June 2007 Archives
June 30, 2007
Follow Along As Vienna Investigates Itself Comments (4)
Vienna announced an investigation of their May 07 elections recently. Here is the start of that: page 1 and page 2.
June 29, 2007
"Attention My Children of Vienna, This Is Maud Talking. I Will Now Educate You." Comments (20)
From the July 07 Vienna newsletter comes this ditty from one arrogant and out of touch Mother Maud:
"I've decided there's a new kind of identity theft prevalent in this area. I call it community or municipal identity theft. It's increasingly visible in Falls Church, Fairfax City, Herdon, even McLean. Their core downtown areas are losing all individual identity to the current 'Town Center' theme of increased density, more height, mixed use and upscale shops. They are becoming part of what I recently heard a gentleman describe as the 'generic' character of area development. In the aforementioned towns and cities, this character change begins with a 'revitalization' program. Hopefully, the benefits of this undertaking will be improved architecture, pedestrian access and a desire to eliminate the less than lovely small strip malls, along with encouraging new businesses. On the negative side is the probable demise of the small shops and service providers so essential to day-to-day needs of home owners. They will be hard pressed to pay the increased rental costs. Change is inevitable, and Vienna has so far managed to accomodate it, particularly in regard to the commercial area which has steadily been made more attractive as a place to establish a business and in which to shop. This year or next, town residents and elected officials will need to deal with the question of how Vienna will respond to this latest development trend which jazzes up the investors' profits as well as the downtown ambiance. Before moving forward into new territory, the town may be well served if we look backward a few decades. The 50s and 60s featured requests by developers for apartment and town house rezonings, followed several years later by condominium proposals. In each instance, the town fathers and concerned residents carefully weighed the pros and cons of each proposal and judiciously limited their number and location. Paramount in their considerations was not what was currently in vogue development wise, but the retention of Vienna's predominantly single- family residential small town character. As a result, we are now unique in the midst of area sprawl and density. The question now is, will we exercise the same careful judgment and commitment of our predecessors who nurtured and preserved the real small town we enjoy today? Will we honor that legacy or become one more generic?"
This woman is running Vienna in 2007 while living in a pipe dream fantasy world of the 1950s. Enough! How in the world does this space cadet look at the daily traffic on Maple Avenue and think small town? With 20+ banks how does she think small town? With fast food restaurants, gas stations and nail salons on every corner, where is the small town? With no one, and we mean no one, walking anywhere in Vienna day or night, where is the small town? The only small town around here exists in the cloistered interior of Maud's memory.
But give her credit, this crap (and it is crap) scares old people into voting for her. How and why we don't really understand. Maud smacks them with higher taxes every chance she can, solves nothing with traffic, lets roads and sidewalks go unchecked, and builds multi-million dollar monuments to herself. Yet when she starts up the fight against the evil 50 story condos and those developers who will get *rich*, a certain contingent of Vienna laps it up like Tuesday's milk at Magruders.
Here is a fun task for all non-Maud voters in Vienna: Go drive by the new down town in Fairfax City. Look at the quality. Look at the brickwork. Oh yeah, that's bad Maud! Better to have strip malls and run down buildings on every corner. Maud is a fraud.
June 28, 2007
Are We Allowed to Call a Liar a Liar? Comments (3)
A new poster calling him/herself 25-year-resident posted tonight:
"Historic Vienna" and "Deep Throat" apparently believe that rudeness and name calling are tactics that can help them win rhetorical points. Those techniques are having the opposite effect. Congrats to Steve Rigby for his futile effort to speak dispassionately here. Best effort in a losing cause. And OBTW: Are the sponsors of this blog the same people who wanted to rezone Historic Vienna so that they could build condos and/or townhomes there? The same people who got trounced in the recent local elections [More here: 1, 2, 3, 4]? Just wondering.
Steve Rigby is a guy who works for one of Maud's long time board members Shirley Damon. Damon also likes to put lies out. Is that name calling? The evidence is on this site. It's not hard to digest. You can also see the Mayor lying too. Is calling someone a liar who is actually caught lying name calling? If so, expect us to continue the name calling. In terms of historic district condos, you are right!
Maud Marvels at New Industries Comments (14)
From the Sun Gazette:
Vienna's skate park concept is in its earliest stages. What happens next will depend on the outcome of real estate discussions and the availability of construction moneys, she said. Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman said people have been asking for a skate park for years, and that young people are skateboarding in parking lots all over town. “We provide facilities for other kinds of sports,” she said. Vienna officials recently installed metal bands on some surfaces at the Vienna Town Green to discourage skateboarders there, Salgado said. Council member Maud Robinson marveled at skateboarding's increasing popularity and sophistication. “It's like the sandlot baseball game has morphed into the big time,” she said. “Kids are used to parking lots and curbs. Suddenly, to accommodate them, we need a whole new industry developed.”
"Thank you Maud, that was clear."
June 25, 2007
The Town Green on a Sunny Summer Day Attracts No One Comments (17)
The Town Green (otherwise known as "The Maud Memorial") sits empty yesterday for another sunny summer weekend day. A $5 million dollar plus "postcard" park with zero recreational functionality, and just a few months after its launch, attracts no people. As Gomer says, surprise, surprise, surprise. When faced with the next ill-conceived, multi-million dollar pet project, will we as a community just trust the Ayr hill Garden Club again with our money?
June 23, 2007
Vienna Raises Water, Sewer Rates; Highest Around Comments (6)
From the Connection and Scott J. Krischke:
Over the course of the last 23 years, Vienna resident and planning commission member George Creed has watched his quarterly water bill triple, and after a 5-1 council decision at a June 4 public hearing, he’ll watch that rate rise just a little higher next year. Vienna’s Town Council voted in favor of a staff recommendation to raise water and sewer service rates for town residents by 15 and five percent, respectively, for the coming fiscal year, beginning July 1. The rate increase will cause an annual combined rise for the average Vienna resident will be $59.28 as a result of that raise, according to town documents. The move made Town of Vienna residents the highest payers for water in the region, and the second-highest for sewer services, according to data collected from several regional agencies.
Continue reading "Vienna Raises Water, Sewer Rates; Highest Around" »
June 20, 2007
Maud Robinson: Sign Hypocrite Comments (35)
Maud loves to brag about how her husband crafted Vienna's ordinance for its Commercial Architectural Review Board. This Board regulates signs: their colors, words, size etc. among other things. It is supposed to apply to everyone equally, but it doesn't work that way. Now that the Town has their new Town Green they regularly station temporary metal signs along the sidewalk on Maple Avenue. Why is no other business on Maple allowed to advertise like this Maud? Can't you obey the basic laws that you helped create?
June 19, 2007
Freedom of Information? Not in Vienna Comments (26)
The Town of Vienna government is actively working to prevent the release of public information under Virginia Freedom of Information laws. Perhaps the over eighty set doesn't give a hoot, but it is the same type of arrogance displayed with their recent election gaffe. One example?
Citizen Request to the Town of Vienna:
Please provide audio cassette copy of June 4 Council meeting.
Town Information Officer Response:
A copy of tape #2 is ready to pick up in the Town Clerk’s office. Tape #1 proved to be defective and could not be copied.
Vienna Citizen Response:
The Town does not have the right to not fix the "broken" tape...requested. Please advise when I can get the tape or when you have decided that the audio information on it is lost permanently.
Town Information Officer Response:
As we discussed earlier today, I plan to consult with the Town Attorney before tonight’s Council meeting on how to proceed [and later] Concerning tape #1, we will not be providing a copy of this tape since it cannot be reproduced due to damage.
Keep in mind, this was simply asking for a copy of the tape of the Council meeting...and the Town Attorney needed to be involved?
Vienna Citizen Response:
Does that mean that the information on the tape is permanently gone? Or that the Town will not be attempting to fix it? Was the Town Clerk able to listen to it for her minutes?
Town Information Officer Response:
Yes, the Town Clerk listened to the tape to prepare the minutes. The damage to the tape occurred when she attempted to copy it. Since the minutes have been prepared, and approved by the Town Council, there is no need to try and fix the tape.
Vienna Citizen Response:
Honest government is one reason to fix it. Clearly, the Town is in the wrong here morally and ethically, but perhaps there is some legal justification to fall on, but this is a horrible way to manipulate the system. People should be embarrassed.
The context here? The Town's silly and antiquated method of using "tape" to record their meetings allows them the cover to act like morons over basic rights we all have regarding Freedom of Information.
How did this request start? We wanted to hear Laurie Cole's voice asking the Town Attorney to investigate the May Vienna Election (since there were no citizens there to video tape Cole that night). Well, that record is PERMANENTLY gone and clearly the Town could care less.
June 18, 2007
Jane "Momma Red Hunter" Seeman Doesn't Want a Camera On Her For Good Reason Comments (2)
From the Vienna website comes this bit of text:
Welcome to the Town of Vienna, VirginiaOfficial Town Government Web Site.
This site contains essential Town government information for residents and businesses alike. The calendar, meeting agendas, job openings, procurement opportunities, and other pages are updated on a regular basis. We welcome questions and comments concerning what Town government services citizens would like to be able to obtain electronically.
They WELCOME input? Give us a break!
How about putting a $1000 camera in Council chambers and dumping the video to the silly Town website after every meeting? That would be too hard eh?
June 17, 2007
TOV Job Descriptions Comments (12)
This link contains job descriptions for the Town of Vienna. We know a candidate who wants to apply for the position of Historic Administrator (doesn't that sound important?), but it seems to be the only job description missing. Who is the current Historic Administrator and what does he or she do?
June 15, 2007
Vienna Relay for Life Comments (0)
Matthew Stich passed along information on the Vienna Relay for Life:
$360,000 collected.
1. http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=190021
2. Pictures
3. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/par/content/PAR_1_Relay_For_Life.asp
4. http://www.relayforlife.org/relay
June 14, 2007
Here's How the Old Lady Consolidates Power Comments (29)
From the Sun Gazette regarding the Monday Town Council meeting:
Council members want to change the fee for rezoning applications from $1,200 to $2,000. The fee also would apply to residents who wish to add or remove their properties from the Windover Heights Historic District. Appeals of Windover Heights Board of Review decisions, which now are free, would cost $250. The Town Council, after some highly contentious public hearings, has turned down numerous requests from property owners wishing to leave the historic district. “We are not trying to be punitive,” Town Council member Maud Robinson said regarding the fee hikes. “This is an issue of equity for the taxpayers.” The Town Council must hold a public hearing before adopting the proposed fee increases.
Isn't this a convenient way to solidify control, curb debate and push people around? Maud Robinson is biting off more than she can chew, she just doesn't realize it yet. It's only a matter of time until this woman does something so egregious that the Justice Department sits her down.
The article adds:
Many Town of Vienna land-use fees could double under a proposal put forth by Vienna Planning and Zoning Director Greg Hembree. The increases are necessary to bring the town's fees more in line with those charged by nearby jurisdictions and more accurately reflect the costs of legal advertising and labor performed by town employees, Hembree told Town Council members at a work session on June 11. “You have to look at these as user fees,” Hembree said. “People interested in these services should have to pay for them, instead of spreading the cost around the town.”
Interesting. The Vienna Zoning Director believes that the right to appeal a corrupt law, along with corrupt enforcement, is a SERVICE for residents?
"Hembree, I Changed My Mind, Make Any Appeal $10,000!
That Will Show Them!"
June 12, 2007
The Garden Club Strikes Back; Town Green Crack Down! Comments (34)
From Police reports:
Town Green, Maple Ave., E. & Mill St., N.E. 1:22 p.m. June 8: Nathan Wolfberg, 19, 1833 Toyon Way, Vienna, was charged with trespassing when he was observed skateboarding on the Town Green after being banned from the property..
Dramatization of Maud's Perfect World: Youth in Prison
June 10, 2007
In Vienna? No Way! Comments (7)
From the Fairfax Times comes an article that surely makes Mother Maud sweat hard. Notice in McLean the community is involved, whereas in Vienna...well everyone knows what happens here.
06/05/2007
Shaking up downtown McLean
By: Monty TayloeFour months ago, the Old Dominion Shopping Center, home to McLean hardware and other businesses, was sold to longtime McLean resident Dan Montgomery. Last month, the governing board of the McLean Community Center voted to work toward expanding the Old Firehouse Teen Center into a two-story, multi-use community space.
June 09, 2007
High Interest Alert Comments (0)
June 8th was the busiest day ever here at HV in terms of total visitors. In fact, yesterday saw 29% more visitors than any other day since the inception of this blog in November 2005. Why the interest? Clearly, this audio (posted late on June 6th) was the draw.
June 07, 2007
Fear Mongering on Rail Comments (2)
Clearly, a tunnel in Tysons Corner for rail is preferred. It is the best option. That said, there seems to be a group of nuts out there who want no rail unless it is underground. That is mindless. From the Connection:
"If Dulles rail passes through Tysons Corner above ground instead of below, the economic engine of the Virginia will deteriorate, said Robert Coleman, a Tysons Corner resident. Coleman stood in the foyer of the Fairfax County Government Center with a disgusted look on his face. He said he had not talked to one person in his 314-unit apartment building, The Regency, who didn’t want metro to be underground. "It will destroy the look of the corridor. My whole concern is the elevated rail will make Tysons look like a slum," said Coleman, president of The Regency board of directors."
This guy apparently has not ventured outside of Fairfax County. Elevated rail is used across the world in numerous cities - many of which are economic engines that blow Virginia away. Yes, we support a tunnel, it makes the most logical sense. However, if a tunnel is not doable for whatever reason, we still need rail.
June 06, 2007
"Anyone Call the Police?" Comments (9)
Fairfax County's Electoral Board, consisting of Electoral Board Members and the Office of The Registrar, met following Vienna's May 1 election. Their monthly meeting included candid conversations about this year's election.
Listen Now (MP3). This is 7:26 minutes (8.6 MB) of "talk" that Mother Maud and Mayor RedHunter ain't going to be happy about. Props goes to the County for talking honestly about Vienna politics.
Best lines from the meeting: "Anyone call the police?" [Statement made after hearing about Rhoda Stevens], "it looks a little sketchy" [Statement about Vienna politics] and "What happened yesterday is not fair".
On top of this, from the Sun Gazette this week:
[The Town Council] Asked Town Attorney Steven Briglia to review questionable actions taken by some election officers during the May 1 town election and present a report on the matter. “It's very important that voters have confidence in our electoral process,” said Council member Laurie Cole.
Hey Laurie, how about an independent source for the investigation? Briglia, the Town Council's attorney, you are serious? Why not a committee including citizens and Town outsiders? This "incest is best" routine of yours is getting old.
Note: When one of the winning candidates is referred to as being 80 years old in the audio clip, that is incorrect. Maud is 85.
June 04, 2007
The Town Green Lavatory is Open for Business Comments (31)
Cathy Salgado, head of Vienna's parks department, speaks to the wide involvement of citizens in the Town Green planning process:
“This was carefully thought-out, in review for a couple of years, We had a list of what people wanted in a town green and we planned with those interests in mind.”
What is so wonderful about the Vienna political structure is not that their words have any meaning or connect to any measurable reality, but rather what it is important is that their words make people "feel" good.
June 02, 2007
Articles of Incorporation: Historic Vienna, Inc. Comments (1)
Article 8 of the Articles of Incorporation (PDF), of the Town funded Historic Vienna, Inc., clearly says "no" to affecting legislation in Vienna. That didn't stop Laine Hyde from writing this ditty on Historic Vienna, Inc. letterhead to Town Council:
"The Board of Directors of Historic Vienna, Inc. have requested that I express to you their great concern over the petition by several individuals to withdraw their properties from the Windover Heights Historic District. The Board feels that removing any property from within the existing boundaries would set a precedent which could invalidate the historic district ordinance and have an adverse impact upon preserving the integrity of the District...We urge the Planning Commission and the Town Council to maintain the integrity of the Windover Heights Historic District and deny the application for withdrawal."
-- Laine Hyde, President Historic Vienna, Inc.
Note for Maudites: The "stated purpose" mentioned in Article 8 was written before the creation of the Windover Heights Historic District. Also, the Board of Directors that Hyde refers to...includes Maud Robinson. Yes, that is correct, Maud Robinson was authorizing lobbying letters to be written from her to her.
June 01, 2007
Steve Rigby: The Maud Party Line Comments (18)
Steve Rigby, an employee of Shirley Damon's (Maud's long time buddy and Board Member on two Vienna Boards), writes:
"I do not know what article or amendment to the Constitution that Ms. Damon is violating when she asks applicants to specify the colors they are desiring for their signs, and I similarly do not see what part of the Constitution she is violating when she is instrumental in rejecting applications over an issue of colors. If it is true that the town of Vienna is, in fact, routinely in violation of Federal law in these circumstances, which to the best of my knowledge has been going on for long before Ms. Damon ever joined any boards of review, then it should be a relatively easy matter to bring before the Federal Court system."
There are (3) lawsuits pending against the Town of Vienna regarding their historic district. Damon's (and others) continued actions are at the heart of the suits. You may want to study up on the details in words, print and video on this site - much of it Town records - before digging in. You may also want to check into some legal terms like arbitrary, capricious and Due Process. In terms of the logic that this has all been going on long before Damon, so she is free from criticism, would you have said that if she owned Slaves? "It's Ok for Shirley to have Slaves, everyone else does!" Brilliant logic there.
Steve continues:
"The sign application form, as provided to applicants for sign approval by the Town of Vienna, requires that color information must be provided as part of the application process. I am in the sign making business, and have made many an application for clients in many jurisdictions in this area. There is not a board of review that I have ever approached for approval of any sign that does not require color information to be provided as part of the process. This includes, but is not limited to Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church and Vienna. I think it is silly to single out Ms. Damon, presenting her as being the epitome of hubris in the sign approval world, or even only in Vienna."
Can you show us any section of Town Code, regarding the Windover Heights Board of Review or Commercial Architectural Board of Review (Damon is on both), where "color" is defined with guidelines that let an applicant know a color is appropriate or not? Can you show us the written guidelines that say one color is preferred over another? Can you show us the Town Council minutes where these application forms were approved? More.
Steve continues:
"A failure to provide color information on a sign application in Vienna will result in a rejection before Ms. Damon even sees the application. Any application without that information, or other required information, will not even be accepted at the front desk of Zoning to begin with."
And this is where the heart of the corruption with people like Damon lies. The code has no guidelines for color for either Board, but to even submit an application you must give colors. Even though there is no law that enabled these silly forms, even though there is no way to know if the color you are filling in will be approved or not, you can't even get past step one of dealing with a secretary. Justify that Steve? You can't.
What this little system does is inject vast amounts of subjectivity into the process. It allows the powers that be, including your boss Shirley Damon, to discriminate and play favorites. It's called a violation of Due Process. Its unconstitutional.
