Loudoun Now for Feb. 25, 2016 by Loudoun Now

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LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE

[ Vol. 1, No. 16 ]

[ loudounnow.com ]

Theater pros prop up school play ....... 26

Courthouse expansion gets green light ........... 33

[ February 25 – March 2, 2016 ]

CASE DISMISSED

Hounds stadium lease terminated; One Loudoun to pursue sports complex BY NORMAN K. STYER

six-minute hearing in Loudoun Circuit Court on Tuesday provided significant relief to years of frustration for the developers of One Loudoun. After a nearly two-year court battle, Judge Burke F. McCahill signed the order dismissing the lawsuit against Virginia Investment Partnership, the group that worked for more than a decade to build a stadium for an Atlantic Baseball League franchise—to be called the Loudoun Hounds—and a soccer team in Ashburn. The order resulted from a settlement agreement hammered out over the past several weeks and terminates VIP’s lease for the land planned for the stadium near the Rt. 7/Loudoun County Parkway interchange. That’s what One Loudoun Holdings, LLC, asked for in 2014, after a series of delays in VIP’s construction plans called the project’s feasibility into question. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2013, but the stadium never got off the ground. The case had been set for trial next month. The two sides first told McCahill they were working toward a settlement in early January, but an agreement proved elusive. As they approached the court date, VIP’s final remaining officer, Bob Farren, underwent cancer treatment, which threatened to delay the trial. Attorneys have been before McCahill each week this month to report on their progress toward a settlement, with nothing definitive to report until Tuesday. Miller and Smith Vice President Bill May, who leads the One Loudoun development, said he plans to bring the vision of building a stadium for baseball and soccer teams to fruition. “We look forward to now being able to pursue getting a ballpark, to test the market for a ballpark,” May said. “We think there is a strong demand for this kind of entertainment in the area. We’re going to work very hard to bring it to One Loudoun and to Loudoun County.” One Loudoun is one of two locations approved for development of a sports stadium. VIP initially won approval to build a stadium in the Kincora development near the Rt. 7/Rt. 28 interchange, but abandoned the site when that development stalled. That zoning remains in place. The Loudoun market appears well-suited for a sports complex, May acknowledged that there are major hurdles to the project. “We’re going to have to start from scratch,” he said. And financing will be a challenge. “Getting a ballpark built without public funding is a very difficult task.” The previous Board of Supervisors rejected a plan that would have allowed the county to help underwrite bonds for VIP’s stadium. The courtroom dealings in the case may not be over, however. One Loudoun’s attorney previously indicated they may seek formal sanctions against VIP’s original attorneys who filed a $30 million counter-claim lawsuit.

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

The Second Street School in Waterford has been a history tour site for thousands of Loudoun schoolchildren as they recreate a day in the life of black children in the late 19th century.

A NEW FACE FOR HISTORY?

Mosby Heritage Association reconsiders symbol amid national debate over Civil War monuments BY MARGARET MORTON

he national debate over race relations that ignited after the June 17, 2015, murders in Charleston, SC, is resonating in Loudoun—evoking a sharpened interest in how black history is presented. The killing of nine black parishioners during a prayer service at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston by 21-year-old Dylann Roof horrified the nation. Photos of Roof posing with guns and a Confederate battle flag prompted calls for the removal of Confederate symbols from statehouses and courthouses across the South. Loudoun County has just concluded a five-year commemoration of the Sesquicentennial

! LE W SA NO N O

of the Civil War, historians’ lens seem refocused by the national enquiry—reevaluating their presentations on slavery, the Civil War and the Confederacy, the bitter reconstruction period, segregation, Jim Crow laws, and the Civil Rights era.

Looking Beyond the Civil War “Of course, there’s an impact on any interpretation dealing with American history,” said Mosby Heritage Area Association President Childs Burden, who co-founded the organization in 1995. “You have to know the real meaning of the war—it can’t be ignored, when one side embraced slavery and the other did not.” The MHAA, spurred by the Charleston murders, tasked its Outreach Committee with

re-thinking its entire approach for the heritage area, including whether the nonprofit should change its name and its logo— which depicts Confederate guerilla leader Col. John Singleton Mosby. Mosby fought hard for the Confederate cause and lost. But after the war, he became a friend of Union General Ulysses S. Grant, eventually joining his administration. The MHAA’s logo can be seen on the roadside signs marking the geographic area in which Mosby conducted his raids. And whether that is the right focus is the question, said Executive Director Rich Gillespie. The stories of the area— Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke and part of Prince William

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Taxing Loudoun

Schools Closed for Primary Day

PROPERTY TAXES AS A PERCENTAGE OF MEDIAN INCOME

BY DANIELLE NADLER

4.47 3.89

3.85

2006 2010 (.89/$100) (1.3/$100)

2016 OPTION 1 (1.14/$100)

2016 OPTION 2 (1.15/$100)

2015 2016 (1.135/$100) OPTION (1.17/$100)

How much of your paycheck does the county get? BY RENSS GREENE The Loudoun Board of Supervisors is in a big debate over a little number: $1.135. That’s the current real estate tax rate. It’s how much the county charges a real estate owner per $100 of value. But there’s more to your tax bill than the tax rate. It’s fairly simple math: If your house and the lot it stands on are worth $200,000 at fair market values, divide that number by $100 and get 2,000. Then multiply that by $1.135 and get $2,270. That’s your real estate tax in 2015. “It’s a combination of the tax rate and the assessment,” said Loudoun County Treasurer H Roger Zurn Jr. “A couple of years ago, they lowered the tax rate, but in fact assessments went up, so the average tax bill in fact went up.” So how much of your paycheck does the real estate tax eat up?

The Median Househould To figure it out, let’s imagine a median Loudoun household: a fictional family that earns the median wage and owns a home worth the median home value. At the median income, half of households make more money and half make less. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2014, the most recent year for which census numbers are available, the median home value in Loudoun County was $474,600. At the 2015 tax rate, $1.135, that means that

homeowner paid $5,386.71 in real estate taxes. How heavy a burden is that on the family? This hypothetical median household also brings in the median 2014 Loudoun County income: $140,392. That means they spent 3.84 percent of their total annual income just on real estate taxes in 2015.

Where Does Loudoun Stand? Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) has said that Loudoun has the highest real estate taxes around. On top of it, she says, even with the county’s high median income, living here isn’t cheap. “If you were to compare it across the country, what we have is the highest median household income,” Volpe said. “No one wants to look at the other piece of that puzzle, because in other areas the cost of living is lower, the cost of housing is lower, the cost of even commuting to work is lower.” So when someone says Loudoun has the highest tax rate, what do they mean? How does that compare to other Virginia counties? It’s true that Loudoun pays the highest base real estate tax rate among Virginia counties. But as a percentage of income, Loudoun pays more than most, but not all. The median Prince William County household pays only $3,826 in taxes, about 3.5 percent of income, both less than Loudoun. But the median Fairfax houseTAXING LOUDOUN >> 22

PRIMARY DAY >> 24

Record turnout expected Presidential hopefuls are counting on voters in Loudoun, considered a political bellweather, to come to the polls next week. Virginia is one of 12 states voting on Super Tuesday, March 1. The commonwealth has open primaries, and voters in the Republican race will not be required to sign a statement of affiliation, as the party had previously planned. Voters will need a valid photo ID to vote. The county is expecting high turnout, in line with other primaries around the country. “We are anticipating at this time at least a 30 percent turnout or slightly higher, which is similar to the November 2015 turnout,” said Judith A. Brown, Loudoun County General Registrar. She said the presidential primary in February 2008 saw a 31.4 percent turnout despite ice storms in the afternoon. Republicans Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and John Kasich are still in the race. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders and Hilary Clinton continue to vie for their party’s nomination. Because ballots are printed several weeks in advance, the ballots will also include the names of several people who have dropped out of the race: for Democrats, Martin O’Malley; and for Republicans, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore, Christ Christie, Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum, and Carly Fiorina. Polls are open March 1 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The last day to vote an absentee ballot in person is Saturday, Feb. 27, before 5 p.m. Loudouners vote in primaries at their normal polling places. For more information, visit sbe.virginia.gov or loudoun. gov/voting.

Sex trafficking under our noses ............................... 8 Class at heart of school boundary debate ............... 14

Leesburg fills out council— finally .............. 10

Crime ........................................6 Louduon Gov ........................12 Education ..............................14 Our Towns .............................17 Biz ...........................................26

LoCo Living ............................28 Classifieds ..............................34 Opinion .................................36

loudounnow.com

[ INDEX ]

3.85

3.96

4.59

When voters head to the polls on Super Tuesday—66 of which are at Loudoun County schools—students will stay home. After a week of heated debate among parents and elected officials over whether to close schools on primary day, March 1, the Loudoun County School Board voted Tuesday to cancel classes. Most of the county’s 97 polling stations are housed in public schools, and this year’s primary election is expected to draw the biggest turnout of any primary in recent history. The School Board voted earlier this month to delay school on March 1 by two hours, to let the morning Election Day rush pass before students arrive. But a recommendation sent to board members Monday from Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman to close the schools prompted the board to reverse its decision. In a 6-1-1 vote, the board voted to instead make Tuesday a teacher work day. Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) opposed the motion; Tom Marshall (Leesburg) abstained. In Chapman’s email, the sheriff said his office has received no specific threats. But he raised concerns about the school buildings being opened to the public and noted, “vehicles coming in and out of school parking lots throughout the day may add to the confusion.” Loudoun County General Registrar Judy Brown on Monday also suggested closing schools, after initially recommending a two-hour delay. The sheriff ’s recommendation—and Brown’s change of mind—stem from an outpouring from parents and students who took to social media and launched an online petition objecting to the decision to hold school at all that day. As of Tuesday evening, the petition had more than 3,000 signatures. In an interview, parent Carisa Knox said she was worried that

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Board Reverses Decision:

[ A LOUDOUN MOMENT ]

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gether. “It was an obsession that turned to rage and resulted After hearing six days of in the premeditated murder testimony, several hours of of Roxana Rico,” Vernail said. closing arguments and less She stressed that 24 stab than a day of deliberations, a wounds were found on Rico’s Loudoun jury Tuesday found body and said, “It’s the defenMarco Corletto guilty of secdant’s intentional actions that ond-degree murder. resulted in Roxana’s death.” Corletto, 43, was charged Marco Corletto His attorney, Loudoun with first-degree murder and County public defender Kelly stabbing in the commission King, told jurors that prosecuof a felony in the 2014 death tors did not bring forward any evidence of his estranged wife. Leesburg Police Department say that to show that it was Corletto who branCorletto repeatedly stabbed 31-year-old dished the knife. In fact, King stressed, estranged Roxana Rico, inside the stair- it was Rico who exited her apartment to well of a Clubhouse Drive apartment confront Corletto in the parking lot that building on May 16, 2014. Rico was afternoon. “It’s clear she wasn’t afraid of him,” flown from the scene to at Inova Fairfax King said. Hospital, where she died. King argued that the stabbing was not Corletto was also airlifted that day to the hospital for treatment of self-inflict- premeditated, pointing to a phone conversation Corletto had with his sister ed stab wounds. Corletto pleaded not guilty to first-de- shortly after the incident where he said, gree murder. He said on the stand Mon- “I lost it. I freaked out.” “That’s not premeditation,” King told day that it was Rico who first brandished the knife, and he grabbed it from her the jury. “That’s not someone with a sound mind who can sit and reflect and and stabbed her in self-defense. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney plan this act.” The jury agreed, finding Corletto Angela Vernail argued that Corletto had planned to kill Rico, and that the guilty of the reduced charge. The jury was scheduled to return to couple, who were separated and living apart, had frequent arguments over court Wednesday morning to hear testitheir two school-aged children. Vernail mony and decide Corletto’s sentence. He told the jury that the two had a “rocky faces five to 40 years in prison. relationship, ” and Corletto was ob2.25.16 Aviethat LN HalfPg (CS).pdf 1 2/23/16 5:22 PM sessed with trying to keep the family todnadler@loudounnow.com

BY DANIELLE NADLER

5 February 25 – March 2, 2016

Leesburg Man Found Guilty of Murder in Wife’s Death

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Robbery Cited as Motive In Fatal Maryland Shooting The Prince George’s County Police Department last week charged two Maryland men with murder in the fatal shooting of a Leesburg man. Police said Eric Garris, 29, of Waldorf, MD, and Taqwa Muhammad, 26, of Lusby, MD, robbed Osama El-Atari of several items and then shot him and fled. Officers were called to the scene on Armstrong Lane in Upper Marlboro, MD, at around 3:40 pm. Feb. 13. El-Atari was pronounced dead at the scene. Garris and Muhammad are charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder. El-Atari, 37, was a former Loudoun restaurant owner and was convicted of scamming banks out of $71 million in 2009. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and money laundering, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay $53 million in restitution. He was released from prison early, in 2014, after providing federal prosecutors with information obtained from fellow inmates about several criminal cases—including an unsolved 2005 murder of two girls, ages 8 and 9, in Illinois. In that case, conversations El-Atari recorded helped secure a conviction against Jorge Torrez, who was sentenced to death.

Charges Filed Against Drug Supplier in Fatal GHB Overdose

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A Loudoun man was charged with felony drug distribution following the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office investigation into a fatal accidental overdose of a Leesburg woman Michael J. Napier last summer. Michael J. Napier, 32, of South Riding, was arrested Feb. 11 and charged with felony distribution of Gamma-Hydroxybutyric

Acid (GHB). Investigators said Napier provided the drug to the victim during a consensual meeting June 21, 2015, at a home on Pyrite Court in Stone Ridge. He called 911 after he discovered the victim unconscious. She was taken to StoneSprings Emergency Center where she died. An autopsy concluded the woman’s death was accidental and was caused by GHB poisoning. The investigation was coordinated with the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Napier was held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center pending a $20,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear again in Loudoun County District Court for a preliminary hearing April 7. If convicted, he faces a sentence of five to 20 years in prison, and a fine of up to $100,000. GHB is used as a general anesthetic in medical settings, but also is used as an intoxicant with a reputation as a date rape drug.

Leesburg Man Charged for Downtown Burglaries A Leesburg man has been arrested and charged with burglarizing two downtown Leesburg businesses. Martin Strohmeier IV, 32, was arrested on Feb. 17 and charged with two counts of burglary and one count of possession of burglarious tools for incidents at Puccio’s New York Deli and King Street Coffee. Between the evening of Sept. 9, 2015, and the morning of Sept. 10, 2015, Strohmeier forced entry into Puccio’s at 211 Loudoun Street SE. Leesburg Police state that Strohmeier caused in excess of $300 in damage and stole about $20 in loose change. He also apparently forced entry into King Street Coffee, at 110 South King St., causing damage in excess of $590. The burglary at Puccio’s was discovered by a delivery person, and responding officers located the subsequent burglary at King Street Coffee while searching the area. Strohmeier was linked to both burglaries though forensic evidence collected at each scene, according to Leesburg Police. Strohmeier is being held at the Lebanon County Pennsylvania Correctional Facility on a $100,000 bond for the Leesburg warrants and is pending extradition back to Virginia. The pair of burglaries are believed to be related to six other burglaries in downtown Leesburg in 2015. Those investigations are ongoing.

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Loudoun emergency crews rescued a cocker spaniel that had fallen through ice on a pond in Ashburn on Feb. 17. A caller reported the incident at 7:30 a.m. Crews from Ashburn, Moorefield, Leesburg, and Sterling responded to a pond on Windmill Drive. The dog, Tootsie, was about 60 feet from shore and appeared to be in extreme distress.

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[ CRIME LOG ]

FRAUD 200 block of Heather Glen Road, Sterling A caller claiming to be a police officer told the resident a family member had been arrested and payment was required for release. The resident paid the money through a bank account before learning it was a scam.

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY

Thursday, Feb. 18 BURGLARY/ASSAULT 200 block of W. Popular Road, Sterling Jose E. Santa-Cruz, 44, of Sterling, was charged with felony assault and felony abduction after allegedly breaking into a home and later mugging the female resident at knifepoint on Whitfield Place in Cascades.

BURGLARY 20400 Earhart Place, Sterling A resident returned home to find that jewelry was stolen. Earlier in the day, a stranger had come to the door and said he had the wrong address.

AUTO THEFT 44100 block of Tippecanoe Terrace, Ashburn A 2013 Toyota Prius, left running and unat-

AUTO THEFT 43800 block of Kingston Station Terrace, Ashburn A 2005 Nissan Pathfinder left running and unattended was stolen. It was recovered the next day near the intersection of Parc Dulles Square and Boston Terrace. Drunk in Public/Possession of Controlled Substance 25000 block of Riding Plaza, South Riding Deputies were called to a store where a woman was claiming her child was missing. The child was found safe in the care of family members, but the woman was charged with being drunk in public and misdemeanor drug procession.

Saturday, Feb. 20 LARCENY 22300 block of Great Trail Terrace, Sterling A pizza delivery person made a delivery to a person standing outside a residence who grabbed the pizzas and ran without paying. A similar incident occurred in the area recently.

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Sunday, Feb. 21 VEHICLE TRESPASSING 20 block of Wedgedale Drive, Sterling Deputies were called to investigate a report of someone tampering with vehicle. A suspect was found and issued a summons.

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SPOTLIGHT ON SEX TRAFFICKING Ashburn man convicted; community pushes for education BY NORMAN K. STYER

he same day that a 34-yearold Ashburn man was convicted in federal court of having a years-long coerced sexual relationship with a teenage girl brought from El Salvador, those on the front line of Northern Virginia sex trafficking battle urged a crowd at a Lansdowne church to join the fight. Eric Noe Araujo Flores, who also is known as Eric Araujo Orellano, faces 10 years to life in prison following his Feb. 19 conviction by a federal jury on charges of sex trafficking of a child, foreign travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and harboring an alien for an immoral purpose, and coercion and enticement According to court records and evidence at trial, Araujo Flores contacted his former nanny in El Salvador in an effort to find a teenage Salvadoran girl. The nanny put Flores in touch with her 14-year-old niece, who informed Flores that a gang had threatened to harm her and her family and that she needed help. Flores promised to help the girl if she would have sex with him. Beginning in July 2013, Flores made three trips to El Salvador to have sex with her. He paid cash for some of the sex acts and provided the victim and her family with jewelry, food, and clothing. He also paid to have them move residences, and paid her family’s rent. In 2014, Flores paid to have the victim

and her mother smuggled into the United States through Texas. He put them up in a house he owned in Sterling, allowing them to live there rent-free in exchange for sex with the victim, who was then 15 years old. Flores provided the victim with a counterfeit permanent resident card which included a false birthdate indicating she was older than 18. He also continued to provide her with food and jewelry. The case was investigated by the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office Sex Crimes Unit.

Targeting Teens The methods Flores used to control his victim are typical of those engaged in sex trafficking, according to victim advocates, but today’s problem goes far beyond smuggling women into the country for the sex trade. Increasingly, suburban teens also are being targeted by predators, according to Det. Bill Woolf, the Fairfax County Police officer assigned to the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force. In fact, Woolf and Kay Duffield, executive director of the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative, describe Northern Virginia as one of the top five hubs nationally for sex trafficking, which the FBI identifies as the second-fastest growing crime in the U.S. During 2015, more than 50 Northern Virginia teens were identified as victims of sex trafficking and investigators identified 30 new trafficker suspects,

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Kay Duffield, executive director of the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative, says Loudoun residents seem to be in denial over the extent of sex trafficking in the county.

taking 14 into custody. Woolf and Duffield spoke to a crowd at the McLean Bible Church’s Lansdowne Campus Friday night to raise awareness of the issue and urge the community to get involved. Throughout their presentations, speakers avoided the term prostitution, which Woolf said conveys a sense of consent. “These individuals have no idea what is going on. The traffickers control them,” Woolf said. “These people feel very helpless. They feel trapped.” In many cases the traffickers target teen girls—and boys— with low

self-esteem, disjointed family lives and uninvolved parents. They pretend to offer love and then provide their victims with gifts, food, shelter and other items to maintain their trust and dependence while forcing them to engage in sexual acts. When victims resist, their abusers threaten to harm them or their family members, Woolf said. The detective said that often family members are unaware their child is involved in the sex trade. Generally, they go to school and are home each night, he said. It’s in the hours between school SEX TRAFFICKING >> 9

and home where liaisons frequently occur. Most shocking to many of those gathered at the church was Woolf ’s description of the typical customers in the Northern Virginia’s sex trade. They are middle- to upper-class white men, 35-45 years old, who go to church on Sunday and home to their wife and kids each night. Only sometimes, they stop at a hotel on the way home to pay to have sex with a teen they arranged to meet through Craigslist or some other Internet site. Duffield, whose organization helps sex trafficking victims in the region to recover, is a Loudoun resident. She said her county “seems to be in denial that it exists.” She discussed the long road victims face from the trauma, as they learn to trust again. “I am shocked at just how little these survivors have had kind words spoken their way,” Duffield said. She worked with the victim in the Flores case and said few sex trafficking victims get the opportunity—or have the strength—to testify against their tormentors. “Praise God justice was done,” Duffield said. “Pray for her. She had to get up on the stand and re-live it all again this week.” Woolf and Duffield pointed to a number of ways residents can learn more about the issue. They agree that the best way to combat the problem is to change

Drop the Denial

the culture by talking about it. Woolf helps lead a public awareness website—justaskprevention.com—that includes information to help students, parents and the community at large better recognize those who may be involved in sex trafficking and better understand its impacts. Woolf also developed an educational program, designed to fit with the school systems’ Family Life Education curricula. The information to help students recognize and resist being targeted by sex traffickers is presented starting in the sixth grade. Fairfax County has offered the classes for several years, but they are not offered to Loudoun students. That’s something Woolf, Duffield and the crowd gathered at the church hope to change. By this week, School Board Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) began receiving letters distributed at the meeting urging the adoption of the Teen Sex Trafficking curriculum and the development of a comprehensive plan to educate students and their parents about the issue. Sheriff Mike Chapman also is a target of the letter-writing campaign. He is being urged to develop a strategic plan to address the problem and to designate specific deputies to identify sex trafficking victims and arrest their abusers. Will a letter-writing campaign have an impact? One Loudoun high school employee in the audience thought it might. “This is Loudoun County. It is amazing what parents can do. We don’t have exams anymore.”

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Sex trafficking << FROM 8

loudounnow.com

Arts Commission Launches Art in the Park Project

TOWN TAX HIKE? Leesburg starts with $94M budget, Dentler advises tax rate increase BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

[ TOWN BRIEFS ]

[ LEESBURG ]

slight increase to the Leesburg tax rate will be needed to keep up with service level expectations and proper fiscal planning. That was the message delivered by Town Manager Kaj Dentler to the Leesburg Town Council Tuesday night, as he presented the initial fiscal year 2017 budget. The town operates with a biannual budget and this year’s spending plan is considered a “budget by exception,” with much of the fiscal picture and plan laid out last year. In total, Dentler’s initial budget breakdown has $55 million total in expenditures and debt service pegged for the General Fund; $1.7 million in the Capital Asset Replacement Fund; $13 million in the Capital Fund; and $21 million in the Utility Fund. The town is also anticipating $3.3 million in funding from the Northern Virginia Transit Authority to pay for transportation projects in Leesburg. The total budget is a 4 percent decrease from the current fiscal year’s budget. A major headline is a 43 percent increase in General Fund debt service, thanks to the “fiscal cliff ” created when putting together the FY11 budget. That year, town staff restructured $2.4 million in debt and in anticipation of this increase, the town has set aside funds in a Debt Service Reserve in order to avoid increasing taxes in FY17 and subsequent years. At one time, a 5-cent future tax rate increase phased over a three-year period was possible if appropriate reserves had not been set aside. The increased debt service costs will be funded with the accumulated funds in the Debt Service Reserve. One significant change between last year’s FY16 budget adoption and putting together this year’s FY17 budget is an 18 percent savings in the town’s health insurance and other post-employment benefit costs. In addition to issuing a request for bids for the town’s health insurance contract, town management actively pursued other

SPEAK UP What: Leesburg Budget Public Hearing When: 7:30 p.m. March 8 and April 11 Where: Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W Market St. Details: www.leesburgva.gov

options, resulting in the expected decrease. The savings will be used to provide cash funding for Capital Projects management costs and to absorb some of the operational cost increases in Public Works and Information Technology. Leesburg homeowners can expect a small increase in the average tax bill, which Dentler estimates to be at about 2 percent. Single-family home assessments were down 0.8 percent; townhouse assessments were up 0.9 percent; and condominiums were down 1.3 percent. Commercial properties in town saw an average assessment increase of 2.32 percent. In Leesburg, 30 percent of commercial properties are tax-exempt. This proportion includes schools, government buildings and the Federal Aviation Administration, to name a few. Dentler is proposing a real estate tax rate of 18.72 cents per $100 of assessed value, which adds together the equalized tax rate of 18.6 cents plus 0.12 cents to account for inflation. Dentler noted that this is the first time that the proposed tax rate includes an inflation factor, and he said he decided to include this to better account for operating costs. While the budget over the past few years has stayed fairly level, Leesburg has added a significant amount of new or wider roads, as well as more rooftops, and town services have had to keep up with this demand. “We have 50 lane miles more than we did 10 years ago but the same number of [staff] and equipment. The same

dollars too,” he said. In another example, Dentler noted that the cost of providing biweekly trash service to Leesburg residences has risen by $200,000 in the past year alone. Dentler recommended that the council advertise a tax rate of 19.72 cents to provide more flexibility in what tax rate can be adopted. The council can still adopt a lower tax rate than is advertised, but not one higher than what is advertised. Dentler is proposing 3 percent pay-for-performance raises for selected full- and part-time town employees, but no cost-of-living adjustments for any employees. For the first time in many years he is also proposing the addition of one full-time staff position—a network administrator to keep up with the growing IT demands in Town Hall. This would replace a contractual position and should end up saving the town about $50,000 a year. Other notable expenses include $60,000 earmarked for downtown initiatives, including marketing the Arts and Cultural District and creating a regular “energy” in the downtown area to attract residents and visitors. Dentler is also proposing to outfit the Leesburg Police Department with new in-car cameras as well as body cameras for each patrol officer. He is also eying the creation of a youth leadership academy run through the police department which will be geared toward teens between the ages of 16 and 20. A budget public hearing is planned for the council’s Tuesday, March 8, meeting. A half-day budget work session is tentatively planned for the morning of Saturday, March 12, with an additional mark-up session scheduled for the council’s Monday, April 11, work session. That night will also have a public hearing for the tax rate as well as its potential adoption. The town budget and Capital Improvements Plan is expected to be adopted at the council’s Tuesday, April 12 meeting. krodriguez@loudounnow

FINALLY, A FULL COUNCIL Gemmill appointed to fill Butler’s seat BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ The Leesburg Town Council finally has its seventh member. R. Bruce Gemmill was appointed to the council Monday night, filling a seat vacated by the appointment of David Butler to mayor earlier this month. Sixteen town residents

R. Bruce Gemmill

applied to be considered for the post. Only one made it to a vote. Gemmill is the senior vice president for marketing and public relations at John Marshall Bank and serves on the boards for both Visit Loudoun and the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. He was also the Board of Supervisors’ appointee to the Leesburg Air-

port Commission and served on the town Economic Development Commission’s Performing Arts Center Task Force and Commission on Public Art. Prior to joining John Marshall Bank, Gemmill was the owner and operator of Campbell Communications, an advertising and public relations agency, for 21 years. He has lived in Leesburg since 2005. On his appointment to the council, FULL COUNCIL >> 38

The Leesburg Commission on Public Arts is seeking submissions for the inaugural installations in ArtsPARKs, an outdoor sculpture exhibit in Raflo Park. ArtsPARKs is a collaboration between the Commission on Public Art and the Friends of Leesburg Public Arts, a nonprofit organization. For the inaugural ArtsPARKs program, five artists or teams of artists will be selected for a two-year installation of public art along a newly constructed paved walkway in Raflo Park. Artworks will be on loan for the duration of the installation and must be for sale. The submission deadline is March 7. Artists will be selected and notified by the end of March. Artworks will be installed in June, and unveiled in a July 2 ceremony. For complete submission guidelines and instructions, go to leesburgva. gov/artsparks-call-for-artists. ArtsPARKS was made possible by donations from Lansdowne Development Company, Middleburg Bank and the Friends of Leesburg Public Arts.

Career Expo Invites Business Participation Area businesses are urged to participate in an upcoming career expo hosted by the Town of Leesburg. On Saturday, April 9, the town will hold the fourth annual Career Expo for Students and Recent Graduates. The event is being held at Tuscarora High School, located at 801 N. King St., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Businesses are invited to submit a request to participate at leesburgva.gov/careerexpo. Businesses may submit requests until Friday, March 4. There is no cost to participate. While submitting a request to participate is not a guarantee of acceptance, notification of acceptance will be sent no later than Friday, March 11. The expo is an opportunity to hire local students to fill parttime, full-time, seasonal and intern positions. For more information about the expo, contact Business Development Manager Kindra Harvey at kindra.jackson@leesburgva.gov or 703-771-6530.

Spring Bling Set for March 5 Leesburg’s Department of Parks and Recreation will hold the Spring Bling, A Hometown Fine Arts & Crafts Show, on Saturday, March 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The indoor event will be held at Ida Lee Park Recreation Center in the main hallway, TOWN BRIEFS >> 38

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The Town of Leesburg has set the wheels in motion in its search for its next police chief. Current chief Joseph Price’s resignation from his post of 16 years takes effect March 1. Captain Vanessa Grigsby will serve in his stead during the search process. Last week, representatives from a search firm hired by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which is heading up the recruitment process, hosted two input sessions at Ida Lee Park Recreation Center to gather feedback from members of the public as the search begins in earnest. An afternoon session on Feb. 17 was geared toward the business community, while an evening session was open to the public at large. All told, about 30 people attended the two sessions. Dr. Jessie Lee Jr., president and CEO of Leedone Associates LLC, which specializes in law enforcement, led the discussions. Those who did participate offered their feedback on a number of questions posed by Lee, including the qualities necessary in Leesburg’s next police chief; short- and long-term goals they would like to see the new chief tackle; and any challenges the next chief may face. Neil Steinberg, owner-operator of Photoworks, said he’d like to see more cooperation from police leadership. “It shouldn’t be an us-against-them kind of thing,” he added, “… so that everyone feels like the police force is a member of the community, with the same interests as other members of the community.” Others said the next chief should educate Leesburg police officers on recognizing and interacting with people with mental illnesses or disabilities in crisis situations, especially distinguishing that behavior from erratic or drug-influenced behavior. “There’s nothing more tragic than when someone with a mental illness is killed by a police officer,” said one attendee. Town resident Frank Holtz, who is vice chairman of the Loudoun County Crime Commission, said Price has

done an outstanding job of running the department over the years and taking charge in adverse situations. “It’s a tough job. I just hope someone picks out the best person for the job and it’s not a political thing but more of it’s the person who has the best qualifications for this position,” he said. Lee noted that he expects the process of selecting a new police chief to take four to six months. He said the applicants will be whittled down based on the needs expressed by those who he and others involved in the search process have spoken with, and ultimately the final few candidates will be vetted directly by town staff. Under Leesburg’s charter, the town manager hires the police chief with the review and consent of the Town Council. Lee said he believes there will be nationwide interest in the position. “There are a lot of great individuals out there but not everyone will be great for here,” he said. “You’re not just picking an individual who has a great résumé but someone who meets the needs of Leesburg.” Councilman Tom Dunn, who attended the evening session, said he wants the next police chief to not be afraid to tell the council what he or she needs to effectively run the police department. “Don’t say what you think the council wants to hear,” he said. “I want the police chief to ask me what they need and I decide whether there’s a budget for that. If you don’t ask you’re not going to get it.” Both Dunn and former Town Council member Kevin Wright, who is running in the mayor’s race in November’s general elections and who also attended the meeting, said they would like to see the new police chief have community policing experience, as well as familiarity with dealing with town-county relationships. They said the next chief should be ready and able to enhance collaboration between the town’s police department and the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Dr. Jessie Lee Jr., president and CEO of Leedone Associates LLC, moderates a public input session as the Town of Leesburg and the International Association of Chiefs of Police try to find out what kind of person would be the next right Leesburg police chief.

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Sharon Buchanan, Broker/Owner

[ LOUDOUN GOV ]

loudounnow.com

Supervisors Question School Budget

BY RENSS GREENE

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) asked county staff to put a number to how much proffer limitations will cost the county.

SUPERVISORS WANT TO KNOW How much will the proffer bills cost Loudoun? BY RENSS GREENE

he Loudoun Board of Supervisors has been strident in its objections to a bill passed in the General Assembly that limit localities’ abilities to request or accept proffers from developers. But proffers, like the growth in Loudoun that they help support, are a complicated topic, and quantifying the impact of legislation that hasn’t gone into effect yet is difficult. “The more we look at this bill, the more we see unintended consequences,” warned Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn). Now, Loudoun will try to put a number on it. The Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution directing the county staff to conduct an impact study and forward the results to state House and Senate leadership, members of Loudoun’s assembly delegation, and Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D.) “This board, “THE MORE WE for the last four LOOK AT THIS BILL, or five years, has worked diligentTHE MORE WE ly to improve the SEE UNINTENDED process here in County, CONSEQUENCES.” Loudoun and the Virginia building association, I feel, has literally slapped us in the face,” said Supervisor Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian), who made the motion. “We approach all of this in good faith.” The Homebuilders Association of Virginia penned the first draft of the proffer bills in the General Assembly. Proffers are deals struck when developers request rezoning a parcel for development. They are agreements developers make to offset their projects’ impact on county services. For example, it may include helping to pay for classroom space needed to accommodate the school-aged children who will live in a planned development or providing land for parks or fire stations. When considering a rezoning request, Loudoun planners calculate the anticipated proffer contribution of a development based on the project’s impact to a variety of services—

HOW THEY VOTED In Favor Sen. Richard H. Black (R-13) Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-31) Del. Dave A. LaRock (R-33) Del. James M. LeMunyon (R-67)

Opposed Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-27) Sen. Jennifer T. Wexton (D-33) Del. Thomas A. “Tag” Greason (R-32) Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-34) Del. Jennifer B. Boysko (D-86), Del. John J. Bell (D-87) Del. J. Randall Minchew (R-10), a land use attorney, was listed as not voting. how much extra it will cost to keep up with fire and rescue, schools, or libraries, for example. The county’s proffer formula even considers different housing types, with single-family homes having a greater cost impact than townhouses or apartments because of the number of school aged children expected to live in them. Under these proffer bills, Assistant County Administrator Charles Yudd said the county could not include some impacts in its proffer calculations. Buona gave an example: “The landfill. Every citizen uses the landfill, but we couldn’t use that, right?” Volpe’s motion directs the staff to calculate the difference between proffers collected as part of Loudoun rezonings in the past 25 years and what would have been permitted under the proposed rules. “This has more far-reaching implications than what we realize until we literally run down a list,” Volpe said. The Senate and House have both passed SB 549, introduced by Harrisonburg Senator Mark D. Obenshain (R-26) and Springfield Senator Richard L. Saslaw (D-35). The House approved the Senate bill by a 72-26-2 vote on Tuesday. rgreene@loudounnow.com

The School Board got its first chance to present its requested budget to the Board of Supervisors in person Monday, and supervisors came armed with questions. Superintendent Dr. Eric Williams outlined a billion-dollar budget request that includes an 8.8 percent— or $86.5 million—increase from the current fiscal year. Of this, the School Board has asked for $58.1 million more in local tax funding—more than the county has to give without a tax increase. The biggest expense increases stem from keeping up with enrollment. Both boards were caught off guard by the 3.8 percent projected increase in enrollment, or 2,910 additional students. The big question is, as Supervisor Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin) put it: “Where did these kids come from?” Higgins and other supervisors wanted to know how the School Board’s enrollment projections from past years go “so out of whack.” “My experience with Loudoun County Public Schools has been the projections for schools and needs, historically, have been pretty doggone good,” Higgins said. “I’m kind of surprised how we got so out of line this time.” School Board Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) said that growth in Loudoun has become concentrated in smaller areas, making it harder to predict. The burden of absorbing those new students also required that new schools be built, rather than absorbing them into existing schools spread out around the county, he said. But some supervisors said the School Board should change the way it makes enrollment projections. “I think the schools need to take another look at how you’re projecting by-right development,” said Loudoun Vice Chairman Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn). He said that the School Board’s projections only take into account development that requires rezoning, or by-right development that has already begun, and has a blind spot around other properties on which developers could begin to build by right at any time. “I think, frankly ,it’s probably the single most important thing that you can do, and we can do,” said Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles). Supervisor Ron Meyer (R-Broad Run) said the county should take into account which types of housing yield the most students in the future. “We’re about to embark on a yearlong CPAM [Comprehensive Plan Amendment] with the Metro area, and I really think we could use some collaboration,” Meyers said. “We blew these projections.” School Board member Tom Marshall (Leesburg) wondered about cultural differences around family size among communities. “I wonder if there’s a cultural value on numbers of children,” Marshall pondered, eliciting no response from SCHOOL BUDGET >> 13

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Eric Williams, right, lays out the School Board’s budget request at a joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors on Monday as Loudoun Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), left, and School Board Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn), middle, listen.

other board members. County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) called out one of Williams’ points—that the number of resource-intensive students like English Language Learners and poorer students has grown much faster than the student population at large. The number of “economically challenged” students, Williams reported, grew by 109 percent.

The Sag Lives On

On Whose Turf? Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) wanted to know why artificial turf fields for the county’s four schools without them are still five and six years away. Her counterpart on the School Board, Debbie Rose (Algonkian), pointed out that supervisors voted down funding to install artificial turf at eight schools in 2013. “At that time, that did not proceed on your side of the aisle, so we have

rgreene@loudounnow.com

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Supervisors also wanted to know why “the sag”—the relatively lower salaries in the middle of the teacher salary scale, for mid-career teachers—had not been addressed. “Two years ago, you made substantial improvements to the salary scale, and last year we funded the budget completely with even a few million dollars added,” Higgins said. “I’m wondering how the MA 10-plus (the salary for a teacher with a master’s degree and 10 years of experience) wasn’t fixed at that time.” Higgins said his understanding was that the School Board and county were trying to fix the salary scale then. “To do it all at one time would be very cost prohibitive,” said School Board member Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge). “To our superintendent’s benefit, he did a much more scaled approach.” “I think it was just a few percent, and I’ll remind you that when this was brought up during those discussions,

we did not get enough funding to do it all at the same time,” Hornberger said.

Board will begin the budget reconciliation process, deciding how to distribute the money the county has given it. Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) asked if the School Board would be able to protect priorities like salary increases, continue fixing the salary scale sag, and maintaining small class sizes if the Board of Supervisors passed a tax rate that does not fully fund the School Board’s request. “I think that when we see the results of your decision, there are going to be nine members that are going to be jockeying to get their priorities funded,” Morse said. “I don’t think any of us can say that there is a protected piece of this budget.”

February 25 – March 2, 2016

School Budget << FROM 12

since been kind of working on it in a one-off way,” Rose said. School Board member Jeff Morse (Dulles) said the artificial turfed fields were projected to provide a greater benefit than the cost at that time, although the price for the fields has gone up since. “The recovery time at that point was eight years,” Morse said. “I think now it’s probably more.” The next step in the budget review process is for supervisors to work through County Administrator Tim Hemstreet’s recommendations, which do not include full funding for the school budget. The School Board will have representatives at supervisors’ work sessions. After the county board adopts its budget in April, the School

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14 loudounnow.com

[ E D U C AT I O N ]

SPEAK UP WHAT: Public hearings on new attendance map WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25, March 3 and 14 WHERE: County school administration building, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn EMAIL BOARD MEMBERS: lcsb@lcps.org FOLLOW THE PROCESS: LoudounNow.com/Education

BOUNDARY BATTLES Parents, educators debate merits of dispersing low-income students BY DANIELLE NADLER There’s a lot more to this than reassigning a few kids. The work of redrawing the Leesburg school attendance zone map is sparking a complicated debate over educational philosophies and socioeconomics. Elementary attendance lines in and around the town have to be redrawn because the map adopted by the Loudoun County School Board in December, if unchanged, would put enrollment at Evergreen Mill Elementary well over building capacity.

But the question at the heart of the discussion is whether the board will reassign just enough students, probably about 300, to bring down enrollment at that school, or undertake major boundary changes to return several hundred low-income students to the schools closest to their homes. The debate dates back to the School Board members who served in 20062011. The majority on the board at that time held the philosophy that schools’ student populations should be as socioeconomically balanced as possible. So when they redrew attendance boundaries in 2006 and again in 2011,

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Matthew Posid, who has children at John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary, asks board members to move the fewest number of students possible during a public hearing Feb. 20.

they adopted maps that assigned students in low-income neighborhoods—including a cluster of apartments on Plaza Street with more than 200 elementary students—to schools as far as 3.5 miles from their homes. In some cases, those students are bused past three elementary schools to get to their assigned school. Several parents who attended the first public hearing on the latest Leesburg boundary changes last Thursday evening want to see the board return those students to their neighborhood schools. A group of moms hung around the board room after the meeting sharing stories of the negatives of having hundreds of kids, especially from dis-

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

advantaged families, attend school on the opposite end of town from where they live. Danielle Davis, who has kids at Frances Hazel Reid Elementary, said she knows of students who could not participate in summer remediation because their parents didn’t have a car to get their children to school. Susan Murphy, also a Frances Hazel Reid parent, said she’s seen families walk along Rt. 15 during morning rush hour to register their children for kindergarten. Davis’ biggest concern is that the parents in those neighborhoods may never come forward to advocate for themselves. Many don’t speak English or don’t have the resources, whether time or transportation, to come to a public hearing in Ashburn. “They represent a significant population that is being affected by this, and they need to have a say in it,” she said, and she suggested School Board members go to those neighborhoods to get feedback. A few parents who spoke during the public hearing argued the opposite point. Jill Drupa, a parent of students at Catoctin Elementary, praised the board’s 2011 decision to disperse the town’s low-income students. “We are balanced at Catoctin and other schools, and I think it’s why our schools are succeeding,” she said. Ironically, in the years since the last Leesburg attendance map adoption, the schools closest to the low-income neighborhoods—Catoctin Elementary, for example—have the lowest rates of disadvantaged students and the schools farthest from those neighborhoods—Frances Hazel Reid and Evergreen Mill—have the highest. A quar-

Children arrive at Evergreen Mill Elementary School on Monday during the morning rush hour.

BOUNDARY BATTLES >> 15

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ter of Evergreen Mill Tolbert ElemenElementary students tary, to Frederick qualify for the feder- “IF YOU Douglass Elemenal free and reduced tary three miles lunch program, as do HAVE A HIGH away. He lost the 33 percent of students PERCENTAGE case, but the judge at Frances Hazel Reid OF THOSE urged the School Elementary. Board to make the KIDS IN YOUR The two Lees- SCHOOL, IT’S A process leading to burg-area School deciFUNDAMENTALLY boundary Board members say sions more transthey plan to work to- DIFFERENT parent. gether to redraw the SCHOOL.” DeKenipp said it boundaries. But their would be difficult philosophies differ. to totally remedy Tom Marshall the disparity issue. (Leesburg), who also served on the The townhouse and apartment board from 2007 to 2011, said he neighborhood near Plaza Street believes in “economic integration” alone has more than 200 elemenby evenly dispersing students who tary students. have more educational needs. “Unless we go in there and chop “If you have a high percentage it up into four, five, six pieces, of those kids in your school, it’s a there’s absolutely no way we’re gofundamentally different school,” ing to equitably distribute them,” he said. “You don’t have the vol- he said. “So I think there’s still gounteer support, you don’t have the ing to be a disparity, no matter how financial support, you don’t have hard we try.” the support of the families because As a remedy, he would like to they’re working.” see even more staff support for School Board member Eric De- those schools with higher volumes Kenipp (Catoctin) said he believes of students learning English and students should attend the school from low-income families. that is closest to their homes, if at The School Board is slated to all possible. He took the School adopt a new boundary map March Board to court in 2012 after his 29. daughter was reassigned from her neighborhood school, John W. dnadler@loudounnow.com

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Boundary Battles << FROM 14

[ E D U C AT I O N ]

loudounnow.com

[ SCHOOL NOTES ]

Courtesy of Loudoun School for the Gifted

Old Schoolhouse to Get New Life

New Lansdowne Kindergarten has Foreign Language Focus BY DANIELLE NADLER

ommuniKids, a Spanish-immersion preschool, is launching a new full-day kindergarten program at its Loudoun County campus. The school opened its campus at 19455 Deerfield Ave. in Lansdowne in July, with programs for children ages 2½ to 5. Since then, the school’s co-founder and executive director Jeannine Piacenza said parents have frequently inquired about full-day kindergarten. “Every single open house we’ve had parents ask for it,” she said. Loudoun County’s public school system does not offer universal full-day kindergarten. Aside from offering a full, six-hour school day, CommuniKids’ also provides a curriculum focused on teaching kids a second language early on. “We want to spread this program to as many children as possible and for as many years as possible because there is such a void for foreign language in our public schools,” Piacenza said. “This is our mission.” CommuniKids will also offer a half-day

Courtesy of CommuniKids

CommuniKids students Bella and Benjamin play mail carriers during a lesson on various roles in the community.

Spanish enrichment program for kindergartners who attend class part of the day at a public school. Generally, transportation will be provided from students’ home school to CommuniKids. Each class will have no more than 20 students, led by a teacher and a teacher’s assistant. How many classes the school will house will depend on demand and enrollment, according to Piacenza. Enrollment for rising kindergartners opens Tuesday, March 1. Tuition is $10,500 for the full-day program and $6,500 for the half-day program for the school year, which will run from late September to mid-June. The school will host two kindergarten information sessions Thursday, March 3—one at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.—at its Lansdowne campus. Families can tour the school and learn about the kindergarten curriculum. CommuniKids will soon roll out another new program this spring, an afterschool Spanish-immersion program for elementary school students. It will be designed to help CommuniKids graduates maintain their language skills, as well as for students who do not have prior language lessons but want to learn. CommuniKids has three other campuses in Falls Church, Washington, DC, and Richmond. Learn more at communikids.com. dnadler@loudounnow.com

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Comstock Announces Art Competition Rep. Barbara Comstock’s office this week offered details about the 2016 Congressional Art Competition for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, which includes Loudoun County. The competition is open to all high school students who live in the district, and the deadline for students to submit their work is April 11. The artwork that wins Best in Show will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol, and runners up will be invited to have their art displayed in the congresswoman’s office. “As a Member of the House Arts Caucus, I particularly enjoy the opportunity to invite our young people to participate in the annual Congressional Arts Competition,” Comstock stated. “This nationwide high school art competition allows us to encourage and recognize artistic

talent throughout our district.” Last year, her office received 180 submissions from young artists. Students should drop off their completed artwork on April 11 between 1 and 6 p.m. at Enterprise Hall on the George Washington Virginia Science & Technology Campus, 20101 Academic Way in Ashburn. All submitted art will be on display in Enterprise Hall from April 12th to May 12th. The first, second, third, honorable mention and Best in Show awards will be announced May 2. See the competition’s guidelines at comstock. house.gov/services/art-competition. Questions can be directed to Lucy Norment at 703-4046903 or Lucy.Norment@mail.house.gov.

Middle school students at Loudoun School for the Gifted are asking for the community’s help to restore the one-room schoolhouse once called the “Ashburn Colored School.” The students plan to restore the 14,000-square-foot, 124-year-old school building as a living museum of the history of education. “We want to bring this important building back to life so the public can visit it, and reflect on the past but also see how far education has come since then,” the students wrote. The schoolhouse sits along Ashburn Road, a few miles from Loudoun School for the Gifted. The students established a 501(c)(3) organization and launched a GoFundMe page to get a jumpstart on their fundraising efforts. So far, the campaign has raised $2,431. They estimate it will cost $100,000 to completely restore the school. Read more about the project and donate at gofundme.com/ashburnoldschool.

Courtesy of Craig Moore

International Students Visit Leesburg Students from Belgium, India and several other countries spent last week at the SkillsUSA National Leadership Center near Lucketts for leadership training. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working to ensure America has a skilled workforce. From here, the students will serve as ambassadors of WorldSkills International, which represents 72 countries and holds biennial competitions to prepare the talent of today for the jobs of the future. Pictured from left are: (front row) Jenica Branscombe, beauty therapy, representing Canada; Anna Prokopenya, patisserie and confectionery, Russia; Tayla Schou, cooking, South Africa; and Rachel Chua, nursing, Singapore. (Back row) Barthelemy Deutsch, restaurant service, Belgium; Victor Simon, manufacturing team challenge, France; Chirag Goel, Web design, India; Ricardo Vivian, graphic design, Brazil; and Gary Condon, plastering and drywall, Ireland.

NVCC Opens New Session Soon Registration is underway for Northern Virginia Community College’s eight-week session that begins March 14. Courses in the eight-week session cover the same material and award the same credits as semester-long classes. Students may enroll online 24 hours a day at www.nvcc. edu or receive in-person assistance during regular office hours at the college’s campuses in Loudoun, Alexandria, Annandale, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge. For students who prefer independent study, NVCC’s Extended Learning Institute offers dozens of online courses, also starting in March. See http://eli.nvcc.edu for more information.

[ OUR TOWNS ]

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Homes for Heros Loudoun coalition launches homebuilding effort for wounded veterans BY MARGARET MORTON

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n effort to provide new Loudoun homes for military veterans injured in battle kicked off last week at the West End Wine Bar and Pub in Purcellville. The Hero Homes project is led by builder Jason Brownell, Matt Lowers and Aimee McGranahan and draws its inspiration from the work of a national group that built a home for a badly burned Iraq War veteran in Lovettsville last year. The first home will be in Purcellville’s Village Case subdivision. Veteran Tony Porta lives in a specially designed Lovettsville home that was financed by the Siller Foundation Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Brownell was the project manager on the home, built by Fuog-Interbuild of Purcellville. Porta was badly wounded in Iraq in 2007 by an improvised explosive device, on a day “when my life changed forever.” The then-20-year old was burned over most of his body, and lost his two best friends in the blast. Badly disfigured, he endured more than 135 surgeries while in the hospital in San Antonio, TX. In 2012, his son Kenneth Charles, named after Porta’s two dead friends, was born. “It was the most amazing thing in my entire life; it was a gift,” an emotional Porta told the crowd. The Portas found a welcoming community in Lovettsville. “I thought my life was over, but when I met Jason and you guys, you gave me a second chance,” he said. The Leesburg-based Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes is contributing $10,000 to the Purcellville project. Jorge De Leon, a former police officer who lost a leg in Afghanistan in 2004 and is now retired, represents the organization. De Leon travels the country raising the morale of other wounded vets and

competing in handicapped sports, including skydiving. His home in Texas was built by a similar organization supporting wounded warriors. “I cannot explain how important it is to know that my wife and kids will never be missing a roof over their heads,” he said. Work on the Purcellville house—a 2,100-square-foot, three-bedroom rambler—already has been supported by community donations of money and talent. Among those already donating to the project are architect Ron Mizerak, Loudoun Valley Floors and Dominion Paving and Sealing. More will be needed. Lowers, of Lowers Risk Group in Purcellville, said the company raised nearly $5,000 in a grant match, which was used to build a playground for Porta’s son and upgrade the granite countertops in his house. Porta donated the remainder of the money to Hero Homes. The project so far has raised $25,000, plus the $10,000 from the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes. McGranahan was a volunteer on Porta’s home. She brings 12 years of nonprofit experience to Hero Homes, which received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit certification last fall. Retired Brigadier General Burt Thompson, who left the Army after 30 years, is also supporting the project. His association with the Lowers group “helped me fulfill the need to continue to serve,” he said. Future plans include a rezoning of two other lots in Village Case—a twoacre commercial area and a five-acre church lot—to provide a total of 23 homes, owned by Brownell. “We want at least four of them to be for wounded veterans and to make western Loudoun a place for these guys,” Brownell said.

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Tony Porta, left, and Matt Lowers at the reception kicking off the Hero Homes project.

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Decision Time in the West

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Candidates face March 1 deadline to get on the ballot

Loudoun Grown Goods Featured at Expo Saturday

BY MARGARET MORTON

tion in the county that runs for four years.

ccording to General Registrar Judy Brown, candidates for mayor and council seats in five western Loudoun towns that hold elections May 3 are beginning to file their paperwork after a slow start. With less than a week to file by the March 1 deadline, some candidates are still missing some of their paperwork, while others have announced their intention to file, but have not done so yet. Purcellville, Lovettsville, Hamilton, Round Hill and Middleburg will hold elections in May, while Hillsboro, like Leesburg, holds its elections in November. In Purcellville, candidates must obtain 125 signatures of support to qualify for the ballot. A round-up of the current status reveals a mix of longtime elected leaders and a number of new names that will be on the ballot.

Lovettsville

[ TOWN BRIEFS ]

Purcellville This year’s town election is likely to be as hotly contested as it was in 2014. The terms of Mayor Kwasi Fraser and council members Joan Lehr, Vice Mayor Patrick McConville and John Nave all expire June 30. Lehr has announced she will challenge Fraser for the mayor’s seat, while McConville and Nave have announced they will seek re-election. They will be joined on the ballot by Planning Commissioner Chris Bledsoe, who ran for council in 2008; Patrick Henry College senior Chris Hamilton

and Planning Commissioner Niedem Ogelman. Interim Councilwoman Melanie Fuller, who was appointed last week to fill the vacancy left by the January resignation of Vice Mayor Ben Packard until May 3, said she will file as a candidate in the special election to fill the remaining two years of Packard’s term. Eamon Coy, chairman of the town’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, who previously announced his intention to run for the council, is still undecided as he recovers from a leg injury. The ballot may grow by a few more names before the March 1 deadline.

Three council seats and the mayor’s position will be up June 30. Mayor Bob Zoldos has announced he will run for a third term on May 3, while Vice Mayor Mike Senate will run for his third term on council. Councilman Jim McIntyre will run for his second term. It is not known whether Councilman Rodney Gray will run again, nor have any other candidates filed with the Registrar’s Office.

Round Hill Mayor Scott Ramsey has filed to run for his fourth mayoral term, having previously served on the council from 2004 to 2010. Vice Mayor Mary Anne Graham, the council’s longest serving member, has also filed to run again, for what will be her ninth term on council. Councilmen Daniel Botsch and Clarke Kipple have not indicated whether they will run again.

Hamilton

Middleburg

The terms of Vice Mayor Ken Wine and Councilmen Mathew Clark and John Unger expire June 30. Wine has filed for his third term, while Clark, who was appointed to a vacant seat, will run for his first elected term. Unger, who is chairman of the town’s Finance Committee, will run for his ninth elected term. Mayor Dave Simpson has two more years on his term, the only mayoral posi-

Betsy Allen Davis has filed for her sixth term as mayor, but there will be some changes on council as three members’ terms are up June 30. Trowbridge Littleton has not yet made a decision, but fellow council members Bundles Murdock and Kathy jo Shea announced they will not seek re-election. Two newcomers have filed with the Registrar’s Office—Anthony Charles Pearce and John “Kevin” Daly.

Lovettsville Square Takes Shape as Leasing Ramps Up BY MARGARET MORTON NVRetail’s Lovettsville Square commercial project is well under construction and letters of intent for leasing are beginning to stack up. The 17,500-square-foot center along the Town Square features a distinctive Glockenspiel, or clock tower, that town leaders hope will serve as a branding feature, in tribute to Lovettsville’s German heritage. NVRetail’s Vice President Judd Bostian said he expects the building to be completed by July 1. So far, he has one signed lease, with Leesburg-Sterling Family Practice. He also has three letters of intent from would-be lessees and has held a number of restaurant tours. There is space in the center for two sit-down restaurants. “We’re actively pursuing close to five to 10 restaurants,” he said. Bostian noted that as the construction progresses and people see exactly what it’s going to look like, interest will pick up. “There’s been a big spike since the shell building has taken shape, but they want to see more,” Bostian said. Town Planner/Zoning Administra-

The sixth annual Loudoun Grown Expo will take place Saturday at the Bush Tabernacle/ Purcellville Skating Rink from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The showcase of the area’s agricultural products has become a fixture on the town’s tourism events calendar. Visitors can enjoy fresh local produce, meats and dairy products, as well as offerings by restaurant and rural entrepreneurs, local wines and beers, book signings and art by area artists. Formerly a town event, it is now a public-private partnership, with management provided by Bush Tabernacle manager Phillip Message. The expo is sponsored by the Bush Tabernacle, the Town of Purcellville and the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development. Admission is $2 per person, or $3 per family—and free to Purcellville residents with ID. For more information, go to loudoungrownexpo.org or call Message at 703-431-7784.

WATERFORD Sweetheart Ball Exceeds Expectations The Waterford Foundation has finished up the accounting for its Valentine’s Day eve Sweetheart Ball, held at the Belmont Country Club. This week, event co-chairwoman Connie Moore announced the fundraiser had been a great success, exceeding expectations. Supervisor Geary Higgins (R-Catoctin) and his wife Gail were honorary chairs for the event, which had its debut last year. More than 100 lovers danced the night away during this year’s Sweetheart Ball—all in honor of a good time and a fun way to raise funds for the organization.

Credit: Waterford Foundation

Dancers form a light-hearted conga line at the Waterford Foundation’s Valentine’s night Sweetheart Ball. Loudoun Now/Norman K. Styer

tor Joshua Bateman said the town will do a final inspection for NVRetail’s occupancy permit and a final site plan inspection. The structure will complete the plan envisioned more than a decade ago,

but which ran into trouble during the recession. When finished, town leaders hope the building will become a business and tourism destination—for residents and visitors alike.

The evening included live and silent auctions. The foundation’s Development Committee had announced a goal of $13,000 for TOWN BRIEFS >> 20

February 25 – March 2, 2016

loudounnow.com

[ TOWN BRIEFS ] Hillsboro

<< FROM 18 the event in December. The preservation nonprofit has set a program of fundraisers throughout the year to help replenish the coffers after the cancellation of last October’s Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exhibit.

Friends, residents and family enjoy a festive luncheon at the Old Stone School in Hillsboro in honor of Vice Mayor Belle Ware. Credit: Roger Vance

Lovettsville 7-ELEVEN APPLIES FOR EXPANSION The Lovettsville Planning Commission will hold a March 16 public hearing on the Lovettsville 7-Eleven’s application to rebuild the store and install gas pumps and underground storage tanks. The application was filed Friday, Feb. 12 following months of discussion with the town regarding the site plan. The hearing likely will feature plenty of comment, especially from those who are concerned about allowing gasoline sales on the property. Lovettsville Planner/Zoning Administrator said the 7:30 p.m. meeting will be held at the Lovettsville Fire Hall. He has not yet scheduled the public hearing before the council, he said, predicting that likely will take place in late April.

VULTURES RETURN TO WATER TANK ROOST Lovettsville is the latest town to experience an invasion of vultures, who have found a ready roost in several favorite spots, notably the town’s water tank. The birds have a respected position in nature cleaning up carrion from road kills among other things, but town leaders fear that the birds could cause damage to the tank, as well as bother nearby residents. The visitors, therefore, are in the process of being evicted. One proposal is to affix in three six-foot-long, black and white inflatable killer whales to the top of the tank. “No, I’m not kidding,” Mayor Bob Zoldos said in his weekly online newsletter, acknowledging he’s not sure of the science of the proposal. He said the town has been assured this would be a safe and inexpensive way

ngly C i r a C

Hillsboro Salutes Councilwoman Ware BY MARGARET MORTON It was Belle Ware Day in Hillsboro on Sunday when more than 150 people joined in the celebration of the vice mayor’s 80th birthday at the Old Stone School. Ware knew about the lunchtime birthday hoopla, but she didn’t know that the council would honor her in a more permanent way.

Belle Ware during Sunday’s reception in honor of her 80th birthday.

to remove the vultures. If the fake orcas are not successful, other measures would have to be employed, he said.

Middleburg APPLICATIONS SOUGHT FOR MIDDLEBURG FARMERS MARKET The Town of Middleburg accepting vendor applications for the 2016 Middleburg Community Farmers Market season. The market will be held every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon from May 7 through Oct. 29 behind the Middleburg Community Community Center. Operating guidelines, terms of agreement and application forms are available at http://middleburg-

reating Beautiful Sm iles

The school’s upstairs room where fourth and fifth graders learned their three Rs was rededicated as the Tulip Ware Room. Previously, it was named in honor of Barbara Tulip, a contemporary of Ware’s who helped preserve the building in the mid1970s. Ware also was involved in that movement. The room now honors both women, for their efforts to save the building and Ware’s

va.gov/MC_FARMERS_MARKET. html. The application deadline is April 1. For more information, contact Market Manager Cindy Pearson at the town office—540-687-5152; economicdevelopment@middleburgva.gov.

MASTER TRUMPETER FEATURED AT BAROQUE CONCERT The Middleburg Concert Series kicks off its second season March 13 with a performance of baroque music by modern trumpet artist Douglas Wilson. The 4 p.m. concert will include selections from Bach, Handel and Poglietti. Wilson, who holds degrees in music from Yale University, Oberlin College and the University of Okla-

long history of service to the community. The council and residents applauded as the room was officially dedicated. Mark Ware presented his mother with the dedication plaque and Mayor Roger Vance made a congratulatory speech to his longtime colleague. Councilwoman Amy Marasco Newton said the surprise was complete. “She was thrilled—she cried,” Marasco Newton said, as Belle Ware was surrounded by friends and family members—“from babies to their 90s.” homa, has performed with numerous concert ensembles, including the Washington Bach Consort, the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Washington Concert Opera. He will be joined by Steven Cooksey, professor emeritus at Shenandoah University, on organ and harpsichord; Cynthia Saucedo and Enrique Reynosa on violin, Maryory Serrano on viola/violin and Alan Saucedo on cello. A reception to meet the artists will follow the performance, which will be held at the Middleburg United Methodist Church at 15 W. Washington St. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more information contact Alan Saucedo at middleburgconcertseries@gmail. com or 540-303-7127.

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TAXING LOUDOUN

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hold makes slightly less than the median Loudoun household and owns a home worth almost $45,000 more. Even though that family pays a lower tax rate of only $1.09, the resulting tax bill is just over 4.1 percent of income. Outside the capital region, things look very different. Chesterfield and Henrico counties, the only other counties in the state comparable in size to Loudoun, each have much lower incomes and home values than Loudoun. Each pay tax rates less than a dollar—$0.96 in Chesterfield, and $0.87 in Henrico. Each of those works out to less than 2.5 percent of income.

Loudoun Through History Loudoun has seen taxes change dramatically over the past decade. Ten years ago, in 2005, the tax rate was only $1.04. That amounted to a $6,545.87 tax bill, and more than 6 percent of the median family’s earnings. The next year, 2006, home values peaked and the tax rate bottomed out at just $0.89. That year, the bill was $5,839.71, and about 5.4 percent of income. In 2010, the recession had cratered home values and the tax rate reached its high water mark: $1.30. But even with the highest tax rate in Loudoun’s history, the percentage of household income that went to real estate taxes had dropped to 4.86 percent, because home values had fallen faster than income. Over time, as home values have fluctuated, incomes increased, and tax bills

MOSBY HERITAGE

have risen and fallen, the real estate tax as a percentage of income has dropped steadily. 2015’s percentage was the lowest in the past 10 years.

If We Raise Taxes Zurn also served as the Sterling District representative on the Board of Supervisors in the 1990s, when tax rates were below a dollar. “Obviously, the tax rates have gone up, but it’s a misnomer to look at it strictly from a tax-rate perspective,” Zurn said. County Administrator Tim Hemstreet has recommended a new tax rate of at least $1.14 to meet Loudoun’s budget needs, amounting to an increase of $23.73 on the annual median bill at 2014 property values. The highest advertised rate, $1.17, would fully fund the School Board’s record-setting budget request and is the highest rate the county could charge without starting over. That would increase the bill by $166.11, up to 3.96 percent of income.

The Bottom Line But there are a lot of things this broadstroke analysis doesn’t tell us. For example: How do levels of service compare? How long does it take for an ambulance to arrive? And things can be very different in individual cases. This year, for example, assessments rose for single-family homes but dropped for townhouses and condominiums. “So even if [supervisors] kept the rate

at an equalized rate, what will happen is, in fact the average bill for somebody who has a townhouse would decrease, but the person who owns a single-family home would increase,” Zurn said. “In reality, a lot of our families are struggling,” Volpe said. “They’re working very hard and having to be very careful with their budget, and some of them are avoiding what I would call the extras.” “What I’m trying to do is find value for the taxpayer,” said finance committee Chairman Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles), who added that, overall, the board has historically been generally fiscally conservative. “I think people are willing to pay for good services, and I think people do have certain expectations when it comes to roads and schools. You have to decide what tax rate provides the best bang for the buck.” So how do you decide what taxes will

mean for you? In the end, it’s simple, the county treasurer says. “I tell them to look at their tax bill,” Zurn said. “You know, you can play all kinds of games by saying, ‘oh, we lowered the tax rate,’ or vice versa. But at the end of day, it’s what your tax bill says.” These are all questions the Board of Supervisors will weigh as they launch into budget considerations. The first public hearing will be Thursday, Feb. 25, at 3 p.m. in the boardroom at the county government building in Leesburg. The second will be Saturday, Feb. 27, at 9 p.m. in the school administration building in Ashburn. The third and final will be back in the county boardroom on Monday, Feb. 29, at 6 p.m. Supervisors are expected to adopt a tax rate along with the rest of the budget on April 5, 2016. rgreene@loudounnow.com

<< FROM 1

counties—are “much bigger than just Mosby or the Civil War,” Gillespie said. “Charleston was important—that made us all think harder.” On the question of changing the organization’s name, Outreach Committee Chairman Jeff Freeman said, “There was the sense that Mosby represents more in his life than simply the Civil War and defending slavery,” adding some board members strongly feel the name should be retained. But the logo is different. “Almost certainly, we will change the logo so it more broadly represents the landscape and its history,” he said. Committee member and historian Marc Leepson agrees. The organization’s mission is not just to focus on Mosby, but to emphasize the history of the whole area—that goes back to Native Americans, the Revolutionary War, and Reconstruction, he said. “That stylized Mosby, a cavalier on a horse—it shouts Civil War. We want to make it more representative of the area.”

Black History Groups Weigh In One of the most influential groups focused on black history in Loudoun is the Friends of Thomas Balch Library’s Black History Committee, founded in 2000. Committee Chairwoman Donna Bohannon acknowledged the impact of the Charleston shooting, pointing to the effort by the local chapter of the NAACP to establish a memorial to mark the place where slaves were sold on the Loudoun County Courthouse grounds. There is a Confederate statue there, but nothing for black people, she said, noting NAACP members sought the committee’s help in researching and providing information on slaves who were sold from the courthouse steps. It’s an important part of local history that should

be recognized, Bohannon said. She pointed out that the National Park Service has already done so through its Network to Freedom program, which lists the courthouse as a site on the Underground Railroad by which slaves passed to freedom. Another important part of the story, Bohannon added, was detailed in Kevin Grigsby’s book “From Loudoun to Glory,” which describes the efforts of about 300 black Loudouners who joined Union colored troops. “From the start, our group was concerned to tell the stories of African-Americans, to collect, preserve and share those stories,” Bohannon said.

Looking to the Future The impact of the national discussion about race relations is playing out in Loudoun in several ways—a new focus on the mission, greater research, advocacy and expanded programming—including delving into the post-Civil War era—and an emphasis on “telling

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

A stylized depiction of Confederate partisan leader Col. John Singleton Mosby on roadside signs in the Mosby Heritage Area Association is being questioned as to whether it is the right logo for the group.

the stories.” As Bill Sellers, president and CEO of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, put it: “We can’t understand the issues of today without [the history] of the last 400 years—slavery, Civil War, segregation, the Civil Rights movement, Jim Crow—they’re all part of the timeline. “We need to make sure we understand the whole spectrum of our history, its nuances and ugliness, and not sweep it under the rug.” mmorton@loudounnow.com

February 25 – March 2, 2016

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February 25 – March 2, 2016

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753.

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PRIMARY DAY

<< FROM 3

anyone in the public would be able to enter schools that are usually locked down while students are present. “These children are soft targets, and they have to enter the school through the same hallway that the polling precinct is in,” said Knox, who lives in South Riding. “We can’t make sure everyone exits the building as soon as they vote. We simply can’t.” School Board member Eric DeKenipp (Catoctin) agreed. As board members argued over whether it was logistics or safety concerns that prompted the sheriff ’s recommendation, DeKenipp said, “In my mind, logistical concerns are safety concerns. Increased traffic, too many people in a building … they all present safety risks.” Hornberger said he was frustrated that political parties’ elections are ultimately hurting public education. “Our primary mission is not holding [primaries]; our primary mission is to

educate kids. And now we’re in a situation where the tail is wagging the dog. That’s frustrating.” He also stressed that the board’s decision should not set precedent. Loudoun’s schools have generally been open during primary elections. Superintendent Eric Williams agreed, and said his staff members would conduct a thorough study on whether to close schools on Super Tuesdays going forward, something they did not have time for between the sheriff ’s recommendation Monday and Tuesday’s School Board meeting. He added that, while he is concerned about a loss of instructional time, the school system will likely not need to add a day to the calendar to fulfill state requirements. Tuesday will mark the ninth day schools have been closed so far this academic year; the other eight cancelations were prompted by snow and ice. The division builds 15 extra instructional days into each calendar year. dnadler@loudounnow.com

[ CRIME ]

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Castillio Murder Case Heads Closer to Trial BY NORMAN K. STYER

Braulio M. Castillo. While the face and other details of the runner can’t be detected, the witnesses said they recognize a quirk in his stride that could result from a foot injury the suspect suffered long ago. Prosecutors say the video will help put Castillo at the scene for a time long enough to kill his wife and stage a suicide scene. The defense attorneys argued it was impossible to make any identification from the footage. Sincavage ruled that the jury should decide what weight to give that evidence. The defense did register some wins along the way. For example, some of the things Castillo said and the way he acted in the presence of investigators in the hours and days after his wife’s death won’t be told to the jury. As the hearing continued Tuesday, the fourth day, the prosecutors argued the unusual motion of asking the judge not to allow the jury to know that two witness—including the lead investigator in the case—were terminated by Sheriff Mike Chapman at the end of last year. At the beginning of each term, the newly elected sheriff has the authority to decide which deputies will continue to serve as sworn officers. The lead investigator supported Chapman’s opponent in the Republican party’s nomination process and

Braulio M. Castillio

was let go Dec. 31. Also not re-sworn was one of the sheriff ’s top administrators, a friend of the family who Castillio claimed he called to report his wife’s disappearance. Sincavage ruled that the information would not be disclosed, although the position could change as the trial unfolds. Castillio’s trial is scheduled to start May 17 and continue until June 10. On the first-degree murder charge, he faces a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. nstyer@loudounnow.com

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In preparation for an 18-day murder trial scheduled to open in May, county prosecutors and attorneys representing Braulio M. Castillo spent much of last week in court arguing over what evidence the jury will and will not be allowed to see. The Ashburn business man is charged with first-degree murder in the March 19, 2014, death of his estranged wife, Michelle, whose body was found hanging in a basement bathroom in her Belmont Station home. Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office investigators say Castillo entered her home, killed Michelle during a struggle in her bedroom and then staged a scene to make it appear she committed suicide. The prosecution’s case is built on circumstantial evidence, making the testimony presented to the jury all the more critical. During three days of arguing pre-trial motions before Circuit Court Judge Stephen E. Sincavage, elements of the prosecution and defense cases where brought to light. Both sides presented testimony and arguments for some 12 hours over two days about whether the behavior exhibited by two FBI scent detection dogs that searched Michelle’s home

should be shared with the jury or limited in some way. The actions of Morse, who is trained to recognize the scent of decomposing bodies, is an important element of the prosecution’s case. The dog reacted to scents in two areas of the home—in the basement bathroom and at the foot of Michelle’s bed. The bedroom alert supports the investigators’ theory that she was killed in the bedroom and her body was later moved. Castillo’s attorneys worked to raise doubts about whether the dogs’ actions could be deemed reliable, questioning everything from the skill of the dogs, the work of their handlers and the science behind their findings. Sincavage did not immediately rule on the defense’s motion to exclude the evidence. Another key element in the case is grainy video footage recorded by a security camera mounted on a house in Michelle’s neighborhood. It shows a man jogging down the street toward Michelle’s house at 8 p.m. and a man jogging in the opposite direction four and a half hours later. Three people— including a couple who were longtime friends of the Castillos and who now care for their four minor children, and the Castillo’s oldest son—have said the man in at least one of the clips is

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[ BIZ ]

February 25 – March 2, 2016

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GENIUS JERKY Foodie’s snack solution kicking up to bustling business BY JOHN MCNEILLY, CONTRIBUTING WRITER It started out as a mere hobby. Richard Plebuch, a self-described foodie, began making beef jerky in 2009 for his soon-to-be wife, who was on a quest to eat healthier food. She sought a high-protein snack, but one that was not obscenely high in sodium, as mass-produced jerky tends to be. Plebuch came up with a chipotle lime-flavored jerky that was an instant hit with family and friends. The rush of requests for the cured beef, along with the emerging national trend to eat healthier, protein-based snacks, made him realize he was on to something that could grow into a business. And so, Genius Jerky was born. Plebuch, 27, and his partner, 37-yearold Steve Brewster, both Lovettsville residents, will launch a 45-day Kickstarter campaign next week to fund a major expansion of the business. Their goal is to raise $16,000, through the crowdfunding website, to pay for enhanced packaging and manufacturing. This involves securing permits and a family-owned, USDA-approved manufacturer to produce artisanal batches of jerky using only locally sourced, organic beef. “It’s important to us that our customers know exactly where our meat comes from, how it was raised, fed and treated,”

Plebuch said. Not an easy prospect, but the team recently found a manufacturer in Nevada that fits the bill. Since launching his jerky-making hobby several years ago, Plebuch has worked to develop and tweak several flavors—the company already has nine proprietary recipes developed—while also writing a business plan and securing investors to get the company off the ground. Plebuch even reached out to Australian celebrity chef Adrian Richardson to sample the jerky flavors. The

chef responded with an enthusiastic thumb’s up. “He said ‘don’t change a thing,’” Plebuch said with a laugh. Last year, Genius Jerky officially launched a home-based online business featuring two flavors: South Korean BBQ and Honey Habanero. The response was enthusiastic. Plebuch and Brewster decided it was time to kick it to the next level: Seeking increased production and a wider distributorship of their product. JERKY >> 27

John McNeilly/Loudoun Now

Genius Jerky founder Richard Plebuch, left, and partner Steven Brewster pose with their product packaging and various jerky spices. They spent the week promoting Genius Jerky’s Kickstarter campaign, which launches next week.

Their Kickstarter campaign will include several tiers of support, from receiving packages of jerky, to getting Genius Jerky swag, to, believe it or not, securing a permanent level of gratitude from founder Plebuch. He’s auctioning off the right to have a supporter’s name tattooed on his arm along with the Genius Jerky logo. “It sounds crazy, I know,” Plebuch said, “but my wife is OK with it, and I want to show our customers just how thankful we are for their support and love of our jerky. I think it’ll be fun.” Plebuch and Brewster have more than profit, and protein, on their minds, though. Both men suffer from muscle degeneration conditions that require the care of Muscular Dystrophy Association clinics. They have committed to donating a percentage of all Genius Jerky profits to the MDA to help further research and treatment for patients suffering from the debilitating muscular condition. In fact, Plebuch has thought about being a chef since he was in high school. But as the disease progressed, it became difficult to hold a knife for long periods of time. “This is personal for both of us,” Plebuch said,”so it’s important we use our business to try to give back to others suffering from the same thing.” Learn more about Genius Jerky and the upcoming Kickstarter campaign on the website, geniusjerky.com. The company also can be followed on Facebook at facebook.com/geniusjerky.

Rural Innovation Forum Set for March 11 The Loudoun County Department of Economic Development is co-sponsor of the 12th annual Forum for Rural Innovation, which will be held Friday, March 11 in Winchester. Because seating is limited, farmers and rural business owners are encouraged to register for this event by March 4. Registration is $40 per person and includes lunch and refreshments. To register call 703-737-8458 or go to loudounfarms.org.

Modern Mechanical Wins National Award The U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Ashburn-based Modern Mechanical a 2016 DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Award winner. Modern Mechanical, a HVAC and plumbing installation and repair company, was one of 100 companies to win the award, which the Chamber says “recognizes the very best in American small business.” The winners were selected from a record number of applicants from across the country and were judged in four key categories: strategic planning, employee development, customer service, and community

involvement. All 100 Blue Ribbon Award Winners will be honored at the 12th annual America’s Small Business Summit, June 13-15, in Washington, DC. During the summit, one finalist will be named the DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year and take home the $10,000 cash prize. Learn more about Modern Mechanical at modernmec.com.

Murray Named Manager of Black Olive Bar & Grill Mary V. Murray is the new manager of the Black Olive Bar & Grill at The National Conference Center in Lansdowne. She brings more than 35 Mary V. Murray years of food and beverage experience, which includes owning her own restaurant in the Florida Keys and managing a number of casual and fine dining restaurants. Most recently, she helped to open two sports bars in Ohio.

The Black Olive has undergone a number of renovations and features a new menu designed by The National’s Executive Chef Chris Ferrier. The Black Olive also features an extensive wine list curated by Mary Watson, chief wine officer at The National. The Black Olive has an exciting calendar including karaoke, live music and DJ scheduled. Murray is a graduate of Kent State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management. She lives in Alexandria.

Catoctin Creek Named Whisky Icon Finalist Whisky Magazine’s annual Icons of Whisky award nominations prominently featured Purcellville’s Catoctin Creek Distilling Company. The company was shortlisted for three award categories: Craft Producer of the Year; Master Distiller of the Year, Becky Harris; and Brand Ambassador of the Year, Chad Robinson. “While we weren’t ultimately selected for the final awards to be included in the shortlist among such great industry names is an honor indeed for which we’re very proud,” said Catoctin Creek founder Scott Harris.

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February 25 – March 2, 2016

JERKY << FROM 26

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[ LOCO LIVING ]

A PROUD PRIDE Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Ian Carlson practices his role as Simba in Blue Ridge Middle School’s production of “The Lion King Jr.”

Blue Ridge Middle School transports audiences to the savannah in its production of ‘The Lion King Jr.’ BY SAMANTHA BARTRAM, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

tudents at Blue Ridge Middle School occupy the top of the food chain this week as their production of “The Lion King Jr.” takes the stage for two wild weekends of song, dance and emotion. “The Lion King Jr., just as with its Broadway counterpart, is a ‘spectacle’ show. It has big sets, lots of color and great music,” said Dolly Stevens, Blue Ridge’s director of theater. Stevens oversees a cast of 49 students and a technical crew of 16 students, all of whom bring talent and passion to their role in pulling off the ambitions production. For her part, Stevens—a

Props to the Profs Loudoun County middle school plays are known for being extravagant productions, thanks to a number of highly trained and lauded theater professionals. Educators Karlah Louis and Beverly

member of BRMS faculty since 2009— approaches this inspiring musical with more than 20 years of experience as a professional actor, director and educator. “I’ve been building the drama community at BRMS for the past eight years, and continue to be humbled by the wealth of talent from both students and parents,” she added. “I am one very lucky and blessed director.”

Welcome to the Prideland “The Lion King Jr.” is adapted from the original Broadway musical hit, “The Lion King,” which itself is based on the wildly popular 1994 Walt Disney animated feature. The story follows Simba, the newborn cub of King Mustafa, as he navigates the complicated

Pruzina dedicate their theatrical efforts at J.L. Simpson and Harmony Middle Schools, and Eagle Ridge Middle School, respectively. We asked these seasoned actors, directors and educators why they volunteer their time to develop the skills and confidence of Loudoun’s young actors, and why they believe drama arts education is so vital for a well-rounded education.

lion hierarchy and learns about his future responsibilities. The junior is altered in scope for younger actors, but that doesn’t mean it’s dumbed down, as Stevens emphasized. “The notion is that middle-school students are only capable of handling a certain level of emotional depth in theatrical material—in my 25 years working with young people in theater, I have not found this to be the case,” she says. “Despite this being a ‘junior’ version of the full musical, the writers did a good job maintaining the integrity of the story and its rich characters. Our student-actors have been working for three months on learning six different African languages, as well PROUD PRIDE >> 31

Beverly Pruzina, theater arts educator, Eagle Ridge Middle School Currently, I am working with the Eagle Ridge Middle School PTA offering two musicals per school year. I began volunteering in 2014, because no teacher at Eagle Ridge Middle School was willing to volunteer to lead the annual musical. Since then, we’ve produced “Honk! Jr.,” “Alice in Wonder-

[ THIS WEEK ]

TERRY PRATCHETT’S ‘MORT’ Thursday, Feb. 25-Saturday, Feb. 27. 8 p.m.; Sterling Middle School, 201 W. Holly Ave., Sterling. Details: sterlingplaymakers.com The Sterling Playmakers present a comic romp through Discworld, where the Grim Reaper’s apprentice takes charge while Death takes a vacation. Tickets are $12.

Friday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m.; Loudoun Valley High School, 340 N. Maple Ave., Purcellville. Contact: william.staggs@lcps.org

creases readiness to learn in all other subject areas by increasing focus and skill sets. Currently, I am directing 155 Eagle Ridge Middle School students (84 in two casts and 71 creative and technical crews) in “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” We perform April 21-30.

Karlah Louis, theater arts educator, J.L. Simpson and Harmony Middle Schools I started out at Harmony Middle School directing “Fiddler on the Roof ” six years ago. I was approached by Ann Stewart, a very involved parent/music director, to help with the choreography because my [then-seventh-grade]

The Viking Players present Shakespeare’s famous tragedy for one night only. Admission is by donation.

LOUDOUN SCHOOL OF BALLET WINTER SHOWCASE Sunday, Feb. 28, 3 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org Get jazzy with a showcase of LSB’s contemporary companies—including the pre-professional Jazz &Co. Tickets are $10 per person.

Karlah Louis

Beverly Pruzina

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LUCKETTS BLUEGRASS: LARRY GILLIS BAND Saturday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.; Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Lucketts. Details: luckettsbluegrass.org

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LOCO CULTURE LOUDOUN GROWN EXPO Saturday, Feb. 27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Bush Tabernacle, 250 Nursery Ave., Purcellville. Details: loudoungrownexpo.org This annual showcase of local meats, vegetables, wine and beer is a great way to shake the winter blues. Admission is $2 per person/$3 per family. Free for Purcellville residents with ID.

THIS WEEK >> 30

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land The Musical,” “Cinderella Kids,” “Seussical Jr.” and, currently, “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” It is an honor and privilege to work with such a wonderful group of students and parents. Having students involved in dramatic arts—ideally beginning in middle school—increases a student’s self-confidence and self-awareness. In a time when kids are invisible without their cell phones, there is a vital need for involvement in the performing arts. It is more critical than ever. Students learn how to work together to produce a coherent message and learn the importance of teamwork, creativity and selflessness. Studies have shown involvement in the performing arts in-

29 February 25 – March 2, 2016

ON STAGE

Props to the Profs << FROM 28

daughter innocently mentioned that I had been in a few professional productions of the show—one week later I was the director and the rest is history. I was surprised to discover that I loved working with youth and loved teaching what I had lived for years. I also run Main Street Theater Productions, a community theater company, at night. Needless to say theater is what I eat and breathe. It is what I am able to share and pass on to our youth. It can make all the difference in a youth’s self-esteem, confidence, ability to speak in a group or simply bring out a diamond that has never had the opportunity to shine. I believe that the arts in school allow a child to have a voice—to express creativity that academics do not allow. To learn the joy of being uninhibited and to speak out, speak up and be heard. I have had many children go through my program and the biggest difference I see at the end of a production is a giant surge in self-confidence and self-acceptance. They learn that they can do it. They overcome fears that only standing up and being fearless in front of an audience can teach. They came out the other side, they did it, the world did not end and more often than not, they enjoyed it. I am currently rehearsing “Peter Pan” at Simpson and many of my Harmony kids are moving on to start rehearsals this week with me in the evenings for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” The summer brings an already-booked summer camp of 45 teens performing “Anything Goes” at Franklin Park Arts Center.

30 loudounnow.com

[ THIS WEEK ] << FROM 29

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February 25 – March 2, 2016

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Saturday, Feb. 27, 8 a.m.; Blue Ridge Center For Environmental Stewardship, 11661 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville. Contact: jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on the monthly bird walk at the 900-acre preserve in northwestern Loudoun County. Bring binoculars.

‘AFRICAN AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN THE CIVIL WAR’ Sunday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m.; 380 Old Waterford Road, Leesburg. Details: library.loudoun.gov/events Christopher Hamner, associate professor of history at George Mason University examines the decision to recruit blacks to the Union Army and the impact that the tens of thousands of African American soldiers had on the war’s outcome. For teens and adults.

THE EDGE DANCE COMPANY MALONE BENEFIT Saturday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org Enjoy inspired contemporary dance from the Ashburn Academy of Dance. Performance benefits the Teri and Shari Malone Foundation. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children at the door. bottlings, hand picked by the winemaker. Cost is $20 for wine club members, $25 for non-members. Advanced registration is required.

STEEPLECHASING PANEL DISCUSSION Sunday, Feb. 28, 2-4 p.m.; The National Sporting Library and Museum, 102 The Plains Road, Middleburg. Details: mosbyheritagearea.org

COMEDY NIGHT with Last Comic Standing’s Jason Weems

The Mosby Heritage Area Association and NSLM host this panel discussion on the history and future of this beloved sport in Virginia’s Piedmont. Tickets are $30 for MMHA or NSLM members, $35 for non-members.

LIBATIONS WILD TURKEY WHISKEY TASTING Monday, Feb. 29, 6-9 p.m.; Parallel Wine & Whiskey Bar, 43135 Broadlands Center Plaza, Suite 121, Ashburn. Contact: 703-858-0077

4/2/16 • 8:30pm

Loudoun Youthfest’s

Battle of the Bands fInal Battle 4/8/16 • 6:30pm

Join master distiller Jimmy Russell for a tasting of his Wild Turkey and Russell Reserve whiskies. $35 fee includes tastings and light hors d’oeuvres. Advance reservations are required.

SUNSET HILLS OPEN THAT BOTTLE NIGHT Friday, Feb. 26, 6-9 p.m.; Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Drive, Purcellville. Details: sunsethillsvineyard.com This popular annual tradition at Sunset Hills is a chance to open some of the winery’s most special

MARTINIS MATTER FOR LOUDOUN WILDLIFE Saturday, Feb. 27, 5-8 p.m., River Creek Club, 43800 Olympic Blvd., Leesburg. Details: loudounwildlife.org Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is the featured nonprofit for this fundraising event sponsored by the River Creek Club. Drink and raffle ticket sales along with a silent auction help raise funds for Loudoun Wildlife. Event features prizes, music and a signature martini—the Wild Thing! Raffle tickets start at $5, drink tickets $10. The event is open to the public and admission is free.

COUNTRY BRUNCH WITH CHRIS COMPTON Sunday, Feb. 28, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd. #120, Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com Great food and country music from Chris Compton. Free with brunch.

WITH THE KIDS KIDS ACTIVITY DAY Saturday, Feb. 27, 9-11 a.m. CommuniKids, 19455 Deerfield Ave., Lansdowne. Contact: 301-785-0632. Get a taste of many different activities that are offered to kids in Loudoun from CommuniKids, Loudoun Soccer, Abrakadoodle, Bach to Rock, Tom Dolan Swim School and Super Kicks Karate. Free admission.

‘BLACK HISTORY HALL OF FAME’ Saturday, Feb. 27, 11 a.m. (Ashburn Library), 1 p.m. (Rust Library), 3:30 p.m. (Sterling Library). Details: library.loudoun.gov Bright Star Theatre teaches children in grades K-5 about the contributions of groundbreakers like Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, the Buffalo Soldiers and Mae Jemison to our nation’s past, present and future. Performances take place at Ashburn, Rust and Sterling libraries. No reservations required.

NIGHTLIFE ROUND HILL BLUEGRASS JAM Friday, Feb. 26, 6 p.m.-midnight; The Old Furniture Factory, 6 W. Loudoun St., Round Hill. Details: theoldfurniturefactory.com Now in its 12th year, this monthly jam brings together local players for a great evening of bluegrass, folk

THIS WEEK >> 32

as West African dances, both of which have added a lot of depth to their performances.”

Education, Inspiration and Action

Spring out of Winter! NiNeteeNth aNNual

Saturday, March 5th 9:00aM-4:00pM

Ida Lee Park Recreation Center • FREE ADMISSION

Our show brings you the most current trends in jewelry and fashion accessories. Find that unique piece that is all you! Browse the finest in home décor, candles, personal care, fine art, and more.

703-777-1368 • www.idalee.org

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Director Dolly Steven works with Blue Ridge Middle School student Jack Powell, “Scar,” as he puts his mask on during a recent dress rehearsal of “The Lion King.”

on the musical with their child allows for a shared, good memory, which is never a bad thing.”

“The Lion King Jr.” Blue Ridge Middle School Show times are 2:30 p.m. Feb. 27 and 28 and March 5 and 6, and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and 27 and March 4 and 5. Advance tickets are $8 per person and available online at brms.ticketleap.com/lk. Tickets purchased at the door are $10 per person.

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Shop for beautifully handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gifts for Easter, Mother’s Day, and Graduations!

on our cast parents to provide production support in every area it is needed—costumes, sets, props, publicity, tickets, hair/make-up and so on.” Parents also tend to walk away with meaningful experiences, she added. “Becoming involved will create a memory for them that is just as strong as the ones their children will have. Working

Pulling off a show of this magnitude and spectacle would be no small feat, but as soon as Stevens learned it had been released for wider production, she jumped at the chance to add it to her students’ curriculum. Not only would the young actors benefit from the theatrical and musical challenges posed by the show, they would also get a chance to immerse deeply in African culture and language. February is Black History Month, and Stevens saw a logical tie with the musical. “’The Lion King Jr.’ celebrates the roots of African cultures and languages, from its global inspirations to its magnificent African-influenced score and design,” Stevens said. “Our student-actors have been working for three months on learning six different African languages, as well as West African dances, both of which have added a lot of depth to their performances.” Several students enjoyed learning the various languages so much, they formed a Swahili Club to honor the culture. Aiding in this educational quest is a small army of volunteer parents who donate their time and skills building sets, painting scenery, sourcing props and assisting with costume design, among other tasks. Notably, BRMS par-

ent volunteers Bill Short and Gretchen Lamb have professional artist bonafides that are particularly desirable in producing “The Lion King Jr.” Short, a trained sculptor, used to craft costume pieces and headdresses for Universal Studios, Busch Gardens and Sea World before taking his current position serving in the U.S. Army. These days, he’s applying that knowledge behind the scenes at BRMS. Short created dozens of intricate head pieces and costume elements to make the lions, hyenas, monkeys and all creatures of the savannah as remarkable as their Julie Taymor-inspired Broadway counterparts. Lamb, meanwhile, is working on choreography, bringing her extensive dance experience to the table. Training under the legendary Alvin Ailey and Paula Morgan, Lamb received specialized instruction in West African dance styles. The exuberant movements bring a special dimension to “The Lion King Jr.,” making Lamb’s up-close-and-personal knowledge a real boon to the production. Stevens says Short and Lamb’s involvement is part of a wider dedication she sees from BRMS parents, without whom an undertaking of this scale would not be possible. “We are extremely fortunate to have [the talents of both Short and Lamb] on our boards,” she said. “Parents are a vital support group for creating theater in middle schools. Because there is generally no budget to speak of, we depend

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Proud Pride << FROM 28

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VINO MARKET LOUDOUN’S BEST KEPT SECRET!

[ THIS WEEK ] << FROM 30 and old time music. Suggested donation is $5.

LIVE MUSIC: RANDY THOMPSON BAND

The area’s BEST selection of beers, ciders & gluten free beers!

Friday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd. #120, Leesburg. Details: smoke-

Rated by Northern Virginia Magazine to have one of the Top 10 Pulled Pork Sandwiches! Also featuring our Brie, Apple, Honey Sandwich!

LIVE MUSIC ON FRIDAY & SATURDAYS! Visit our wine and beer bar in the cellar Conveniently located on Route 9 (near Route 7) in Paeonian Springs, VA 40602 Charles Town Pike Paeonian Springs, VA

540-882-9600 Mon-Thur 10am-8pm • Friday 10am-1am Saturday 10am-1am • Sunday 10am-8pm

style storytelling with hip-hop attitude and a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll make for a fun evening of genre defying music. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

LIVE MUSIC: SHUT IT DOWN Saturday, Feb. 27, 9 p.m.; Spanky’s Pub, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. Details: spankyspub.com Celebrate Saturday with hard rock covers from this Northern Virginia-based band. $5 cover.

COMING UP

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IDA LEE SPRING BLING HOMETOWN ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW

The Virginia-based singer-songwriter embraces the region’s musical past—from blues to bluegrass and beyond. No cover.

Saturday, March 5, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Ida Lee Recreation Center, 60 Ida Lee Drive, Leesburg. Details: idalee.org

LIVE MUSIC: DELTA SPUR Saturday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd. #120, Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com The DMV’s freshest country band (featuring Loudoun-based musicians) mixes the fun of a party band with favorites from Zac Brown, Keith Urban and more. No cover.

LIVE MUSIC: THE LACS Saturday, Feb. 27, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg. com Country

The annual show features handcrafted items including art and home decor, bath and body items, wood crafts, floral arrangements, gourmet foods and more. Admission is free.

ENSEMBLES FOR EVERYONE Saturday, March 5, 4 p.m.; Stone Bridge High School, 43100 Hay Road, Ashburn. Details: ensembles4everyone.org The Loudoun Youth Symphony Orchestra and A Place To Be Music Therapy bring music to those with special needs at this special interactive concert. After the concert, children will be able to participate in a drum circle and go to different stations including instrument crafting tables, and a musical “petting zoo” with instruments provided by Music & Arts. Admission is free, but advance registration is required.

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February 25 – March 2, 2016

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THE MURDER MYSTERY COMEDY SHOW Friday, Feb. 26, 8 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com Die Laughing Productions presents “The Newly Dead Game,” a comedy whodunit that’s part scripted, part improv and part audience participation. Tickets are $19 in advance, $25 day of show.

Council Greenlights Courthouse Expansion

Humane Society of Loudoun County board members Juanita Easton, left, and Bettina Guerre welcome supporters to Sunday’s celebration of its 50th anniversary at Ristorante Palio in Leesburg. The event featured food, music and fundraising for the organization that began helping find homes for stray animals in 1966. To learn more, go to humaneloudoun.org. Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Volunteer Guide Training Offered Civil War enthusiasts and other interested in becoming a guide at the Ball’s Bluff Battlefield may attend a March 5 training session. Friends of Ball’s Bluff Battlefield President Jim Morgan says previous guide experience is desirable, but newcomers also are encouraged to join the guide group. Those over the age of 16 interested in living history, battlefield preservation or Civil War history are welcome to participate. The session will begin at 10 a.m. March 5 at the kiosk area next to the battlefield parking lot and will last approximately two hours. Training will

consist of an introduction to the group and its purpose as well as the story of the battle at Ball’s Bluff. Training materials will be given out and a walking tour of the battlefield led by several current guides. Additional training and mentoring with the guides also will be arranged. In the event of bad weather, the training will be moved indoors to Temple Hall Farm Regional Park. To express interest in the training, contact Morgan at jamorgan3@reagan.com, leave a message at Temple Hall—703779-9372, or just show up at 10 a.m. on March 5.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753.

fairhousing@dpor.virginia.gov • www.fairhousing.vipnet.org

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Birthday Bash

The one area in which council members continued to press for compromise from county staff was the fourth level of the proposed garage. The project was initially proposed for three stories, but that was modified last year when county staff undertook a study that determined a more than 100-space shortfall in parking needs for county employees in the County Government Center parking garage. Also adding to the parking shortage was the loss of spaces county staff had used in the former Loudoun Times-Mirror site’s surface parking lot. That property is now planned for the office/retail development known as Courthouse Square. County staff members assured the council that they are amenable to work-

he expansion of the Loudoun County court system in downtown Leesburg has crossed a major hurdle, winning approval of the Leesburg Town Council. The process began in earnest last spring with the controversial vote by the council to allow the demolition of four historic district buildings along Edwards Ferry Road to allow for the expansion. Tuesday’s vote approves three other applications related to the expansion. The first, a Town Plan amendment, changes the land use designation of the 9.9-acre area, including the Pennington parking lot, off North and Church streets, from Low-Density Residential to Downtown. The two other applications include a

concept plan and proffer amendment to increase the square footage of the proposed courthouse structure at 2 N. Church St. to 92,000 square feet, and to rezone the Pennington lot from R-6 (residential) to Government Center to allow for the construction of a parking garage. The four-level facility will have 727 spaces in addition to 147 surface parking spaces. Throughout the projects’ public airing, nearby residents largely opposed several facets of it, namely the scale of the proposed parking structure, the impact of construction and lighting on nearby homes, and how traffic on local roads would be impacted by the new courthouse features. Many of these concerns were shared by council members up to and throughout Tuesday’s meeting.

33 February 25 – March 2, 2016

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

ing with town staff to identify other areas in the downtown where they could locate the additional parking, in an effort to possibly do away with the fourth level to lessen the impact on nearby residences. But when all was said and done Tuesday night, a council majority was found to support all three applications, including the four-level garage. The Town Plan amendment and concept plan and proffer amendment applications were agreed to by a 6-0-1 vote. The parking garage was agreed to by a 4-2-1 vote, with council members Tom Dunn and Marty Martinez dissenting. Councilman Bruce Gemmill recused himself from the votes because he has business relationship with the Courthouse Square project.

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VACATION

Employment

35 February 18–24, 2016

Leesbug Sterling Family Practice Is Expanding

DISPATCHER, PART TIME Salary: $11.00 non-CDL, $12.95 w/CDL P,S,A M-F, 1p-7p, Purcellville,VA Apply Online: www.vatransit.org Questions: 1-877-777-2708 EOE M/F/D/V

Our sixth location located in the Medical Professional Building at Stone Springs Hospital in Aldie, VA is scheduled to open this Summer. If you are compassionate, energetic and love working with a team, then we need YOU. FT positions are available for LPN’s and MA’s. Pediatric and or family practice preferred but willing to train the right candidate. We offer health, dental and vision insurance as well as direct deposit, 401K and many other benefits. FT positions are also available in our Broadlands location.

Delivered to mailboxes and newstands in Loudoun County

Easter Worship Section March 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th Contact: Lindsay Morgan Email: lmorgan@loudounnow.com Phone: (703) 770-9723

Email: classifieds@loudounnow.com to place your employment ad

Crossword

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[ OPINION ]

Boundary Busting As part of the latest round of school attendance zone boundary changes, the Loudoun County School Board may reverse its strategy of dispersing students from Leesburg’s poorest and most ethnically diverse neighborhoods. It’s a complicated issue that grows more complex because of the myriad motivations at play. There should be only one motivation that counts: What is best for the students. It has never been clear that the policy of busing students from their neighborhoods in the northeast section of town to schools on the outskirts was in their best interest. It is a strategy not employed elsewhere in Loudoun, even in areas that share the socioeconomic characteristics. The heat of the annual boundary zone battle is not the forum to conduct a thoughtful analysis of the options. That’s how the scheme was concocted in the first place. The result was some sort of social experiment, with an unclear method of measuring the outcome of the decision. Caught in the middle is a population that is least likely to sway the outcome of the decision. They don’t often participate in the political process. Families who can’t afford to transport their children to after-school activities aren’t likely to drive to a School Board meeting in Ashburn to share their views on boundary line changes. Students there are just as deserving of attending a neighborhood school as those in other areas of the county. The case could be made that such an approach would allow administrators to more efficiently target resources and support programs that have demonstrated success in helping these students overcome their challenging life circumstances. Conversely, the current approach might be generating exceptional outcomes—results that wouldn’t be expected if those students attended their neighborhood school all together. We don’t know. Before School Board members open a new round of experimentation, they should thoughtfully evaluate how to create the best learning environment for these students. After all, is that the standard used everywhere else?

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Published by Amendment One Loudoun, LLC 15 N. King St., Suite 101 • Leesburg, VA, 20176 PO Box 207 • Leesburg, VA 20178 703-770-9723 Norman K. Styer Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com Danielle Nadler Managing Editor dnadler@loudounnow.com Margaret Morton Senior Writer mmorton@loudounnow.com Renss Greene, Reporter rgreene@loudounnow.com Kara C. Rodriquez, Reporter rgkrodriquez@loudounnow.com Douglas Graham, Photographer

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[ LETTERS ] Thank You Leesburg Editor: As my time as Leesburg Chief of Police draws to a close, I wanted to take an opportunity to thank you, the members of this wonderful community, for all of your support, guidance and understanding over these past 16 years. During my tenure we have seen our community experience significant growth and changes. We have also seen some trying times such as the day-long hostage situation in 2009, the serial stabber/killer in 2010 and the blizzards. Through it all our mission has remained steadfast and that was to provide the highest quality of police services. Like many of you I have raised my family in Leesburg. Two finished high school while living here and the third was just starting college when we moved to Leesburg. While we didn’t come far (Montgomery County, MD), the small-town atmosphere we found here created a great place to raise a family. The warmth and welcoming we felt from day one is something that our family will not forget. Professionally, my goal was to leave the Leesburg Police Department a better place than when I arrived. I hope I achieved that. What I can tell you is that the men and women of the Police Department are some of the finest public safety personnel that you will ever find. Their knowledge, skill, dedication and most of all their compassion puts them at the top of the profession. Thanks to our members, this department is the only one in the commonwealth and one of the few in the country to have received multiple national recognitions and awards in community policing and innovative policing. When I was sworn in as chief, I quoted Robert Kennedy in my remarks by saying, “Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally

Chief Price

true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on.” I pledged to you that we would give you the best law enforcement we could because you deserved it; I hope you feel that we succeeded. Again thank you for your support in keeping our community safe. The kindness and support that you have shown the department staff over my years is an example of the true fabric of our community, a great place to live. – Joseph R. Price, Leesburg [Chief Price retires effective March 1 after leading the Police Department for 16 years.]

Failed Miserably Editor: I am usually never surprised when it comes to what politicians are capable of when they plot to deceive the public but Monday night at the Leesburg Town Council meeting, I was astonished at the speed of the deception. The special meeting was called to review the applications of the Leesburg residents who had expressed an interest in the vacant town council seat and I was one of those who had expressed LETTERS >> 39

[ OPINION ]

The Virginia Senate recently rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that aimed to expand the number of charter schools. I believe Virginia should authorize more charter schools, because charter schools—flaws and all—give educators more freedom to test new ideas to improve learning outcomes.

Background on Charter Schools

irst, a bit of background on charter schools. A charter school is a publicly funded school that is managed privately by a not-for-profit entity. Charter schools, like traditional public schools (TPS), are open enrollment—they cannot pick their students. Charter schools generally have more freedom to hire and fire teachers, but they receive less money per child than TPS because they do not get separate funds for facilities. In New York City, for example, this meant 16 percent less money per student for charter schools in 2014-2015. Finally, both charter and TPS are required to administer high stakes standardized tests. The first charter school was opened in 1992 in Minnesota by teachers who wanted to try new ideas. From this humble beginning, there were over 6000 charter schools teaching over 2.3 million students—compared with 49.8

Questions and Pragmatism about Charter Schools The evidence on charter schools is mixed, but they are a superior alternative to TPS for some students. A recent, 26-state Stanford study showed no significant difference nationally in student achievement between charter and TPS. According to the director of the National Educational Policy Center, “the [Stanford study] findings are highly consistent with an overall body of research concluding that the test-score outcomes of the sectors are almost identical.” But, Bruce Fuller, a professor at UC Berkeley, notes that “established charter schools such as KIPP that have been in operation for years, along with those serving large shares of black and Latino kids, do often lift achievement at higher rates than do traditional counterparts.” He also notes, howev-

“The Supervisors are in charge of development; all the School Board can do is respond to it. The BoS and School Board need to work closely to plan for development. Actually, ALL parties impacted by development need to be involved in the decision making process, whether it’s schools, EMS, law enforcement, or anything else that is impacted by development.” – Citizen A, on Supervisors Question School Budget “This is about providing ALL students the best education possible. An unintended consequence of busing is denying parents who have limited access

Should there be more charter schools in Virginia? My answer is a qualified “yes.” I know education can and must be far better for students than it is, even in suburban school districts, and, as in every other field, I know the only way to improve is by introducing and testing new ideas all the time, so we keep coming up with better ones. I believe having a range of educational choices is critical for positive change. What is the best way to improve the quality of education for every student in Virginia, given the vast economic differences among counties? While I don’t have all the answers, I know one way to improve formal education is to be open and to try new ideas. Because of their greater freedom to innovate and adapt, quality charter schools can improve outcomes and equity, particularly for those whom TPS have failed or abandoned. Ultimately, with more room to experiment, charter schools and private schools can make traditional public schools better. Deep Sran, founder of Loudoun School for the Gifted in Ashburn, has been on a mission to improve formal education for two decades. Contact him at dsran@ idealschools.org.

to transportation the ability to participate in many school activities. Parental involvement plays a huge role in academic outcomes.” – JT Kaz “Excellent news and choice by the Council! Bruce was my appointee as the County rep on the Leesburg Airport Commission and served on Gov. McDonnell’s Govt. Reform Commission, too. It’s great having another local business person on the Council too! Congratulations!” – KenReid, on Gemmill Appointed to Leesburg Council Seat

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million in TPS, about 4 million in religious private schools, and over 1 million in secular private schools—as of the 2012-2013 academic year. In Washington, DC, 42 percent of public school students attended charter schools. Arizona, the state with the highest percentage, had about 14 percent of public school students in charter schools. Of the 41 states (including DC) that had charter schools, no state had a lower percentage (virtually zero) of students in charter schools than Virginia.

Virginia Should Authorize More Charter Schools

BY DEEP SRAN

es) in 2013-2014 in Virginia ranged from $8591 in King George to $12,611 in Loudoun to $19,400 in Arlington. As Nate Bowling—2016 Washington State Teacher of the Year—noted in his blog, when it comes to improving student outcomes, teacher quality matters more than everything else. The funding disparity means that aﬄuent public school districts can hire and retain better teachers than poor districts. This leaves poor districts in need of new ideas and better solutions. I don’t believe TPS and private schools are structured to help the students who need it most, but charter schools are. Charter schools can function as labs to test new ideas and as alternatives for parents who currently have no other options. Charter schools give school leaders more freedom than TPS to do what their students and teachers need.

February 25 – March 2, 2016

Should Virginia authorize more charter schools?

er, that charter schools “appear to undermine the learning progress among children from middle-class families.” The evidence is certainly not clear, but it appears existing charter schools, like TPS, are good for some students and not for others. I began working in education to build a school run by teachers that would be a lab for best practices. Initially, I planned to start a charter school because it would be more open to new ideas and more agile than a TPS but would still serve all students. After working for two years as a teacher and administrator at a charter school in DC, however, I decided to open a private school in Ashburn. I made this decision because, while charter schools are generally a better place to test new ideas than TPS, they are more limited in this regard than private schools. In the charter management organization—an organization that runs more than one charter school—where I worked, I didn’t see the sort of openness to experimentation that drove the creation of charter schools initially. I blame this, in large part, on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In an effort to meet the annual student progress requirements under NCLB— which has been substantially amended since—the school where I worked abandoned much of what made it wonderful for students. Second, I saw how difficult it was for teachers to do what was best for students while meeting the demands of non-teachers: the management team, board of directors, public charter school board, public school board, philanthropic foundations donating money, and federal regulators. So I chose to open a private school, to give great teachers room and time to design a better model for secondary education. Unfortunately, privately funded schools are too expensive for the vast majority of students, and I haven’t figured out (yet) how to make them work in the poorest school districts. So, while charter schools have their limitations, they are more adaptive than many TPS and more egalitarian than private schools. The disparity in funding among school districts makes positive change even more difficult to implement in many TPS, because it’s more difficult to retain great teachers and provide them with the resources they need. The total annual spending per pupil for operations (excluding capital expens-

[ OPINION ]

loudounnow.com

lot has been said about the recent changes to the Ethics Pledge and Standards of Conduct passed by the Board of Supervisors in January. There has been great angst about anyone daring to deny the need for one (we’ve had one before) and even greater preening about the bi-partisan demand and courage to revise and update the Standards and re-implement the Pledge. Let us contend that the new wording of the pledge is adequate to the task, and it is indeed good that it was done in a bi-partisan manner. Allow me to buck the conventional wisdom, which holds that it accomplishes something substantial in the way of ethics and accountability in Loudoun County government. If those who run for an elected position who have exhibited high character and integrity in their past endeavors, it would stand to reason that they would continue this trend in public office. And if they have not shown that character, we shouldn’t vote for them. Period. After all, the author, and likely many reading here, learned the bulk of their lessons on character prior to reading the Loudoun County Standards of Conduct. The same is likely true of the supervisors. Fully half of the 14 points of the pledge are simply statements of intent to obey the law, and most of the rest are affirmations of the most basic interpretation of public service that nobody could possibly refuse if they are pursuing an elected position. Anyone who would look at this pledge and say, “You know, I guess I won’t run. Numbers five, seven, and 14 seem really hard!” is not likely to

Character and Ideas Over Ethics Pledges BY BUTCH PORTER run for office anyway. Likewise, anyone who would not abide by the law, represent their constituents, or act professionally would have no problem signing a pledge they do not intend to follow. Ideas matter every bit as much as character. It is in this area that we need a great deal more attention. For instance, what if someone of traditionally high character were to run for county office while holding a view of government that elevated it beyond the role of protector of rights and defender of liberties. If he or she believed the government to be the great equalizer, or the planner of the future,

or the supreme judge of all morality, “social justice” and right and wrong, no ethics pledge would prevent the supervisor from running roughshod over the rights, duties and privileges of citizens—and using government funds and authority to do it. This “activist” view of government magnifies accountability risks substantially. The person behind the dais can now create regulations, taxes, fees, or laws which might positively affect those who they deem as political allies—or negatively affect their opponents (Lord Acton did not create this concern from whole cloth). Put another way, the “Ethics Pledge”

[TOWN BRIEFS ]

Full Council << FROM 10 Gemmill stated in a town press release that he was “flattered” to have been chosen. In applying for the position, he stated in his expression of interest that he was not interested in seeking a council seat in November’s general elections. “Over the next 10 months, if the best thing said about my temporary position on the Council is ‘Bruce brought civility back to public discourse, respect towards those with competing interests, and improvement to the process of getting things done,’ then I will feel my time has been well spent,” he stated. “And by ‘getting things done,’ I mean that which will improve the business climate in Leesburg and the quality of life for its residents.” The council vacancy was initially triggered by the election of Mayor Kristen Umstattd to serve as the Leesburg District representative on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. She resigned her town post when she took up her county duties Jan. 1. Butler was appointed to her seat during a special meeting two weeks ago, so Gemmill will now fill the remainder of Butler’s term, which expires Dec. 31. Monday night’s special meeting to fill the vacancy was brief, as Gemmill

seems to go in one direction. Ask yourself: Are high taxes and regulations considered “special favors,” technically? What kind of damage can be done, while not conflicting with the Standards of Conduct? Is a nonprofit, advocacy group, or “human interest” program getting increased funds or favors based on a relationship with a supervisor going to receive the same scrutiny as a developer getting a zoning approval? Should it? And this is not simply about campaign laws and conflicts of interest. The county is in charge of a $2 billion budget now, which includes the funds for public health and safety, libraries, transportation issues, and of course, a sizable chunk goes to public schools. Hopefully, our board members understand enough about integrity and reason and representative government to make an ethics pledge easy. Time will tell if they have an understanding of proper limits of their reach, what they should and should not consider the “county’s business,” and who, indeed, are “all citizens.” Hopefully, we will be spared the discovery that, although all citizens are equal, some are more equal than others. An “Ethics Pledge” shines a spotlight on character, while revealing nothing about anyone’s character, and far less about one’s core philosophy of government and intentions on how to use their vote. If we are not careful, it can lull us into a sense of complacency whereas we neglect to ask what supervisors actually believe in and want to accomplish, both before and after their election. Too much attention on a Pledge can make us, in the best case, intellectually lazy, and in the worst case, superfluous and unnecessary.

was the first person put forward for nomination. Councilman Tom Dunn made the initial motion and was seconded by Councilwoman Suzanne Fox. Only Vice Mayor Kelly Burk and Councilman Marty Martinez voted against the motion to appoint Gemmill. The council had the option of discussing the applicants and the council appointment process in closed session, but only Fox expressed support for that. At least one councilmember was unhappy about the process to appoint Gemmill. In an emailed statement Tuesday, Vice Mayor Kelly Burk called the meeting an “abysmal failure.” She said there should have been public discussion about candidates’ qualifications and the process by which a candidate assume office, as well why the council chose one candidate over the others. “Though it had nothing to do with me, I have been apologizing to those fifteen people who did not get to be considered in this misguided process. … It was callous and disrespectful to the remaining candidates and the public sitting there watching this process unfold,” she wrote. Butler responded to the criticism, saying the voting procedure was the

“IT WAS CALLOUS AND DISRESPECTFUL TO THE REMAINING CANDIDATES AND THE PUBLIC SITTING THERE WATCHING THIS PROCESS UNFOLD.” same the council had followed in the past and was as outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order, the council’s meeting guidelines. Burk, who is running for mayor in the November election, said she hopes the other candidates who expressed interest will also run for office in the fall. Others who applied to fill Butler’s seat were: Brett Burk, Ron Campbell, James Csizmadia, Victoria Daly, Rusty Foster, Jay Greeley, John Hilton, Rebecca Hoey, Edward Kiley, Gwen Pangle, Mary Pellicano, Oliver Peters, Douglas Skinner, Terry Titus and Giovanna Untalan. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

<< FROM 10 basketball courts and aerobics room. Handcrafted items will be on display from a wide variety of vendors. Shop for one-of-a-kind items from unique art and home décor, bath and body items, wood crafts, florals, gourmet foods, and other miscellaneous products. Find unique jewelry and accessories to compliment your spring fashions. There will be something to appeal to every taste. The annual event will feature more than 70 local and regional artisans. The crafts show offers a great opportunity to find the perfect gift for upcoming occasions, such as Easter, Mother’s Day, graduations and end-ofschool teacher appreciation. Admission to the crafts show and parking is free. For more information, call the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center at 703-777-1368 or go to idalee.org.

[ LETTERS ]

Misleading

– Rebecca B. Fuller, President Board of Directors, Hillsboro Charter Academy

Quick Response Editor: Due to the recent storms, the bridge over Catoctin Creek on Allder School Road between Rt. 287 and Purcellville Road was damaged and had to be closed for repairs. Then a culvert to the west of the bridge began to wash out and that threatened to isolate and cut off several families and a business. It also would prevent emergency services from reaching us in case of fire or a health crisis. On Thursday morning Feb. 18, I called Mr. LaRock’s office to see if he could help us. Even though he and his staff were in Richmond for the legislative session, I was told they would look into the matter. Within hours I was contacted by his office that VDOT had visited and assessed the road damage and 24 hours later VDOT was here on Allder School Road making temporary repairs. I want to thank Mr. LaRock and his office for the excellent constituent service and also VDOT for responding so quickly. – Lee “Doc” Hooks, Purcellville

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Pat Stack, Esq.

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Leah Ferguson

Cell: 540.554.2114 Email: leah@rstarmail.com www.jtfergusonrealestate.com

PO Box 954, Middleburg, VA 20118 4790 Finlay Street, Henrico, VA 23231

loudounnow.com

Editor: Your recent use of a photograph depicting the sign that welcomes people to Hillsboro Elementary School serves only to mislead the public. In an article entitled “Senate Rejects Controversial Charter Power Grab” you detailed the Virginia Senate’s decision to reject a bill which would have amended the state constitution, divesting local school boards of control over charters. Neither Hillsboro Elementary nor its successor, Hillsboro Charter Academy

(HCA), were involved in the creation of House Bill 3. The Board of Directors of HCA did not take a position on the proposed legislation. The outcome of this vote has no impact on the signed contractual agreement between Loudoun County Public Schools and HCA. The HCA charter was developed through the existing process that is currently in effect throughout the commonwealth for the creation of charter schools. The founders of HCA went through an 18-month vetting process during which the application to the Loudoun County School Board was revised and adapted four times ensuring that concerns could be addressed and stipulations of the local division were met. In the end, HCA was granted its contract for charter by an 8-1 vote of support from the local School Board. Since that time, the board of directors of HCA has continued to work collaboratively with the LCPS administration on a timeline to opening in August, 2016. Hillsboro Elementary School is not a charter school. It is currently a Loudoun County public school which has a proud tradition as the center of the smallest incorporated town in the commonwealth. Using a picture of the school’s sign serves only to confuse the public about the status of Hillsboro Charter Academy and charter schools in general as alternative, tuition free, public education choices for the children of Virginia.

– Ron Campbell, Leesburg

French style country estate on 2.46 acres in Vienna, Virginia in wooded setting just 5 minutes to Tysons. Stately home has 6 bedrooms, 6 baths, 5 half baths and a four car garage. A completely separate three-story guest house is connected by an enclosed breezeway. Lower level includes a large rec room, entertainment center and wine closet.

interest. From the beginning it was clear that there was not going to be a proper process for vetting the résumés and Mayor Dave Butler said that they would simply nominate a name and keep voting until one person received four votes. Tom Dunn nominated someone with no introduction of that person or discussion of why he nominated them or how they would bring value to the citizens of Leesburg. On the first and only ballot that person received the four votes. Period. It was all over. If the democratic process is to represent a fair and open process, then the Town Council failed miserably. This set-up was in long before the vote and the same four that voted for Dave Butler to fill the mayor’s seat voted again to replace Butler’s open seat with a candidate of their choosing. In fact, a nameplate had already been prepared for this person long before the vote was taken. This could be witnessed as I watched the rest of the Town Council meeting on television. The process Monday was an insult to the 16 qualified people that took time to submit their letters of interest and résumés for the open position. Monday night’s action should be a wake up call to all of us in Leesburg that the once non-partisan desire for the Town Council maybe was never a reality but has clearly become partisan. This fact should concern the residents of Leesburg as it limits the ability of all voices to be heard and limits the effectiveness of your elected leaders to properly represent your concerns on the local, county and state levels. I am running for Leesburg Town Council in November to bring Leesburg back to the citizens. I want to represent all the voices of Leesburg and not the few in power. I am running to engage the residents of Leesburg in a meaningful way so that we can develop a governing relationship and hear your voice when we vote on issues that affect the communities you live in, the budget, the taxes you pay and the services and programs you receive. Monday night’s process and outcome reinforced the fact that your voice does not matter. Your vote is the only thing that these politicians will listen to and only if they fear being voted out. I hope to earn your vote in November and ask that all of us pay closer attention to the important matters before the Town Council between now and then. Please understand that your vote matters if you want to keep Leesburg moving forward. The time has come for change.

February 25 – March 2, 2016

French Country Villa In Vienna

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