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By O.Hank!, January 7, 2013 7:00 pm

Happy New Year…especially to Mark Cole, who starts his new job this month as Spotsylvania County’s deputy administrator. I wish him much luck, for he will soon find himself frustrated with the inadeqacies of the General Assembly, where Mark Cole also starts his other job this month as Delegate.

Mark Cole, deputy county administrator…. Meet Mark Cole, member, House of Delegates (R-88). I don’t know what kind of administrator Mark Cole will make, but I do know what kind of Delegate he has been, and other than advancing a right wing social agenda, putting guns in bars and churches, and making laws that keep people from voting, Mark Cole has done nothing to help counties and local governments with managing their affairs, especially budget and transportation issues. Nothing.

Delegate Mark Cole knows how to say, “No!” very well, which seemingly appeals to the majority of people in the cushily-gerry-mandered 88th district, who keep sending him to Richmond. It will be interesting to see how that stingy, paternalistic attitude appeals to deputy administrator Mark Cole.

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By Marc, May 15, 2012 8:26 pm

Glad to see that SOMEONE is getting help from VDOT. Yes, that’s Mark Dudenhefer’s (R-VA-2nd) (a.k.a. Mudslide Mark) house on Legal Court in North Stafford (the one with the car backed into the driveway). And yes, he got VDOT to completely repave the area in front of it. As you can see, VDOT also paved a small portion in front of his next door neighbor’s property. But still…

Between having the 2^nd house district line drawn less than 30 feet from his property line—to getting VDOT to spend money it doesn’t have budgeted to completely repave the part of the street in front of his property—we know at least one person is benefiting from Mark Dudenhefer’s incumbency…MARK DUDENHEFER!

And OBTW, nice vote last night Delegate Dudliness.

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By Marc, September 25, 2011 11:49 am

I don’t know about you, but here in the Fredericksburg area—during the early autumn months of odd-numbered years—I am struck by how state roads that for two years prior remained pockmarked with Buick-sized potholes suddenly are milled and expertly paved. All of this, courtesy of our munificent Speaker of the House of Delegates Bill Howell. Of course, Bill’s up for re-election…and he really wants your vote!

Nuthin’ happens around here for no reason.

In Stafford County, it is always about politics. And, the overly aggressive arrest and handcuffing of #BananaMan by Deputies of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Department was no accident. That is because this year, Sheriff Charlie Jett is up for re-election…and he really wants your vote!

If the Colonial Forge High School sophomore Bryan Thompson’s antics hadn’t been captured by a mobile device camera—and replayed on YouTube more than 66,000 times—the BananaMan episode would never have made national or international news.

And none of us would be asking the deep and troubling questions about how a funny, good-natured, high-functioning autistic kid could be punished so severely for a high school prank so benign.

But thanks to social media, Stafford County and the world have gotten a sobering view of how Sheriff Charlie Jett’s burning desire for re-election got in the way of common decency…and common sense.

A Colonial Forge parent working the food concessions told us that she wasn’t in the stands to see BananaMan’s on-the-field brouhaha. But, she witnessed—beforehand—sheriff’s deputies acting overly aggressive with some kids buying refreshments.

What is going on here? Are Sheriff Charlie’s recent visions of flash mobs looting Stafford County convenience stores affecting his policing strategy? Or, is it just politics as usual for Stafford County—where the winning strategy for re-election as sheriff is to show how tough you are on crime by having your deputies rough up a nice kid in a store-bought banana costume before a large crowd of onlookers?

Stafford Sheriff Candidate Chuck Feldbush (I) thinks it is all of these things and more. “This is the latest example of a department going bananas over harmless kid stuff while real crime – violent crime – is threatening the peace and safety of Stafford County,” said Mr. Feldbush.

“Slapping cuffs on a kid – who has a disability – for running down the sidelines at a high school football game in a banana suit is a complete overreach of the authority of the sheriff’s department.” Mr. Feldbush continued, “It’s a disturbing sign that Sheriff Jett has lost control of his deputies – and this is placing our kids at risk.”

According to the Virginia State Police, violent crime is up 66% in Stafford.

Where has the Free-Lance Star been on reporting about this brouhaha with law enforcement? The overlords of your hometown newspaper are probably too distracted by thoughts of cashing the $1.3M check they stand to collect for hosting Sheriff Charlie’s overpriced $40M public safety communication system on their broadcast towers.

After all, what are friends for?

And where does Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate Eric Olsen figure in all of this? The overzealous “Law & Order” [intellectual property-stealing] prosecutor is probably fuming that BananaMan’s ten-day suspension has ended early and that he won’t be able to put the kid on the stand in a jury trial.

But Eric, have no fear. We hear that there was a Grape running amok around Stafford this week, too. (Times a waistin’ and you and the Man in the Yellow Hat need to go find him!)

What has BananaMan taught us all? It’s politics, stupid!