Op-Ed
By Kwasi Fraser, former Purcellville Mayor Let me be perfectly clear: the Town’s recent bill insert attempting to justify the current and future double-digit water and sewer rate hikes by blaming prior Town Councils is not just disingenuous—it’s downright deceptive. This politically motivated propaganda insults the intelligence of every resident who has faithfully paid their…
By Charles Houston My last Op-Ed mentioned ADUs, but here’s more detail and skepticism. I had a difficult time coming up with a title to this jeremiad about Loudoun’s Affordable Housing programs, which is now called “Attainable Housing.” I thought of possible titles for this piece: Developers Outsmart Government; ADU’s – Developers’ Scam; The False…
By Kwasi Fraser, former Purcellville Mayor It was my intention to step away from politics after serving you for four terms as Mayor, but I still live in this town, and what I see happening compels me to speak up. Misinformation is being spread by individuals who clearly lack even a basic understanding of finance.…
By Lloyd Harting The number of commercial trucks passing through Purcellville will increase significantly if the pending application submitted by 17110 Purcellville Road LLC for annexation of its 117-acre property along Purcellville Road is approved by the Purcellville Town Council and results in the construction of a 1.2 million square foot industrial/commercial Valley Commerce Center…
By David Eno and John Payne David Eno and John Payne have been friends for forty years. They have some things in common and others not in common at all. They both moved to Purcellville, but were raised in other states. David in New York, John in California. Both worked at one time or another…
By John Ellis The citizens of Purcellville love their beautiful small town, as do many others like me who live nearby. However, we do have some complaints, including our frustration with traffic congestion. And, unfortunately, that particular problem keeps getting worse. So how do we fix it? There are two general approaches. The “go to”…
By Charles Houston On October 16 our Board of Supervisors will vote on yet another rezoning request by JK Land Holdings, the biggest land speculator in the county and a frequent recipient of the Board’s favorable votes. The owner of JK Land Holdings has probably made a billion dollars on its land deals. (That amount’s…
How Mayor Milan’s policies could undermine years of fiscal responsibility By Kwasi Fraser, former Town of Purcellville Mayor For starters, I want to make clear there is a policy prescription for what ails our town. I fully endorse and ask the citizens of Purcellville to elect Christ Bertaut for Mayor and, for Town Council, Ben Nett, Brian Green, Susan Khalil,…
By Charles Houston Land use, housing, sprawl and property rights have been studied to death, and I don’t think many of those studies have found any universal truths. One recent attempt is from James Barr, an economist and professor, who has just published a book titled, “Cities in the Sky, The Quest to Build the…
By Kwasi Fraser, former Townof Purcellville Mayor First and foremost, I extend my gratitude to each of the three planning commissioners, Nan Forbes, Ed Neham and Nedim Ogelman, whose terms expired on August 31, and were not renewed by the council majority. Your unwavering dedication over the years in revising our 2030 Comprehensive Plan based…