Good for a Gander

QUESTION: What is Supv. Stimpson trying to sell to Stafford County citizens by using the same rhetoric the BOS have supplied to their constituents, and with their united front, that comes without answers or details that citizens have been asking for over a year, on initiating the County’s Comp Plan.?

Does Stafford County need a Comp Plan? Absolutely. But, not the version THEY invision, which continues to come up short on details or dialogue with those elected leaders who fail to fill in the blanks they have created in order to put the voting public further at ams length and little if any means to engage in a process that belongs to the public.

Simply said, Ms. Stimpson’s presentation didn’t merit having a lot citizens to show up at the BOS’ November 30, 2010 meeting, since nothing has changed since the last time the Board room was filled to capacity. The meeting of choice for citizen participation is designated to occur on DECEMBER 14, 2010, when the BOS plan to vote THEIR CONSCIENCE, not the citizens of Stafford, on a Comp Plan that remains FLAWED at every level of comprehension or understanding, because local elected officials continue to ignore what serves in the best interest of county constituents, and defaults only to monied stakeholders and special interest, who lead the BOS by the nose.

How does anyone in Stafford County come to deliberate on a vote of “NO CONFIDENCE” in their LOCAL government?

Well mary one solution would be to have a petition signed by attendees as they enter the public hearing. Someone could present it along with the statistics on those for and against.

It’s the 6th and the citizens of Stafford County have until the 14th to sign the petition and voice THEIR opinion WHY this Comp Plan doesn’t work toward “smart Growth” in Stafford and recognizing the fact that the County’s elected officials have intentionally put County citizens at arms length, without reasonable cause or public input. It’s one thing to make a mistake but to perpetuate a lie is another thing all together.

The Petition should represent the citizens “paper trail” so as to alert their elected leaders that accountability and transparency are valued components of a democracy and not an oligarchy, and if THEY truly represent their citizens best interest, now is the time to put a stop to the gamesmanship and come up with a Comp Plan that is “inclusive” and not just a bunch of puzzle pieces.

If Supv. Stimpson is playing the role of the “sacrificial lamb” let her speak out for the County, but with every signature and endorsement of the BOS, and then YOU will have some level of accountability, without transparency getting in the way disclosure.

Once the emotion is eliminated from the Comp Plan equation, there will be more room for details and information on which the CITIZENS of Stafford can make informed decisions on just who in working in THEIR best interest and who’s not.

In her presentation, Ms. Stimpson asks “What Does a Comp Plan Do?’ Then she proceeds to list what it does not do and what it does do. I do not understand her logic. She says, for example, that a comp plan does not cause “growth” but that it does manage growth. But what if it’s a bad plan? Then, yes, indeed, a comp plan can cause (excessive) growth …or sprawl…or give developer’s a free pass…or pointlessly consume open space. Ms. Stimpson has a lot to learn about community planning and would do well to listen to some of the citizens who have studied this issue for years.