Mayberry vs. Metropolis

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 my national security career – Nick Brewster, Phillip K. Whitehead, K5002, PT-10, Badge 0903 and, now, Badge 5263– but feel free to call me “Ben.”

I’m running for Town Council with a dedicated team: Chris Bertaut, Susan Khalil, Brian Green, and Jon Arnburg. We’re running under the slogan “Mayberry Not Metropolis,” reflecting our commitment to preserving Purcellville’s small-town charm and managing growth responsibly.

We chose “Mayberry” as a reference to the classic sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show, which takes place in the charming, community-oriented town of Mayberry.

We are committed to maintaining Purcellville as a wonderful community of neighbors, managing growth in keeping with the aesthetics and unique character of our town, and finding alternatives to our opponents’ plans to implement double-digit rate increases for the utility fund every year for at least the next four years.

We are against growing the town’s borders through annexation and any projects which compromise the small-town feel —no six story buildings for example.

There is an old saying in politics, and in life: “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.” Thus far, I’ve focused exclusively on my ideas for improving our town. This includes reducing the wasteful spending of our general fund and dedicating a portion of our meals tax revenue, once we have a policy in place, toward reducing our utility debt in order to minimize rate increases on our residents.  

We, “Team Mayberry,” are running against “Team Metropolis” – the developer-backed group of candidates led by Mayor Stan Milan, who just two years ago ran on a slow growth platform but has since completely reversed his stance. 

The platform of “Team Metropolis” advocates for ever-increasing utility bills as an excuse to annex property for commercial/industrial development, purportedly for the one-time utility connection fees. We all know that growth begets growth.

Would annexation of the Valley Commerce Center, which is over 1.2 million square feet of industrial development, really benefit the Town of Purcellville? The answer is obvious. Our residents oppose such annexations because it would transform our town and push it towards becoming a “Metropolis.” Additionally, growth doesn’t pay for itself. It imposes significant demands on every aspect of our town’s infrastructure and services.

Will such development—annexed industrial centers, for example—make it rain more often? Our water resources are already strained, with yearly drought conditions the norm. The “Metropolis” team have no answers for this or other substantive challenges before us. They just want the town to grow and grow. That is the reason they have changed the slow growth majority on the planning commission.

Our opponents are drawing party lines where no such lines exist. Dirty partisan politics have no place in our town. Our elections have always been nonpartisan— and issues like taxes, traffic, transparency, and growth aren’t determined by anything except for one’s regard for our quality of life. 

Unfortunately, one of the “Team Metropolis” candidates, John Mark Gardner, has resorted to personal attacks—which is exactly what Purcellville residents are sick and tired of from politicians. On July 16, he filed a complaint alleging that I used my status as a police officer to intimidate him and discourage his candidacy. This accusation was completely false and led to an obligatory Internal Affairs Investigation, which confirmed the complaint was baseless. I was fully exonerated. 

Mr. Gardner also wants every Democrat in town to know that I ran for public office, years ago, as a Republican, and made headlines when I made a joke on social media.

A Democrat Congressman posted a photo of himself, proudly displaying a lapel pin showing his “F” rating from the NRA. I opined that he should move that pin over to center mass. This same congressman later posted a picture of himself holding an AR-15 rifle. I fully accept the criticism over my humor, but what is Mr. Gardner implying here by dredging this up? 

He’s already lied to law enforcement about my conduct as a police officer and he’s continuing the same game in the public court. He and his colleagues, “Team Metropolis,” can continue to attack my running mates and I until they’re blue in the face, but it should never distract from the local issues that “Team Mayberry” will continue to address.

Incidentally, I grew up in a staunch, but tolerant, Democrat household. My dad served in the legislature for over twenty years as a Democrat State Representative. I love my dad; and my circle of friends is as diverse as our nation itself.

There is a great temptation in today’s social media age to try and put people in a box and quickly label them as friend or enemy, but the truth is people are complex creatures. We all have insecurities, fears, hopes, dreams, aspirations, and some level of anxiety about what is to come. We’re all products of our heritage and environment and, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re all a mix of conservative and liberal values—with varying shades of each. 

The slate of candidates I am running with, and those who back us, are a mix of both parties—as it should be at a town election level. We are united in our commitment to address the issues affecting the Town of Purcellville.

It’s sad that “Team Metropolis” wants to turn this race into a partisan battleground and pointless skirmish of back and forth personal attacks, rather than focusing on the issues affecting our residents. I will never reduce myself to the mud-slinging game, since one of my stated goals is to return a sense of decency and decorum to Town Hall.

The platform of “Mayberry not Metropolis” is what we are fighting for in this election on November 5. We are fighting to preserve the town we all love. I mentioned The Andy Griffith Show, which many of you probably don’t remember or never had the opportunity to experience. I fear my developer-backed opponents want to similarly wipe the memory of Purcellville from the minds of so many who have known and loved our town and of those young enough to be caught in the landslide of its erasure.

“Team Metropolis” represents high taxes, annexations, lack of transparency, and the loss of our small town feel by turning Purcellville into Ashburn. Residents voiced their feelings and desires clearly at a recent town council meeting on an annexation proposal: they moved here for the real Purcellville.

My campaign for Town Council continues, full steam ahead, focusing on the issues affecting our town and looking for ways to improve our overall quality of life. I ask for your vote, your support, and your friendship.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect a change that a complaint was filed.