Appreciation for Fire Marshall Pauquette

Goochland County has lost a valued employee. Fire Marshall Phil Pauquette has moved on to greener pastures and it surely is Goochland’s loss.

I first became acquainted with Fire Marshall Pauquette shortly after he came to Goochland. I had never met him, but I received a call at the office one afternoon saying, “Ann, I need your help.”  This county citizen was concerned because the building she was working in had bags of clothing and many other items stacked from floor to ceiling which also clogged the walking aisles.

“If there is a fire, the whole building will be consumed, including the top floor which houses offices,” stated the caller.

I called Fire Marshall Pauquette and asked if he would look into the situation. Not only did he look into the matter, he instructed that a big truck be brought in, that the place be cleaned out and that the aisles be made accessible.

That same afternoon, I received a call shortly after 5:00 p.m. from the concerned citizen telling me the place had been cleaned up in just a few hours and that everything was well.

Fire Marshall Paquette called me the next morning to tell me the situation had been cleaned up and I thanked him profusely for his quick attention to the matter, which if not taken care of, could have had catastrophic results.

Phil Pauquette, I and many other citizens of this county will miss you but we wish you every success in your new endeavor.

Ann A. James
Oilville

New government for Goochland?

I read with interest this Sunday’s article in the (Richmond Times-Dispatch) where Jim Eads, seemingly speaking on behalf of the (Goochland County) Board of Supervisors, strongly endorsed a county manager type of government. 

The article stated that if enacted, Goochland would become the second municipality in Virginia to adopt it, i.e., eliminating the constitutional (elected) offices of the Treasurer and Commissioner of Revenue, similar to Henrico. 

Mr. Eads suggested that “many of the county’s recent fiscal failures might have been avoided under a simpler structure”. 

Whoa There!!  Mr. Eads wants the citizens to adopt a structure where the BOS appoints the county manager to administer our tax dollars?  Let us not forget that it was the sworn duty of the previous county administrator (appointed by the BOS) to oversee the operations of the county and he also had control of the elected Treasurer and the Commissioner of Revenue. 

Under a county manager type of system, the Treasurer and Commissioner serve at his convenience and had that been in effect, our county would have been in much worse shape than we find ourselves now. 

If that were the case, I’m sure neither of these individuals would be in their positions today for uncovering and assisting in the investigative process. 

In addition, Mr. Eads was the one who signed the TCSD agreements including the City of Richmond agreement that has the $21.3 million debt that was never on the bonds and will be growing another $7.5 million in the near future. 

The approximate debt for the TCSD now is around $200 million and Goochland isn’t paying the principal and interest on the last bond sale of which payments will be approaching $9 million in the near future. 

Mr. Eads also served on the audit committee several times but look at the audits done for the past 20 years, in particular the ones since the start of the TCSD and the models they used to get the bonds through the assistance of Aery Consulting, who it seems from their web site, had a very close relationship with our previous county administrator. 

I believe that those members of the board of supervisors present during this period of mismanagement and lack of accountability are part of the fundamental reason the debacle occurred and are a prime reason why we need elected (not threatened) officials in positions such as these. 

The board has continually turned a blind eye toward questions, warnings and questions by these elected officials, and requests by the citizens for a more transparent county government.  Yes, three of these “blind mice” are still members of our existing board, and it is time that for the good of the county the “three blind mice” currently on the BOS must go. 

Although not an expert on county governments, I found with very little research that Arlington, Va., adopted the county manager form of government in 1930 due to the urbanization of the Washington, D.C.  area and that the existing government was not performing as designed. 

Is Goochland becoming so urbanized with a large influx of new citizens and uncontrolled commercial growth that our current government can’t work?  Have I missed something driving through Goochland? 

As I recall, as of last month, there had been no new commercial building permits issued in the county for 2010, and only 20 or so residential.  Let us also note that Henrico has an annual election for the BOS chairman, unlike Goochland. 

When Mr. Eads was elected as chairman, he and Mr. Butler were able to convince the other members to come to a “gentlemen’s agreement” so all county districts would share in the leadership for the betterment of the county; again they proved their word was worthless, by changing the accepted rotation method with three supervisors pulling a surprise play to insure the outcome of the election to further their personal agendas. 

This was to the surprise of the other two supervisors, (one who would have become chairman), and also the overwhelming majority of citizens.
Henrico’s manager, it appears at least, in recent times has never served more than two terms and he also has five deputy commissioners and one assistant to the county manager in the department. 

Butler states that curtailment of state funding for these positions “may force us to go there.”  Excuse me, but I believe the salary of these two elected positions, whether funded by the state or the county, is far cheaper than the bureaucracy that it appears Mr. Eads and possibly Mr. Butler are trying to create.
 
Mr. Hazelett states his relationship with the BOS supervisors “is just fantastic.”

Should I expect otherwise from an appointed official who has served since 1992?  Another significant fact is that Arlington’s board is elected “at large” and the districts have been eliminated since 1930, “to be more responsive to the needs of the county as a whole” and the chairmanship rotates annually according to their web site.  NOW, isn’t that a refreshing thought. I doubt that was in Mr. Eads’ or Mr. Butler’s plans to improve Goochland’s government!

Fellow citizens, I would suggest that the type of government that is present in our county is not the problem and has not created the situations that we are faced with today.  The problem lies in the individuals, whether elected or appointed, that have held these positions, and some who continue to hold the positions in our government. 

The needs of the county and citizens have changed over the past several years; several of our officials chose tenure and history over knowledge and innovation, and ignore the citizen’s input when making their decisions.  They make decisions as if they are the sacred cows of their districts.  These officials need to either quickly adapt, or migrate to a place more fitting of their abilities in today’s world.

R. E. Bridges
Maidens

A principal switch

As I type this letter, I count 44 online comments on The Gazette’s June 30 article regarding (School Superintendent Linda) Underwood’s, “here today, gone in a New York minute” principal switch. 

Underwood makes Niccolo Machiavelli’s classic political primer, “The Prince” read like a dime store romance novel, complete with the Al Pacino inspired lip stick stained cheeks! 

Her manipulative Machiavellian machinations make me wonder what her real agenda might be…to act so ridiculously malfeasant that we, the people, are forced to buy out the remainder of her overpaid contract so foolishly negotiated by our “smarter than the average bear” school board? 

I remember cartoons where Yogi, accompanied by his constant companion Boo Boo, would often try to steal “pick-a-nic” baskets from campers in Jellystone Park much to the chagrin and displeasure of Park Ranger Smith.  Come to think of it, and after checking Google images, Board Chairman Cisne and Ranger Smith do bear (pardon the unintended pun) a striking resemblance to one another!

Underwood’s “divide-and-conquer” tactics have been a constant companion as she single-handedly dismantles what once was, and could still be, a world class school system. 
From her March 5, 2010, e-mail with “the battle is on” subject line, to her pitting the parents of gifted and special needs parents against one another during the budget battle, she has now found yet another differentiator, using a geographic chisel.  What’s next King U, the race card?

I do not question Underwood’s right to make informed and deliberative personnel decisions.  In a democracy, I do have a right to question uninformed and knee jerk actions. 

That said and considering how the principal switch “went down,” I, and it seems I’m far from alone, have many unanswered questions. 

Along those lines, if Underwood were truly concerned and had a legitimate improvement initiative, why was Byrd Elementary’s leadership left unscathed during the principal merry-go-round? According to readily obtainable test data Byrd exhibits better scores than Randolph…go figure!

Another famous Yogi, who favored pin stripes over fur, said, “I wish I had an answer to that because I’m tired of answering that question,” along with, “If you ask me anything I don’t know, I’m not going to answer.” 

As Underwood has so deftly dodged the well-pitched questions of a concerned and informed citizenry regarding the lack of line item budget detail as well as correctly classifying administrative and classroom positions it came to me more quickly than one of Justin Verlander’s fastballs, Underwood is headed to Cooperstown!

Delving deeper into Underwood’s Machiavellian realm she has studied Niccolo well, “One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived,” to which I see and raise, “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.”

We cannot, and I will not, let Underwood succeed in further dismantling our schools.  May the ties that bind us together be stronger than those that tear us apart.

Michael M. McDermott
Maidens

Protesting the police firing range

If someone says they are going to shoot at me, I pay attention.

That is exactly what the Virginia State police are poised to do, although they are not saying it directly to me. But they will be aiming their rifles at me, and you also, if you dare to drive along State Rt. 6 between Maidens and State Farm, or even if you happen to be enjoying the James River in this area.

I am referring to the State Police Firing Range planned to be built in Powhatan County off of Old River Trail. The location of this proposed site and its orientation on the compass place us directly in the line of fire from the 300 yard rifle range.

The 20-foot high backstop will not be able to protect us from errant rounds which fly over the top. On a firing range, even a law enforcement range, errant shots do occur. Shooters often miss their target, sending rounds over the backstop.
This range will be located around 9200 feet south and exactly aimed at our subdivision of Rivercliff, in Goochland County. The south bank of the James River is around 8000 feet and the State Route 6 is around 12000 feet north of this site, all in the line of fire.

There will be plenty of chances for errant rounds. I do not know exactly what velocity law enforcement uses in their rifles, but I am sure it is equal to and most likely superior to commercial high velocity rounds which can easily travel two to four miles or longer, depending on the length of the barrel, the weight of the round, the grams of powder and, more importantly, the angle of the shot.

The higher the muzzle is raised, the farther the shot will travel.

We will live in constant fear of being hit by errant rounds if this is permitted. The noise generated by the 15 high powered rifles going off at the same time in our direction for this long will be unreasonably loud and disturbing to those of us who live here, and will destroy the peace and quiet of all citizens who wish to enjoy the James River in the Maidens area.

It is so unnecessary and such a shame because there are other options for the location of this range. If you cannot believe this is true, I invite you to visit the blog that has been created by the Powhatan Citizens Committee, which I have joined, to oppose this: http://ortpowhatan.wordpress.com. Click on the Environment Impact Report (EIR) link and see for yourself.

I sincerely encourage the local government the local government in Goochland and Powhatan along with the Department of Environmental Quality to come up with a plan that will fulfill the State Police needs while keeping its citizens out of the line of fire.

Thomas L. Ford
Maidens