| Delgaudio's
'Rules' Waste of Time |
| Eugene Delgaudio, the Sterling district representative on
the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, has established himself
as a devout conservative Republican politician in the seven
years he has served on the board. |
| He has vociferously opposed any tax increases and has promoted
the scaling back of government services for the relief of
the taxpayer. |
| But this week he's gone completely around the bend. In protest
over the board's attempt to propose a code of ethics for supervisors
to follow, Mr. Delgaudio developed his own code of conduct
and presented it to the board as a piece of business to be
voted on. |
| Getting less than a stellar response, Mr. Delgaudio then
followed up Monday's meeting with a raid on the snacks that
supervisors keep to tide them over as they sit through hours
of meetings. |
| While Mr. Delgaudio's proposals are comedic, his attempts
to get them submitted as normal business is a complete waste
of time and his antics serve no purpose other than to call
attention to himself in the same way a middle school boy tries
to impress his friends by playing a trick on the teacher. |
| While some of the 33 items on Mr. Delgaudio's "Rules of
Conduct" list might be worth debate, most are frivolous, ridiculous
and demeaning. Take, for example, item 5: "No private car
for any elected Supervisor or with the Supervisor as a passenger
shall be allowed into the Town of Leesburg. Walking, biking,
running or other public means of transportation will be encouraged
by the Supervisors by example." |
| Ralph Nader may whole-heartedly endorse such a proposal,
but in the real world where we expect our politicians to be
productive, to work on our behalf, and to understand the problems
we ourselves face each day, this idea is ludicrous. |
| How about item 7: "No gifts, (including free rides, awards,
plaques, cups, gold pens, gas, supplies, discounts, or commissions)
of any kind to any Supervisors from anyone including family
during their term of office." |
| No birthday gifts from wives and husbands? No Christmas
gifts from the children? No notes reflecting the deep thanks
most of the members of the public have when their public servants
take the time to make a presentation at a school or a community
event, or work to accomplish something that benefits the county? |
| While Loudoun County has struggled to shed its reputation
as a county "out in the sticks" in relation to the rest of
the Northern Virginia region, Mr. Delgaudio apparently wants
to promote that idea with item 11: "No trips as a supervisor
outside of the County of Loudoun. No exceptions." |
| Is this to mean that if you are elected supervisor in Loudoun
Mr. Delgaudio suggests you should never leave the county?
How does that help promote the interest of the county before
the state General Assembly in Richmond, or arguing for more
resources before the Department of Homeland Security in Washington,
D.C., or working to protect Loudoun's interest as the project
to build rail to Dulles moves forward in Washington, Richmond
and Tysons Corner? |
| The Ashburn Volunteer Fire Department and other groups routinely
host breakfasts and dinners as fund-raisers, but Mr. Delgaudio
suggests that supervisors would not be welcome at those events
with item 13, which states that a supervisor will accept no
meal of any kind at any community event, be it a chamber of
commerce luncheon, a Knights of Columbus event or a visit
to a private home. |
| The outlandish suggestion ends with this: "No alcohol can
be consumed at any time during a term of office at any public
or private event where members of the public are present."
|
| Mr. Delgaudio also suggests that a supervisor who lives
in a townhouse shouldn't vote on items relating to townhouses,
while supervisors who live in single family homes may only
vote on items pertaining to their housing type. |
| The list continues, but I'll end my summary with item 28,
which decrees that supervisors will not buy new cars while
they are in office to avoid conflicts with issues that relate
to auto dealerships. "Supervisors should only drive cars built
before they were elected," Mr. Delgaudio says. "In my case
that would be a 1999 buick Century for illustration purposes.
I previously drove a 1989 Ford Taurus." |
| The board of supervisors has come under criticism for ethical
lapses, and other supervisors are debating changes to the
ethical requirements supervisors must adhere to. But Mr. Delgaudio's
comments are not helpful, insightful or in any way supportive
of positive change that will benefit the community. |
| While Mr. Delgaudio considers himself a watchdog guarding
against government waste, his latest antics he shows he has
nothing helpful to contribute to the serious work facing the
county right now. |
| He has wasted his opportunity to improve Loudoun County
and to help his constituents. He has wasted the time of the
board. He has wasted staff time. He has stepped in the way
of progress. |
| The residents of Sterling deserve better. Loudoun deserves
better. |
