In 2008, when Eric Olsen ran for Fredericksburg Commonwealth’s Attorney he had the following to say about his residency, “I have lived in the city [of Fredericksburg] my whole life.”

In the voter’s guide that was just published by the Free Lance-Star, he now claims to have lived in Stafford County for “Eight years.”

So what is it Eric, were you lying in 2008 or lying in 2011? With the tangled web he has spun, with regards to his residency this year, it’s possible that he can’t even remember the truth.

I can see it now. In 2015, Olsen will be campaigning for Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney and will claim that he was a resident (in utero this time) there too for several weeks. It’s clear that he will say anything to get elected.

This speaks directly to issues we have raised regarding serious questions about his integrity. Whether it’s infringing on a well-known trademark, accepting a campaign contribution from a foreign national, lying about his residency or not fully disclosing information on his financial disclosure forms, time and time again he fails to live up to the high standards one would expect for someone running to be the chief law enforcement officer in Stafford County.

At the end of the day, one’s integrity and trustworthiness are paramount in defining one’s ability to lead effectively. While the issues are also critically important, it’s those defining characteristics that are at the top people’s minds when evaluating candidates.

In the race for Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney, only one candidate possesses the integrity and trustworthiness to garner our respect and our votes for this critically important position. That candidate is Tim Barbrow!

We’ve written extensively on various issues (see here, here and here) involving a recent lawsuit filed by Stafford County resident David Johnston challenging Eric “Law & Order” Olsen’s qualification to be on the ballot as a candidate for the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney for Stafford County.

To be able to vote and seek office in Stafford County, Olsen must be a resident of Stafford County.

According to the Virginia State Board of Elections:

Under the Virginia Constitution, a prospective voter must be a resident of the precinct where he seeks to register. In order to establish “residency”, a prospective voter must show that (1) he has an actual physical place of abode in the precinct, and (2) he is domiciled there.

Some have asked us, what does it mean to be “domiciled”? According to the Virginia Administrative Code (1VAC20-40-10), a “domicile”

means a person’s primary home, the place where a person dwells and which he considers to be the center of his domestic, social, and civil life…Once a person has established domicile, establishing a new domicile requires that he intentionally abandon his old domicile.

We’ve spoken quite a bit about his places (see here and here) of abode and whether they were even valid addresses, but let’s make a big assumption that they were valid. The issue then falls to whether or not he is domiciled there.

According to the substantial facts and attendant circumstances presented in Johnston’s legal filing,

(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,

[…]

(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.

Olsen has readily admitted that his wife and child did not accompany him in his alleged move to Stafford and that his son remains in Fredericksburg City Public Schools. Based on what is known to us at this time, we also believe that there is ample evidence to suggest that Olsen frequently did not stay in his garage apartment and instead continued to use his home in the City of Fredericksburg as his principal place of abode.

It’s clear to us that Olsen considers his home in Fredericksburg to be “the center of his domestic, social and civil life.” I don’t think this is a leap by any stretch of the imagination.

His home is also not listed by any realtor and it is being listed for sale by simply putting a “for Sale by Owner” sign in his front yard. Based on the filing, it suggests that Olsen has priced his home “far in excess of its fair market value.” I think it’s fair to say that he doesn’t intend to “intentionally abandon his old domicile” until the election results are clear. Let’s not forget that he finished dead last in a three-way race when he ran for Commonwealth’s Attorney in the City of Fredericksburg in 2008.

On November 8, we’ll be voting for Stafford County resident Tim Barbrow for Commonwealth’s Attorney. We won’t only be voting for him because of his Stafford residence, but also because he clearly is the better candidate with the best vision for Stafford County. He is well respected within the community for his integrity and trustworthiness – important qualities for this position.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you are no doubt already aware of the lawsuit filed this past Friday by Stafford County resident David Johnston challenging Eric “Law & Order” Olsen’s qualification to be on the ballot as a candidate for the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney for Stafford County. The challenge is based on the assertion that Olsen has never established residency in Stafford County.

Yesterday, we wrote about a new wrinkle in the residency challenge. LeavingMyMarc.com first reported that Eric Olsen was registered to vote at 133 Onville Road in Stafford County (at least as of September). This is despite the fact that he has never lived there. As recently as Saturday in the Free-Lance Star, Olsen still maintained that he legally resided at his illegal garage apartment off Poplar Road:

Olsen said the Fredericksburg home is for sale. His wife and their children live in the city home while Olsen is renting an apartment in a home on Poplar Road.

According to the Virginia State Board of Elections:

Under the Virginia Constitution, a prospective voter must be a resident of the precinct where he seeks to register. In order to establish “residency”, a prospective voter must show that (1) he has an actual physical place of abode in the precinct, and (2) he is domiciled there.

He is clearly not domiciled at 133 Onville Road, nor has ever been domiciled there. He has repeatedly claimed to be living at 1257 B Poplar Road in a purported “illegal” garage apartment.

We still maintain that he has never abandoned his domicile in the city of Fredericksburg, despite where he claims to be living right now, and believe that Olsen is not a legal resident of Stafford County; thus, he is not able to run for the Commonwealth’s Attorney position in Stafford County.

Putting all of this aside for a moment, Olsen now claims on his website that his campaign headquarters is now located at 133 Onville Road, Stafford, VA 22556. James and Karen Moncure currently own this home. So what’s the problem? The problem is that none of Olsen’s campaign finance disclosure reports show any expenditure to the Moncure’s for rent. His reports also do not show any sort of In-kind contribution from the Moncure’s for the headquarters. So what is Olsen trying to hide? And, so we have another example of what appears to be him breaking the law!

The reality is that the Moncure’s could sure use some money from Olsen, so they can pay off the taxes that they owe. According to the Treasurer’s Office, they owe $624.23 (which includes interest) in outstanding taxes on this property.

So exactly who are James and Karen Moncure? They’re relatives of Daniel Chichester. Chichester is pulling out all the stops and calling in all of his family connections to ensure that his handpicked successor wins.

For the past 72 years, Chichester and his dad have run the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. He will stop at nothing to make sure that that his family legacy lives on through Olsen, even if that means helping him to cheat the system in an effort to establish residency in Stafford County.

If this was anyone else pulling this sort of stuff, you could rest assured that Chichester and Olsen would be throwing the book at them. You see there are those with family connections that are “above the law” and there is everyone else. In Stafford County, we call this the good ‘ol boy network.

Is it too much to expect that someone running for Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney, to become the chief law enforcement officer, should be held to the highest of standards? This continued skirting of the law by Olsen raises serious questions on his integrity and trustworthiness (i.e. “Law & Order”-gate, illegal campaign donation from a foreign national, his residency and not reporting his campaign HQs on his campaign finance reports). Olsen should be held to, at least, the same standard as he holds others – which are exceptionally high.

It’s time to put an end to the 72-year-old dynasty and vote for an individual who holds himself to the very highest ethical standards and is respected amongst all citizens, regardless of party, as being fair and having the best interests of the community at heart. That’s why we will be supporting Independent candidate Tim Barbrow for Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney on November 8. The choice couldn’t be any clearer!

On Friday, we first reported the fact that Eric “Law & Order” Olsen’s string of thumbing his nose at the law had run out.

Stafford County resident David Johnson 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.

Let’s play a fun game of Where’s Eric?

According to Olsen’s Certificate of Candidate Qualification, he swore under oath that he resided at 1257 B Poplar Road. Johnston’s filing also indicated that

• there is no such address on record in Stafford County;
• 1257 Poplar Road is zoned for one residential home;
• zoning ordinances don’t allow for a second address on a residential parcel zoned for one residence; and,
• there has been no occupancy permits issued by Stafford County for a second dwelling.

Also according to the filing, the facts suggest that Olsen never intended to abandon his residence in the City of Fredericksburg and establish a new domicile in Stafford County. The filing contends that

• Olsen’s family did not accompany him in his alleged move to Stafford County;
• his teenage minor child remained in Fredericksburg City Public Schools;
• the garage apartment that he was staying in on Poplar Road isn’t one recognized by Stafford County;
• he used the Post Office Box for the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney as his mailing address on his Statement of Candidate Qualifications;
• his home is for Sale by Owner, but it’s selling price is listed way above fair market value; and,
• he continues to use his home in the City of Fredericksburg as his principal place of abode and dwelling.

So where does Eric really live? On a quick side note, is it it even legal to use a county office address as a mailing address for political purposes? Who cares, it’s not like he hasn’t broken the law before (see foreign national donation and his trademark infringement).

Now a new twist for everyone…based on what I’ve been able to piece together from multiple sources last night, Eric Olsen is registered to vote at 133 Onville Road in Stafford County (at least as of September). He now lists this address as his campaign headquarters. A photo of this property doesn’t show a single Olsen campaign sign – some headquarters. From what we can tell and what we’ve been told it looks all but abandoned.

All media reports have indicated that he contends to have been living in the purported illegal garage apartment since March. As recently as Saturday in the Free-Lance Star, Olsen had the following to say about his living situation:

Olsen said the Fredericksburg home is for sale. His wife and their children live in the city home while Olsen is renting an apartment in a home on Poplar Road.

How in the world can Olsen be registered to vote at 133 Onville Road, if he lives at 1257 B Poplar Road? According the Virginia State Board of Elections:

Under the Virginia Constitution, a prospective voter must be a resident of the precinct where he seeks to register. In order to establish “residency”, a prospective voter must show that (1) he has an actual physical place of abode in the precinct, and (2) he is domiciled there.

He is clearly not domiciled at 133 Onville Road, based on reports, and has never been domiciled there. Is this another example of Eric breaking the law?

Stafford voters want to know, where do you live Eric? Are you living in your family home in the City of Fredericksburg, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the purported illegal garage apartment off Poplar Road or your abandoned campaign office off Onville Road?

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

Click here to view the embedded video.

During this election season, I’ve had my hands full with trying to cover the many races in Stafford County; however, I believe that Hap Connors deserves everyone’s attention.

I’ve known Hap for some time and I can tell you that there isn’t a better human being or more effective Supervisor than him. My only wish is that Hap would move to Stafford County.

Although Hap runs as an independent candidate, he is adored by Republicans, Democrats and independents.

Instead of talking about creating jobs, Hap has actually done it – 3700 since 2008, during the deepest part of the financial crisis. He has also fought for investments in education, higher teacher pay and smaller classrooms. He understands that a strong school system is an economic incentive for businesses and families – something many elected officials in Stafford County can’t seem to comprehend.

In addition to making key investments in education, he has also invested in other core services such as public safety and transportation. Hap has made all of this happen while cutting $60 million from Spotsylvania’s budget over the last two years, cutting taxes for small businesses, seniors and veterans and keeping real estate taxes among the lowest in the region.

Hap understands how to govern using a balanced approach and how to effectively cross party lines to get things done!

We need more Hap Connors in government. You don’t have to take this Democrat’s word for it.

Just how widely respected is Hap Connors? The former chairman of the Spotsylvania County Republican Committee, Fitz Johnson, has gone against his party’s endorsee and publicly endorsed Hap:

As a former chairman of the Spotsylvania County Republican Committee, I understand the need to recruit candidates to run for office. But why would anyone want to recruit someone to run against Chancellor Supervisor Hap Connors? He’s one of the best board members we have in Spotsylvania.

I have gotten to know Hap, and as a businessman I can tell you if you want to get things done, see Hap. He’s a straight shooter who works hard to do what’s best for the people of Spotsylvania.

He has fought for investments that make our county great–strong schools, safe streets, and better conditions to attract new businesses and jobs. Hap has done this while keeping real estate taxes low–22 cents lower than Stafford County’s–and while increasing the county’s credit rating.

I am a conservative Republican who votes almost exclusively for Republicans. But I am supporting Hap Connors, a pragmatic, common-sense independent with a strong pro-business record. Hap is focused on getting things done and serving the public, not on party politics and political rhetoric.

On November 8, 2011, vote for Hap Connors for Chancellor Supervisor in Spotsylvania County!

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

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.

Former State Senator John Chichester (R-VA) has endorsed Toddy Puller (D-VA), per the following press release:

Former Virginia Republican State Senate Finance Chairman John Chichester endorsed Senator Linda T. “Toddy” Puller for reelection to the 36th Senatorial District of Virginia. Senator Chichester said: “We need more senators like Toddy Puller. She is fair, has integrity, listens and has no agenda except to represent the people of Virginia in the best way possible.”

Senator Chichester represented the 28th District of Virginia in the Fredericksburg area for almost 30 years. He also served eight years as the President Pro Tem of the Senate.

“During my service in the Senate,” Senator Chichester said: “Senator Puller did not approach issues as a Republican or a Democrat but considered what would work best for the people of Virginia. She carefully considers the facts about the issues and works to keep the state fiscally strong by ensuring Virginia is able to provide the core services government is tasked to do. Her common sense, effective approach to government has helped to make Virginia the ‘best governed state, the best state in which to do business, and the best state to raise a child.’”

“Senator Puller is well respected for her leadership on veterans issues, education, and transportation. She has been very successful in addressing concerns and supporting legislation to make great strides in these areas.”

In conclusion, Senator Chichester stated that: “it was a pleasure to serve with her in the Virginia Senate and I am pleased to endorse Senator Toddy Puller for reelection to the Virginia State Senate. I know she will continue to serve the 36th District and our great Commonwealth well.”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Toddy is the consummate professional. I couldn’t agree with Chichester more, “She is fair, has integrity, listens and has no agenda except to represent the people of Virginia in the best way possible.”

Go Toddy!