Laurie Cole Hand In the Cookie Jar
Laurie Cole is a case study for public corruption.
- MAY 92: Steve Bukont buys 921 Glyndon Street. Price not recorded. Primary residence.
- JAN 93: Laurie Cole buys 200 Owaissa Court. Price not recorded. Cole and Bukont now are immediate neighbors.
- 1996: Laurie Cole appointed to Planning Commission.
- MAY 00: Cole buys 706 Spring Street for $185,000.
- APR 01: Bukont starts building new Cole house at 706 Spring Street.
- MAY 02: Cole elected to Vienna Town Council (VTC).
- MAY 02: Bukont applies for occupancy permit for Cole's house on Spring Street. Price Cole pays Bukont to build new house at Spring Street is unknown.
- JAN 03: Bukont buys 111-113 Church Street for $730,000. Commercial.
- SEP 03: Bukont receives site plan modification from VTC for 111-113 Church St. Cole votes yes for approval.
- SEP 03: Bukont receives site plan modification from VTC for 225 Locust Street. Cole makes motion and votes yes for approval.
- SEP 03: Cole declares "no continuing business transactions" with Bukont (MP3).
- JAN 04: Bukont buys 225 Locust Street for $450,000. Town houses.
- MAY 04: Bukont buys 919 Glyndon Street.
- APR 05: Bukont buys 200 Owaissa Court from Laurie Cole for $625,000. 200 Owaissa Court is next door to Bukont's primary residence.
- DEC 05: Bukont implodes as Chairman of Historic Review Board when questioned about his conflicts of interests and moneymaking role in Vienna government.
- JAN 06: Bukont resigns from Historic Review Board.
- JAN 06: Cole defends Bukont after his resignation saying, "It is with great sadness that I see Mr. Bukont's resignation before us. Mr. Bukont and his wife are active, engaged members of our community. They have given generously of their time and talents to enhance the quality of life in our Town. The barrage of insinuation and innuendo recently directed toward Mr. Bukont is reprehensible. I am very sorry that he and his family have been subjected to it. There is always room for civil discourse concerning differing views in public affairs. But insidious, unfounded attacks on a person's integrity are beyond the pale of civil debate. Such conduct places a chill over the public forum. Citizens are understandably reluctant to undertake public service when their professional and personal lives may become the targets of such despicable attacks. Vienna is fortunate to count among its residents many, many talented individuals willing to contribute their time and abilities to the greater good of all of us. It would be a tremendous loss to our community if the threat of unwarranted vilification were to discourage such contribution. So I am speaking tonight in support and gratitude for those of our citizens, like Mr. Bukont, who give their time and skills in serving on Town Boards and Commissions. I believe it is important to speak out on this matter, mindful of these words of Edmund Burke, 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' I hope the other members of Council join me in my support of our citizen Boards and Commissions."
- JAN 06: Bukont's 111-113 Church Street assessed at $4 million.
- MAY 06: Cole supporters defend her.
- 2006: Bukont's 225 Locust Street controversy.
Cole seems to have forgotten that Edmund Burke also said, "Among a people generally corrupt liberty cannot long exist."
Comments
"Why are you complaining about special deals all the time. Dammit, if anyone of you thinks we don't deserve a little graft from time to time, go to hell!"
Posted by: Cole is a Pompous Arse | February 15, 2007 10:15 PM
Regarding Cole's Comment above: Edmund Burke, 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' I cannot believe what I heard... here you have Cole who's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, and she thinks she a crusader for justice.... like the fox guarding the hen-house!
Posted by: Cole is a Pompous Arse | February 15, 2007 10:28 PM
Look at the picture when you click on the word "Controversy" above... the picture with the caption: "Steve Bukont 4-Story Tall Locust Street Project"...
The land around the whole structure is completely flat! No dirt around the front, and certainly no dirt around the tree that is now buried in about 15 feet of dirt. So how does Bukont gets 4 floors in this town when everybody else gets 3? This smells of corruption: Put a narrow strip of dirt somewhere on your lot that touches your 4 story apartments, and you get a special pass to build higher than anyone else in thee town can. Wait, didn't he get this passed by the very people he built houses for?
You have to ask yourself, why did he resign? Certainly not because he couldn't handle the heat, but if he were to resign, promise to keep quiet, and keep on with Maud's A list, he gets what he wants in this town, and if that makes him millions. I call that a payback, and I call that flat out wrong. I could be wrong, but how else would you explain these actions.
Posted by: A picture is worth a thousand words | February 15, 2007 10:37 PM
So, so shady. I hope someone is going to to hand this info over to the FBI, and that they'll investigate Cole just like those folks in Loudoun Co.
Posted by: A Home Town Girl | February 16, 2007 12:31 AM
I thought Cole had some type of legal background. She obviously never heard of the word recuse.
Posted by: Apalled Spring Street Neighbor | February 16, 2007 10:29 AM
When is the last time you heard an elected official railing against the evildoers? Bukont and Cole can't answer simple rightful questions from residents about the Town's historic district regulations... what stone or colors are acceptable... but they can call you fu*king morans and evildoers. Isn't that special! Just who are you defending, Laurie Cole... the citizens of Vienna or your builder neighbor who remodeled your kitchen, built your new house, and floated your real estate sales for over a year? If a resident is an evildoer for wanting to know what color he or she is allowed to paint their house, what is someone who uses their position in Town government for personal gain by allowing zoning violations, waiving zoning regulations, defeating the intent of zoning laws, and even trying to rewrite the zoning code to benefit one developer Steve Bukont? The Town is spending years in preparation for zoning code changes to fuel redevelopment of Vienna's commercial areas, but somehow you need to hurry up and change just a few words in one section of the code so that Bukont can pile up soil berms and condos on the old 7-11 commercial site while you pile up the cash. Isn't that special!
Hey, this just in... Tom Davis was reversed his position on the Tysons Metro tunnel. He will now represent us FOR the tunnel! Thank You, Tom Davis!
Posted by: Town Green | February 16, 2007 06:15 PM
I as an ordinary citizen of Vienna simply want to know why our elected officials act and behave "above the law?"
That's all. Simple. Why?
Why can't they deal with us taxpayers with respect?
Why can't they give us a simple answer to our questions?
Why do they hem and haw over what should be simple answers?
Why do they bully town residents who come before them at meetings?
Why do they continue to hide the truth about TOV activities?
Why won't they agree to an outside and independent audit of their "books?"
Why do they spend over $5 million dollars taking an important land parcel out of the commercial district and put up a Town Green without any legitimate input from the citizens of the TOV?
Why have the refused to video tape their meetings, saying they can't afford to pay for it, while all the time for years and years, they have been getting almost 4 times what is needed from COX cable, and still refuse when these funds have been matched by Verizon?
Why do they try to keep Vienna Citizens from taping their meetings and presenting the truth to Vienna?
Why did they try to threaten police arrest at some past meetings when they did not want their meetings video-taped?
Why did they try to hide the fact that they tried to "outlaw" video taping and video documentation of their behavior?
Why do they continue to ignore the tangible and important issues this town faces in the next decade with respect to growth and development, and instead put most if not all their energy and tax collections into fighting Maud's battle to save her beloved "Historic District?" when everyone who has am IQ above 85 knows that it's unconstitutional and has served only as a tool for favoritism and doling out favors to good old boys, and lastly providing for a rich private club-house for the Historic Vienna board members and their Freeman Store Club-House?
Why do they get away with racism in their actions with respect to the non-white areas in Vienna?
Where is their leadership?
Why can't we see any intelligent and common sense guidance from these folks?
Why?
Can anyone provide me with these answers?
It's all wrong, and we should demand more from our elected officials.
Remember to vote.
Posted by: Chosing the Right Direction for Vienna | February 17, 2007 09:52 AM
If you think Steve was out of control with the Locust street project, we just found out that he wants to build two 3 story buildings with 11 units in each and parking for 50 cars on a parcel of land between Berry and East Streets, SE behind the Suntrust and Karins Florist buildings. The meeting to REZONE the TWO existing parcels of land from single family to multi-family is April 11. Let me get this straight, this guy wants to replace two single family homes in a neighborhood of all single family homes and half acre lots with 22 dweling units?! I will be there, hopefully with the majority of my neighbors to show the Town Council that this insanity just has to stop. 50 more cars racing up and down either Berry or East St. is just plain nuts. There are already way too many cars going way too fast on both streets which serve as a cut through from Maple to Echols in SE.
Hopefully we will be able to stop this re-zoning effort here and other places around town. Enough already!
Posted by: Rob McLallen | March 28, 2007 01:37 PM
Any way you can get this post and this better visibility on your site? XXX, I thought you would eat tis up. Do I have to go and take pictures? This guy is paving over Vienna. I would think you would eat this up.
Posted by: Rob Mclallen | March 28, 2007 11:02 PM