Archive for the ‘Virginia Beach Politics’ Category

Can you imagine two Virginia Beach City Council members discussing the budget for the next fiscal year? Let’s imagine two council members, we’ll call ‘em Jon and Len, talking about what to do about taxes and spending for the next year. Read the rest of this entry »

Our Virginia Beach City Council should put the financial health of the citizens of Virginia Beach, finally, at the top of our priority list. Our financial health means having income sufficient to pay our bills (food, gas, heat and so on) without the extra burden of excessive taxes and fees.

During the coming discussions on the budget for the next fiscal year, council should consider the cost of new projects in terms of the increase in our cost of continuing to live in Virginia Beach.

Citizens do not want another real estate tax rate increase. Last year, our council increased our tax rate from $.87 to $.95 and added fees to our water bill. The additional fees, trash pickup fee and the storm water fee, equate to about an additional $.05 of the real estate tax rate. Our council, rather than raise our tax rate to $1.00, successfully hid that extra $.05 among the fees on our water bill.

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Is crony capitalism alive and thriving in Virginia Beach? Umm, what’s crony capitalism?

From Google: Crony capitalism: an economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials; self-serving friendships and ties between businessmen and the government influence the economy and society to the extent that it corrupts public-serving economic and political ideals. Read the rest of this entry »

Our Virginia Beach City Council has, apparently, a very long term and very expensive plan for the oceanfront area in Virginia Beach. The process, meaning major projects, began many years ago, continues to today and will go on for many years to come.

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A review of our Virginia Beach City Council’s “accomplishments” of the last ten-twelve years clearly demonstrates the need for new city council members – new city council members who will put citizens first.

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Let’s review Will Sessoms REAL record.

As history shows, Will Sessoms voted to ignore citizens expressed wishes and developed projects rejected by citizens. And he has consistently voted to increase our real estate taxes.

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To be impartial” Virginia Beach agreed to remove a grossly misleading light rail ad from the city website. Impartial? What nonsense. Most members of council are for light rail and are definitely not impartial..

The ad stated that a yes vote was a vote to continue the study of light rail. Those who developed the ad knew from the beginning that the ad was a lie. The ad was intended, was designed to con citizens into voting yes while thinking that a yes vote was for permission to continue with the study of light rail.

In fact, a yes vote will give city council the OK to “… adopt an ordinance approving the use of all reasonable efforts to support the financing and development of the Tide….” Just what the heck does all that mean? It means that our light-rail-supporting city council can start spending money and making plans for the development of their favorite development tool – light rail.

A yes vote means that council can do whatever “reasonable efforts” they want.

As Councilman Moss stated, “It’s designed to influence and advocate.”

The ad was so heavy handed, so obviously a lie it should never have seen the light of day. Mayor Sessoms should have been the first to tell staff to take that ad off the air.

Thank you, Councilman John Moss.

Perhaps many citizens of Virginia Beach are not aware that you, Rosemary Wilson and Vice Mayor Louis Jones, are both council liaisons to the Economic Development Authority. As liaison you attend all Authority meetings and, most importantly, attend all of the closed sessions of the Authority. Also, you have the responsibility to brief all members of council on the plans of the Authority. Read the rest of this entry »

You remember that old line, don’t you? “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Well, we have been “fooled” many times – shame on us. We were fooled by the effort to slide a vote through on the headquarters hotel with no notification to citizens that council was seriously discussing the issue. Now we have been fooled again by this absurd (and successful) scheme to fund a consultant to convince citizens that an arena would be good for us. Read the rest of this entry »

Who are the “uninformed?” Uninformed about what? They are the citizens of Virginia Beach, who for many reasons, do not have the time or interest to pay attention to city Council decisions and future plans. Read the rest of this entry »