Opinion
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…
Dear Editor: Once again, Dominion Energy has demonstrated why it may deserve the reputation as the Commonwealth’s worst corporate citizen. Everyone riding around major highways and rural roads can see the dreadful blight of Dominion’s “vegetation management.” The ubiquitous haphazard brown out of plants along our roads and roadsides results from Dominion’s spraying herbicide supposedly…
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…
Dear Editor: I am dismayed by the position of many that character flaws in political leaders can be overlooked if the political agenda of those leaders aligns with their views. My position is that the character of our political leaders matters greatly. A leader with poor values and character will have an overall negative effect…
By Ben Nett As I walk door-to-door in Purcellville, meeting residents as part of my campaign for Town Council, I take the opportunity to share a warning about increasing scams targeting our citizens. Fraud is a multi-billion dollar problem, yearly, and our status as one of the wealthiest towns in the wealthiest county in the…
By Charles Houston Four years ago, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a Board Member Initiative to protect prime agricultural soils. Despite the original 9-0 vote, it’s taken forever to translate that BMI to actual zoning code as a ZOAM (Zoning Ordinance Amendment) which the Board did on June 12. What does it do? The…
By Kwasi Fraser, Former Town of Purcellville Mayor In early June, I opened my Town Utility Bill and was unsurprised to find a political insert laden with misinformation, attempting to justify the substantial rate increases endorsed by Mayor Stan Milan, Vice Mayor Erin Rayner, and Council Members Mary Jane Williams, Kevin Wright and Caleb Stought.…