HHMI Tax Exempt Status

Loudoun politicians often talk about replicating the biotech success of the I-270 corridor. Yet some of them are working very hard to make life difficult for an organization that can make this happen. Some politicians are currently challenging the tax exempt status of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

It may take some time, but the presence of HHMI in Loudoun will eventually create a cluster of biotech companies and other small research institutions which will benefit all of us. Why aren't we looking long term, it does not make economic sense to single out HHMI out of over 460 tax exempt organizations in the County.

What kind of message are we sending to similar organizations that may want to relocate or set- up in Loudoun? It is time to stop playing politics with this organization that may soon become a major economic driving force for the county, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs, expanding our tax base by bringing similar organizations, consequently eliminating the need to further increase property taxes in the near future.

I am totally in support of the tax-exempt status; I believe it is in our long-term economic interest. What do you think?

Loudoun Summer Music Fest 2007

The dog days of summer are here and so is the annual Loudoun Summer Music Fest. The event kicks off on Sunday June 3 with Sugar Ray and runs through Sunday, August 26. A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit these local non-profit organizations:

• Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers is a community of volunteers helping frail elderly and adults with disabilities to maintain independence and quality of life.


• Special Love run programs that offer children with cancer the chance to jump, play, explore, laugh, swim and make friends.


• The Loudoun Foundation brings together community residents, businesses and charities for musical enrichment events and student mentoring programs.

See you there..

Potomac Falls High School Came First in Loudoun...

The 2007 annual survey of the best public high schools in the country conducted by Newsweek Magazine placed Potomac Falls High School ahead of all other public high schools in the county. Potomac Falls High School was at a respectable position of 183rd out of 1200 top schools nationwide.

As would be expected Fairfax County Public Schools dominated the top tier of the list for Virginia Schools. I think Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) did pretty well, considering the fact that most of our schools are relatively new. Also there was no Loudoun High School in the top 200 bracket in the 2006 Survey, Potomac Falls High School came 354th last year.

Loudoun Valley in Purcellville and Loudoun County in Leesburg were at 247th and 373rd positions respectively on the 2007 list. Do these surveys matter and do they really reflect how good these schools are? I wonder what Dr. Hatrick, the Superintendent of LCPS thinks about this survey.

Surprise Win for Phillips - 33rd Senatorial District Primary

The results of the Republican primary for the 33rd senatorial district surprised many. Patricia Phillips won. I can say without any doubt that I did not see a single ad posted anywhere in the county by the Phillips camp, whereas the well-funded Andrews camp had quite a few. And I would say, Andrews had more name recognition. Does this tell us anything about the electorate? From all accounts including fellow blogger - Gateway to Loudoun , turnout was relatively low, that leads me to the question why is voter participation in elections dropping?

According to a recent news report, many people in our county are not even aware that a major election season is upon us. Quite a few elected officials are returning unopposed or with very weak opposition. In my opinion, that is not democracy. These elected officials are going to be making decisions that will affect us and our families. Are we making sure that we are selecting from the best pool of resources? We need a vibrant primary system, we need more people to come out and challenge the political establishment – Loudoun is filled with professionals, highly educated individuals with vast experience in different areas. People who understand the importance of having the right representatives at all levels of government, so why are people disenchanted with the electoral system?

Red-Light Cameras, How effective?

Our local law enforcement agencies are pushing hard for red-light cameras to be installed at major intersections in the county as early as next year. Our neighbors (Maryland & District of Columbia) have had red-light cameras for some time.

We all probably knew this was coming since Governor Kaine (D) signed House Bill 1778 into law in March. The bill which was introduced by Del. John Cosgrove (R), permits counties, cities or towns statewide to adopt ordinances to install cameras at intersections, effective July 1. It limits localities use of the cameras to one per 10,000 residents. Violators would face $50 fines. No demerit points would be tacked on to drivers' licenses. It also requires that localities post signs within 500 feet of intersections with cameras.

Whilst studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety claim that red-light cameras tend to reduce accidents, there are other independent studies out there claiming that the cameras have not contributed to the reduction of accidents, there are also concerns that the red-light camera is an invasion of the privacy of citizens by the government.

I do not think there is a privacy issue here. What do you think the BOS should do - allow or disallow? Will red-light cameras reduce accidents, or is this just a revenue generating opportunity for the county?

Loudoun Blogosphere Expanding

Loudoun Blogosphere is expanding very fast with new blogs coming online every other week, and many more in the development stages. Well known local newspaper, Loudoun Times-Mirror will be launching a blog in the June timeframe.

Loudoun Chamber of Commerce has one up already, though in beta mode. The media landscape as we know it today is changing for good, and I believe for the better. Would you agree? By the way, Loudoun Talk may be making "guest appearances" on the Loudoun Times-Mirror blog. Stay tuned.

Capital Newsreel - Military Appreciation Month, High Risk Investments

Governor Kaine (D) has proclaimed the month of May as "Military Appreciation Month" in Virginia. Bravo to all our men and women in Uniform and their families. Feel free to give a shout to any neighbor or family member in the military..

The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) warns consumers about high risk and fraudulent investment opportunities by investigating before they invest. Due Diligence guys... con artists are on the prowl..

Road Rage Ranking

I came across this news report that Washington DC ranked 5th nationwide in the Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey. Well some DC bloggers are suggesting that DC surburbia drivers may be worse than DC residents, and they are somewhat implying that DC suburbia may be responsible for this rating. Remember the missile incidents.

The argument is that there are too many lights and stop signs in the city, so there is no room to cut other drivers off in traffic. Interesting argument, but I am not buying it. Have you ever experienced road rage on Loudoun roads? I have not and I actually think Loudoun drivers are the most courteous in the DC metro area. Would you agree?

Bloomberg Sting Operation Causing Outrage

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) has been sending private investigators into Virginia (at this time there no confirmed reports of any operation in Loudoun) to look for illegal gun sales by conducting undercover sting operations.

Bloomberg's actions are based on his belief that out-of-state guns are responsible for most gun crimes in New York. Both Governor Kaine (D) and State Attorney General McDonnell (R) have expressed reservations about the way the undercover sting operations were conducted.

At this time, Bloomberg has not run foul of any laws, but come July - Bloomberg will be breaking a Virginia State law - HB 2653. That legislation makes it a felony "for any person, except for a law enforcement officer in the performance of his official duties or other person under the direct supervision of the law enforcement officer, to attempt to solicit or otherwise entice a firearms dealer to transfer or otherwise convey a firearm other than to an actual buyer."

Should we be outraged or just bite the bullet and work to fix the issues that made him target Virginia in the first instance, or both? What's your take on the Mayor's actions? By the way there are news reports that Bloomberg is getting ready to run for President. He definitely has a lot of fence mending to do here in Virginia...

Lansdowne Home Daycare Battle

I have been following the Lansdowne Home Daycare Battle with utmost interest. I keep wondering why it took the HOA so long to act if this is against their rules and regulations. In my community which is very close to Lansdowne, it is an absolute No-No, and it is spelt out clearly in the rules & regulations book that is provided to you before you move into the community.

It got more interesting when The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, came out with a press release requesting that Lansdowne HOA reconsider its decision to disallow home-based businesses, specifically day care centers in their community.

Maybe during the planning phase of planned communities like Lansdowne, the developers should designate a section of the community where home daycare businesses will be permissible. So only people comfortable with the hustle and bustle of the daycare centers will move into that section of the community. I know there are people out there that would not have a problem with this, and will enjoy walking their children to the neighborhood daycare center during the summer months.

A lot of people I have spoken to think a main area of concern is the fact that home day care centers appear to depress property values. What's your take?

Fire! Fire!! Everywhere....

With fire incidents keeping firefighters busy all over the country and in our county as well, I would think everyone would support legislation designed to ensure that cigarettes sold within our communities are fire-safe.

Fire-safe cigarettes are self-extinguishing, they are designed to go out if dropped or kept aside. Fire-safe cigarette law has been passed or is being deliberated upon by lawmakers in about 32 states nationwide. It is happening at the state level, because there is very little support at the Federal level. Some people including tobacco industry officials are vehemently opposed to this legislation, despite the fact that it is supported by the National Association of State Fire Marshalls and studies have shown that fire-safe cigarettes are less likely to ignite household items.

According to the Coalition of Fire Safe Cigarettes, "Cigarettes are the leading cause of home fire fatalities in the United States, killing 700 to 900 people - smokers and nonsmokers alike - per year". What do you think? Should Virginia follow suit? What do the candidates campaigning to represent us in Richmond think about this? Which is more important - the cost to the tobacco industry or lives that may be saved with the enactment of this law?

Loudoun Public Schools - New Security Measures

Intercom Systems will be installed in all Loudoun County Public Schools. Telephone and Camera devices will also be installed. See news report. I think it is a step in the right direction, what do you think?

Fund to offset Carbon Emissions

Delta Airlines has partnered with the Conservation Fund to plant trees that will offset carbon emissions. Starting June 1, 2007, Delta customers will have the option to contribute towards the offset of carbon emissions through a donation to The Conservation Fund when they purchase a ticket online at delta.com. - 100% of your donation will be used for tree planting efforts.

Also famous local business AOL, is building a 19000 square foot environmentally friendly child care center. The new center will be located directly across from AOL’s current child-care center in Ashburn. According to AOL officials "this is the first green child care center in Virginia"

Hopefully the county will also be environmentally sensitive when it begins to explore design options for the new government center. It would be interesting to know what other local organizations are doing, protecting the environment is becoming a priority for many organizations and governments.

Feel free to give a shout out to any other local "environmentally sensitive" organization, elected official, or neighbor?