A year ago the Stafford Co. Board of Supervisors turned from red-to-blue, with Bob Woodson and Harry Crisp joining George Schwartz and Independent Joe Brito to give the Dems a 4-3 majority. It was a great accomplishment for local Democrats, but most people agreed that, at the end of the day, Stafford Co. was still decidedly right-of-center.
Fast forward to a year later. Mark Warner, to the surprise of no one, easily carried Stafford. But Obama taking 46.5% in the county? The Stafford GOP is freaking out. Republicans will have to beat either Vice-Chairman Joe Brito or Chairman George Schwartz next year to take back control of the Board, but they don't like their chances. Hmmmmm....what to do. Enter Aquia District's Republican Supervisor Paul Milde.
Led by Milde, The Citizen's Chairman Coalition (they love dramatic names) has saturated voters' and business owners' mail boxes with bold claims that the current method of county representation - 7 majesterial districts each represented by a Supervisor with a Board Chairman chosen by, and among, those Supervisors - is an unfair, unrepresentative system for the people of Stafford.Remember when Congressman Darrell Issa funded the California recall in 2003? Well guess who planned on replacing Gray Davis before Schwarzenegger unexpectedly jumped into the race? Darrell Issa. If this change did occur in Stafford, I wonder who would run for the at-large Chairman position? Gee I don't know.....Paul Milde maybe?Now, they want to have 6 majesterial districts and one at-large Board Chair - all elected by the voters. Some on the other side have said this will be better - we (the voters) will get to vote for not 1 but 2 supervisors.
Funny. They didn't mind it so much when they themselves trashed the old representation formula of 6 board supervisors and 1 at-large supervisor.
Down here in Nelson (with Joe Dan Johnson's three vote win to take our Board of Supervisors blue) we tend to think magisterial usually works a tad bit better for the people.