Publications by John L. Geddie

Dartboard: Miller In It For the 86th

Loudoun County Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) has officially announced his widely expected bid for the House of Delegate seat from the 86th District. Miller has identified GOP obstructionism on transportation solutions, and his opponent, Republican Del. Tom Rust’s lack of leadership on the issue of autism, as reasons for his decision to enter the race.

Sheriff Urges Calm After Mass E-Mail in Lansdowne Case

The residents of Lansdowne were already on edge. It is understandable after a brutal attack on a Potomac Station couple killed William Bennett, 59, and left his wife Cynthia Bennett in critical condition. The unease in the area was exacerbated after a mass e-mail was sent to numerous residents in the area connecting the attack to an incident in Leesburg and other homicides in the District of Columbia.

Boundaries

In the midst of a major criminal incident and dealing with a painful county budget, the slow process of setting the school attendance boundaries might almost go unnoticed by many. For better or worse, the student population in Loudoun continues to grow by leaps and bounds. This is problematic from a budget standpoint, as it will almost always require an increase in the school budget even if the actual cost per pupil begins to decline. This growth is also costly, as it requires the construction of new schools to service the increasing school population.

Leesburg Police Seek Predator

The Leesburg Police Department has asked for the public's assistance in locating Carlos Felipe Centeno, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant. In August of last year, Centeno was discovered in a residence with a partially clothed 5-year old who later explained to the police that Centeno sexually assaulted her.

Murder in Lansdowne

An attack on a middle-aged Potomac Station couple left a man dead, abandoned on the side of Riverside Parkway, and his wife clinging to life in a wooded area across the road.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Lansdowne area at approximately 5:30 a.m. after one resident of Rocky Creek Drive reported suspicious activity—a white panel van with several occupants was seen twice traveling down Rocky Creek Drive, circling around Riverside Parkway and stopping.

The Dartboard

Vintage Deeds

As part of the Loudoun Young Democrats’ series of events, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds made an appearance at Leesburg’s Vintage 50 this past week. He was the second of the three candidates to do so. In a race that was originally imagined as a competition between rural Virginia and the suburban areas to the north, Deeds did an admirable job showing that he understood the challenges facing our region. Deeds is a compelling candidate in his own right, one of those politicians coming from very modest origins whose success is due to their own ingenuity and drive.

No Teleprompter, But Still On Message

Continuing what is among the most interesting political races active at the moment, the three Republican candidates for the Attorney General nomination met on Tuesday, March 10 in a debate that ranged from cockfighting to power lines to the death penalty.

Strong Cuts in Schools–But Are They Enough?

While the concern over the cuts required to keep the county budget in a manageable state kept the mood serious, there was a more congenial, laudatory atmosphere at the work session held March 4 between the Loudoun County School Board and the Board of Supervisors. The two boards spent the evening reviewing the proposed budget and sharing information on potential challenges.

The Dartboard

A Blog Too Far?

One of the lighter moments this past week was a comment by John Stevens, the Potomac District representative to the Loudoun County School Board. At a work session between the School Board and the Board of Supervisors, Stevens made mention that his comments on the proposed budget were available for public consumption on his blog. He indicated that any of the supervisors were welcome to read it, and that Supervisor Jim Burton could have his assistant print him out a copy.

Bad Judgment

Dropping your children off at the bus stop, you expect them to behave over the course of the day –and that includes listening to and following the direction of teachers, coaches, and even the bus driver.

That was part of the concern for parents at River Bend Middle School after they learned that one of the bus drivers had allegedly offered students money to throw snowballs at one 13-year-old victim.

A Little Bit From Everyone

The Virginia General Assembly adjourned this past weekend. Although the session was dominated by the budget and discussions over the economic stimulus plan, lawmakers made news in passing a smoking ban in restaurants (with exceptions), a law against texting while driving, and a law allowing voters to wear clothing endorsing a candidate–invalidating a court ruling from last year.

Wolf Critical of Plans to Delay I-66 Widening

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) has written to all the members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's Transportation Planning Board (TPB), urging reconsideration of last week's decision to remove the I-66 widening project inside the Beltway from the region's transportation plan.

The Dartboard

Our Man in the Courtroom

There are two interesting statewide contests going on in Virginia currently—the race to become the Democratic candidate for Governor, and the race to become the Republican candidate for Attorney General. As spring approaches, the AG race is ramping up.

Counting Every Penny

The proposed budget has been made public, with its tiered levels of service, and the public was concerned enough to make their opinions known. Over 340 people signed up to speak at five public hearings during three days last week—most speaking in favor of Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), or one of the other organizations threatened if funding cuts go deep.

A Little Bit From Everyone

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Contact John at editor@loudouni.com.