Op-Ed
View from the Ridge There’s a special election in Purcellville on Nov. 2. The choice for voters – how to fill the Town Council seat vacated by Ted Greenly. Erin Rayner, who lost a Town Council bid in 2020, is running against Sean MacDonald. Whoever wins will complete a short Town Council term ending in…
View from the Ridge Just when you thought the fight to retain Purcellville’s small-town character couldn’t get more urgent, it does. In a special election on Nov. 2 voters will decide whether to protect Mayor Kwasi Fraser’s agenda of lower taxes, slow growth, innovative solutions, and infrastructure improvements. Or to grow, grow, grow, which we…
By Charles Houston I’m on the Zoning Ordinance Committee, which is helping craft a new zoning ordinance for the county. The old ordinance is 23 years old and 1,004 pages. Frankly, I think it’s fine, but that’s my retrograde opinion, and now I’m fully immersed in the rewrite process for the new ordinance. At our…
Homestay Home Occupation Permits are now available to Town of Leesburg residents who wish to make their homes short-term rental properties. In October 2020, the Leesburg Town Council adopted its homestay rental ordinance. The Code of Virginia § 15.2-983 defines a short-term rental as “the provision of a room or space that is suitable or…
By Charles Houston Byne Rood was catching up on emails late in the day when her husband Robert returned from work with his usual “Hey, babe.” “Hey yourself,” she returned his greeting and then added. “What’s that smirk on your face?” Robert grinned, “I had a brilliant idea!” “You always have good ideas, so what’s…
By Joe Lafiandra I read everything, which include obscure legal notices in local and national papers. Most people aren’t interested in these notices of abandoned bicycles, foster care plans or Virginia ABC license approvals. I have actually found money for other people in those lists of unclaimed funds. I just can’t help it but, I…
By Charles Houston I called actor Eddie Murphy. “Eddie, this is Charlie Houston in Virginia. How’re you doing, guy?” “Do I know you?” he answered. “Not yet, but I want your help,” I said. Eddie was unsure but polite. “How can I help you?” “Well, Eddie, we want to move to Beverly Hills near you…
-View from the Ridge- In the ongoing saga about how big Purcellville should get, what residents old and new want to preserve – or tear down, and how to keep taxes low and economic productivity high, yet another power struggle is bubbling up. Mayor Kwasi Fraser, who enjoys overwhelming citizen support, has for years methodically…
By Grafton deButts One of the greatest threats to America’s economic recovery and future growth is currently being debated in Congress. The PRO Act, a bill which seeks to undermine workers’ rights to privacy and free association, would create a one-size-fits-all rewrite of labor laws in 50 states, hurting workers across the United States, including…
By Charles Houston My Op-Eds have almost always been about protecting western Loudoun County, often taking a circuitous route to make my points. What if all the columns were distilled to their land-use essence? Have I been right? 2017 May: A survey says 69 percent of Loudoun citizens think that too much growth, and too…