Supervisor Robert Setliff held a community meeting a couple of weeks ago and only TWO people showed up – his opponent, Jim Ellis and another citizen. Is this a sign of contentment or discontentment with Setliff’s vote to approve a reckless and irresponsible Comprehensive Plan Update?
In other news, it has come to the CHF’s attention that the blog, hanoverliving.com is copying some of our posts. Perhaps hanoverliving.com will come up with its own content and help us address how the 2007 Comprehensive Plan Update will be amended by a new Board of Supervisors after November 6th?
Filed under: 2006 Comp Plan |
hanoversfuture.org 
First it was Jack Ward of Mechanicsville who announced his continued BOS campaign by a column in the Mechanicsville Local. Touting how much he likes working with the people. Yet voting against the people on the Comp Plan and in the same article stating his continuing work with the commercial real estate developers. That was bad enough and a Kiss of Death for the election in November, but then this article from Setlif.
The Setliff article in the Mechanicsville Local under “Accidental Supervisor”, which could’t be more appropriate, has so much distain and disregard for the citizens of Hanover County that it is just insane to print it! But he did! If for no other reason but to give these two guys the time they need for Mental Health Counseling, we will vote for their opposition in November!
Did you ever wonder why Republicans preach lowering taxes? Is it that hard to really grasp? The answer is that tax breaks affect the Rich much much more than the middle class and poor. Just tens of dollars to the poor equate to tens of thousands to the top 10 percent of the rich! So not only do they want to make money off of companies that do little and pay little to their workers, they don?t want to pay taxes that equate into social programs like public schools, law enforcement, health care, water plants to support their massive commercial developments, and on and on.
The Republicans want everything to stay the same. But we have learned both nationally and locally that the duty of the American voter is required to lead this county and country in a new direction. We can no longer sit back and expect intelligent decisions to somehow wake up in the incumbents. It?s not going to happen; they are broken and cannot be fixed. It?s just Money, money, money, to them. It?s time to educate them that it?s all about the People!
I think you need to take a closer look at hanoverliving.com. If a blog from Hanover North Carolina is copying your posts, and it indeed looks as if they are, Then I doubt very seriously they have any insight to handle the Comp Plan.
While we’re on the subject of the Comp Plan, you do realize that the main characters in the creation and responsible for the hasty implementation of the Comp Plan Vote, reside in The Planning Department of Hanover County. The BOS as lame as they are, are but puppets, maybe well paid puppets of the Plannimng Department.
We can replace the BOS, but the Planning Department needs a complete House Cleaning to get ride of the infestation of parisites! If the new Supervisors won’t fire and re-hire we will have accomplished nothing in November!
I am an independent candidate challenging for the Board of Supervisors seat in the Chickahominy District (Mr. Setliff’s district). I spent some time last year trying to figure out just exactly where the push was coming from on this Comp Plan update — was it the planning department, the Board, the county manager, the economic development authority, the industry sectors? I honestly still don’t know.
Most analyses of failures end up revealing a series of otherwise relatively minor events that combine in just the right sequence to create a big problem. And as a social scientist rather than a bench scientist, I am used to analyses that show that the answer to whatever question we are looking into is “all of the above.” So I suspect there is no one center of total responsibility, just a series of decisions or lack of political will or paternalistic attitudes that snowballed.
When it became apparent that this was not the usual fringe element of complainers showing up at Hanover High on March 21 — 900 people were there! — there was a shortage of humility on the Board, and for their various reasons four men decided they knew better and plunged ahead. The public record shows that the Board, the planning staff and senior county administrators were in communication with developers since 2004 about issues that were deemed critical in this update, and that economic development staff were encouraging pro-update speakers during the process.
The idea that there would be an expansion of the suburban services area was under discussion with developers before the RFP was barely out the door for the update consultant who was supposed to lead the process of deciding what the plan would actually look like. The Board did not “get it” back then, they did not get it in March 2007, and their 4-3 vote was a direct challenge to the citizens of this county.
The incumbents still don’t realize how deep and real this groundswell is, rallying around the work that many dedicated Hanoverians have been doing for years and years. One thing is for sure — we have no chance of figuring this out unless we change the composition of the Board. Please keep spreading the word that there are viable, thoughtful candidates out there who have decided to step up on behalf of the citizens. Every friend and neighbor you talk to about this matters.
Mr. Ellis,
As someone who has beat Reasoning, Logic, Science and just plan common decency to death over the last two years trying to get a Subdivision Buffer that was placed on my legal property, vacted, thrust me when I say, there is no integrity in The Planning Department. If you would like to call and hear the whole story, my number is 730-7361.
Better yet if you would like to come by and see this, misguided bordering on criminal, Subdivision Buffer that is only on my property and benefits no one or thing, again give me a call, we’re not on mapquest after two and a half years!
I don’t live in Hanover, but I have read the Comp Plan. I understand how some of you feel.
However, I would caution you to be sure you want what you are asking for. New supervisors, commissioners, planners. You won’t have anybody that understands land use and the development community will take more advantage than they can now. Make sure you elect people with a solid background in planning and its political dynamic.
This last post sounds like Cameron Wood…”I don’t live in Hanover, but do you mind if I profit from destroying your county and its rural character?” The assumption that intelligent citizens (1.) haven’t read the Comp Plan and (2.) just wouldn’t “know” how to deal with THOSE developers or land use planning is offensive! Gee, think of all of current Supervisors – maybe one had a *solid* background in land use planning, but the others?!
I can prove to you that the current supervisors don’t understand land use, “They only know what they’re told by Developers”, and the planning commission could pick a good plan if it was in front of their noses. The inspection folks accept some of the shoddiest work I have ever seen and wouldn’t know proper drainage if it ran over them. I’ve tried to work with these bums and they really don’t have a clue unless told by big developers! This county isn’t upset with the current occupants of the BOS and Planning Department, their Damn Mad! The word professional is loosly tossed around these days and has no business being applied to the folks at the County Complex!
The fearmongering regarding inexperience should be expected, and it will continue for some time. But if we want to see something truly frightening, let’s look at what the experience of at least some members of the current Board brought us. This Comp Plan update was supposed to be a bold initiative to plan the county’s next 50 years. But there was only ONE OPTION put out for the citizens to look at. It was essentially devised before the alleged process to create it ever began. And it was just more of the same sprawl-inducing worship of short-term profits over consideration of citizens’ voices and long-term consequences.
The county has continued to pretend that the Comp Plan update process was open to citizens when clearly it was not, at least not in any meaningful way. The process had no room for serious discussion of green infrastructure, rural preservation, agriculture as a real focus of economic development, transportation modes other than private automobiles, smart growth principles, green and sustainable building practices, and real-life examples of these things being done around the Commonwealth and around the country.
Citizens are ready to take the “risk” of electing relatively inexperienced supervisors who may appoint relatively inexperienced planinng commissioners because citizens have seen the certainty of what will happen if they don’t make this change now — not only will they continue to be pushed to the side as their beloved county is further exploited, they will have to endure the added patronizing insult of being told that their opinions are valued and it’s all for their own good.
Numerous citizens spoke at public meetings to inform the Board about what would happen in November based on the Comp Plan update vote. The die was cast in March 2007. The discussion ended on March 28. We have four months to make sure that in November the voters “send a message” so loudly and clearly that there can be absolutely no mistaking its strength or meaning.
Great comments and a strong level of excitement and passion. Those key ingredients are needed now! In order to affect change, Jim needs your support. Not only at the ballot box but thru letters to the editor, neighborhood canvassing, poll station manning etc. Please join in.
Great insight and a strong level of passion and excitement. Those key ingredients are need now! In order to make a change, action in the form of support is required by Jim! Not only is a strong turn out needed on election day but help today is required. We need letters going to the newspaper editor, poll station volunteers, neighborhood captains to spread the word and distribute flyers, telephone callers reminding people to exercise their democratic rights. Please join in, now is the time.