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Board Majority Pushes Ethics, Disclosure Reform

(Created: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 12:37 PM EST)

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A bipartisan majority of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors today agreed to support a proposal by Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) and County Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large) intended to improve trust and confidence in the public process by improving the county's ethics and disclosure policies.

Supervisors Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge), Sally R. Kurtz (D-Catoctin) and Jim Clem (R-Leesburg) have signed on as co-sponsors of the proposed ethics package.

"The public must have confidence in the decisions made by the local government," according to an item prepared by Waters' office that refers to the recent investigations of wrongdoing the Loudoun Commonwealth's Attorney and possibly the FBI are conducting.

"While the investigation is only starting, the Board of Supervisors should take immediate action to rebuild public trust and confidence by adopting ethics and disclosure measures that raise the bar to a higher level above what is required by law."

Among the elements of the package are a Code of Ethics and Standards for the board that only five members, the same five sponsoring the package, have previously signed; a requirement to disclose all meetings between board members and those with active land use applications before the board; the recording of certain closed session meetings for future use by the board and the county attorney; and the adoption of a "Prudence in Political Contributions" policy, which would bar those with active land use applications from contributing to supervisor campaigns or for six months after the board takes action on the item.

The item has been placed on the board's Feb. 6 meeting agenda.



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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Leesburg Today.
Total Comments: 41 comment(s)

keithrhyde wrote on Mar 11, 2007 12:32 PM:

" I find it very interesting that the board is finally making some sensible decisions on new construction and roads this year............................the BOS's re-election year! just now deciding that you need to improve the county's ethics and disclosure policies! That would not have anything to do with the FBI investigations on developer/supervisor hand-holding. I sincerely hope the voters CLEA N HOUSE this year with honest people who want to do what is right for this county and not themselves. I am positive that if this board is re-elected then it will be business as usual for the next four years. They had four years to prove different and they did not!!!! If our good citizens were as interested in government as they are in sports, I don't think we would have these issues or the ones on Capital Hill. Less than half of us vote in any election so we get the government we deserve. "

2007 BOS election watcher wrote on Feb 6, 2007 7:58 AM:

" Citizens should pay close attention, as we enter the 2007 county election season (in the midst of FBI investigations on developer/supervisor hand-holding) to Dale Polen Myers's hand-picked candidates from 2003 and her new ones for 2007. Remember this: For Fresh Air in Loudoun, Reduce the Polen Count "

Arnold wrote on Feb 2, 2007 7:12 PM:

" A little birdie told me that the CPR folks are also under investigation as part of the housecleaning. Maybe they can get adjoing cells in some Club Fed somewhere, maybe next to Jeff Skilling? "

When Will It End? wrote on Feb 2, 2007 9:21 AM:

" Mark my word, people will be facing civil and/or criminal charges in this Islamic Saudi Academy deal, and Lori Waters will not be one of them. Tulloch is the real leader of this board, isn't he? Has anyone opened an investigation yet into Dale Myers' real estate license? "

sell the Saudi Islamic School wrote on Feb 2, 2007 8:28 AM:

" And buy a second high school in western loudoun, while there is still a site to buy! Ms. Waters only agreed to it because Mr. Tulloch told her it was a good deal, and she does not need it in her district, so SELL! or trade! "

John W. Mobberly wrote on Feb 1, 2007 7:07 PM:

" I see a few entries from the same people who say that Dale Polen-Myers is a "fiber" of the community posting here against Lori and her solid unshakeable core against the buildout of Loudoun. Hey people, I observed your "fiber" on Monday, and it was almost comical, had it not been so utterly sad to watch. I'll take ethical advice from Lori and company over that of five others who have demonstrated that all they can find is the word in a dictionary. Application of that very word escapes them. "

mystery wrote on Feb 1, 2007 6:29 PM:

" I am not a Jack Ryan fan. I don't know anything about him. I do not understand how Ms. Waters supporters can come on these blogs over and over and attack the other Republicans for things she did too. Ms. Waters has taken money from people and then voted for their issues. She has voted for payback and not for merit. Admittedly so, according to her supporters. Now that she has been exposed by the Washington Post, we are to believe no no no, she is changed. She is exactly the kind of corrupt politician that we want to stop. She is young and innocent looking, but she is dangerously corrupt. And the fact that she so vocally accuses the others, just shows lack of character all around. "

Lori Fan wrote on Feb 1, 2007 5:34 PM:

" Oh, these Jack Ryan people are so clueless! The big Saudi Academy case you mention as one of her bad votes - Bruce Tulloch assurred the board that they were getting a great deal. He's the vaunted Vice Chairman right? This is more of the DPM hit machine trying to strike back, and ineffectively so. "

mystery wrote on Feb 1, 2007 3:14 PM:

" it is a mystery, reading some of these posts, why Lori Waters thinks she should be re elected. Her most vocal supporters agree that she voted on a "shady deal" and that her contributions were just "pretty much public." Not completely public? What? if Lori's supporters are wondering why people are attacking her, it might be because it looks like her supporters are trying hard to make a case that yes, she was dirty, but now she is clean.. it won't work. If she was guilty of knowingly voting on "shady deals" then she is OUT. If she did not have the good judgment not to vote for a shady deal, then she does not have the judgment required to be a supervisor. Where are the grown ups? "

ethics code needs more work wrote on Feb 1, 2007 2:53 PM:

" How is it fair to put in your ethics code that you may not meet with Applicants, but meet with all the neighbors and people who have contributed to you to stop the applicant's project? Not meeting with applicants is probably not legal anyway. And so what if Mr. Burton or Ms. Kurtz won't meet with applicants? They don't have any applicants in their district, and since Lori Waters just got Loudoun One, she won't either. This is not the solution, and not the right "code." This is too one sided to the no growth crowd... Lori Waters accepted money from someone who owns a winery,,,does that mean that Lori will not vote on any change in regulations that affect wineries? What about Bob Gordon, her big supporter--will she say she will not vote on anything having to do with monopoles (his business--which he is trying to monopolize in the County) even though he is technically not an applicant? this proposed code is one sided, and needs a lot of work to make it real... "

Stephen G. Nichols wrote on Feb 1, 2007 1:07 PM:

" Mr. Clem, I'm glad to see that you facilitated the wake-up call to the STDs. I suspect they don't like being on the other side of a 5-4 vote right now. BUT, it took you far too long to come around and for that I expect you'll be on the losing end of the voters' wish list this November. This should be a life lesson to all of you Supervisors, that the time to do the right thing (as apparently the regular 5-4 losers have been) is when it's needed, not just at election time. Good luck in your new careers. "

Tom Conway wrote on Feb 1, 2007 12:31 PM:

" Fellow residents and STD'S in particular Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'. Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who That it's namin'. For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'. Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled There's a battle outside And it is ragin'. It'll soon shake your windows And rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin'. Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one If you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'. The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin'. And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'. All credit and praise to Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan "

The Answer wrote on Feb 1, 2007 11:47 AM:

" All Loudouners who have been involved on any level during the past 31/2 years know the answer- Clem, Snow, Tulloch, Delgaudio, and Staton MUST GO. We need public officials who will represent the people of Loudoun, not their own self-interest and greed. Loudoun voters are sick and tired of being ignored by the "Fraudulent 5". November's coming. Time to Take Back Loudoun. Pass the word. "

VOTE THEM OUT wrote on Feb 1, 2007 11:43 AM:

" To those whose goal is to smear Lori Waters (namely all those in power who were implicated by the Washington Post articles/emails) listen up- Loudoun Voters are a little more intelligent than you give them credit for. We KNOW the facts and have seen the light. Your attempts to distract attention from the real issues are failing miserably. Good-bye Snow, Tulloch, CLEM, Delgaudio, and Staton. Lori Waters remains the ONE Republican on this Board who represents her constituents, and not the machine. THANK YOU LORI. Keep up the good work. If you have them this riled up, you must be doing something RIGHT! (or should I say "correct") "

Arnold wrote on Jan 31, 2007 8:06 PM:

" If Snow, Staton, Clem, DelGaudio and Tulloch read these E-notes, I ask you all to resign now and limit the damage you will do over the next months till November with your pathetic excuses about how the WashPost article is nothing. You have had your run and you failed miserably. You have taken one of the most precious tennants of our democracy and sold out for the developer dollars. I am sure you all will do well in your next job with Toll Brothers or Greedvest...but your names will be forever linked to these dark days of Loudoun, much like Enron, Watergate etc. Shame on you, you are disgusting individuals and deserve to spend the rest of your lives in disgrace. "

Dean Settle wrote on Jan 31, 2007 7:19 PM:

" She wrote it, and put a whole lists of things that clear up the public portion and forbid the private functions. All of her donations are public. All of the other's are pretty much public, as far as official donations to campaigns...but there are other monies that didn't make the public course. Like Dale Polen-Myer's $12.2 MIL windfall. Maybe that didn't make it into the supervisor's pockets, but it made it into hers...all on taxpayer's backs once the building started and the infrastructure beckoned for payment. That is just one of many instances where the taxpayer picked up the slack for a shady deal where somebody else got rich because of a supervisor's vote. THAT is the bottom line. Lori has been clean and has acted to stop the greed for over two and a half years....something that the others haven't come clean on to this day. I read a bit of desperation into comments degrading her. The only ones going down in November are the gang of unapolgetic grab-arses who still need to come clean. "

Democrat wrote on Jan 31, 2007 5:10 PM:

" I dont think contributor was attacking ms. waters, but was saying she received a lot of campiagn money from the west along with many perks. Either way the Democrat needs to win this seat to bring back respectability to Broad Run... "

Stop the BS wrote on Jan 31, 2007 4:10 PM:

" Lori Waters is now being attacked for being a good mother. How charming. "

Brin Luther wrote on Jan 31, 2007 2:28 PM:

" It appears that the only two ways to truly improve the swamp we find our county has become are typical of the political process for our country. First: VOTE the gang of 4 out next November and second; CONTRIBUTE time or money to the campaigns of those who will defeat these 4 and then possibly we will have a board in 2008 that will not cave on ALL the upcoming rezonings and law suits which will make the one defeat of the Dulles CPAM earlier this year look like a cake walk. We are in round 1 of a battle that will last well into the next decade regardless of our county's bond rating or the housing and employment markets in our region. "

New Math wrote on Jan 31, 2007 2:23 PM:

" "Contributors" - I just looked at the campaign finance filings myself, and you just lied. There were multiple contributors to Lori Waters from within the Broad Run District. Your lies don't help your cause. And given the number of moms in this community, your anti-mother comments don't help you either. "

contributors wrote on Jan 31, 2007 1:37 PM:

" Why is it that Lori only has one contributor from her own district? if she is serving Broad Run so well, how come Bob Gordon and wealthy PEC types are funding her campaign? and yeah nice trips Lori, that along with all you Baby and Me outings, avoiding constituents, makes being a supervisor a pretty plush job, huh! "

Ryan Fan wrote on Jan 31, 2007 1:15 PM:

" It's one thing to sign a document it's another thing to act accordingly - Lori voted three times that we know of and was reported on in the Washington Post - these are facts. When her time came to stand strong - she failed the people of Broad Run! "

Lori Fan wrote on Jan 31, 2007 12:44 PM:

" Here comes the "Attack Lori Waters to Divert Attention From the Real Crooks" machine again! Any trips she took were for economic development purposes and cleared by several reviews. She's shown the resolve to stand up to the Good Old Boy (And One Good Old "Svengali" Gal) where the real problems lie. Lori is as clean as they come. This is such desperation. "

holier than thou wrote on Jan 31, 2007 12:36 PM:

" Ms. Waters what about all those fancy trips? to Utah? and all that computer equipment in your house? Nice percs of public service...and Mr. Burton, nice easement on your ten acres..,.see that you gave up all of your developement rights on your FLOODPLAIN and took a big tax break for it, and because you have eased your property, now you get thousands of dollars off of your taxes each year, as if you are farming it...Nice little perc to public office...manipulate the laws to get a little tax raise..everyone why don't you look up Mr. Burton's tax assessment...see how honest he is... "

Gov't by the People wrote on Jan 31, 2007 12:29 PM:

" The only way to restore public trust in Loudoun is to get rid of the STD'S. "

Steve Hines wrote on Jan 31, 2007 9:34 AM:

" Regain public trust? Confidence in the decisions of the BOS and PC? We're in such trouble in Loudoun that public trust and confidence in our public servants will take years to rebuild. We deserve an overhaul. There can't be any question about the need for an ethics statement. And, we need an IG as part of the process as well. In addition, the citizens deserve an open and accurate accounting of the proffers this BOS has accepted. No one on the BOS or on staff can provide a list what developers have offered for their rezonings, what has been delivered and, what is being ignored. Millions of dollars are at stake. Our problems go much deeper than signed ethics pledges. We need action. Folks can pretend November isn't important... The voters take a different view. "

Question wrote on Jan 31, 2007 9:13 AM:

" To 529 plans-Are you suggesting pay-offs have been made to college plans? Do you know something or are you just curious? "

LCRC and its Pledge! wrote on Jan 31, 2007 9:05 AM:

" The LCRC requires everyone to sign a pledge to support all candidates -- no matter how corrupt they are. Chairman Protic cannot even get the corrupt,(current) elected Republicans (Snow, Delgaudio, Staton and Tulloch), expect Lori Waters who volunteered and sponsored it, to sign a Code of Ethics and Standards pledge. Well the LCRC's ethics and standards with Staton, Delgaudio, Tulloch and Snow are so low these 4 cannot not even raise their head off the ground without bumping into the ethics bar. The LCRC leadership, Protic, Volpe, Myers, Shockeys and the Gang of 4 need to resign from the LCRC and "respected" elected offices. This is the only way to save the Republican Party, the people of Loudoun from this embarrassment and restore confidence in the political system. "

Tom Conway wrote on Jan 31, 2007 8:56 AM:

" There is a distinction between laws and ethics/morals. You can be forced to obey laws but your soul/conscience guides ethical/moral behavior. Kudus to the five who voluntarily signed the ethics pledge earlier on - you have shown your true colors as respectable public servants. Kudu's also to STD's for refusing to sign the same document when you had the voluntary option to do so - you too have shown your true colors and LACK of ethics/ morality. You are not fit to serve. Now any Loudoun citizen voter who had doubts which side of the line you reside on can see for themselves. STD's may vote to now require ethics/disclosure but their past actions show where there heads, hearts, and hands have really been. First impressions.... "

529 plans wrote on Jan 31, 2007 7:14 AM:

" The BOS should include disclosure of contributions made to 529 college savings plans as well. "

county employees wrote on Jan 31, 2007 7:12 AM:

" The Cuounty Attorney has a permanent slush fund of at least several hundred thousands of dollars, to retain "friends" as outside counsel to defend the county. Who oversees how this is used in an ethical manner? No one. Someone needs to look into this. Our tax money is sliding out the door into greedy pockets in all kinds of ways. "

Dean Settle wrote on Jan 30, 2007 10:30 PM:

" broaden the disclosure... Lets be happy if we get something in place to disclose public servants and their personal interest in developer's projects before we move on to "supposed" gains by people living next door to but who cannot be proven that they recieved anything. Learn the scope of what can be genuinely proven and enforced before you type. And the first step is in realizing that Tulloch, Snow, Delgaudio and Staton somehow didn't find a reason to be bound by any nasty ol' ethics pledge. There's quite a bit of information in their refusal to do so. "

Wayde York wrote on Jan 30, 2007 9:48 PM:

" I think Prudence in Political Contributions would be better served if the contributions from developers and everyone else's were made public. Prohitibing a group from participating in the political process seems like a slippery slope. "

Guilt by Association wrote on Jan 30, 2007 6:43 PM:

" Well, well, Delgaudio, Staton, Tulloch and Snow just showed their true side. They cannot even co-sponsor the bill. Their conscience must really be getting to them...if it hasn't the voters will in November. Resign before your embarrassed by the lopsided loss this November. "

Lori Fan wrote on Jan 30, 2007 6:43 PM:

" The hit machine continues on Lori Waters! Check out the ethics pledge signed by five supervisors, she's on it while Delgaudio, Snow, Staton, and Tulloch aren't - something about they don't need to sign a pledge when they know what ethics is. Lori will be the first to tell you she was a bit green in the beginnning, but has turned in to a fine supervisor willing to put up with potshots like these to stand up to the well connected for the good of the citizenry. "

It is never too late wrote on Jan 30, 2007 6:14 PM:

" A lot of mistakes have been made, and many public officials look bad. It is not too late to start though, and this board should adopt the strictest ethical standards possible, that will apply now and to following boards. If you took money or a gift or a vacation from someone with an interest in your upcoming decisions, or their company, or their wife, or anyone with a direct economic interest, then DISCLOSE it. Recuse yourself on decisions regarding people that you cannot possibly be objective about: personal friends, family, business partners, people you have consulted for, etc...When in doubt, don't vote. Adopt strict standards now. "

Public Trust wrote on Jan 30, 2007 5:34 PM:

" If the BOS is concerned with ethics and the public trust, they're about 3 1/2 years too late. "

What humor wrote on Jan 30, 2007 5:34 PM:

" He He They should have all abstained as they have a conflict. HaHa "

broaden the disclosure wrote on Jan 30, 2007 5:26 PM:

" Will the Board also disclose the names of adjoining neighbors or other interested parties -- or anyone who benefits from a land use decision-- but are not the "owners" or "applicants?" Will the Board disclose meetintgs that they have had with any interested person, owner or not, applicant or not? So many properties are owned by LLC's and donations come in circuitous ways. There needs to be a disclosure law for all applicants--put the burden on any applicant to disclose all parties of interest, and all donations and meetings, and put in some sort of penalty for failure to properly disclose.... Also, citizens should be able to point out conflicts and call for Board members to recuse themselves if they take a donation from anyone who will benefit...or if the Board member is acting in a known "friend's" interest.. Board members should have sense enough to not vote on a personal friends' behalf... at a minimum, the Board member must disclose the friendship and say why it is important to vote that one vote.. "

Lots of Laughs wrote on Jan 30, 2007 4:48 PM:

" Waters pushing for improving ethics policies, after being very unethical as outlined in the Washington Post? The Democrats are going to have a field day come November... "

Ethics? Here? wrote on Jan 30, 2007 1:54 PM:

" I don't see the STD's (Snow, Tulloch, Del-gotta-go, and Staton) agreeing with any code of ethics. But then, I wouldn't have expected them to. "



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