Blue Louisa

Thank You Supervisor Bob Babyok

I would like to thank Louisa County Green Springs District Supervisor Bob Babyok for all of his hard work keeping the residents of the Green Springs district informed and always being available to answer our questions, hear our concerns, and represent our interests with grace and humility.

My wife and I have been residents of Zion Crossroads for 14 years. When we moved to the area, there was no Walmart, Lowes, Sheetz, etc, only a couple of gas stations, and a whole lot of trees. In the first 10 years we lived here, we met our previous supervisor, Richard Havasy exactly once. That meeting happened when the Stonegate apartments were first announced. At the time, there was genuine concern among residents as to whether Zion Crossroads could support such a project and he was finally forced to interact with his constituents after several residents banded together and demanded a meeting. Otherwise, he had been completely absent.

The last 4 years have been in sharp contrast. Bob has always been available and goes out of his way to talk to as many of his constituents as possible on a daily basis. We see him often, as he makes the rounds through the different neighborhoods in the district and attends every community event at which he is welcome. In addition, we have run into him at Walmart, Sheetz, Rhett’s, the Tavern at Spring Creek. His call to service is front and center in everything he does going all the way back to his 20 years of service in the United States Air Force. Several of his constituents have been shocked when they learn that his pay for the job does not even cover his expenses. Even more impressive has been his deep knowledge of the issues facing Louisa county that can only be attained by someone who truly listens.

The one thing, however, above all else that has struck me about Bob is what a terrible politician he is. Most elected officials will pander, make promises they can’t keep, promises that turn into excuses, and eventually devolve into personal attacks and finger-pointing. Bob has always been up front about the limits of his position (We’re in favor of limited government, right?). When he makes a mistake, he owns up to it and will promise to do better. A good politician would lie and make up stories in order to make everyone feel good and hopeful while personally attacking anyone who disagrees. A terrible politician like Bob tells the truth. A good politician will start fundraising the day they announce their candidacy while devising schemes to benefit personally from their position. Bob, being the terrible politician that he is, refuses to fundraise, turns down all offers for donations, and spends thousands of dollars of his own money to fund his campaign. All in all, if we look at the state of politics today, and what it takes to be a successful self dealing politician, Bob is as terrible at self dealing as they come.

I’d like to take a moment and address Bob’s opponent in the upcoming November 2nd election, Rachel Jones. We first met Rachel sometime around 2008 when the Spring Creek sports club opened. Rachel joined Spring Creek as a sports club member so that she could bring her children to the pool during the summer. I can honestly say, Rachel is one of the nicest people we have met since we moved here, although it has been a few years, as our kids have grown older, as kids have a tendency to do. Still, I can remember how our kids used to play together in the kiddie pool while we talked about the trials and tribulations of parenthood. I was impressed by her service in pursuit of making sure her children have access to a quality preschool education through Zion United Methodist church. For those that vote at the Zion precinct, take a minute and look around the gymnasium and notice the attached preschool.

Rachel was instrumental in bringing that facility to fruition. This shows a commitment to her community and to education.

All in all, if Rachel had decided to run as an independent, as nearly every other Board of Supervisors candidate has done in the 200+ years of the county’s existence, I would not only vote for her, but I would actively support her campaign. Unfortunately, she was recruited to run under a partisan umbrella, and her campaign is being funded by a small group of residents with very different priorities than most of the residents of the Green Springs district. They are cynically betting that there are enough voters that will vote on a strictly party line basis to take control of the board of supervisors. These residents have been against every phase of development at Zion Crossroads and share a single goal of slowing further growth and they are hoping that by injecting partisan politics into the county government, they can slow future growth.

As residents who want to see our community continue to grow and flourish, the last thing we need, in my opinion, is to bring the ugly partisan politics that have infected our state and federal governments to the county board of supervisors. Fortunately, we already have a county supervisor that possesses both a call to serve and is an independent not beholden to any donor or political party, which is why as a 14 year resident of Louisa County, I am proud to support the reelection of Bob Babyok to the Louisa County Board of Supervisors.

Jim Noble

A shorter version of this letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

Challenger will get the work done in the 56th

There is work to be done on behalf of the people of the 56th district. We count on the legislators that we send to Richmond to do that work for us.

Louisa County’s current delegate, John McGuire, has made it abundantly clear that the people of the 56th district are not of interest to him. As evidenced by a recently released voicemail, he sees himself in Washington, not Richmond. In a message left for a big money Texas donor, Del. McGuire describes him[1]self as a “potential nominee for a top-five congressional seat — VA-07.”

It’s the same thing he did in 2020 when he tried to win the nomination for congressman, but failed. You can’t be in two places at once. You can’t do a good job when your heart and head are somewhere else. We have an alternative. We can elect Blakely Lockhart this November. She is rooted solidly in our district, and dedicated to serving its people. Let McGuire pursue his dreams elsewhere. We have work to do here.

McGuire pursue his dreams elsewhere. We have work to do here.

Tamara Haymore
Louisa

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

Brags on Supervisor Barnes

To the editor:
I would like to brag on my county supervisor. Fitzgerald Barnes has been a terrific representative for the Patrick Henry district, where I live. He supports business, education, and recreation in our county, and that’s a perfect
trifecta for me.

And I’ll tell you what else I like about Fitzgerald. He has never used his position as a steppingstone to some higher office. Year after year, he just keeps working for the people who live, work and study here.

Thank you, Supervisor Barnes. I will vote for you in November!

Jim Wolf
Louisa

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

Support Louisa’s farmers

To the editor:
Polls show that a majority of people in Louisa want to keep our county rural. We love the green fields and peacefully grazing cattle and low traffic, even if we are not personally farming.

Let’s not let residential development squeeze out farmers. To do this we need to support our farmers. They are not going to keep farming for long if they can’t make a living at it.

Our representative in Congress, Abigail Spanberger, is the chair of the Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee. She recently spent a day touring various farming operations in nearby counties. From the farmers she spoke with, she learned about things like crop rotation, new ways of marketing on social media, and selling directly to consumers. She learned about the real-life impacts of various pieces of federal legislation. She said that gaining an understanding of the day-to-day nuts and bolts of the business helps her do her job. She puts in the real work. This is not lip service.

I love Louisa County and I want to thank her for doing what we need to keep it the way it is.

Mary Kranz
Louisa

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

Keep this man in office

To the editor:

I am pleased to support Supervisor Fitzgerald (“Coach”) Barnes for reelection as Louisa County supervisor for the Patrick Henry District. Supervisor Barnes has always had a vision for the needs of Louisa residents and has worked tirelessly to bring new business and employment to Louisa County. Remember when Louisa County didn’t have a Walmart as an employer? It now employs hundreds of Louisa County residents with decent-paying jobs. Supervisor Barnes has been quietly working to add employers and jobs for Louisa residents, such as the entire Ferncliff Business Park, Bio-Cat and Boxley Asphalt.

Supervisor Barnes has always been a strong supporter of business in the county. Now he has helped to bring Amazon to the Ferncliff Business Park. If you haven’t heard, Amazon will be opening a distribution center in Ferncliff soon. Now more of our young people can stay in Louisa County to live and work. Thank you, Supervisor Barnes and the other supervisors, for making Amazon’s distribution center happen.

Finally, Supervisor Fitzgerald Barnes has always been a good supporter for having residents living and working in Louisa County. Please help keep him in office by voting for him on Nov. 2nd. Mark your calendars.

Sincerely,
Melvin Burruss
Louisa

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

The Tyranny of Stereotypes

Recent campaigns were notable for the widespread use of alternate facts and stereotypes. This is the fuel that stirred up intense divisions between political parties and within families. Stereotyping also helped maintain the Jim Crow system, or discrimination against any minority or immigrant community. As the United States looks to fulfill its responsibilities to those who helped us in Afghanistan, we can expect new stereotypes to emerge.

One of the oldest stereotypes still in use is the cry, “socialism,” a great pejorative and conversation stopper. Technically, socialism in economics is the government ownership of an industry. After WWII, Britain nationalized the coal industry, and a few countries in South America nationalized some extractive industries. Which industries do Republicans think Democrats want to nationalize at risk to our democratic, free way of life?  To be honest, I think the American steel industry is safe. 

What Republicans really mischaracterize as socialism are programs designed for the common good or, as stated in the preamble to the Constitution, “to promote the general welfare.” Broad social programs would include education, infrastructure, law enforcement, and Ben Franklin’s Post Office. Social Security has been a prime conservative target since the 1930s. Often in public opinion, Social Security is confused with public welfare and is labeled as some kind of an “entitlement program” sometimes by the very people who are receiving the benefits. Like any insurance policy, beneficiaries pay into Social Security as they progress through their earning years. Your car, life, and home insurance work the same way. Everyone pays in and, when needed, beneficiaries receive an appropriate payout, after the insurance company takes its profits and executive salaries.

In recent years, conservatives have tried to update the “socialism” stereotype by shifting the discussion to “freedom,” as though the two ideas are in opposition. They argue that health insurance purchased from a private company will somehow set you free, while Medicare represents socialistic imprisonment. It is hard to argue that an impersonal for-profit provider, who can reduce your benefits because of its definition of “pre-existing conditions,” is providing freedom.  You get what you pay for, and freedom isn’t on the private health insurer’s menu.

The more progressive point of view supports and enjoys freedom in the form of good schools, safe roads, strong infrastructure, and health care for all.  These are common goods that can launch a career, get you to work, and enhance your well-being. Who among us does not deserve these benefits? We also support a strong (not “defunded”) police force, whose tool kit can be improved by adding a mental health professional to the crisis response team, as is being implemented now in the town of Culpeper.

Of course, a surefire way to defund the police, the schools, the fire department, or public health is to have the legislature cut their budgets. This is the tactic of Culpeper’s House of Delegates representatives, who always vote against the budget and take no responsibility for the consequences. They hide behind stereotypes and ideology so that they don’t have to make the hard decisions that are needed to build and maintain a strong community. If Culpeper is short of deputies or has schools with leaky roofs and ventilation, roads and bridges in dangerous disrepair, and contaminated water and food supplies, the responsibility falls on those who vote against the budget. That’s why we are told elections have consequences.

Please vote this November. Local elections are extremely important for the prosperity of our community. Early voting, by mail or in person at the Voter Registrar’s Office, starts Friday, September 17.

David Reuther
Culpeper

David Reuther, a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, is a past chair of the Culpeper Democratic Committee. These are his personal observations. This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Culpeper Star-Exponent newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.