Archive for the ‘Tidewater Politics’ Category

Purkey

VIRGINIA BEACH (August 16, 2010) – - On Saturday, in a display of candor (and stupidity?) senior Virginia Beach Del. Bob Purkey acknowledged what many conservative Republicans and others have been saying all along:

There is no difference between Republicans and Democrats.  They are all peas in the same political pod.  That’s why government is corrupt, inefficient, and doesn’t work for the benefit of the people.

Purkey, long described as arrogant, hot-tempered, self-important, told the GOP weekly breakfast that a dollar is a dollar:  Not Republican dollars.  Not Democrat dollars.  Just a bottom-line political dollar$$$.

The wrong message for the intelligent young minds of 2 tables of students from Princess Anne High School who were attending.

While admitting no credibility as a Republican and admitting he plays political footsie, financed, and even voted for Democrats, just to ‘get along,’ Purkey did score points for candor.

But no points for valor or integrity or honor.  Some say it is senility catching up. That while he made a little speech supporting GOP contributions, support, and compromise with Democrats at the expense of integrity and morale values of the party, he simply displayed the falsehoods he’s wrapped himself in over the decades as a Republican.

Rigell

He fell on his sword trying to defend GOP 2nd District Congressional candidate Scott Rigell who donated $1,000 to Obama, said he was impressed by Obama’s rhetoric, his campaign language, and to keep Queen Hillary Clinton from getting the Democrat nomination.  Rigell has also supported other lesser, state level Democrats.

Purkey said people in business and politics have to do that for their survival – not the people’s survival.

For the most part Rigell’s contribution to Obama and other Democrats had been off the radar screen.  If Purkey thought he was the ‘Lone Ranger’ helping Rigell out by stepping out front on this issue again, he was terribly wrong.

This is the last thing the Rigell campaign wanted brought back to the forefront, where staunch, conservative core Republicans have already abandoned him and middle of the roaders in the party are having second thoughts.

Independent Congressional Candidate Kenny Golden was head of the Virginia Beach GOP before resigning to run for Congress, first as a Republican.

When he determined the GOP national machine was covertly backing Rigell to the detriment of the other 8 in the GOP primary race, Golden dropped out as a Republican candidate and filed as an independent, refusing to be part of the GOP’s candidate fodder for appearance sake.

At neighborhood affairs and ‘town halls,’ Golden is attracting more and more supporters with his plain talking message directed at  conservatives, disgruntled Republicans and Democrats.

So far neither Rigell nor the incumbent, Democrat Rep. Glenn Nye are giving him any help.  Rigell claiming Golden is a fleeting ‘outside candidate’ who doesn’t deserve recognition by being elevated to a debate platform, has refused to debate Nye if Golden is included.

Nye is using the opposite argument to avoid confrontation with Rigell and Golden by saying he won’t participate in a debate unless GOLDEN IS INCLUDED.

Using these tactics to dodge debate among major party candidates sets both of them up as weaklings, cowards who would both be ‘demolished,’ as some say, if there was a 3-way debate with Golden in the middle.

Nye is hoping to win on his ‘conservative’ Democrat record – voting for most GOP-approved issues, except the election of Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker.

Rigell has hitched his campaign wagon behind the GOP national professional machinery, great monied ad campaign, and staying below the public radar by not engaging in any potentially dangerous confrontation situation.

A 3-way debate is scheduled Aug. 19 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Princess Anne High Auditorium, sponsored by the Citizens Advisory Committee for the 3rd Police Precinct.  No evidence anyone except Golden will show.

The Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance, which has traditionally hosted candidate forums in congressional races is also planning for a joint event.  Any candidate who doesn’t show will be represented by name tag and empty chair.

Questions will be addressed to the empty chairs and answers will be ‘candidate so-and-so refused to answer.’

We are still a long way from the November election.

Nye at Democrat breakfast

VIRGINIA BEACH – - 2nd District Rep. Glenn Nye is running for re-election.  And he appears to be running scared.

At a Democrat breakfast appearance Saturday, his campaign handlers were totally unprofessional and the appearance, while it didn’t come unglued, it was certainly rusty around the edges.

The red meat attack on his opponent, promised in a city committee email announcing Nye’s appearance, failed to materialize.

The announcement said, “Also come learn more about millionaire car salesman Scott Rigell’s pro-Cuccinelli agenda and why we must win in November.”

To begin the meeting two staffers sought to stifle media coverage of by asking the city Democrat chairwoman Susan Mariner, a very nice, attractive woman, to ban media recording of Nye’s remarks.

Ms. Mariner said, “The request was made by his press staffer because she is very nervous and this is her first campaign.”

Informed that VNS would leave the meeting or would force the Democrats to throw us out before we would refrain from recording the event.

Mariner said, “The Republicans don’t allow you to record.”  The editor replied, “I have been in the media since 1960 and I have never been banned or asked to not record a meeting.

“In fact,”  he replied, “the Republicans encourage the media’s participation.”

Mariner said she didn’t know what to do as the deadline for starting Nye’s presentation passed.

VNS sought out Nye’s handlers, press girl Jennifer Koch, and Eric Anderson, identified as political advisor.

The editor explained and Ms. Koch said they would arrange an after the event interview or anything if the media didn’t record the meeting.

VNS stated that it had never honored such a request at a public meeting.  Ms. Koch lamely said, “This isn’t  a public meeting.”  It was quickly pointed out that it was a public meeting, the public had been invited, and Nye is a big boy and public figure capable to operating in a media environment.

It was also pointed out that as X-2nd District Rep. Owen Pickett’s press representative that the editor had ‘written’ the PR game book that Nye is trying to follow except in trying to censor the media.  Nye thanked the editor for that.
At that point, 15 minutes past starting time, the editor asked Nye, “Do you have any objection to our recording the meeting?”  Nye tossed it back to Ms. Mariner.  “It’s Susan’s call,” he said and when pressed refused to change his position.

At that point the editor again talked with Mariner.  “What would you do if this was WAVY or WTKR television?”  “We’d do the same thing,” Mariner said.

VNS then told Ms. Mariner, since she continued to waffle, “We are going to record the meeting and to stop us, you’ll have to throw us out.”

The whole media debacle was just rough, unprofessional, amateurish and Ms. Mariner admitted that she had no policy.

Nye obviously modified his planned remarks with a slight display of annoyance and made no controversial comments about his opponents nor about substantiative issues.

He abruptly ended his remarks and departed.  An attempt to talk with him was refused by his staff on the grounds ‘he’s in a hurry to leave.’

Armpit shows Nye's stress

The editor got the distinct impression that without his people having total control, Nye was unsure of himself and ill at ease.

The building was well air-conditioned, but Nye was sweating profusely, soiling the armpits of his shirt.

VNS’ impression?  Nye will try to avoid all confrontation with any opponents by rejecting debates; will only appear before soft, supportive audiences, where his staff can have control.

He doesn’t appear to have the confidence to expose himself, his comments, or his positions to a mixed party or objective audience where he can’t control the environment or questions.

He seems like a really nice guy, but unwilling to debate his opponents.  Watch and lets see.

Loyola

The founder of the Hampton Roads Tea Party Monday endorsed GOP’s Ben Loyola for congress in a move that could test the new activists’ political horsepower.

Karen Miner Hurd said Loyola best represents the principles of conservatives that Tea Partiers like her represent.

The Tea Party officials either know something about Loyola’s strength at the polls that we don’t, or Ms. Hurd is putting her neck on the line which in effect will test Tea Party strength in Tidewater.

Win or lose, the results will be interpreted as being for or against the Tea Party.

Either way June 8’s primary is going to get real interesting.

Loyola was born in Cuba.  His family fled the repressive communist government of Fidel Castro when he was a baby.

Loyola loathes socialism and Obama’s brand of Obummerism.  A self-made successful entrepreneur, Loyola is a patriot whose voice cracks and eyes begin to tear up as he talks of his love for America and the U.S. Constitution.

A grad of the U.S. Navy Academy, he is a retired Navy pilot who unflinchingly supports the military.

His beliefs, background, and campaign pushes all of the Tea Party’s hot button.

His closest opponent pollsters believe is car dealer Scott Rigell, anointed as the GOP’s establishment candidate.

Rigell has taken heat from hardcore right-wingers for a $1,000 contribution to Obama, support for 22% sales tax hike and a system of an regional government that would have given taxing power to an unelected.

Nevertheless Rigell has corralled a number of top Republican endorsements, nationally, statewide, and locally.

Even Gov. Bob McDonnell has endorsed Rigell in the primary race.  This reporter has covered VA politics since 1966 and is unable to recall a single time a sitting governor has gotten involved in local politics openly before a nominee has been selected.

Asked if those kind of endorsement deviations are indicative of problems with Rigell campaign, a top official said, “The top is a little shaky.”  Asked if he’d ever known of a previous incident of a sitting governor getting involved in a local campaign, he replied, “Never.”

Loyola and Rigell are in a 6-way race for the June 8 primary.  Other candidates are Scott Taylor, Bert Mizusawa, Ed Maulbeck, and Jessica Sandlin.

The winner of that contest will not only face Democrat 1st term incumbent Glenn Nye, but Kenny Golden, former chairman of the local GOP, who because  he felt the party deck had been stacked against him, dropped out of the primary to run as an independent.

He’s yearning for a Rigell victory because he thinks he’ll easily overwhelm both him and Nye.

A recent push poll for Rigell only included Loyola and Mizusawa among the questions asked about Rigell.

There’s no question Rigell has party’s national support, more than adequate funding, and is the recipient of professional party grooming and training.

The rank and file Republicans cover the spectrum.  Many support Rigell, but just as many are opting for Loyola and Taylor, rebelling against what they feel is unnatural national and state party interference.

There are six GOP candidates running for the party’s nomination to Congress to oppose incumbent Democrat Glenn Nye.

Virginia News Source has been talking with most of the candidates and today we have conducted a 9 minute interview with GOP candidate Ben Loyola.

Loyola, a native of Cuba, came to the U.S. after his parents fled when Fidel Castro took Cuba communist. Ben tells part of his story in this podcast interview with VNS.

VIRGINIA BEACH – - It ain’t gonna to be Mayor Will Sessoms:

Who ya  gonna call when you want somebody to save your tax dollars?  Why Vice Mayor Louis Jones and Councilman Bill DeSteph – that’s who.

Jones & DeSteph went head to head Monday with HRT chief Phil Shucet over HRT’s attempt to get Virginia Beach citizens to help fund Norfolk’s light rail study costs.  They saved the taxpayers of Virginia Beach almost $250,000 in 1-brief meeting Monday morning.  They’re the heroes of the day.

Shucet withdrew the request deciding to take the funds out of HRT’s own pockets after Jones told him he needed to find the money ‘in house’ instead of looking for it from resort city taxpayers.

While Jones and DeSteph were fighting to prohibit Virginia Beach tax dollars from going to Norfolk’s grossly and criminally mismanaged light rail project, what was Mayor Sessoms doing?

He was trying to break the arms of other members of council to get them to vote to give the money away.  Never once did Sessoms challenge the legality and integrity of the HRT request.

Instead Sessoms was working feverishly trying to force his colleagues to vote approval of the request.  Of Shucet’s turn around after meeting DeSteph & Jones,  Sessoms said, “That to me is HRT building credibility pretty quick.” The resort city’s stupidest mayor, who had been rallying council members to approve the money doesn’t have the ability to be a leader!

DeSteph on the other hand, went after the alleged documents City Manager Jim Spore’s staff said required approval of the payment  to Norfolk.

All DeSteph and Jones found was a 15-page document, negotiated and signed by Spore in 1999, but never approved by city council.  And  even if  it had been legally executed,  it did not require the beach to pay for any Norfolk study.

It limited participating funding to capital ‘acquisitions’ such as …”vehicles, administration and maintenance facilities, bus stop signs, bus shelters, computer systems.”

The project is now sitting on almost $108 MILLION in cost overruns in 1-year.  The original document – HRT’s grant application for light rail – states that any costs over $50 MILLION in federal grants have to be paid by NORFOLK – not Virginia Beach and the other cities.

It cries out for a federal investigation to determine where $108 MILLION – Plus went, where, when, to whom, why, and did it disappear legally or illegally.  Only then can the corrupt, mismanaged agency restore its credibility.  Not from more shenanigans like this in conspiracy with an incompetent mayor who can’t see past his nose.

This has caused some to wonder, whether the project may not force Norfolk into bankruptcy or at least trash its credit rating.

No member of the Virginia Beach city council except Jim Wood, HRT’s chairman, and DeSteph have seen or read the governing documents.

Sessoms was ready, willing and able to give away his city’s tax dollars to a project – way over cost and behind schedule – without EVER SEEING THE DOCUMENTS GOVERNING VIRGINIA BEACH’S RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS,  That should constitute malfeasance and be prosecuted by the Commonwealth’s attorney.

[Just in case:  Did any of you read the preceding paragraph? Read it again.]

In fact, Wood had been unable to obtain a copy of the original grant document himself, even as chairman, because the X-dirtbag HRT administrator REFUSED to give it to him, until it was requested by Virginia News Source.

It is hard to believe that as chairman of the board, you have no control over your employees – except for the fact that X-chief Michael Townes screams “racism” every time he is questioned about something he wants to hide or fails to perform to normal, acceptable, responsible standards.

He had the board scared to death to challenge him one board member told VNS. But now he’s gone.  A new day has dawned, but not without lingering storm clouds that only a federal investigation can drive away.

Townes

Michael Townes was protected in the operation of corrupt Hampton Roads Transit Authority by his black ‘posse’ of supporters who knew of his incompetence.  Knew he was incapable of running HRT and the light rail project.

The posse knew months before the HRT board found out that Townes had overspent his budget by $108 MILLION.  They knew it was behind schedule

They said nothing in circling the light rail project to protect the man because ‘he was a black brother,” inside sources have said.

“…the makeup of the board was heavily in favor of Michael despite the evidence.  I will leave it to you to guess why… facts unimportant to them and they had enough votes to keep him on,” VNS learned.

As we have always said about Townes, he rallies the posse at the least hint of a threat to him or of any criticism of his mis-management style.  The black posse’s role was to support his yelps of ‘racism’ as the excuse to cover his problems and inadequate ability to handle the job.

It wasn’t until after the $108 MILLION overrun was made public and officials began to take heat through the media that they were able to override the black posse who stood with Townes to the end.

Sources told VNS that Norfolk Mayor Fraim, Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms and the city manager of Norfolk threatened to pull the plug on the entire project that the HRT board was able to force Townes out.

Why did he get his ‘black’ parachute of about $180,000 for a year?   Because he had a tightly written clause in his contract.

The HRT board was afraid to fire him because it felt that he would go public with his racism charge and take them to court.

He’d keep ‘good blackmail book’ on what he considered racist slights and the board felt it would cost more to fight him in court for the rights of citizens than it would to pay him off for a year.

Other officials said he should have been fired for malfeasance, misfeasance or investigated for criminal activity.  Under this scenario, the contract and ‘black’ parachute clause would have been null and void.

One official said, for the above reasons, “We were very fortunate to strike the deal we did.”

It was said, “Unfortunately, he had a severance clause that was air tight.  Although it may sink in the throat, sometimes just paying the severance is cheaper than a court case. He will never again have credibility, I fear.”

While no one disputes his value in turning HRT into a professionally managed agency, X-VDOT chief Phil Shucet took Townes’ job at $336,000 a year, adding to the already costly venture.

Here we are paying an incompetent $180,000 to get out, Shucet $336,000 to come in, and the project is sitting on a $108 MILLION cost overrun.  If this is good government policy, we’d hate to see what bad government would cost and bring us!

The original documents whereby HRT applied for and got grants of $25 and $50 MILLION, respectively from the state and federal government – leaves Norfolk responsible for all cost overruns:  One reason why it is trying to suck Virginia Beach into to project – to help minimize its loss exposure due to the mismanagement of the corrupt agency.

The original documents whereby HRT applied for and got grants of $25 and $50 MILLION, respectively, from the state and federal government – leaves Norfolk responsible for all cost overruns:  One reason why it is trying to suck Virginia Beach into to project – to help minimize its loss exposure due to the mismanagement of the corrupt agency.

Crying ‘racist’ is a familiar tactic.

Townes yelled like a harpooned sea lion in Nov. 2002, after VNS reported he’d spent $50,000 in tax funds to provide free bus rides to the polls for a transportation referendum.  (See:  http://www.veritas-solus.com/VNS/Archive/axtax_hrt.htm )

He plastered the buses with illegal campaign signs promoting the referendum which would have resulted in a 22% tax hike.

Most of HRT’s ridership is black, but Townes joined Norfolk councilman Randy (I should have had an abortion instead of giving birth to Light Rail) Wright.

VNS reported that normally politicians, primarily Democrats, give blacks a half pint of whiskey and a $5 bill to sell their votes.

Townes didn’t confront VNS personally (in fact no HRT employee would speak for the record), but he called a now-deceased, but at the time rabid black legislator to attack VNS as being racist.

But after it was pointed out that the VNS editor had worked for a congressman and knew of what he spoke, the vocal squealers shut up.  Didn’t want to expose many of the political control tactics they used to control lesser educated black voters.

VIRGINIA BEACH – - Bill Fleming, self-employed and in the Democrat Party, is facing the biggest uphill battle of his career:  An run for the 8th District Senate seat against Jeffrey McWaters,  elected last weekend as the GOP standard bearer.

Fleming has only until January 12 to marshal a campaign against overwhelming odds of money and organization.  McWaters is still officially reporting about $165,000 in campaign funds received in his campaign against fellow GOPer, Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson.

However, insiders have speculated that when the final tally is in, it would run $500,000 to $800,000 from his special interest friends among a political machine that Mayor Will Sessoms’ hardcore of supporters are trying to build around him.

In an appearance before the Saturday Democrat breakfast of about 65 – 23 Princess Anne High School students, Fleming admitted his entry was a last minute move as he denied being ‘extreme,’ but admitted being an otherwise conservative candidate. Read the rest of this entry »

Like the ole country song, “…the girls all get prettier at closing time,…” it seems that GOP politicians all get dumber at election time.

Bob McDonnell

As the liberal establishment get their panties in a bunch over GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell’s current predicament involving an old thesis he wrote in the 1980s espousing strong conservative values, the candidate has spent 2 days tripping over his own shoe strings working on damage control.

Bob has not been noted for his street smarts or political intellect.

He violated Moe Rowe’s No. 1 campaign axiom.

Back in the early ‘90s 2nd District Rep. Owen Pickett had problems. He was best known for being anti-media. Media unfriendly. He was a good legislator, having served years in the General Assembly before going to Congress. But the media was the enemy. And he had a stupid, paranoid chief of staff who was terrified of the media. She didn’t know how to handle media relations so she kept Pickett secluded, unavailable for the most part.
Read the rest of this entry »

VIRGINIA BEACH – - It should come as no surprise, no fluke, that pollster Frank Luntz found that the public is “mad as hell and they ain’t gonna take it anymore.”

That statement isn’t just his summary, its the wording and feelings of those he has talked to across the nation about the state of our government at all levels.

Today’s headline shortchanging the nation’s seniors by withholding a cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients for the next 2 years is only going to exacerbate the contempt the age-challenged population has for government.

We predict this story will grow big legs before the furor ends.

Then we have the local story of veteran Peninsula GOP Del. Phil Hamilton padding his own pocket with a quid pro quo job by passing special interest legislation for Old Dominion University and billing the taxpayers $500,000 for the cost. Read the rest of this entry »

Del. Phil Hamilton

First he said that his legislation to fund a new $500,000 start up program at Old Dominion University was done well before he got a $40,000/year part time job with the school. Read the rest of this entry »