Comments (0)
There is dissension within Town staff ranks these days. Why? In the early 1990s the Town Council built a new police building moving the police from their long-time basement location in Town Hall. Now all these years later the Town Council is moving police staff back into the basement at the Town Hall. This has all Town staff cramped back into one building. It is an example of extremely poor management. Does Maud have an explanation for this? Or does her preoccupation with the building of her personal Town Green monument blind her to the real world?
September 06, 2006
Police Sketch Released Comments (0)
VIENNA, Va. - Police released a composite sketch of a man allegedly responsible for three assaults on women on Wednesday. Police are asking anyone with information about any of the incidents to call Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS or the police non-emergency number at 703-691-2131.
September 05, 2006
McMansion v. McTeardown Comments (16)
Across Vienna it is a battle. In one corner we have the McMansions. In the other corner we have the McTeardowns. Who will win?
September 04, 2006
Vienna's One Night Stand: $69 a Night! Comments (10)
Vienna is filled with million dollar homes these days. No single family home or lot in Vienna can be purchased for less than $500,000. But our one and only motel is a dive priced at $69 a night. Yes, you heard that right, $69 a night!
Vienna has some how or another relegated itself to a permanent "Back to the Future" way of being. While every other community in Fairfax County would have long ago fixed this eyesore, Vienna sits there and rots. Wouldn't it be nice to have a smaller Hilton or Marriott as opposed to a motel that the Vienna Police will tell you in no uncertain terms is a big problem?
FYI, here is a review from 4 years ago at TripAdvisor.com:
"I have been a frequent guest over the years at the Vienna Wolftrap Motel. I only stay there now if no other accomodation is available in the area. The motel had a reputation for being inexpensive, clean and comfortable, the sort of place a family or a business traveller would normally stay at. I'm sad to say the hotel has seen its heyday, today it is frequented by more sleazy types than I care to mix with. It has become a bottom of the line place of accomodation for short time stays, assorted manual workers, and people looking for the absolutely lowest room price in northern Virginia. There has been frequent rowdyism during my last few stays enough to bring police to the hotel. All in all a shame it was such a fine place to stay, now it should only be considered if nothing else is available in the hotels that charge about $20 a night more."
September 03, 2006
Green Hedges School in Vienna Pulls Plan Comments (1)
Green Hedges School in Vienna, after a rude awakening at the Vienna Planning Commission, has pulled their construction plan. They were to appear before the Board of Zoning Appeals, but backed out. Apparently they will submit a new plan and try to win Planning Commission approval first.
September 02, 2006
Chained to a Tree for Historic Vienna Inc. Comments (3)
Historic District Protest Reenactment
One of the tactics sanctioned by Maud's historic district lynch mob is the 'ole protestor chained to a tree routine'. No joke. We could not make this up. A few years back a new home was built at the corner of West and Windover in the historic district. The neighbor living across the street on West Street was so upset she chained herself to the tree on her neighbor's property. A Police file exists of the incident, but we have been unable to obtain it (More on the house in question).
Why is this all relevant? Very large trees are routinely cut down in the historic district to make way for new homes. Tom Stevens cut down one of the largest trees in the historic district to make way for his $10 million dollar super mansion. On the other hand, if the powers that be don't like you, they will argue all day long about the preservation of trees. Bottom line? There is no preservation of trees or homes going on in the historic district.
September 01, 2006
Laine Hyde Goes Off the Deep End; Can She Be Secured? Comments (3)
A Safe Place for Vienna Politicians; Can We Send Laine There?
Laine Hyde recently attempted to make a case to domain registrars that this site HistoricVienna.com and another were confusing web surfers who want to go this Town run site.
She referred to HistoricVienna.com as "Bogus Site 2" in her ultra-confident 3-page ditty. Surprising? No. Arrogant political schmucks under Maud Robinson's rule once tried to ban the video taping of public meetings.
Interestingly, Hyde who is not an attorney did her best in her complaint to seem very lawyerly. She wrote her complaint on Historic Vienna, Inc. letterhead asserting multiple falsehoods (i.e. saying the Town site has been online since 02 even though it was registered in 03). Since Historic Vienna, Inc. is owned and funded by the Town of Vienna, for all intents and purposes, this letter of complaint was written by the government. Does Steve Briglia, the Town Attorney, know that Hyde has taken over parts of his job?
Laine Hyde is a wacko small town politician posing as an attorney purporting to represent Town residents. If the Town of Vienna had any common sense they would remove her from the head of Historic Vienna, Inc. and remove her from the Commercial Architectural Review Board immediately.
The Town of Vienna does not need a public embarrassment. Hyde is headed toward an implosion that the people of Vienna should be not be forced to pay for. Please stop the madness and secure Hyde. Why is this person allowed to waste Town money on a whim? Is there any oversight? Does anyone care?
Or perhaps this was all organized by the Town to abrogate our first amendment rights and Hyde was just their goon enforcer. Stay tuned.
One final word of wisdom for Laine Hyde: if you are sick and tired of being described as a political horse's ass, stop acting like one and your problems will go away.
