Tax Penalty Claim is a ‘Fabrication”
To the Editor:
In a recent mailer sent to Loudoun County voters, my opponent, “Tag” Greason accuses me of being “late paying [my] own property taxes four times in just eight years.” His flier goes on to say that I was “late four times paying [my] property taxes [in] 1993, 1994, 1995 with penalty, 2001 with penalty,” and cites the “Loudoun County Property Tax Records” to support his contention. This is a total fabrication.
The fact is that the county’s land records on file at the County Court clearly indicate I have never been late paying my property taxes. Furthermore, it would have been legally impossible for me to be late paying taxes in 1993 and 1994 because the home in which I currently live – and have lived ever since moving to Loudoun County – was not even finished being built until October 1995, as the residential land records from the Loudoun County Real Estate Tax, Assessment and Parcel Database will attest (a copy of which I’ve provided this newspaper).
While the use of misrepresentations and half-truths may to some all be part of the “game” of trying to win elections, such flagrant deceitfulness has no place in our politics – and I trust Loudoun County voters will place no stock in this or anything else Mr. Greason may have to say further about me in this campaign.
David E. Poisson
Delegate, 32nd House District
Virginia General Assembly
Campaign is All About Contrasts
Dear Loudoun County Residents,
Political campaigns should be based on contrasts. As the challenger, it is my job to create contrast between me and my opponent. I have and will continue to hold Delegate Poisson accountable for his votes, his actions, and his inactions.
It seems that his approach is slightly different. Delegate Poisson has lied about my business record, saying I owned a business (Cable and Wireless) that went bankrupt, when I did not own it at all. Next, he said he would cut our taxes, after voting for the largest tax increase in Virginia history. And now he stands idly by as his Democratic leadership sends mailer, after disgusting mailer, into our homes.
My opposition has dug up a 15-year old false charge that never happened, was investigated, found to be without merit, and dismissed by a Federal Court. It seems that they are so desperate and so willing to do anything to win, they will send mailers exposing our children to most vile language ever included in a political attack. Families from across the political spectrum are appalled.
“Standing Up for Loudoun, Standing Up for You” is Delegate Poisson’s slogan. If this is true, then I call upon Delegate Poisson to stand up to his leadership, denounce their slimy tactics, and be a leader. If he doesn’t, then we have to ask ourselves, isn’t he as guilty as they are, and not fit to lead anything or anybody.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. "Tag" Greason
Candidate for Delegate
32nd House District
Newspaper Story was Used to Vilify Greason
To the Editor:
The Poisson campaign has seized on the Independent’s September article concerning the discredited allegations of obscenity and disturbing the peace made against “Tag” Greason in an attempt to vilify him in the mind of the voting public.
What people may not know is how Democrat House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong’s (D-10th District) PAC, A Strong Majority, is using the good reputation of the Independent in an attempt to make it appear as though Tag actually committed those crimes. Please take a look at the attached flyer currently being distributed in support of the Poisson campaign. (Note that the flyer was actually addressed to Tag’s wife)
A Strong Majority PAC’s attack ad makes it appear that the Loudoun Independent is stating that Greason was actually involved in the subsequently discredited alleged incident. You will note that the attack ad does not provide either the context or the balance of the reporting of the Independent, making it appear to the reader of the attack ad that the Independent is stating as fact that the discredited allegation actually did occur.
As you reported, Greason has categorically denied that there is any truth to the allegations. The documented fact that the Federal Court dismissed the case substantiates TAG’s claim of innocence, a fact that must be known to both the Poisson campaign and the Democrats running A Strong Majority PAC. They also must know that Tag’s commanding officer has denounced the charges as false, a fact that was reported in the Independent’s original story as well. That the complainant is alleged to have also made similar claims against a number of other men also strongly suggests that her allegations against Greason are false.
The Independent made the point that while the complainant wished Tag no harm, she stood by her original accusation. The Independent did not point out that had the complainant admitted that her charges against Greason were false, that admission might put her in legal jeopardy.
Most importantly, the Independent failed to identify its source of this politically incendiary story or to provide its readers with the possible motive(s) of the source. This is context that is vital in order for the reader to reach an informed conclusion on the relevance of the allegation to Greason’s fitness for public office.
What is clear is that A Strong Majority PAC, run by Del. Armstrong, clearly intends for this mailing to mislead voters into believing that the Loudoun Independent is saying that Greason actually committed offenses that have subsequently been discredited.
The gutter tactics being used by A Strong Majority PAC - using the credibility and good name of a newspaper to give credence to a false accusation – is the same kind of attack used against me in my 2007 race against Mark Herring. This kind of behavior goes way beyond the hyperbole that regrettably is accepted as permissible political discussion. Newspapers such as the Loudoun Independent and The Washington Post need to protect their reputation when they are being used to substantiate false “facts” presented to the voting public just before an election.
In closing, I strongly disagree with your editorial conclusion that accompanied the original story. Despite the passage of time, if for a moment I believed that Greason had behaved the way the complainant alleged he did, I could not support him. Virginians are entitled to have elected officials that are able to exercise at least a minimal amount of self-control, propriety, and honor. That’s not too much to expect from a West Point graduate, and the Tag Greason I know certainly far exceeds those expectations. It remains to be seen what degree of honor resides in the Poisson campaign.
Patricia Phillips
2007 Republican candidate
for the 33rd Senate District
Poisson Fights for Loudoun’s Families
To the editor:
I would like to express my support for Delegate David Poisson in this year’s elections for the House of Delegates. Del. Poisson has always been a consistent and honest voice for Loudoun families in Richmond. Whether it has been fighting for families with autistic children, working through the night and weekend to open a new road on time, making it easier to send our kids to Virginia universities, working to attract business to Loudoun or fighting for transportation solutions, Del. Poisson has always shown that he puts Loudoun families first.
That is why there is only one obvious choice on Election Day and I am asking all Loudoun families to fight for the Delegate who has fought so hard for us during the last four years.
Barbara Wacks
Potomac Falls
‘Dissembler Dave’ Needs to Go
To the Editor:
Dave Poisson - to coin a phrase, “You lie!” But what can you expect from a union-backed trial lawyer whose political practices were handed down from Dick Durbin and the Chicago political machine?
In fact, “Dissembler Dave” Poisson’s negative mailers are chock-full of fabrications. For example, it appears Tag Greason worked for a major corporation that went bankrupt.
But from Mr. Poisson’s misleading flier, you would think this was a business that Greason owned and ran. It’s “Dissembler Dave” using an old “push-poll” technique in an attempt to fool the electorate.
At the same time, “Dissembler Dave” claims to have brought jobs to Loudoun. But the facts argue otherwise. The unemployment rate in Loudoun County has doubled during his tenure in office from 2.4 percent to 4.8 percent. The office vacancy and foreclosure rates are at all-time highs. He even had the gall to try to claim credit for Raytheon relocating to the AOL campus … making him the seventh politician to do so. Nice try, Dave.
Meanwhile, even as Loudoun drowns in job losses, “Dissembler Dave” has opened the floodgates by voting for the largest tax hike in Virginia’s history, and trying to extract another $2 billion from his own overburdened citizens and businesses. It’s mind-boggling that even as his constituents vote down a meals tax three times, the man we elected as delegate votes for any and all tax increases. Can anyone say “taxation through MISrepresentation” – in every sense of the word?
Even more disturbing is the fact that even as “Dissembler Dave” lives off our taxes, he can’t even pay his own on time. Putting him in a select club of “leaders” on the Left that includes names like Geithner, Rangel, Daschle and Barry. Like these poster boys for hypocrisy, he’s the first to raise your taxes, but the last to pay them.
These lies, deceptions and double standards are why I am supporting Tag Greason for delegate this November. Tag has the business experience, knowledge and honest values that will serve us well in Richmond. As for “Dissembler Dave,” his true colors are on display now, and may I say they are faded. Good riddance.
Charlie McKinney
Ashburn
Poisson’s Tactics are Outrageous
To the Editor:
I am writing to express my outrage over the recent campaign mailer that came to my home this week. While the race for Delegate between incumbent Delegate David Poisson and “Tag” Greason is heated, I am concerned that this is the filth Poisson wants to use to capture the attention of the voters.
I have voted for both Republican and Democratic candidates in the past, but having to explain to my nine- year-old son what sexual misconduct and “fondling himself” means after he brought the mail in, does not endear me to Poisson’s party!
To know that his party obviously didn’t do its homework, and that I (and anyone else) could dig a little deeper to find out that the allegations against Greason were false, is disappointing and inexcusable. I expect better at this level of politics and of my elected officials.
The lack of knowledge I have gained regarding what Poisson really stands for and how he would help my family if re-elected has led me to not only want to vote for Greason, but to not to vote for Poisson. I have information on what Greason stands for and his ideas for future policies. His mailings and public statements have only shown that he disagrees with Poisson’s ideologies. While Greason has addressed previous votes Poisson has cast, and issues that he supports, Poisson and his party have chosen the low road.
While Poisson claims that he and his campaign focuses on the message, he accuses Greason of single-handedly bankrupting a major international company, while he was one of at least 50 vice presidents. I know this because my husband also worked at Cable & Wireless, the “small” business Poisson refers to in his attacks My husband had as much to do with the filing for bankruptcy as Greason did, which was none. He also spent as much time in the court room regarding these proceedings as Mr. Greason, which was never. But in the attempt to make Greason appear inept in handling businesses to the voters, Poisson again falsely accuse him of wrongdoing. These allegations are almost as enraging as the current sexual allegations.
There is no place for vulgar personal attacks while I am concerned about who will best represent my family in Richmond. That decision has now been made…….and that person is “Tag” Greason.
Traci Drake
Northern Virginia Constituent
Caputo vs. LeMunyon: No Contest
To the Editor:
As a nearly 50-year resident of western Fairfax County, as well as someone with a long record of involvement of over 30 years with Loudoun County politics and government, I have grown weary of the barrage of gross misrepresentations about Delegate Chuck Caputo’s record of public service by the LeMunyon campaign and its backers during the current election campaign, particularly on matters related to public education, transportation, and management and business experience.
As someone who has devoted a working lifetime to civic activities and the delivery of efficient and effective government services – at the local, state and federal levels, I really resent LeMunyon’s continuous false attacks on Delegate Caputo’s long and distinguished record of service to our community, state, and nation.
As a former public school teacher in Ohio, California, and Virginia, I can tell you from my own personal experiences that LeMunyon’s advocacy for an open-enrollment policy for public school attendance – whether within or between school districts – is highly irresponsible, not only because of the organizational chaos that policy would create for the county school system, but also by the internal family and community turmoil that would result from parents and students jockeying to transfer out of their current school boundaries, for both real and imagined reasons.
Moreover, the simple fact is that school enrollment is a matter entirely outside the jurisdiction of a member of the General Assembly. If Mr. LeMunyon really wants to set local public school policies, he should be running for a seat on the county school board not for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
At the 2009 session of the Virginia General Assembly, a bill, HB 2018, by Delegate Tom Rust was introduced for the purported reason of providing state financial assistance to local pubic school districts for funding new school construction or upgrades to existing classrooms. That bill, while probably well-intended, actually duplicated an existing, highly successful program under the Virginia Literary Fund. Additionally, this proposed bill would not only have required participating local school districts to pay higher interest rates on loans and would have taken funds away from other core state services, including public education programs during the challenging economic times currently faced by both state and local governments.
As a consequence, Delegate Caputo, wisely voted against this ill-considered proposal. The Virginia state Senate agreed and refused to pass the bill. Recently, the LeMunyon political campaign, apparently without doing any real homework on this matter, sent out a mailer to residents of the 67th delegate district falsely accusing Delegate Caputo of “. . . opposition to school construction [state]funding . . . [thus] forc[ing] local governments to raise property taxes to pay more for school construction.” The facts were and are exactly the opposite of the Lemunyon campaign’s contention.
One notable example of the many gross misrepresentations on transportation issues from the LeMunyon campaign is the fact that he has openly advocated “indexing the state gasoline tax to inflation” (i.e. a gas tax increase) while at the same time criticizing Delegate Caputo for voting several years ago for a bill to pass a small gas tax increase, even though that bill was never enacted. When Mr. “Tax and Spend” LeMunyon finally realized that his noble, but politically inconvenient (not to mention hypocritical), plan would have almost doubled the state gas tax from the present 17.5 cents per gallon to approximately 33 cents per gallon.
When he was recently directly questioned by me at a local public meeting about that fact, he sheepishly said he “still supported indexing the gas tax to inflation as long there was no net tax increase. Jim “Free Lunch” LeMunyon, however, still touts himself as an avid supporter for “transportation improvements in Northern Virginia” but clearly only for so long as it can be done for nothing. So much for truth in advertising!
Another egregious example is LeMunyon’s knowingly false allegation that Delegate Caputo has voted to send transportation dollars raised in Northern Virginia to other areas of the state; the sad truth is that the Republican majority in the House of Delegates for years has prevented any action to modify the existing transportation regional funding formula that transfers Northern Virginia raised monies to elsewhere in the state.
Quite frankly, what bothers me the most about LeMunyon’s political campaign is that he has no record of substantive public or community service to offer the voters of western Fairfax County and eastern Loudoun County. His past employment experience, outside of holding appointed positions for the Washington D. C. partisan Republican congressional and executive branch establishment, as the President and COO of the bankrupt Sterling Semiconductor raises substantial questions about both his business and organizational management acumen. His relatively recent emergence as a “business executive and entrepreneur” appears to be more a public relations mirage than a reality.
LeMunyon’s meager public service record is hardly an endorsement for the critically important job of representing the voters of the 67th state delegate district during this time of great economic, employment and social distress largely created by the foolish and failed political policies of his own political party on the national and state scene.
There is no comparison between the meager political and so-called executive level business experiences of LeMunyon and the highly distinguished record of Delegate Chuck Caputo.
Thomas R. Hyland
Centreville
This ‘Democrat’ is Not ‘Democratic’
To the Editor:
In a Virginia gubernatorial political commercial being played repeatedly on our local television stations, a woman named Sheila Johnson claims she is a "Democrat businesswoman." However, her use of the noun "Democrat" as an adjective, as in "Democrat Party" (instead of Democratic Party), is evidence that the lines she is speaking were prepared by a Republican operative. For over a decade, Republican politicians have made it a point to never refer to the opposition party as Democratic. It is a sign of their strict party discipline that you will never here a Republican refer to any politician who is a Democrat as a Democratic politician. It reminds me of the "New Speak" strategy used by Big Brother in Orwell's "1984."
Barry MendelsohnAshburn
Poisson ‘Doesn’t Care’
To the Editor:
In these last days of the 2009 election cycle I’d like to inform the voting citizens of the 32nd District of the voting record of our current elected Delegate - David Poisson. Mr. Poisson has not only run a very negative and angry campaign, but it appears he doesn’t care too much for voting on issues he deems “unimportant.”
According to statistics posted in the Loudoun Times Mirror, Mr. Poisson missed 250 votes during Legislative sessions in 2009. In comparison, Delegates Rust, Caputo, May and Marshall missed zero votes. While it appears Del. Poisson missed just 2 days of the Legislature, 250 votes were takes on those 2 days. Sounds like Mr. Poisson missed 2 of the busiest days of the General Assembly.
I understand our elected officials have to hold down jobs on top of their official state duties, but I don’t understand how four other elected officials from the Northern Virginia area were able to balance their busy work/home life schedules around Legislative Sessions - but Mr. Poisson was not. Oddly, Mr. Poisson’s response to a question about those 2 days was, his votes “would not have made a difference anyways”. This is representation?
As a voter in the 32nd District, I am going to give Del. Poisson the opportunity to attend to his personal and professional duties full time, considering his inability to meet all his obligations. If we are going to have true representation in Richmond, I’d rather have a person that is dedicated to his community, knows about Public Service and can keep a calendar – and that person is Tag Greason.
Tag Greason has committed himself to this community for many years, he has proven business experience, is an active member of the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, was appointed a Commissioner of the Economic Development Commission, is a former Boy Scout Leader, Veteran and family man. We all know what it’s like to be busy, meet deadlines, and arrange schedules. Meeting obligations is a basic necessity in public service and I have no doubt Tag will not only meet his obligations, but exceed everyone’s expectations as the next Delegate of the 32nd District of Virginia.
Cathy McNickle
Sterling
Claims Have Hit a New Low
To the Editor: I know I shouldn’t be surprised by the distortions, misrepresentations and outright lies I’ve been seeing in the political mailers that have been filling my mail box these last few weeks. But Tag Greason’s mailer this week, accusing Delegate David Poisson of jeopardizing our children’s safety while at school, hit a new low.
Mr. Greason apparently thinks Loudouners can’t – or won’t – read. But we are smarter than that.
The bill to which Mr. Greason refers specifically says that only a “local school board” – not Delegate Poisson or the General Assembly, for that matter – has the power to approve contractors working on school property. In fact, the bill has specific provisions to ensure that no one who might endanger our children would ever be allowed on school grounds. And what Mr. Greason also conveniently fails to mention is that his fellow Republican travelers, Majority Leader Morgan Griffith and House Commerce and Labor Chairman Terry Kilgore, both voted to report the bill.
Delegate Poisson has been working tirelessly to protect our families, which is why the Police Benevolent Association and countless other public-safety organizations in Virginia have endorsed his re-election.
Diane B Case
Broadlands
Proposals Favor Labor Unions
To the Editor:Action in the U.S. Senate is moving forward on several issues of great importance to the working people of Virginia and it looks as if our U.S. Senators are AWOL.
First let me give you a little bit of background. The rate of unionism in the Commonwealth is one of the lowest in the nation. In 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics it was just 4.1 percent compared to a national average of 12.4 percent. More importantly, on private payrolls it was just 2.6 percent compared to a national average of 7.6 percent.
Not surprisingly, Virginia has a vibrant economy and one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the nation. The working people of Virginia are the true beneficiaries of the fact that labor unions are not very strong in the Commonwealth.
The action to which I refer consists of nominations by President Obama to high level government position for people who have a history of bending the law at every available opportunity to favor labor unions.
Virginia's U.S. Senators, Mark Warner and James Webb, should be raising a ruckus in protest to these nominees but they are amazingly silent.Is it because they are members of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party all too often behaves as if it is a wholly owned subsidiary of organized labor?
In addition to these very questionable nominees, Congress is considering a bill that is ironically called the "Employee Free Choice Act," which has nothing to do with giving employees a choice and has everything to do with rigging the rules of the game to allow government to impose unions on workers.
This legislation is so offensive that there are frequent mentions in the news of Democratic U.S. Senators who can't hold their noses to support it. Unfortunately, none of those mentions includes Virginia's U.S. Senators. Again, whose side are they on, the unions or the workers?We deserve better than that. We probably won't get it until our U.S. Senators hear from a great many of us about these important issues.
David DenholmSterling
Don’t Regulate Residential Parking
To the editor:It has recently come to my attention that Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is considering enacting Residential Permit Parking Districts. This will mean that if you do not have the specified permit, you will not be able to park on the streets during certain hours in these zones.
Right now, this is being targeted at the Sugarland Run area, but if it goes into effect, be ready for it come to your area. One section appears to indicate that this ordinance is being targeted at townhome and/or apartment communities. “Visitor permits shall not be issued to residents of multi-family or town home addresses which have a parking lot or lots provided.” In other words, if you have more cars than assigned parking spaces, you are out of luck. You’ll have nowhere to park. Even though you pay your property taxes, our public streets will be off limits to parkingWith the current economy, many households in our area need to have at least two or three working adults to maintain their homes. We all need a reliable way to get to and from our jobs and schools. Public transportation in the region is abysmal; it is limited and unreliable. The result of this is homes that have two or more cars.
Parking is a serious concern of all Loudoun County residents. But instead of taking away our parking, why can’t the board help find or set up safe, acceptable, parking areas?
Kathleen RossSterling
Thank You
To the Editor:
I would like to say “thank you” to three organizations, and I have such a hard time knowing in which order to place them.
So in no particular order, I would just like to thank the community for the warm welcome that you have given me; the response has been amazing.
I would like to thank all of the team players at Four Seasons Salon and Day Spa. Like in my old salon in Lincolnshire, N.C., it is so nice to work with smiling faces and so many talented people.
Also, to the Loudoun Independent—thank you for such a great biography. I took the article to Lincolnton and let my clients there read it and each one said, “Wow, Rusty—the article sounds exactly like you.”
I think in such hard times almost all the news is related to something negative. Thank you for making this a positive experience. My mother always told me, if you can’t say something nice, then just don’t say anything at all.
Rusty Wilson
Four Seasons Salon
Editor's Note: Those letters received after deadline for the 10/28 edition of the Loudoun Independent, but before noon on Monday will be added to this page. Some additional letters are already in cue for web-only publication.
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Last week, J. Warren Geurin, Sterling District representative to the Loudoun County School Board, wrote a "Letter to the Editor" endorsing his friend and fellow Republican, Tom Rust. Geurin signed the letter as the Sterling District school board representative, and the letter was published by local Loudoun County papers. On October 27th, Geurin mailed a letter to residents of the Sterling District endorsing Rust. The letter and the envelope in which the letter was mailed, again advertised Geurin's position as the Sterling District school board representative.
The position of School Board Representative in Loudoun County is a non-partisan office. It is unethical for Mr. Geurin to be using his title to endorse a political candidate running for office. Mr. Geurin has the right to endorse whomever he chooses to endorse as an individual, but he should not be using his school board title on a public, political endorsement.
Furthermore, many of the facts stated in Geurin's letter are distorted. Geurin states that Rust's opponent, Supervisor Stevens Miller, "voted to cut our schools by $34.2 million in local transfer just last April." Miller, along with the majority of county supervisors, voted last Spring to decrease the projected school budget for the 2009-10 school year by approximately $11 million in order to avoid increasing property tax bills, primarily for those living on a fixed income. Recently, a $25 million surplus was transferred by the county from the school budget to the general fund, an action which did not require a Board of Supervisor's vote. Miller asked county administrators why this money wasn't used instead to offset the high cost of newly established student fees, and to give teachers a raise.
Geurin also states that "Rust's votes in Richmond have brought a 97.8% increase in state funding to Loudoun County schools, while our enrollment grew by 38%." Again, this is a distorted statement. In 2003, Virginia's contribution to the Loudoun County Public School budget was approximately 27%. The federal government contributed approximately 2%, and the county picked up the rest of the tab, primarily through property taxes. To say that state funding has increased from 2003 to over 53% of the current Loudoun school budget is preposterous.
Naturally, the state's contribution of actual money to the county has increased over time as the county's school budget has increased due to growing enrollment. However, this has nothing to do with votes in the General Assembly. Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is one of the fastest growing school systems, in one of the wealthiest counties in the United States. Being viewed by the General Assembly as "one of the wealthiest counties", translates into less financial help from the state. This is because state funding is provided in accordance with a "Composite Index," which represents the financial condition of counties without any consideration of pockets of wealth or poverty within those counties
There have been efforts on the part of delegates in Loudoun County, such as Del. Chuck Caputo (D-67th House District), to change the Composite Index, but these efforts have been resisted by delegates from poorer counties. In a 2006 meeting of county representatives with the Virginia General Assembly, Delegate Rust said "the political reality of changing the Composite Index is just not there.” Rust said of the 134 school divisions in the state, only 15 would benefit from a change in the Composite Index. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see this math doesn’t work.” Delegate Rust has done little to help Loudoun County Public Schools, and Geurin's endorsement of his friend and political ally under the title of Sterling District School Board Representative is unethical.
Tim Buchholz
Chairman
Loudoun County Democratic Committee