LCVA Forced to Shred Survey and Forum

A statement was issued by Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio Republican of Sterling today:

"Today I received a letter from the Loudoun Convention and Visitors Association canceling their planned questionnaire survey to all candidates and their "Candidates Forum" set for July 8.

The memo from the LCVA says it received "feedback" that it would be inappropriate due its receiving taxpayer funds.

I do not think this mostly private group was doing anything more than what the rest of the local government has been doing for the past few years with a special intensity this year.

The county government has issued waves of news releases, mass mailed partisan newspapers promoting its policies, held brown bag lunches for all employees at several locations, hosted a partisan whistle stop election year rally for seniors and is planning a giant "Fifth of July" Liberty Festival which will introduce elected officials.

The real crime of the LCVA was that it openly questions the wisdom of using their Transit Occupancy Tax funds by the county for Purchase of Development Rights spending.

That's where the LCVA differs with the current crowd in control in Leesburg and their forum would have provided the public with an opportunity to see the data and the reasons for PDRs being so great. There aren't any good reasons for PDRs and they do not benefit tourism or taxpayers. The survey and forum would have proved this.

That's why the questionnaire and the forum had to be shredded. Or else.