Eric Olsen, You Got Served!
It looks like Eric “Law & Order” Olsen’s string of thumbing his nose at the law has finally caught up with him.
Stafford County resident David Johnston has formally filed a Petition for a Writ of Quo Warranto pursuant to §8.01-636(A)(4) and §8.01-637 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, to challenge the qualification of Eric L. Olsen to be on the ballot as a candidate for the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney for Stafford County.
The press and supporters of his republican primary opponent first raised the question on Olsen’s residency back in July. Press reports, at the time, reported that he had moved out of his house in the City of Fredericksburg and into a garage apartment off Poplar Road in Stafford – while his wife and son remained at the family home in the city.
According to Johnston’s filing today, the garage apartment wasn’t even a valid residence:
(13) On defendant Olsen’s Certificate of Candidate Qualification, Olsen swore under oath that he resided at 1257B Poplar Road, Stafford, VA 22556.
(14) Upon information and belief, the residence otherwise known as and located at 1257 Poplar Road is zoned for one (1) residential home.
(15) Upon information and belief, the zoning ordinance(s) of Stafford County does not allow for a second address on a residential parcel zoned for one residence.
(16) Upon information and belief, there were no occupancy permits issued by Stafford County for a second dwelling at 1257 Poplar Road.
(17) Upon information and belief, there is no address on record in Stafford County known as “1257B Poplar Road.”
(18) Upon information and belief, defendant Olsen purportedly moved into a garage located on the same property as the residence located at 1257 Poplar Road without the requisite or corresponding intent to abandon his usual place of abode and residence in the City of Fredericksburg and without the requisite or corresponding intent to permanently or indefinitely reside at that location on Poplar Road.
Additionally, according to the filing, Olsen “gave as his Post Office address on the Statement of Candidate Qualifications the mailing address of the Office of Commonwealth Attorney in Stafford County which is P.O. Box 66, Stafford, Virginia 22556.” Wowsers!
The illegal apartment notwithstanding, it’s also clear from the filing that Olsen has no intention in abandoning his long established domicile in the City of Fredericksburg until after the results of the election are clear.
To show just how serious he is about selling his home, according to the filing, it is currently for sale by owner and listed well in excess of its fair market value. He clearly doesn’t want to sell it until he sees if he wins. I’d hedge my bets if I were him too. After all in 2008, he ran for Fredericksburg Commonwealth’s Attorney and lost in a three-way race – finishing dead last.
According to the filing, the facts are clear in this case that Olsen never intended to abandon his residence in the City of Fredericksburg and establish a new domicile in Stafford County:
(24) There are substantial facts and attendant circumstances present in the instant case which show that candidate Olsen never intended to abandon his residence in the City of Fredericksburg and establish a new domicile in Stafford County, including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Defendant Olsen’s family did not accompany him in his alleged move to Stafford County; and,
(b) Mr. Olsen’s teenage minor child remained in the Fredericksburg City Public Schools during all relevant times addressed herein, including at the present time of the filing of this petition; and,
(c) Mr. Olsen purportedly was staying above a garage that was not zoned for occupancy and the address given by candidate Olsen on his Statement of Qualifications was not an address recognized by Stafford County; and,
(d) That candidate Olsen used as his mailing address the Post Office Box for the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney; and,
(e) Mr. Olsen listed his home as for Sale by Owner, but listed the home at a selling price that upon information and belief was far in excess of its fair market value; and,
(f) Upon information and belief, Mr. Olsen frequently did not stay in said garage at 1257 Poplar Road during the relevant period of time, but instead continued to use his home in the City of Fredericksburg as his principal place of abode and dwelling, in company of his wife and teenage son.
I’m sure that Olsen never knew that he actually has to live in Stafford County to run for office in Stafford County. Just like he never knew that he couldn’t infringe on a well-known trademark or that he couldn’t accept campaign contributions from foreign nationals. You’d think that someone running for Commonwealth’s Attorney would pay particular attention to the law and not continuously run afoul of it?!
Given the facts of this case, things are not looking too good for Olsen’s candidacy. On the bright side, he has four whole years to establish permanent residency in Spotsylvania County. As the old adage goes, “If at first [or second] you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.”
You can read the full petition here.
Barbrow: “Justice is not like a baseball cap where one size fits all”
Barbrow does a great job of highlighting the current lack of prosecutorial discretion in Stafford’s Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. As Barbrow so eloquently states, “Justice is not like a baseball cap where one size fits all.”
In citing the now infamous “McMissile” case, Barbrow states in no uncertain terms, “there will be no McMissile cases on my watch.” Thank goodness!
Under his watch, he pledges to fully participate in the Drug Court Program. Stafford County is the only jurisdiction within the area that doesn’t participate in this program. This program allows a first-time offender to avoid a felony conviction by participating in a yearlong, rigorous drug court program. If they fail to complete this, they are then convicted of a felony and receive a six-month sentence. Statistics show that the drug courts work, “Virginia’s Drug Court felony recidivism rate is 5.9% as compared to a 50% felony recidivism rate for other Virginia drug offenders handled in traditional ways of probation or incarceration.”
Not only do they work, but they are also way cheaper than incarceration. On a side, I previously wrote a post on how Stafford County pays $60 per day for each inmate versus $21 per day on each student. Participation in drug courts should be a no-brainer.
He also highlights the fact that there has been a 300 percent increase in the office’s budget over the last decade. We are now spending 54 percent more, per capita, then Spotsylvania County. The size of the staff of the commonwealth’s attorney’s office has also tripled over this same time period. Barbrow concludes that “despite these huge increases in funding crime continues to rise in Stafford County.” He pledges to better maximize the resources of the office in order to save taxpayers money and get results.
He also talks about the need and benefits of a more culturally diverse office, which I covered at length recently. One new tidbit that I didn’t know is that in 72-years there has only been a single African American employed as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney – currently there are none.
Barbrow also stresses the importance of hiring attorney’s who live in the area. Barbrow explains, “Currently, more than three-fourths of the Commonwealth Attorney’s employed by Stafford County do not live in Stafford or the surrounding areas. It’s important because prosecutors should reflect the values of the community.” I couldn’t agree more with Barbrow.
He also notes how important it is that Commonwealth’s Attorney’s don’t “play fast and loose with the rules.” He points out how his opponent was forced to “take down campaign ads because they infringed on someone’s trademark,” how he “accepted an illegal contribution from a foreign national,” and how questions continue to swirl on his residency.
Tim Barbrow is just the sort of fresh voice we need after 72-years of the same family controlling the office. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office shouldn’t belong to one family, but all the residents of Stafford County. On November 8, let’s vote for a new direction in Tim Barbrow for Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney!
Sheriff Jett’s Nightmares Come True, Thriller Flash Mob Hits the ‘Burg
Geez, when I suggested that Sheriff Charlie Jett’s visions of flash mobs looting Stafford County convenience stores were affecting his policing strategy, during the #BananaMan brouhaha, I had no idea that several weeks later that Fredericksburg would be the sight of a “dangerous” Thriller flash mob at Quaker Steak & Lube in Central Park.
If this happened in Stafford, we could only imagine the response by Sheriff Charlie. We know how he treats kids in banana suits (especially in an election year). How about teens dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller?
It’s clear that his policing strategy can use a major reboot. Stafford County has seen five consecutive years of increased crime, including a 47% increase in violent crime. It would have been even higher, but recently Sheriff Charlie suddenly found a six (6) year old “glitch” in HIS 2005 crime numbers – how convenient right before an election.
It’s time for a new policing strategy. On November 8, you can help Stafford County change course and move in the right direction by voting for Chuck Feldbush for Stafford County Sheriff!
Harry Crisp Endorses Charles Latimer for George Washington Supervisor
George Washington Supervisor Harry Crisp has strongly endorsed Charles Latimer for the seat he will be vacating later this year, as he chose not to seek re-election. Per the Free-Lance Star:
It has been my a pleasure to serve the residents of the George Washington District on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors for the past four years. The experience has been rewarding; however, I chose not to run for re-election in order to spend more time with my family.
Charles Latimer has my full support in the election for this seat. Mr. Latimer is a retired Marine master gunnery sergeant and is currently employed as a human resources program manager.
He has been an active member of our community as a coach for youth football, as a mentor for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and as president of his homeowners association.
Mr. Latimer will put the well-being of residents above partisan politics. He will work hard to preserve the remaining open spaces in the George Washington District, to invest in our kids through strong support for our schools and parks and recreation programs, to fix our roads, to provide good public safety, and to protect and preserve our natural and cultural resources.
Charles Latimer is the best choice to continue the tradition that the voters of George Washington District have strongly preferred for the past 12 years.
Very well said by Harry. Enough can’t be said about the great job Harry has done representing the George Washington District over the last four years. Thank you, Harry!
Filling Harry’s shoes will be a tall order, but Charles is clearly the right person for the job! On November 8, 2011, let’s continue the “tradition that the voters of George Washington District have strongly preferred for the past 12 years” by voting for Charles Latimer.
You can learn more about Charles by visiting his website.
Cord “Not So” Sterling and Mudslide Mark vs. StaffordCo Schools
I think it’s fairly well documented on how Mudslide Mark Dudenhefer has voted to cut millions in funding for Stafford County Public Schools and in 2011 he voted against increasing funds to the school board by $1 million. We’ve previously talked about Mudslide’s chain-sawing of the school’s operating budget and the resulting effects on our school system.
What we haven’t discussed is the self-purported myth that Rock Hill Supervisor Cord “Not So” Sterling has fought to increase funding to our school system. Let me say this very clearly: Cord is no friend of our schools.
As the 7th richest county in America, Stafford County pays its teachers 13% below the national average – according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Stafford County Public Schools. Prince William County, our northern neighbors and the 9th richest county in America, pays its teachers 18% more and the City of Alexandria, the 39th richest county in America, pays its teachers 38% more – according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education. Our other neighbor Spotsylvania County, which isn’t even one of the richest counties in the nation, pays its teachers 4% more. According to Stafford County Public Schools, the average teacher salary is $50,692.
How are we supposed to keep our outstanding teachers, if we can’t even pay them competitive salaries? You know it isn’t cheap to live in the 7th richest county in America.
I’m sure that Sterling and Mudslide will try to further slice and dice the numbers and ask county staff to develop some sort of report to show just how supportive they are of our schools. Maybe they can claim a computer “glitch” like Sheriff Jett.
Just how bad have things gotten for Stafford County Public Schools? Sterling and Mudslide cut school funding back to 2006/7 levels as the percentage of schools making Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) fell from 95% to 33%. That’s what I call results?!
Worse yet, according to Independent Rock Hill Supervisor candidate Dean Fetterolf, the amount of funds transferred to schools as a percentage of total county spending has fallen more than 16% since 2006. Yet, in 4 of the last 6 years schools saved and returned nearly $8 million to the county general fund. During this recession our neighbors increased their funding above their existing required local effort levels by an average of 20%. Stafford cut its by 30%!
These draconian reductions in funding have had a direct impact on our classrooms. Stafford County now sports the 5th highest K-7 student ratio in Virginia.
Sterling and Mudslide are either in denial about our schools or intentionally trying to mislead voters on the state of our schools. It’s an election year and they really want your vote.
It isn’t only our teachers and students that Sterling and Mudslide have turned their backs on, but also critical school support staff that keep our schools running smoothly. Back in December of 2009, they voted to deny salary increases to certain categories of school employees (including bus drivers and cafeteria workers).
Stafford school cafeteria workers that have been on the job for 10 years are making 11% less per hour (18% for those on the job 20 years) than their counterparts in Spotsylvania County. School bus drivers that have been on the job 10 years are making 8% less per hour compared to their counterparts in Spotsylvania County too.
If I were Sterling and Mudslide, I wouldn’t be sitting down for a school lunch anytime soon.
We need representatives who show their support for our schools through actions and not empty rhetoric. We need representatives who understand that a top-notch education system is an economic incentive for attracting new businesses and families. We need representatives who understand offering competitive salaries to teachers (and those other support personnel) are essential in attracting and retaining them.
We need representatives like Dean Fetterolf (I-Rock Hill) and Esteban Garces (D-2nd VA House District).
Barbrow Touts Need For Cultural Change In Stafford’s Judicial System
At last night’s Stafford County NAACP Candidate Forum, the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney candidates were asked the following question: “Do you feel that Stafford needs cultural change in its’ judicial system and, if so, in what areas?”
I find it incredible that in over 20 years that the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office has only employed a single African American employee.
Tim Barbrow believes, and so do I, that “you cannot serve the community effectively unless your staff reflects the cultural diversity of the community.” If elected, he will “hire a more diverse staff that has ties to the local community.”
Eric Olsen’s response to the same question was far different. He goes on to say, “I’m having a hard time understanding how a question about cultural changes turns to issues of race. I can tell you that in my 22 years, when we have an opening, we hire the best qualified person.”
Huh, Eric?! He clearly doesn’t understand that the ability to effectively communicate and connect with witnesses and victims is essential to effective prosecution. How does one African American employed in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office over the last 20-years reflect the cultural diversity of Stafford County? It doesn’t!
It’s outrageous that Olsen would also suggest that there just weren’t any qualified African Americans who applied. “It’s an insult to suggest that during that 20 year period of time, in all of the vacancies that have occurred in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, there was only one qualified African American in 20 years,” said Barbrow.
We agree with Barbrow that this is absolutely “outrageous!” What would even be more “outrageous” is if Olsen won. We clearly need a new direction in Stafford County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. That new direction starts with Tim Barbrow.
Sheriff Jett’s 6-Year “Glitch”
It seems that Sheriff Jett wasn’t a big fan of our recent post about crime being up big in Stafford County.
So instead of fighting crime Sheriff Jett did what any reasonable person would do: he set out to slice and dice the numbers to try to change the narrative. The problem is that it didn’t work.
I find it interesting that a month out from Election Day that Sheriff Charlie suddenly finds a 6-year old “software glitch” in HIS 2005 crime numbers. Glad to see Sheriff Charlie is on top of things. One has to wonder what other “glitches” he’s overlooked?
Despite his “new” numbers, crime is still on the rise in Stafford County. Jett’s recent attempt to mask 5 consecutive years (2006-2010) of increasing crime in Stafford shows just how serious he is taking the disturbing uptick in crime in the county – he ISN’T!
If we discount the 2005 numbers because of Jett’s 6-year “glitch,” per capita crime in Stafford County is up 13% and violent crime is up 47% from 2006 to 2010. For comparison’s sake, Prince William County’s overall per capita crime rate has fallen 10% and their violent crime rate has also fallen 20%. During this time period we’ve had more overall and violent crime, per capita, then both Spotsylvania and Prince William respectively.
Source: Virginia State Police
Source: Virginia State Police
Crime isn’t the only thing that’s been on the rise in Stafford over the last 5 years as his department’s budget has also increased a whopping 42% over that time period. I wonder whether Jett used HIS faulty numbers to justify huge increases to his department’s budget?
Jett is clearly more interested in playing with the numbers then keeping us safe. Maybe if he spent more time in Stafford County instead of pursuing his political career the last several years, he could have done more to address the rather disturbing increasing crime trend. Of course, he would first have to admit that there is a problem.
Admitting there is a problem is the first step to recovery.
Is Sheriff Jett’s 6-year computer glitch an oops on the scale of Marilyn Monroe’s dress blowing up over her knees by a passing train? Can we expect MM’s patented pout on Charlie’s face next? Stay tuned…
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube
RSS