Op-Ed
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…
By Ben Nett My name is Carl Benjamin Nett, but everyone calls me “Ben.” My name on the ballot for the upcoming Town of Purcellville election is Carl B. “Ben” Nett, in keeping with the naming options available by state law. I’ve been known by a great many names and monikers over the course of…
By Daniel A. Brubaker On Tuesday, August 13, the LCPS board will vote on whether to finalize unionization of our Loudoun school system, which already eats up roughly 2/3 of the county budget. Are the union people doing it for the kids? No. The teachers? Actually, no. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once wrote, “All Government…
By Chris Bertaut, Ben Nett, Brian Green, Susan Khalil, and Jon Arnburg Mayberry Not Metropolis. These three simple words have resonated with the majority of Purcellville residents. Citizens are weary of out-of-control utility costs, the pettiness and personal attacks emanating from Town Hall, and the continual push for mass urbanization that threatens to destroy our…
By Charles Houston A lot is happening: War in Ukraine, Israeli retaliation against Hamas, the ascendance of China; our lousy economy; a nasty presidential election between two old guys (one of whom quit) and an assassination attempt; a wide gulf between Americans on issues like abortion, the open border and illegal immigration; the fentanyl that…
By Floyd Nelson More than 50 years ago, Michael Ross Lemov was still a young, intrepid general counsel who had just finished working on the National Commission on Product Safety, the forerunner to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That was the time he told me he started working for the late California Congressman John Moss, the…