I didn’t blog all that much, if at all, about the special election that took place today to fill a vacancy on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in my home district.
Part of that was because I was profoundly disturbed by the way that some Republican bloggers were acting. Quite honestly, Jeff Dion’s sexual orientation just isn’t relevant to me, and as I said when the campaign started, I thought the focus of two bloggers in particular on that issue was, quite honestly, disgusting. Like I said back in December, Jeff was a law school classmate of mine and, while I can’t say I know him well, I can say that the things that were written by some people during the course of this campaign were uncalled for. I’m glad to see that the May campaign didn’t sink that low.
I am happy, therefore, to see that Republican Michael May won in an election that only about 12% of the voters bothered to participate in:
Republican Michael C. May, a former Prince William County planning commissioner with strong ties to U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), was elected yesterday to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
May, a lawyer who was once a staff member for Davis, beat Democrat Jeff Dion in a special election by a vote of 1,726 to 1,289 in complete but unofficial results. The balloting drew 12 percent of registered voters in the district.
May takes the Occoquan supervisor seat left vacant in the fall when Corey A. Stewart (R) was elected chairman of the board to succeed Sean T. Connaughton, who resigned.
When May, 30, joins the board next week, he will give Republicans a 6 to 2 majority. He will have to run again for the seat in November, when all board members will be up for reelection.
May probably will give Stewart another strong ally on the board. Stewart has at times been overshadowed in meetings by Supervisor W.S. Covington III (R-Brentsville), who proposed a year-long freeze on residential rezonings at Stewart’s first meeting as chairman.
I wasn’t entirely comfortable with May’s stand on development, but it wasn’t any more anti-growth than his Democratic opponent. And, when it came right down to it, I trust a Republican to hold the line on taxes more than I trust a Democrat.
It was a pretty low-key campaign and Dion ran a fairly aggressive door-to-door and phone bank operation. We got two phone calls yesterday for the Dion campaign……and none for Mike May even though both Kellie and I have voted Republican in every election. In the end, though, I don’t think even that was enough to compete with the combined resources of Corey Stewart and Tom Davis.
In any case, both candidates were graduates of George Mason School of Law, so the school won anyway.
Rather than simply offering a generalized criticism, why don’t you say what — specifically — was improper about my focus? Mine was very clearly on Dion’s disingenuous/dishonest claims and activities. Specifically, I noted the fact that his biography about the custody status of his children, and the fact that he implicitly lied to the Boy Scouts of America by applying for and assuming a position as a Cub Scout leader.
That having been said, many voters consider one’s sexual choices relevant, and rightly so. Perhaps, Doug, you can tell us which sexual perversions are acceptable. Bestiality? Pedophilia? Necrophilia?
James,
You and are simply going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I don’t think that the fact that Jeff Dion is gay was relevant to the campaign and neither you nor I know the true story behind his affiliation with the BSA. I’d much rather see these campaigns be about actual issues rather than personal crap like this.
I note that you fail to note what was “improper” about my focus, which was on Dion’s dishonesty.
As for the rest, oh, puh-lease, Doug! Only one who is trying to deny simple facts would claim that “neither you nor I know the true story behind his affiliation with the BSA.” That is willful ignorance, pure and simple. Dion is a Cubmaster. To be gay and a Cubmaster, one either has to: (a) be ignorant of the BSA’s well-advertised policies; or (b) lie to the BSA about one’s sexual preference. There is no alternative (c). I don’t believe — and doubt that you do — that Dion is ignorant. Therefore, the only rational conclusion is that he lied to the BSA — perhaps by omission — about something which the BSA considers relevant to leadership.
That is not “personal crap.” That is about whether Dion is honest and forthright in his dealings with others.
James,
What was improper ? Focusing on his private life was improper. Raising questions about his divorce was improper. Bringing his ex-wife and kids into the campaign, or at least trying to, was improper.
As for the BSA thing, again neither you nor I know what anyone above Dion knows about anything. And, frankly, I don’t care anyway.
Do you honestly think that the garbage that had been going around on Northern Virginia blogs since December had made into the public eye would have helped May had it been made public ? Frankly, I think it would’ve backfired.