Orndorff for Chairman

By now, you’ve likely heard that I am seeking the Chairmanship of the Shenandoah County Republican Committee. I’m seeking the Chairmanship after a decade of political work and leadership on the committee. I wanted to lay out my platform below here for visitors to the blog, as I know that some have come here seeking more information. I’ve also uploaded a brochure that can be viewed here.

The brochure provides a great deal more information, and I feel my vision lays out some clear goals should I be elected chair, so I don’t feel the need for a lengthy post. Basically, I am seeking the chairmanship at this time, a time when our committee and our party is desperately in need of leadership to advance our shared values. This is not a public policy position, but I consider myself a strong conservative. Ultimately, we must recognize the fact that, although we may not agree on every single issue, we absolutely must work together or else risk allowing those who are diametrically opposed to our values to prevail. As Ronald Reagan said, “My eighty percent friend is not my twenty percent enemy.” We need a chairman who will work with all sides and will encourage people to always be civil and to recognize the need for unity. We have alot of work to do, but I feel up to the challenge and have the experience to prove I can lead this committee to victory. Again, check out my brochure, and if you’re interested, please attend your local precinct mass meeting (locations here) at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, April 12th so you can be a delegate at the Monday, April 23rd convention, at 7:30 pm at Central High School in Woodstock. I hope that between now and then I can earn your support!

OPENNESS

• Ensuring all party calls are written clearly and to legal requirements
• Publicizing party procedures to all interested participants
• Providing rosters and state and local party plans to all committee members
• Holding regular meetings and conferences with executive board members
• Actively recruiting volunteers through regular social events
• Regular website updates and e-newsletters
• Conducting all party business by parliamentary procedure and party rules

UNITY

• Open door policy to address concerns of committee members and officeholders
• Believes the position of chair is one of a fair and unbiased arbiter of the process
• As chairman, Craig will seek no other party or public office
• Having frank and open discussions about our nominating processes

ACTION

• Establishing clear fundraising and campaign plans every year
• Making media outreach strategies a planning priority
• Writing and approving a budget each year
• Working with candidates for victory across the board
• Establishing new databases of supporters and voters
• Making sure that we start each year with clear contact goals and timeliness
• Providing political education for precinct and district leadership (manuals/training sessions)

2012 Shenandoah County Reagan Day Dinner

Update: Jamie Radtke, candidate for U.S. Senate, has been added to the line-up. Tix are still available, so get yours today!

The Shenandoah County Republican Committee is proud to announce its

2012 RONALD REAGAN DINNER

April 7, 2012

Yellow Barn – Shenandoah Caverns, VA

Featuring:

U.S. Senate Candidates:

Former Governor & U.S. Senator George Allen

Delegate Bob Marshall

Jamie Radtke

6^th Congressional District Candidates:

Congressman Bob Goodlatte

Karen Kwiatkowski

Our Legislative Representatives in Richmond:

Senator Mark Obenshain

Delegate Todd Gilbert

The Dinner, catered by Shaffer’s, starts at 6:15 pm

Private Reception for Sponsors and Dignitaries at 5:30 pm

Silent Auction benefitting the Republican Women of Shenandoah County at 5:30 pm

Standard Tickets: $25

Sponsorship Opportunities

Included with a Sponsorship: Dinner & Private Reception, with a chance to meet, and take pictures with, our distinguished guests; A chance to sit at a table, during dinner, with one of our distinguished guests; and recognition in our Event Program.  At dinner, Sponsors will be seated in the order of their sponsorship; within each level, seats will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Levels of Sponsorship

Event Host: $75 per ticket.  In addition to the aforementioned sponsorship perks, Event Hosts will be recognized for their generosity at the greeter’s table.

Event Sponsor: $50 per ticket.

Event Patron: $35 per ticket.

Program Advertising: $50 for Business card size; $100 for half page; $200 for full page.

Contact information:

Jeremy McCleary, SCRC Chairman, or Blake Philips, SCRC Events Chair

(540)459-2444 or (540)459-3727; mcclearylaw@gmail.com; P.O. Box 389 – Woodstock, VA 22664

Call to 2012 Shenandoah County, Virginia Republican Precinct Mass Meetings and Convention

Below, for the purposes of public information, is the complete call to Shenandoah County’s Precinct Mass Meetings and County Convention. All of the legal information necessary is below. However, for newbies, here is a basic guide to the process. On Thursday, April 12th at 7:30 pm precinct mass meetings will be held at the locations listed below to elect delegates who will then represent their precinct at the County Convention on Monday, April 23rd at 7:30 p.m. at Central High School in Woodstock. That convention will then a county party chairman and other members of the committee. It will also elect delegates to the Sixth District Convention, which will elect a district chair, three vice-chairmen, three members of the state central committee, one presidential elector and three delegates and three alternates to the Republican National Convention. The County Convention will also elect delegates to the State Convention, which will elect a state chairman, two members of the Republican National Committee, two at-large presidential electors, and thirteen delegates and thirteen alternates to the Republican National Convention. Information on these further up conventions is below, but feel free to ask any questions you may have about the process. I have further news to blog about regarding both the LFSWCD and the County GOP Committee, but for now I wanted to be sure this info gets out there for all interested Republicans.

Note: The voluntary registration fee for the 6th Congressional District Convention is actually $20. However, this is not a required part of the below call and was included for informative purposes only. Also, as these events are technically part of the nominating process for the public office of President, all fees are strictly voluntary.

CALL TO SHENANDOAH COUNTY, VIRGINIA
REPUBLICAN PARTY PRECINCT MASS MEETINGS
AND COUNTY CONVENTION

As Chairman of the Shenandoah County Republican Committee, pursuant to the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party of Virginia, and as recommended and directed by the Shenandoah County Republican Committee at its regular meeting on Thursday, March 8, 2012, I, Jeremy D. McCleary, do hereby issue this Call for Precinct Mass Meetings and a County Convention to be held as follows:
Precinct mass meetings will be held in the sixteen precincts of Shenandoah County at the following locations on Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 7:30 PM:

Orkney Springs – Fire/Rescue Building
New Market – Fire Department
Conicville – Fire Hall
Mt. Jackson – Town Hall
Edinburg – Fire Hall
St. Luke – Parish Hall
Woodstock – Circuit Courtroom
Fort Valley – Fire Hall
Cedar Creek – Community Center
Toms Brook – Fire Hall
Lebanon Church – Community Center
Strasburg – Town Hall

The purpose of the precinct mass meetings is to elect delegates and alternate delegates to the Shenandoah County Republican Convention to convene at Central High School in Woodstock, Virginia, or its alternate site on Monday, April 23, 2012 at 7:30 PM

The purposes of the convention are:
1. To elect a Unit Chairman, members of the Unit Committee, and six (6) District Chairmen of the Shenandoah County Republican Committee, in accordance with the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party of Shenandoah County, Virginia, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the Convention; and
2. To elect up to 85 delegates and an equal number of alternate delegates to the Republican Party of Virginia State Convention, to be held on June 16th at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, beginning at 10:00 a.m. for the purposes of electing a State Party Chairman, RNC National Committeeman, RNC National Committeewoman, 13 At-Large Delegates and 13 At-Large Alternate Delegates to the RNC Convention, and two (2) At-Large Presidential Electors. Each unit is entitled to one (1) delegate vote per 250 Republican votes for Governor and President at their last election, so that Shenandoah County is entitled to 85 Delegate Votes; and
3. To elect up to 85 delegates and an equal number of alternate delegates to represent Shenandoah County at the Sixth Congressional District Convention of the Republican Party of Virginia to be held at Rockbridge County High School 143 Greenhouse Road, Lexington, Virginia 24450, or its alternate site, starting at 10:00 a.m. local time on May 5, 2012. The purposes of the Sixth Congressional District Convention of the Republican Party of Virginia are as follows: (1) Elect three (3) delegates and three (3) alternate delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention to be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, beginning on Wednesday, August 29, 2012. The purpose of the Republican National Convention is to nominate candidates for President and Vice-President of the United States; (2) Nominate one (1) presidential Elector for the election on November 6, 2012; Elect a District Chairman of the Republican Party; (3) Elect three (3) members of the State Central Committee; (4) Elect three (3) regional vice-chairmen to the Sixth District Committee; and (4) the transaction of any other such business as may properly come before the convention. Each unit is entitled to one (1) delegate vote per 250 Republican votes for
Governor and President at their last election, so that Shenandoah County is entitled to 85 Delegate Votes; and

Voluntary Registration Fee

A voluntary registration fee of $1 is requested of each delegate and alternate delegate to the County Convention, but it is not required to participate in the convention. A voluntary registration fee of $35.00 is requested of each delegate and alternate delegate to the Sixth District Convention, to be paid when the certification is filed with the District Chairman. A voluntary registration fee of $35.00 is requested by the Republican Party of Virginia per delegate or alternate elected to the State Convention. All fees are subject to the limits and prohibitions of the Federal Election Campaign Act and are not tax-deductible.

Allotment of Delegate Votes

The convention shall be composed of delegates and alternate delegates from the respective precincts they represent. Representation shall be based on a percentage of the total number of Republican votes cast in each precinct in the last Presidential and Gubernatorial elections combined. Each precinct will be allowed one (1) delegate vote and one (1) alternate vote for each seventy-five (75) Republican votes cast, or a major fraction thereof. Each precinct shall be entitled to at least one (1) delegate vote. Up to five (5) delegates may be elected for each delegate vote, but no delegate shall have less than one-fifth (1/5) of a vote. Pursuant to Section H (3) of the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party of Virginia, each precinct delegation shall vote full vote at the convention unless otherwise designated by the electing members of the precinct at its mass meeting. Precincts shall be entitled to vote as follows:

Orkney Springs – 13 Delegate Votes and 13 Alternate Votes
New Market – 34 Delegate Votes and 34 Alternate Votes
Conicville – 24 Delegate Votes and 24 Alternate Votes
Mt. Jackson – 19 Delegate Votes and 19 Alternate Votes
Edinburg – 21 Delegate Votes and 21 Alternate Votes
St. Luke – 22 Delegate Votes and 22 Alternate Votes
Woodstock – 40 Delegate Votes and 40 Alternate Votes
Fort Valley – 12 Delegate Votes and 12 Alternate Votes
Cedar Creek – 2 Delegate Votes and 2 Alternate Votes
Toms Brook – 28 Delegate Votes and 28 Alternate Votes
Lebanon Church – 19 Delegate Votes and 19 Alternate Votes
Strasburg – 31 Delegate Votes and 31 Alternate Votes
Vote Total: 265 Delegate Votes and 265 Alternate Votes
Delegate Total: 1325 Delegates and 1325 Alternate Delegates

Candidacy Filing Requirements

Candidates for the election for the position of Shenandoah County Unit Chairman shall file a written declaration of candidacy by mail or in person to Mr. Jeremy D. McCleary, Chairman of the Shenandoah County Republican Committee by Friday, March 23, 2012 at 5:00 pm to Jeremy D. McCleary, Chairman of the Shenandoah County Republican Committee, 147 N. Main Street Woodstock, Virginia 22664. Postmarks shall not be considered. Only those who so file may stand for election at this Convention. Should only one person file for chairman under these requirements then he/she shall automatically be declared elected as chairman. No nominations shall be accepted from the floor of the County Convention, unless no candidate files for the position.

Qualifications for Participation

All legal and qualified voters of Shenandoah County, regardless of race, religion, national origin or sex, under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, who are in accord with the principles of the Republican Party and who, if requested to express in open meeting, either orally or in writing as may be required, their intent to support all of its nominees for public office in the ensuing election, may participate as members of the Republican Party of Virginia in the Convention. All individuals desiring to participate in the Convention may be required to present some form of identification such as a voter registration card, driver’s license, or other positive identification.

Call for Sixth Congressional District Convention

EDIT: A previous version of this post accidentally showed Roanoke City’s allotment twice and left out Shenandoah. This has been fixed. Sorry for the confusion.

Below you will find the official call for the 2012 Sixth Congressional District Convention. This document lays out the time and date for each meeting, as well as the delegate allotment for each county in the Sixth. What it does not lay out, however, is how to become a delegate—that is because it is up to each county committee to decide how and when delegates are selected. Each county will be issuing their own call for an event to select delegates for both the Sixth District and State Convention. As of this writing, a call has not been issued for Shenandoah County. I will provide that as soon as it is available.

The nomination for Congress on the Republican side will not be decided at this convention but rather by the June 12th primary. Incumbent Congressman Bob Goodlatte and liberty activist Karen Kwiatkowski are the only announced individuals seeking the nod. The filing deadline is March 29th.

Even though the nod is not up at the Convention, I still strongly encourage activists to attend. The Convention will select our District Chair, District Representatives to the State Central Committee (the Republican Party of Virginia’s governing body), the district vice-chairs,  and three delegates to the National Convention. These delegate slots could prove particularly crucial should it look like we will be headed to multiple ballots at the convention, as delegates are free to vote their conscience after the first ballot. As towards the leadership positions, we need principled conservatives who also understand the political process and how to win elections as well as how to deal with inevitable conflicts that arise in party politics. Read all about the convention below, and if you are interested in running for a position, the form can be found here.

__________________________________________________________________________

OFFICIAL CALL

District Convention

Of the Sixth Congressional District

Of the Republican Party of Virginia

May 5, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Local Time

As Chairman of the Sixth Congressional District of the Republican Party of Virginia and pursuant to the Plan of Organization, and as recommended and directed by the District Committee, I, Wendell Walker, do hereby issue this Call for a District Convention to be held at the Rockbridge County High School, 143 Greenhouse Road, Lexington, Virginia 24450, or its alternate site, starting at 10:00 a.m. local time on May 5, 2012.

PURPOSES

1. Elect three (3) delegates and three (3) alternate delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention to be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, beginning on Wednesday, August 29, 2012. The purpose of the Republican National Convention is to nominate candidates for President and Vice-President of the United States.
2. Nominate one (1) presidential Elector for the election on November 6, 2012.
3. Elect a District Chairman of the Republican Party.
4. Elect three (3) members of the State Central Committee.
5. Elect three (3) regional vice-chairmen to the Sixth District Committee.
6. The transaction of any other such business as may properly come before the convention.

QUALIFICATION FOR PARTICIPATION

All legal and qualified voters of the Sixth Congressional District under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, regardless of race, religion, nation origin, or sex, who are in accord with the principles of the Republican Party and who, if requested, express in open meeting either orally or in writing as may be required, their intent to support all of its nominees for public office in the ensuing election, may participate as a member of the Republican Party of Virginia in its mass meetings, party canvasses, conventions or primaries encompassing their respective election districts.

REGISTRATION

Convention registration shall begin at 8:30 a.m. and shall end at 10:30 a.m.  The Convention shall be called to order at 10:00 a.m. Every person elected as a delegate or alternate to the Sixth District Convention will be asked to pay a voluntary $20.00 fee. This fee will be paid to the unit represented, and the unit will forward it to the Sixth District Convention.

BALLOTTING

All contests shall be by majority vote. Upon completion of the first ballot, if the contest has not been decided by majority vote, another ballot shall be held to decide the remaining contest, and the candidate who has received the lowest vote will be dropped after each ballot. Subsequent ballots shall be so conducted until the contest has been decided by majority vote. Balloting shall not begin before 10:30 a.m.

COMPOSITION OF THE CONVENTION

The District Convention shall be composed of delegates and alternate delegates of the respective units they represent. Each Unit shall have one delegate vote per 250 votes of “Republican Voting Strength” as defined in the Republican State Party Plan of Organization (“the Plan”). The delegates and alternates shall be elected in county and city mass meetings, party canvasses or conventions called for this purpose by each unit committee in conformity with the Plan. The number of delegates and delegate votes of each Unit shall be as follows:

UNIT	VOTING STRENGTH	MAX. NO. DELEGATES
Amherst	58	290
Augusta	155	775
Bath	8	40
Bedford	80	400
Botetourt	77	385
Buena Vista	8	40
Harrisonburg	39	195
Highland	6	30
Lexington	6	30
Lynchburg	121	605
Page	45	225
Roanoke City	101	505
Roanoke County	154	770
Rockbridge	39	195
Rockingham	156	780
Shenandoah	85	425
Staunton	36	180
Warren	58	290
Waynesboro	33	165

CERTIFICATION OF DELEGATES

The delegates present in a given delegation shall designate which alternate delegates shall vote in the place of an absent delegate except where the electing body electing the delegates has determined another method of alternate delegate selection.
Convention delegates so elected shall be certified in writing with their respective names and addresses including zip codes over the signatures of the permanent chairman and permanent secretary of the unit mass meeting or convention, or of the unit chairman of the unit committee which may have conducted a party canvass to select the delegates and alternate delegates.
ALL CERTIFICATIONS, REGARDLESS OF THE DATE OF LOCAL MASS MEETING, PARTY CANVASS OR CONVENTION MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER APRIL 26, 2012. After the filing deadline of the certification, no change may be made except a certified alternate delegate may be made a delegate. A copy of the published call of the convention, mass meeting or party canvass called for the purpose of selecting delegates and alternate delegates to said convention, must accompany the certification with the date of publication included. Certification should be mailed or delivered as follows: Original – District Chairman and Wendell Walker, 2421 Old Forest Road, Lynchburg VA 24501
Second Copy – District Secretary and Sandy Gates, 2847 Country Club Road, Troutville, VA 24175
Third Copy – Unit records
A delegate or alternate delegate is not certified until his or her name, address, and phone number have been provided on the certification form.

CANDIDACY FILING REQUIREMENTS

Any person seeking election to the offices listed above under “Purposes” must file a written declaration of candidacy and a filing fee with the Sixth Congressional District Secretary, Sandy Gates, 2847 Country Club Road, Troutville, Virginia 24175, to be received by 5:00 p.m., March 31, 2012.  Postmarks shall not be considered. Required filing forms can be obtained via the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia website at http://www.sixthdistrictgop.org/  or at the Republican Party of Virginia website at www.rpv.org.
Paid for and authorized by the Sixth District Congressional District of the Republican Party of Virginia.

Newt “Hollywood” Gingrich

I’m not a trained historian, at least in the sense of one current presidential candidate. I do not hold a PhD or even a Masters in the subject. But I do consider myself something of an amateur historian and do possess some historical training and experience, as a former schoolteacher and museum employee. I read quite a bit on a number of historical topics. One particular interest of mine is the Cold War era. I particularly enjoy viewing this through the contemporary media and pop culture of the period.

In the 1980s there were a number of films that considered the after-effects or on-set of a nuclear exchange between the superpowers. Some were primarily focused on the aftermath: Threads and The Day After are two infamous films that look at the toll on society and individuals that would ensue after such an exchange. These films also looked at the conditions that might lead to such an exchange. They tended to have a largely anti-nuclear, left-leaning message.

One film focused more on the lead-up and did so in a fascinating way. The 1984 Canadian produced Countdown to Looking Glass, which originally aired on HBO on October 14th of that year, considers the scenario of an economic collapse leading to Soviet puppet states springing up in the Middle East, particularly Oman. The U.S. sends troops to Saudi Arabia and Oman responds with a blockcade in the Strait of Hormuz. Soviets deploy submarines in the region as shots are exchanged on a variety of fronts. Things come to a head when the Omanis and the US exchange fire, resulting in the loss of an Omani gunboat. A Soviet sub is tracked under the Nimitz, and eventually nukes are exchanged. We’re left with the President and his closest advisors boarding the Looking Glass, an airborne command center and the very real possibility of an all-out strategic nuclear exchange.

What makes the film so compelling is that the events are portrayed through a mock newscast. The producers purposely added dramatic scenes and used compressed time (i.e. several days of events presented over the 1 hour 26 minutes of the film), but the newscast aspect lends a great deal of authenticity and really captures the paranoia and anxiety of the era. They also used real pundits and politicians, such as Eric Sevareid and Senator Eugene McCarthy. It does a fairly good job of staying somewhat neutral while still capturing the immensity of the potential situation.

Also appearing in the film is a young, telegenic Congressman from the state of Georgia. At the time he was a right-wing back-bench bomb thrower who was quickly making a name for himself. A committed Cold Warrior, he makes numerous references to past history and hails Winston Churchill.

You might know him. It’s former Speaker and current GOP Presidential candidate Newton Leroy Gingrich.

It’s been a while since I viewed the film, but I believe Newt appears twice from what I remember He appears at around 6:20 in this clip from the first third:

And at about 6:42 in this clip from the last third:

Newt isn’t exactly a Hollywood star like, say, former Senator Fred Thompson. But he has appeared in a variety of films, mostly documentaries. But in 1995 he did have a cameo appearance in an episode of Murphy Brown. Check out the former Speaker’s full Hollywood credits here.

As an aside, I strongly suggest you check out Countdown to Looking Glass. It may not have the power it once did, but it still pulls up a whole lot of emotions.

Reagan on Newt, Romney

In last night’s CNN debate in South Carolina, Mitt Romney made mention that both Newt Gingrich and George Romney, Mitt’s father, were mentioned in The Reagan Diaries and claimed that Newt was mentioned only once and that Reagan thought he had a bad idea. Welp, I happen to have a copy of the Diaries, so here for you to judge for yourself is both the entry on Newt from 1983:

Monday, January 3rd
[Staff and NSC meetings; calls from congressional leadership.]
A tough budget meeting & how to announce the deficits we’ll have–they are horrendous and yet the Dems. in Cong. are saying there is no room for budgett cuts. Met with a group of young Repub. Congressmen. Newt Gingrich has a proposal for freezing the budget at the 1983 level. It’s a tempting idea except that it would cripple our defense program. And if we make an exception on that every special interest group will be asking for the same.

And actually TWO mentions on George Romney in 1984:

Friday, June 22
…..
In the Rose Garden after lunch I met with representatives of the Internation Youth Year Commission. Then a meeting with Sec. Schultz, mainly on the Soviet situation. No break through but further evidence that they aren’t quite sure which way they want to go. George Romney came by, he is heading up a part of our Pvt. Sector Initiative called “Volunteer.” He’s interested in possibly a special medal for outstanding volunteers. I’m rather inclined to think maybe they should be formally included in the presentation of Medals of Freedom. Did a portrait session with mike Evans & then off to  Camp David. Got there in time for a swim.

And on June 1986, there’s a mention that Reagan attended a luncheon for volunteer action group led by George Romney. Note that I only own the abridged edition edited by Douglas Brinkley–the Reagan Library sells the unabridged edition. There’s likely more on Romney there. In this edition, Ron Paul was not mentioned, nor was Rick Santorum, naturally, as Santorum was not elected to Congress until 1990, after the end of Reagan’s term.

I’m not going to go now and track down everything Ronald Reagan ever said about these four, if anything. Just wanted to clarify the historical record to the best of my ability.

Dennis Morris to hold Precinct Meeting

Shenandoah County Supervisor Dennis Morris (R-Dist. 5) will be holding a precinct meeting on Thursday, January 26th at the Toms Brook Volunteer Fire Department. The Fire Hall is located at 3342 South Main Street in Toms Brook. (Map and directions here) District Five consists of Toms Brook, Lebanon Church, and Cedar Creek precincts.

The meeting appears to be primarily for the purposes of discussing the state of County EMS and Fire Services, as Gary Yew, the county’s Fire Chief, will be speaking. Refreshments will be served. For more information, you can call (540) 436-9149.

 

Agenda for January 12th, 2012 LFSWCD Meeting

On Thursday I’ll be attending my first meeting of the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District Board as one of Shenandoah County’s two voting members. Before each meeting I’ll be posting the agenda here. Also available here are the LFSWCD December 2011 Draft Minutes and LFSWCD January 2012 Meeting Reports from other departments that we work with. I’m not posting them verbatim due to the size, but there they are available for download should you be interested. Note that last month’s minutes are a draft and do not constitute the official record until approved at Thursday’s meeting. After Thursday’s meeting I’ll post notes from the meeting.
10:00           CALL TO ORDER

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

10:15     1.   MINUTES OF DECEMBER MEETING

10:20     2.   TREASURER’S REPORT

10:25     3.   CHAIR’S REPORT

10:40    4.    LORD FAIRFAX SWCD REPORTS (Additions to written reports)

• Conservation Technical Specialist – Pete Benedetto
  Conservation Technician – Jed Rau
  Conservation Technician – Sam Truban
  Conservation Easements – Jim Lawrence
  Conservation Technical – Marcus Adams
  Dam Safety   – Lauck Walton
  Education & Information – Mary Gessner
  Erosion & Sediment Control – HB Simpson
  Finance – Bud Nagelvoort
  Legislative – Bud Nagelvoort
  NSVRC Water Resources Advisory Committee – Wayne Webb
  Personnel – Richard Hoover
  Pure Water Forum – Craig Orndorff
  Royal Phoenix Easement Committee – Richard Hoover
  Shenandoah Resource Conservation & Dev. Council – Joan Comanor
  Shenandoah County Water Resources Advisory Committee – Henry Staudinger

11:10     5.    COOPERATING AGENCY REPORTS (Additions to written reports)

• NRCS, Natural Resource Conservation                       Mike Liskey
  DCR, Conservation District Coordinator                      DebbieCross
  VA. Cooperative Extension Representative                Jake Grove
  VA. Department of Forestry Representative              Joe Lehnen/Justin Barnes
  Va. Dept. of Environmental Quality Representative  Bob Peer
• Martha Shickle – Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Planning Commission –Chesapeake Bay Remedial Program

12:00              ADJOURN

The Saga Continues: The AG Race (POLL INCLUDED)

Movie franchises work best in threes. Comedy has its own rule of threes. And here in Virginia, we have three statewide elected officials elected in the year between the presidential and midterm elections. So, of course, I feel like I have to complete my own trilogy of posts about the state of the race for 2013. As has been said by me and plenty others, much is in flux right now, and this isn’t even the biggest race on the radar. Those, of course, are the US Senate Race and the Presidential election, for which the GOP will need all hands on deck next year to prevail in. However, as we recently saw with the discussions over the presidential primary ballot requirements and the “loyalty oath” issue for said primary, these races are definitely coloring how people are approaching the 2012 races. So, since we’ve already gotten a feel for where we’re at for the Governor and LG races, why not go for a threepeat?

A caution–let us not read too much into any results I have to offer. If anything, the only thing internet polls are good for are for giving us a slight idea of who has the best organized and motivated people. That, and just who reads what blogs. (My readers/acquaintances seem to be more Bolling fans than Cuccinelli fans, given that my poll results were the inverse of Bearing Drifts) But, in a number driven business, they’re just fun too, so why not?

Your Contenders

Announced

• Delegate Robert Bell–Bell is starting his fifth term in Richmond as a Delegate representing a Piedmont based district, with territory in Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna and just a chunk of Rockingham Counties. (This makes for an interesting race, as that means two candidates represent parts of the same locality) Bell was first elected in 2001 and has represented a “purplish” district–mostly due to the Albemarle based precincts but has consistently done well. Bell’s ambition has been known for a long time, but this cycle marks his first clear shot at the brass ring. Bell has often been considered one of the “young guns” of the General Assembly (though at forty four, he’s just five years younger than another candidate). He’s married with two young children. Bell has been a pretty reliable conservative in the General Assembly, but some of his legislative agenda has tended towards strengthening laws and regulations–something that may not play well with the current libertarian leanings predominant amongst many Virginia GOP activists. Bell chairs the powerful Criminal subcomittee, which handles a large chunk of legislation that comes through the GA each year. Additionally, Bell is a former prosecutor, something that’s always a plus (though not a necessity) in this race. Bell is also a pretty formidable fundraiser.

• Fairfax Circuit Court Clerk John Frey–Frey, the three term clerk of the combined Fairfax and Fairfax Circuit Courts, is something of an unknown entity to many activists–even a few in Northern Virginia. However, from what I had learned about Frey, he certainly brings an interesting angle to things. For one, he’s not in any real way tied to Richmond as it is, and I think we can expect him to talk alot about the relationship between the state and localities, a tack that will likely also be taken by Corey Stewart in the AG’s race. Additionally, he brings the sort of executive experience that Bell and Obenshain don’t quite have, running an office of more than one hundred fifty employees with a budget of $11 million. I’m not sure about Frey’s experience as a lawyer nor his fundraising abilities, but it’ll be interesting to learn more, as he’s attempting a path that hasn’t been successful on the GOP side since Jim Gilmore won the AG slot in 1993 (going from local to statewide office).

“Exploring”

• State Senator Mark Obenshain–Right now Obenshain is said to be “exploring” a run for Attorney General, but he has launched a committee specifically for this race and its said that an official announcement is forthcoming–he’s in. Obenshain is embarking on his third term in the State Senate. Obenshain has twice handily dispatched opponents in this rock solid red district, and in 2011 no one even bothered running against him. Obenshain has been a stalwart conservative in a Senate that was, earlier in the last decade, more under the influence of moderates. Obenshain has a reputation as a fighter but also as somebody who can get things done. Obenshain has been a decent fundraiser, but compared to Bell, he’s never had the real need to raise a huge chunk of coin to get the job done. Obenshain is more closely linked to Cuccinelli than Bell, the two having been close in the State Senate, and therefore may draw many of Cuccinelli’s supporters, but Obenshain has clearly stated his neutrality in the Governor’s race. It certainly doesn’t hurt, either, that Obenshain is the son of a party legend, former RPV Chair and 1978 Senate Nominee the late Richard Obenshain (who died in a air crash during the campaign and was replaced on the ticket by now Former Senator John Warner). I’m not sure but I don’t believe Obenshain has any prosecutorial experience but is regularly named one of Virginia’s “Legal Elite” by Virginia Business Magazine. Obenshain has two children in college, is married, and is 49.

Possible Candidates

• Former Arlington School Board Chair Dave Foster–Foster ran in 2009 and came in third at the convention to Cuccinelli and Brownlee on the first (and only) ballot. Foster’s primary claim to fame is as a member of the Arlington County School Board (0nce as chair) and is regularly touted as a figure who can break the Democratic stranglehold in that region (although the School Board is non-partisan). Foster raised a decent amount of money in the AG’s race last time but never really gained any traction, squeezed by Cuccinelli’s strident conservative legislative accomplishments and Brownlee’s tough on crime rhetoric. Foster has remained active, hosting hospitality suites at recent Advances. Foster’s biggest appeal was and is as a Republican in deep blue territory–but last time he wasn’t the only one, with Cuccinelli in the mix, and this time he won’t be the only one either if Frey does indeed make it to the primary. Foster may instead make the race to replace now-State Senator Barbara Favola on the Arlington Board of Supervisors, but the guy’s scrappy–if he takes a pass on that, and its looking very likely, then we’ll have a better idea of where he’s leaning.

• Former US District Attorney John Brownlee–Brownlee could make the race again, having placed second to Cuccinelli at the 2009 State Convention. Brownlee is many a consultant’s perfect storm candidate–a veteran, a tough on crime prosecutor, young, great looks. However, Brownlee, despite his sterling prosecutorial credentials, never really made a strong case against the Cooch and managed to lose a good chunk of the rural counties, supposedly his strongest area as he served in the Western District in Roanoke. Still, Brownlee was a pretty decent fundraiser and pulled in some pretty good supporters, but don’t count him out yet. However, keep in mind that a GOP win in November could lead to different opportunities for Brownlee…..

So there’s your slate, folks. Vote above, with the usual choices (all of the above mentioned plus undecided and someone else). Feel free to share any further thoughts or candidates in the comments below.

Virginia No-Till Alliance Conference on February 7th

As SWCD Director, I often receive notices for conferences and meetings on a wide variety of agricultural and environmental topics hosted by the commonwealth’s SWCDs and their governmental and non-profit partners (which, as I’m quickly learning, are too numerous to list here). As many of my constituents are farmers or otherwise involved in the agricultural industry, I’ll be sharing them here from time to time. I know my readers are a mix of politicos and constituents (probably the latter mostly for right now), but as I continue my service I’ll be using this platform equally to inform my constituents about the activities of the board as well as my regular writing. So without further ado:

The Virginia No-Till Alliance will be presenting a conference on no-till practices at several sites around the commonwealth in February. The closest one to Shenandoah County will be at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds on February 7th, 2012 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Without going into a great deal of technical detail, no-till farming is essentially a method of crop production that does not disturb soil through a variety of practices, therefore increasing water and nutrient content in the soil and decreasing erosion. For more on the practice, this article from Wikipedia is a relatively good overview.

If you wish to attend the conference, RSVP with the Rockingham County Cooperative Extension Office by January 30th by calling 540-564-3080. For more information about what will be offered at the conference, see their brochure here. To learn more about conference speakers visit the alliance’s website here.