Terry Cooper, owner of Terry Cooper Political Research, addressed many of the hot-button issues dominating politics today.  Mr. Cooper does political research, principally opposition research for Republican candidates. He is a member of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia.  Mr. Cooper spoke at the Wednesday, June 13, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV Vice President Bob McGrath.

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Terry is a graduate of Episcopal High School, Princeton University and the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was Research Editor of the Virginia Law Review, a member of the National Moot Court Team and elected to the Order of the Coif, the law-school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa. He practiced law with the Wall Street firm Sullivan & Cromwell and held executive positions with three Fortune 500 companies before founding his firm, Terry Cooper Political Research, in 1982.

Terry has taught opposition research at the Republican National Committee’s Campaign Management Colleges, at American University’s Campaign Management Institute, at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, at the University of Florida and at training programs sponsored by the state Republican parties of Virginia, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Washington State.

Terry’s clients have included then-Speaker of the U.S. House Newt Gingrich (R-GA); then- Congressmen Tom Davis (R-VA), Nancy Johnson (R-CT), Jim Greenwood (R-PA), Chip Pickering (R-MS) and Jim Nussle (R-IA); Congressmen Tom Latham (R-IA), Denny Rehberg (R-MT) and Doc Hastings (R-WA); then-Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell; and a number of members of the Virginia and Florida legislatures. Terry Cooper Political Research is located at 1111 Timber Trail Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901. Terry can be reached via telephone at (434) 202-8065.

Program Summary

Terry Cooper does political research—principally opposition research–for Republican candidates. His presentation was entitled, “Why good people don’t run for office and other perplexing questions about politics today.” And Terry offered many, many reasons why good people are discouraged from seeking office: it would be like joining the worst fraternity on the grounds; in order to run, you may have to forego your income for all or part of the campaign; you may miss out on opportunities; you may have to take out a second mortgage or otherwise go deep into debt; campaigning can be a huge strain on your marriage and other personal relationships; you have to forego fun things like vacations and other family time; you have to eat lousy, unhealthy food and seldom have time to exercise; you have to spend time with fringe people and importuners; you work as hard as you ever have; you have to spend huge amounts of time asking strangers for large amounts of money; disappointments abound; some of your events are heartbreakingly poorly attended; friends side with your opponent; friends criticize your campaign’s tactics and positions; you’ll be pressured to abide by your party’s constituent groups’ issue agendas; opposition research will be done on you looking at ancient history, exaggerations, items taken out of context, items involving family members, and your finances. Whew!

Terry then gave a history of the Tea Party movement. It began as a reaction to policies of George W. Bush and the Republican Congress focusing on issues such as out-of-control spending, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (“TARP”), and the bank bailout. But then members of the movement became outraged by President Obama’s actions which were perceived as more out-of-control spending (e.g., the stimulus); cronyism (e.g., favorable treatment of the UAW while shafting of bondholders in the auto bailout); unconstitutional (e.g., the individual mandate in the health-care law and ordering Catholic institutions to provide contraceptives); and failing to punish the bad actors who caused the financial meltdown and indeed rewarding some of them.

The last issue addressed by Terry was the Citizens United decision and superpacs. He stated that the Citizens United decision did indeed follow Supreme Court precedent, and that the fear of heavy corporate involvement in politics is wildly overblown. Further, the proposed constitutional amendment (HJ Res 90) providing that “the rights protected by the constitution…are the rights of natural persons and do not extend to for-profit corporations, limited liability companies, or other private entities established for business purposes…” would mean that corporations should have no free speech rights, no free press rights, no freedom of association rights, no right to petition for the redress of grievances, no right to due process of law. And if corporations shouldn’t have those rights, how about other artificial amalgams of people such as the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, and the Piedmont Environmental Council?

Senators Creigh Deeds and Bryce Reeves provided their perspectives on the 2012 legislative session and other current issues facing Virginians. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV President Sue Liberman.

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Senator Creigh Deeds

Creigh Deeds represents the 25th Senate District, which includes the counties of Albemarle (part), Alleghany, Bath, Highland, Nelson, and Rockbridge, and the cities of Buena Vista, Covington, Charlottesville, and Lexington. He serves on three Senate standing committees: General Laws, Privileges and Elections, and Transportation.

Sen. Deeds’ public service career began in 1987 when he was elected to serve as the Commonwealth’s Attorney of Bath County. In 1991 he ran against an incumbent and won in the 18th District in the House of Delegates. After serving 10 years in the House, Sen. Deeds was elected to the Senate in a special election in 2001. Senator Deeds was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General in 2005 and for Governor in 2009.

Senator Deeds serves on the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the Virginia Sesquicentennial for the American Civil War Commission, the Small Business Commission, and the State Water Commission. For his work on behalf of crime victims, he was awarded the Warren Stambaugh Award from Virginians United Against Crime. He also has received the Leadership in Public Policy Award from The Nature Conservancy, the Preservation Alliance of Virginia Delegate of the Year, and the Virginia Association for Parks Legislator of the Year. His legislative work and accomplishments have also been recognized by the Fairfax Coalition of Police, the Virginia Conference of the American Association of University Professors, and BikeWalk Virginia.

Senator Deeds attended Virginia’s public schools and graduated from Bath County High School in 1976. After completing undergraduate work at Concord College, he received his law degree from Wake Forest University in 1984. Senator Deeds lives in Bath County. He is an attorney in private practice and a visiting professor of law at Washington and Lee University. He has four grown children.

Senator Bryce Reeves

Bryce Reeves represents the 17th Virginia Senate District which includes all of Orange County and the City of Fredericksburg, and parts of Albemarle, Culpeper, Louisa and Spotsylvania Counties. He serves on four Senate standing committees: General Laws and Technology, Courts of Justice, Privileges and Elections, and Rehabilitation and Social Services.

Senator Reeves is President of Bryce Reeves Insurance and Financial Services, and President of Reeves Asset Management Group, a commercial real estate development firm with holdings in Stafford County, Virginia.

Senator Reeves joined the United States Army as an enlisted soldier but ultimately earned the rank of Captain and served as a United States Army Ranger, our country’s oldest elite special operations force. He worked for the Prince William County Police Vice/Narcotics Bureau as a front-line detective and served on a joint jurisdiction drug interdiction taskforce of Northern Virginia and Maryland.

Senator Reeves serves his community as a small group Bible study leader and deacon at Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg and is also an International Mission team leader that helped to spread humanitarian aid and resources to the less fortunate in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and Jamaica.

He served as the regional chairman for Americans for Prosperity.

Senator Reeves holds a Master of Public Administration in Public Policy from George Mason University and Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University in Industrial Education, a discipline focused on designing optimal manufacturing workspaces to maximize worker efficiency. He lives in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, with his wife Anne and their two children, Nicole and Jack.

Program Summary

Senators Creigh Deeds and Bryce Reeves provided their perspectives on the 2012 session of the General Assembly.

In their opening remarks, Senators Deeds and Reeves focused primarily on the effects of partisanship and on issues related to the budget. Senator Deeds said that he has served during 21 sessions of the General Assembly, and although he still gets a thrill to sit where Jefferson and others have, this session was the least productive he’s been through. It was off to a bad start and didn’t get any better given the 20/20 tie in the Senate and with members thrown off of committees—-something that has never happened before in the history of the General Assembly.

In the past there was power sharing. He is proud to be as nonpartisan as possible, but this session was a partisan nightmare. Instead of talking about jobs and job creation, time was spent on talking about the Personhood amendment, or forcing a mandated medical procedure on women. Virginia became the late-night talk show laughing stock. You’ve got to work together, yet the false majority could not pass a budget.

He sees the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) as a way to incentivize people to work in the public sector, and we need to keep the faith of those already in the system and protect their money. The unfunded liability for VRS has to be fixed, but the system has been changed in a pretty radical way—-new employees will pay more and get reduced benefits. These changes will help keep the faith but do not provide the incentive to work in the public sector. One positive coming out of the session is that a constitutional amendment will be on the ballot increasing the protection of property rights by limiting eminent domain. Senator Deeds summed up by saying that overall, the process was hurtful and ugly.

Senator Reeves opened by stating that he thought this session was productive in spite of his observation of one thing he has found about serving in the General Assembly—-that there is a thing like mold, and it is called “politics.” It attaches to everything you do. If we could get rid of some of the partisanship, we would be able to move a lot further than we are. Considering that over 2,800 bills were introduced this year, he sees that the Senate has by and large remained a pretty civil place. He has built some great relationships on both sides of the isles. We do a pretty good job to assure that safety nets are in place and Virginia remains number one in jobs and growth. As long as we can keep our budgets in balance, we’ll be in pretty good shape. He concluded his opening remarks by saying that the Senate functions very well, much better than the House.

Delegates David Toscano and Rob Bell provided their perspectives on the issues that came before the 2012 legislature. The delegates spoke at the Wednesday, April 11, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. Invited Delegates Matt Fariss and Steve Landes were unable to attend. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV Secretary Bill Davis.

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David Toscano (D) – 57th District: David Toscano is serving his third term in the Virginia General Assembly, representing the 57th District of the House of Delegates, where he serves on the Courts of Justice; Transportation; and Science & Technology committees. David also serves on the Disability Commission and has served on the special Joint Subcommittee to Study Land Use Tools in the Commonwealth and the Joint Committee to study Math, Science, and Engineering. He is also a member of the United Way Board and the Chamber of Commerce.

David, his wife Nancy A. Tramontin, and son Matthew live in Charlottesville. David is a practicing attorney and an active volunteer for many community-based organizations.

David is an attorney with Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz, Ltd., and specializes in family law, real estate transactions, and estate planning.

David’s priorities are education, energy, and the environment. He fights for education funding, against teacher pay freezes, and to protect VRS and retirement benefits. He pushes the cause of renewable energy, and stood against those who deny the reality of climate change. He opposes predatory lending in its various forms. He argues for multifaceted transportation programs that include roads, rail, and public transit. He opposes cuts to services for the poor and disabled, defends a woman’s right to choose, and advances reforms in foster care and adoption, so that all children will have the opportunity to live productive lives in family settings free from abuse and neglect.

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters has named David a “Legislative Hero” four times for his work on environmental issues.

David was born in Syracuse, New York, the oldest of five children. He received a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University, a Ph.D. from Boston College, and a law degree from the University of Virginia. He has taught politics and sociology at various colleges and universities, including Boston College, University of Maryland (European Division), PVCC, University of Virginia, and James Madison University. He recently taught for the University of Virginia as part of its 14-week Semester at Sea program.

David served on the Charlottesville City Council from 1990 to 2002 and as Mayor 1994-96. David is a resident of the City of Charlottesville, where he lives with his wife, Nancy A. Tramontin, and their son, Matthew.

Robert Bell (R) – 58th District: An honors graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia Law School, Rob served as a state prosecutor for five years. He prosecuted over 2,400 cases, working with the police and crime victims to bring criminals to justice.

In the Virginia General Assembly, Rob has written laws that crack down on drunk driving. As a result, MADD (Virginia) named him the 2005 Outstanding Legislator. He is also interested in school safety. In recent years, he has written laws to ban criminal sex offenders from school property during school hours and to require additional background checks on school personnel. In 2008, Rob helped overhaul Virginia’s mental health commitment laws in light of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. And, in 2009, Rob received the Act, Honor, Hope award from the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance to recognize his work in the Virginia General Assembly.

An Eagle Scout, Rob was an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts and with the public schools prior to his election in 2001. Rob’s wife, Jessica, is a schoolteacher. She is currently staying home to raise their children, Robbie and Evie. The Bells live in Albemarle County and are members of Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

Rob understands that in tough economic times everyone – business, communities, government – needs to pitch in to create and protect Virginia jobs. That’s why Rob has fought to preserve and promote Virginia’s #1 business-friendly ranking. This helps Virginia’s small businesses to expand and encourages new companies to move here.

In response to the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, Rob was chosen to lead a special Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee charged with reforming Virginia’s mental health commitment laws. The subcommittee’s goals were to ensure that a similar tragedy would not happen again and to protect the ability of Virginians to voluntarily seek care for themselves. In 2008, as a result of the subcommittee’s work, Virginia saw the most sweeping reforms of mental health commitment laws in 30 years.

Rob and Jessica’s son Robbie attends public school. Jessica is a high school English teacher who is currently taking time off to raise Robbie and Evie. As delegate, Rob regularly visits our schools to talk with students. He has taught more than 1,000 students about civics and how laws are made. Rob has also sponsored local students as pages in the Virginia General Assembly and others have served as interns in his legislative office.

Rob is a champion for our communities against crime. He has led an all-out assault against drunk driving and has fought to protect our families from sex offenders. Rob has served on the Virginia Crime Commission since 2003 and is currently chairman.

Matthew Fariss (R) – 59th District: Matt Fariss is a seventh generation native of Campbell County with a desire for future generations to continue to reside in the region. His wife, Crystal, and children, Hunter, Bobby, and Harrison are the reason Matt entered this campaign. He hopes that they can continue to enjoy the same rights and freedoms that he has been blessed with, and, as delegate, he will fight against liberal policies that will put those liberties in jeopardy. Despite his various successes, he is first and foremost a Christian family man committed to serving his family and community.

Matt was blessed to grow up in rural Virginia. However, as a youth he may have taken some of those blessings for granted and was subsequently “fired” by his father around twenty years old. Following that incident, Matt employed the values of hard work that he’d learned since he was a child. He began purchasing cattle and growing his business operation. Through the years, Matt has operated a country store, managed large amounts of real estate, raised cattle, managed farms, and operated numerous businesses. In addition to other projects, he is currently co-owner and Vice President of the Lynchburg Livestock Market, the largest livestock market center in Virginia. Matt has mastered numerous business ventures, and always has multiple projects going on at one time. As delegate, he will apply that business savvy towards serving his constituents in Richmond.

Having never run for or held office before, Matt is ready to take on the new challenge of representing the citizens of the 59th District. Seeking political office is not something that Matt ever planned or envisioned for himself. As a result, Matt has no favors to return in Richmond or in Washington, and his work will be focused solely on serving his constituents. His service comes because he understands that times like these require sacrifices and commitments of those capable of leading. Matt knows that Richmond is in need of a common sense conservative approach, and, as a businessman, he is capable of bringing that much needed attitude to the House of Delegates. Central Virginia needs a man with roots in the district who understands how to create jobs and make common sense decision. As delegate, Matt will never become an ivory tower leader; instead, he will remain committed to being a citizen-legislator fighting for the economy, values, and future of rural Virginia.

Steven Landes (R) – 25th District: Delegate Landes is serving his eighth term in the House. He is a Member of the House Education, Appropriations, Rules, and Privileges and Elections Committees.

Steve is Vice Chairman of the House Education Committee. He was recently appointed Chairman of the Economic Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Subcommittee of House Appropriations as well as a Budget Conferee. Steve is also Past President of the Weyers Cave Ruritan Club.

Steve serves on the Major Employment and Investment (MEI) Projects Approval Commission. He was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates.

Steve is also is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Center for Rural Virginia. Steve serves on the Board of Trustees of the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia as well as the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.

From 1988 to 1992, Steve served as legislative assistant to his predecessor, former Delegate A.R. “Pete” Giesen, Jr., and from 1993 to 1995 served as Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s district director and district representative.

Steve is the Community Relations Coordinator for DuPont Community Credit Union, which is headquartered in Waynesboro, Virginia. He served as Executive Director of NewBiz Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley’s small business incubator, for five years. Steve was a life insurance agent and registered representative with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Steve also worked a Davis & Davis Marketing, Inc., a Staunton-based marketing and advertising firm, as a media buyer and then as an account executive.

Steve is a graduate of Buffalo Gap High School in Augusta County, and he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He and his wife Angela, who is an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Augusta County, live in Weyers Cave with their son Roth. Steve and Angela are both members and elders of Mt. Horeb Presbyterian Church.

Program Summary

Delegates Rob Bell, Matthew Farris, Steve Landes, and David Toscano were invited to report on the 2012 legislative session. Delegates Farris and Landes had planned to attend the meeting, but a telephone call from the office of Delegate Farris was received several hours prior to the meeting saying he was detained and would be unable to attend. Delegate Landes sent a last-minute note that he was tied up with his responsibilities as a Budget Conferee in the Legislature–but unfortunately, we didn’t see the message in time! Delegate Landes has attended past SSV events and we hope the legislative work next year will conclude early enough to allow all our Charlottesville and Albemarle County delegates to join in the legislative session report and discussion.

Delegate Toscano addressed the following topics in his opening remarks: legislative actions taken on guns; drug testing of welfare recipients; tax credits; intrusive ultrasound bill; and the budget (and at the time of the SSV meeting, the budget was in Conference Committee to reconcile differences in the house and senate versions of the budget—diversion of sales tax revenues from education, public safety, etc., to transportation; cuts to Medicaid and Medicare; increases for higher education; funding for the cancer center; a two-year reprieve for the Charlottesville train; and no money to be transferred from Charlottesville schools to Albemarle schools).

Delegate Bell began his remarks by stating that apparently a budget compromise has been reached but that he has not seen it. He then commented on the following legislation: funding for a fifth area judge is in the budget; budget revenues are rebounding but are still substantially below where they were at the height, and there are increased pressures on expenditures, e.g., Medicaid and counter-cyclical pressures; a yearlong effort culminating in legislation to expand the ability of nurse practitioners to do health care and thereby increasing the access to health care; life in prison for persons who rape children age 12 and under; improved probation procedures for some other offenders; child abuse reporting; ignition interlock devices for drunk drivers; and Virginia Retirement System underfunding—$19.9 billion short!

What is the proper role of intercollegiate athletics with various institutional programs such as teaching and learning? Where does the sports program fit in with other programs? Craig Littlepage, UVa Athletics Director, responded to these questions and more at this month’s meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The program was moderated by SSV board member Charlie Smith.

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Craig Littlepage received his B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1973. He was appointed assistant basketball coach at Villanova University in 1973, assistant basketball coach at Yale University in 1975; assistant basketball coach at UVa in 1976; head basketball coach at University of Pennsylvania in 1982, head basketball coach, Rutgers University in 1985, and assistant basketball coach at UVa in 1988. Mr. Littlepage was appointed assistant UVa assistant athletics director in 1990, associate athletics director for programs in 1991, senior associate director of athletics in 1995, and named as UVa’s athletics director in 2001.

Cavalier student-athletes who exhaust their eligibility at UVa graduate at a rate comparable to the student body as a whole. Annually, UVa student-athletes rank among the top Division I-A public universities in the country in graduation rates.

Littlepage is a member of the Associate Faculty for the University’s Center for Alcohol and Substance Education, and participates in various alcohol and drug prevention/education conferences. He served on the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House and is a Trustee for the Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Mr. Littlepage is married to the former Margaret Murray of Charlottesville. The couple has three children.

Program Summary

One need not look very hard to see the “chaos” in intercollegiate athletics — schools moving among conferences, players moving among teams and an abundance of scandals, said Craig Littlepage, athletic director for the University of Virginia. “You need a scorecard to keep up with this stuff,” he said, addressing a group of about 50 senior residents gathered for a forum hosted by Senior Statesmen of Virginia on Wednesday.

Littlepage said he urges colleagues in the industry to take responsibility for the state of intercollegiate athletics and work to change it. “We as leaders, administrators, senior administrators, officials at the conference level, NCAA level, coaches and so forth, have not done the kind of job we need to do in defining what our value is to our respective institutions,” he said. “Absent that clear definition, we then get defined by either our critics or we get defined by scandals.” Littlepage defined what he described as important opportunities athletics programs bring to their respective institutions.

“There are two things we do at the University of Virginia in the athletics department better than anywhere else at the institution,” he said.  “Number one is we bring people together … Secondly, we develop relationships.” Both circumstances support the university’s primary missions of “teaching, learning and research, which are far more important than the games we play.”

Through about 130 athletic events held each year, UVa draws thousands to the Grounds, he said. “We can develop relationships with those people we bring together — parents of a student athlete with a faculty member, a faculty member with a corporate sponsor. You can look at any number of combinations of the ability we have to bring people together to develop the kind of relationships that bring great value to the university, as well as exposure and recognition of the university.”

This summary reprinted (and reformatted and truncated to fit available space) from the Daily Progress, March 15, 2012, written by Megan Davis.

Dahlia Lithwick, a renowned journalist and expert on the Supreme Court, addressed questions such as, “What health reform cases will be coming up in this important election year?” and “What other major cases are in the pipeline?”. Listen to this fascinating talk by clicking below.

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Ms. Lithwick is a senior editor at Slate Magazine, and in that capacity, writes the “Supreme Court Dispatches” and “Jurisprudence” columns. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Harper’s, The Washington Post, and Commentary, among other publications. She received the Online News Association’s award for online commentary in 2001 and again in 2005 for a series she co-authored on torture.

Dahlia was the first online journalist invited to serve on the Steering Committee for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She was editor of The Best American Legal Writing of 2009 and the co-author of “Me v. Everybody: Absurd Contracts for an Absurd World,” a legal humor book. In addition, she has written “I Will Sing Life: Voices from the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,” a book about seven children from Paul Newman’s camp with life-threatening illnesses. She lives in Charlottesville with her husband and two sons. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV board member Grace Zisk.

Program Summary

Dahlia Kithwick began by observing that this session is shaping up to be the most extraordinary term of the US Supreme Court. She also commented on her own job, that there are only about 20 of us covering the Supreme Court, and once you get the job of being a Supreme Court correspondent you stay on it often for decades (this is her 13th term and yet she is the youngest on the beat). It really is the single greatest beat to have in journalism, and also a terrific beat for women–especially for those with small children–no running out for emergencies at midnight.

This institution represents a paradox: the court has always and will be two things at the same time: it is a lofty apolitical institution, and at the same time it is an eminently political institution (these are political appointments to achieve political ends). Both of these are completely true and completely not true. Decisions are overwhelmingly unanimous–not a court fractured along political lines. Yet at the same time it is a very, very partisan court and bitterly divided on hot-button issues, and next year will be the most bitterly divided we have seen since Bush v. Gore. They were absolutely stunned by the blowback following their decision on the Citizens United campaign finance case.

Some of the most epic cases ever are being heard: the Affordable Care Act (and it is extraordinary that this case will be argued and decided in an election year, but the court had no choice); the Arizona Immigration case (police can stop you and demand your papers–the issue is really one of Congressional power–the constitution gives Congress, not the states, the power to set uniform rules of naturalization); the Texas redistricting case; the GPS satellite case (a very important privacy-technology case where the police attached a GPS device to a suspected drug dealer without a warrant); the Texas affirmative action case (calling to question whether affirmative action in higher education will continue); California’s Proposition 8 anti-Gay marriage initiative and the defense of marriage act cases; and finally, a case that is not as consequential but very funny dealing with fleeting expletives and bare buttocks!

The real challenge for the Court in the coming months is to signal to the world that it really is a nonpartisan institution during a period when it will confront five to seven hot-button ideological issues. Ms. Lithwick predicted the court will uphold the healthcare act, the Arizona immigration law, and gay marriage–but all on 5 to 4 decisions.

On Wednesday, January 11, 2012, Albemarle County Chief of Police Steve Sellers, and City of Charlottesville Chief of Police Timothy Longo, gave a comprehensive presentation addressing the multifaceted issues of crime, crime prevention and law enforcement in both the City and County.

Their joint presentation included an overview of area crime, a look at traffic safety in Albemarle and the Occupy Charlottesville demonstrations from a constitutional and operational perspective.

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Timothy J. Longo, Sr., Chief of Police, City of Charlottesville, is a 25-year veteran of law enforcement and is nationally-recognized in the area of police ethics and professional standards. He holds a law degree from the University of Baltimore and was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1993. From 1981-2000, Longo served on the Baltimore police force, where he commanded several divisions and retired as Colonel in charge of Technical Services. Since 2001 he has served as Chief of Police for the City of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Longo lectures across America in the fields of Ethics, Professional Standards, Internal Affairs, and a variety of legal topics. He has served as adjunct faculty at Towson University and a guest lecturer at University of Virginia schools of law and business. Longo serves on the boards of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Virginia Center for Policing Innovation, the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission, the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Academy, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Commission on Children and Families, and Special Olympics Virginia. He chairs the Thomas Jefferson Area Community Criminal Justice Board. He is a non-voting member of the Charlottesville Police Department Foundation board. Other professional affiliations include the Police Executive Research Forum and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

During his tenure on the Baltimore force, Longo worked in a variety of operational positions, led investigations of criminal wrongdoing within the department’s ranks, commanded the department’s Southeastern District, served as chief of staff to the police commissioner, and led the Communications Division to implement the nation’s first three digit non-emergency number, 311, for which the division received the prestigious Weber Seavey Award for innovative law enforcement.

In Charlottesville, Longo has guided the police department through a transition from a traditional reactive force to a proactive problem-solving model. Under his leadership, the department has instituted a comprehensive strategic plan for community policing throughout the organization, and has undertaken major initiatives to improve police effectiveness, transparency and accountability. Those include a sophisticated crime analysis software system, a monthly Compstat process, an intensive 8-week Citizens Police Academy, a community-wide gun violence project, a strict internal quality assurance process, advanced leadership training opportunities, and community partnerships for targeted problem-solving projects.

Steve Sellers, Chief of Police, County of Albemarle, is a 29 year police veteran in Virginia and was appointed as the Chief of Police for Albemarle County in January 2011.

Shortly after the events of September 11, 2001, Sellers developed a plan to improve criminal intelligence and information sharing between local, state and federal law enforcement and helped to create the National Capital Regional Intelligence Center (now the Northern Virginia Regional Intelligence Center) staffed by local, state and federal agencies. The Center is now heralded as a national model for the sharing, collection and investigation of criminal intelligence.

In 2003, Sellers led the Washington Area Sniper Prosecution Taskforce, responsible for the successful prosecution of Lee Malvo and John Mohammed. In coordination with his counterpart in the Prince William County Police Department, his role was to lead the 26-agency team, responsible for the investigation and prosecution of the Washington Area Snipers.

Sellers is married with three children and resides in Crozet, Virginia. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Capital Wireless Information Network and is on the Board of Directors for the Fairfax County Police Historical Association. His hobbies include fishing, boating, motorcycles, blue grass music, wood working, hiking and amateur radio.

Sellers holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Virginia Tech. Additionally, he is a graduate from the FBI National Academy and is a graduate and alumni of Leadership Fairfax.

Sellers enjoys membership in the International Association of Chiefs of Police, FBI National Academy Associates and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.

Chiefs Sellers and Longo spoke at the Wednesday, January 11, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV board member Jim Perkins.

Program Summary

The following article is reprinted (and somewhat truncated) from the Daily Progress, January, 11, 2012, by Megan Davis.

Local police chiefs: Top concerns are fatal wrecks and gangs

The area’s two top law enforcement officers said reducing Central Virginia gang activity and the number of fatal wrecks in Albemarle County were the chief concerns heading into the new year. “Albemarle County is a dangerous place to drive,” said Albemarle Police Chief Steve Sellers. Sellers and Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy J. Longo spoke to more than 50 seniors about issues concerning policing and crime prevention Wednesday in a forum hosted by Senior Statesmen of Virginia.

More than 20 county crashes resulted in fatalities in 2011, a number Sellers called “unacceptable.” The majority of fatal wrecks occurred in the rural parts of the county, where there is often less police coverage, he said. The three most common factors that contributed to fatalities were speeding, failure to wear seatbelts and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Longo and Sellers said their departments and others in the area are collaborating to reduce gang activity. “Our police officers are seeing more and more of a gang presence in this area, and we need to get in front of it,” Sellers said. It’s a problem that traditional policing has failed to eradicate, Longo said. That’s because traditional methods often treat the symptoms, but fail to address the root of problems in the community, he said. “Don’t put a Band-Aid on a sucking chest wound,” Longo said.

As an example of traditional policing, Longo described the way police would respond to a complaint of drug activity in a neighborhood. Under the older model, the department would increase the presence of law enforcement in the particular neighborhood identified. While drug activity may decrease in the neighborhood receiving attention, it will increase in areas under less scrutiny, he said. “It’s called spatial displacement,” Longo said. “Another reason it doesn’t work is that I don’t have the numbers to sustain that over long periods of time.”

Use of proactive solutions such as mentoring youth and initiatives to prevent children from joining gangs is a more effective strategy, Longo said. It’s an effort that involves the entire city, not just the police departments. Sellers said, “The community as a whole—-churches, schools, activity centers for youth, youth programs, social services, human services—-our goal is a collaborative, coordinated effort to bring all the players to the table.” It’s important to reach children at a young age before the opportunity to become involved with gangs arises, Longo said. “We can’t wait until the young men and women get in high school,” he said. “I worked with a gentlemen seven years ago who used to tell our community back in Baltimore a kid makes a gun-or-no-gun decision by the time that they’re 10.” Longo said the same is often true in Charlottesville. “I can’t tell you how many times over the years we’ve done a big case and sent somebody to jail for a long time and somebody will come up to me and say, ‘I could have told you that when they were at Buford,’.” Sellers said the departments plan to seek federal funding for a multi-disciplinary gang prevention coordinator. “We have to take a regional, multidisciplinary approach to the gang problem.”

Brian Wheeler spoke at the November 9, 2011 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV board member Grace Zisk.

This occurred on the day after the local elections for Charlottesville City Council and Albemarle Supervisors. Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Brian Wheeler analyzed the results and fostered a discussion about what it means for the future of the community, how these elections will shape our transportation future, our water supply, our rural landscapes, and our city.

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Brian Wheeler was hired as Charlottesville Tomorrow’s first Executive Director in July 2005. Mr. Wheeler has lived in the Charlottesville-Albemarle region since 1984. He represented the community as an elected member of the Albemarle County School Board during 2004-2010. During 1998-2005, Mr. Wheeler served as Chief Information Officer at SNL Financial, a leading provider of data to Wall Street. Prior to that, he was employed at the W. Alton Jones Foundation, a private family foundation that focused on grant making supporting environmental and international security projects. Mr. Wheeler received a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in May 1990. Brian and his wife Jean have two children and currently live in Ivy, Virginia.

Charlottesville Tomorrow is a community news platform covering growth, development, and local politics. It connects local residents with vital information for making informed choices about our community’s future. Through a partnership with The Daily Progress, the first of its kind in the nation, Charlottesville Tomorrow’s reporting is now a regular feature in the pages of the local newspaper of record.

While the recession is clearly at the center of the Commonwealth’s continuing fiscal shortfalls, the downturn also has revealed some serious underlying challenges with the state’s revenue structure. This discussion provided an overview of the issues the state faces in raising the resources necessary to meet public needs and introduced some key reform ideas for strengthening Virginia’s path to economic recovery.

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Sara Okos is the Policy Director at the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, where she analyzes, conducts, and coordinates research on a wide array of tax policies, the overall budget process, labor and wage issues, and education. Prior to joining The Commonwealth Institute in 2007, Sara worked in the Executive Office of Governor Jennifer Granholm in Lansing, Michigan. Sara has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Economics from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master’s of Public Policy from the College of William and Mary’s Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy, where she was a Schroeder Fellow in Health Policy. She is a 2011 recipient of the Richmond Community Foundation’s Stettinius Award for Nonprofit Leadership and is a member of the 2011 class of the Political Leaders Program with the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.

Sara Okos spoke at the October 12, 2011 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV Vice President Bob McGrath.

Program Summary

Ms. Okos focused on the state’s general fund which is half of the overall budget and the dollars our legislators and governor have the most discretion over their use and where they come from. Ninety percent of these come from sales and income taxes. Half go to localities. Virginia is still 6% below in revenues since the great recession in 2007. Yet demands are up for food stamps, temporary assistance for needy families, and Medicaid all resulting in an $11 billion shortfall. Forty percent of this was made up through program cuts, 30% from the federal government in the form of relief funds in the Recovery Act, 7% from the rainy day fund, 6% from tax policy changes, and 22% from the Virginia Retirement System.

Three challenges: (1) over time, more income taxes are paid by individuals rather than corporations–now 90/10. Although the individual income tax is intended to be progressive, because no changes have been made in the tax code since 1987, in practice 60% pay the highest rate. While the corporate rate is intended to be flat, in actuality 60% of corporations have zero tax liabilities. (2) For the sales tax, the shift to the purchase of services vs. goods, and the increased buying on-line, are driving these revenues down. (3) “Tax code spending” (special rates, credits, deferrals, deductions for special references) result in a loss of over $2.5 billion (just the Land Preservation Tax Credit has gone from $2.2 million in 2002 to $200 million in 2008).

Candidates seeking election to three vacancies on Albemarle County’s Board of Supervisors presented their views on a number of topics of local interest. Each candidate was asked to provide a short statement containing any combination of biographic, qualification, and policy position information and a photo. These appear below listed alphabetically by name.

The candidates spoke at the September 14, 2011 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV Secretary Bill Davis.

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Kenneth C. (Ken) Boyd – Rivanna District – Republican For over 30 years Ken Boyd has been a part of our community. Ken and his wife Brenda raised 4 children (Casey, Patrick, Kelley and Cory) who all attended Albemarle public schools. It was Ken’s longtime commitment to the Albemarle school system that led him to chair his children’s PTOs and then on to winning a seat on the School Board. From coaching youth sports to his current service on the Computers4Kids’ board, Supervisor Boyd has always tried to make a positive difference in preparing our children for the future.

Since being elected to the Board of Supervisors, Ken’s focus has remained on improving the quality of life in Albemarle County for all. By working to bring the new Martha Jefferson Hospital to the county and helping to secure quality jobs at the DIA and NGIC, Ken has labored to keep our local economy strong. His leadership in shaping the Board of Supervisor master plan, limiting growth to 5% of the county’s landmass, has allowed roughly 80% of the county to remain forested. His transportation solutions like the Meadowcreek Parkway and now the 29 bypass will help ease congestion and better serve local residents and businesses for decades to come.

Christopher J. Dumler – Scottsville District – Democrat Christopher Dumler is an attorney and UVA Law graduate with his own practice who lives and works in Scottsville. In addition to his private law practice, Christopher also serves as a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps. He has been appointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve on the Board of Directors and as chairman of the Finance Committee of the Region Ten Community Services Board, and he is also a member of the Albemarle Natural Heritage Committee, a stakeholder in the Biscuit Run State Park master planning process. He also serves the community as a volunteer firefighter, a member of the Scottsville Government Services Committee, and a member of the Scottsville Chamber of Commerce. Christopher is running to ensure that Albemarle and the Scottsville District have an accountable, collaborative, responsive government that focuses on issues that actually matter to the residents of the district: economic development and job creation for citizens; smart investments in our schools to ensure our children receive a world-class education that will keep us competitive in the global market; and smart growth and development to preserve our agricultural heritage, environmental treasures and the pristine beauty of Albemarle County.

Ann Mallek – Whitehall District – Democrat I am descended from a 13th c Irish lady pirate, the granddaughter of a Rachel Carson environmentalist, and daughter of a veterinarian. I wear many hats which use different skills and interests. Farmer, biologist by training, teacher — all provide me with experience to support my major goals as supervisor — representation and collaboration.

I am proud to be a citizen activist, with sole allegiance to residents and to our county. I stand up for open, accessible processes and transparent decision making, as I believe these are essential to build and maintain the public’s confidence in local government.

There are many critical issues facing our district and our county right now-economic development and employment, success in our schools, transportation priorities and the Western Bypass, zoning concerns, air and water quality, water capacity planning, and the county use of tax funds, to name a few. I actively listen to citizens, bring varied opinions together, and represent the majority of the citizens in our district. Please share your views with me by calling or e- mailing. Invite me to speak with your neighborhood or homeowners association, or community group.

Cynthia Neff – Rivanna District – Democrat It seems I have spent my whole life preparing for this role on the BOS. I was a small business owner then transitioned to one of the most successful companies in the world. At IBM I learned what it took to be a leader, to make tough decisions and to make thoughtful analyses. I learned to balance the needs of customers, the marketplace, employees, and the bottom line. I worked my way up from account specialist to the executive ranks where I was accountable for running a global operation.

I plan to live the rest of my life here in Albemarle County. I want to help our community not only survive, but thrive. Someone needs to stand up for the residents of the Rivanna District and Albemarle County, listen to them, engage them and work with them to build a sustainable, integrated community for everyone.

We are at a defining moment in the history of our community. Strong leadership is required that proactively listens to all parties, understands there are no simple solutions nor room for rigid ideology, plays well with others and gets the job done. I can do that job well. I ask for your support, help and your vote.

James C. Norwood – Scottsville District – Republican

• B.A. Economics University of New England… presently a Trustee
• Independent business owner in Albemarle county for 12 years
• Private business owner 25 years of 45 year career
• Married to Joan for 43 yrs , five children, seven grandchildren
• Past President of Charlottesville American Heart Association
• Past President American Cancer Society, Charlottesville

Issues:

• FOR-Freedom, Liberty and Rights
• FOR-Common sense fiscal responsibility
• FOR-Extending CAT service where needed
• FOR-In classroom investment for education
• FOR-Safe rural roads
• FOR-Manage county revenue to avoid raising taxes
• FOR-Buy Local and expand present businesses from within to create jobs
• AGAINST-Partisan politics
• AGAINST-Internet sales for products available locally

Program Summary

Rivanna District incumbent Ken Boyd (R) said that after his extensive involvement in education (as the PTO president, founding member of the parent council, and school board member) he was elected to the board of supervisors eight years ago. He identifies the following as important issues: education; fiscal responsibility (people living on fixed incomes just can’t pay any more taxes now); good, high-paying career ladder jobs; and the environment. He is very proud that we have actually lessened the size of the growth area and added over 1,000 acres of park land.

Rivanna District challenger Cynthia Neff (D) left retirement to speak out for people who do not have a voice–persons with AIDS, abused children, the environment, and the working poor. Giving citizens the chance to be part of decisions and providing regular input is one of the main reasons she is running. Open, transparent government means giving citizens a voice before decisions are made. Economic vitality is critical, but it means more than just growth and development.

Scottsville District candidate Chris Dumler (D) sees potentially unchecked and unplanned for growth threatening to clog our transportation infrastructure and overcrowd our schools. He understands what works and doesn’t work in education (both parents are teachers), and the difficulties of opening a small business. We need a holistic, comprehensive vision of what our county will look like. We deserve a government that is collaborative and works with UVa, the city and the surrounding localities to solve regional issues.

Scottsville District candidate James Norwood (R) supports funding for education so we can promote highly qualified students to compete on a world-wide stage, but also to look after all children who need to be better prepared for life after school. He will lead the charge to expand our present businesses and generate jobs through those expansions to meet our revenue needs. He supports the 29 bypass and improvements to Rt 20 and Rt 53.

White Hall District incumbent Ann Malleck (D) is running for reelection unopposed. In the last election cycle in 2007 the county was growing and changing at a very fast pace, but now the economy is slowing and the need is to cut the budget. Albemarle also faces the State government’s desire to devolve its highway responsibilities to us. We need to stand shoulder-toshoulder with other counties to tell the General Assembly, “No!” To maintain thousands of miles of roads in Albemarle County would be a huge expense.

This November’s election will fill three Charlottesville City Council seats. This forum occurred before the Democratic Party primary and before the deadline for Independents to file final papers, so while not all participants will be on the November ballot we had the opportunity to hear and explore the views of the entire set of declared candidates on Charlottesville issues and priorities for City Council.

Sue Liberman, president of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia, will be the forum moderator. Each candidate gave a three minute opening statement before questions were taken from the audience. The candidates bios are given in the August Newsletter at the link above.

The candidates spoke at the August 10, 2011 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV President Sue Liberman.

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Program Summary

The seven candidates vying for the Democratic nominations to City Council and the five independents shared their experience and positions at the SSV Candidates Forum.

Scott Bandy (I) is running to bring a different perspective to the race.     Paul Beyer (D) is running because he is a hometown guy and a businessman with an arts background. He wants to look at the arts as a driver of our local economy and a middle class jobs source and the cultural life of the city.     Colette Blount (D) brings her experience as a teacher, school board member and her ability to connect to the community and her dedication. Her three key concerns are the jobs market, affordable housing and schools.     Brevy Cannon (D) is running because he believes middle class jobs are the city’s biggest challenge. Job training and mentoring is needed along with tax breaks to encourage job creation.     Brandon Collins (I) says that as bad as the current economic crisis is, there are many families who have spent their entire lives in economic crisis, and he does not want to see continued great suffering to be the legacy we leave for the future.     Bob Fenwick (I) spent seven years in the Corps of Engineers building bridges, and was a combat engineer in Viet Nam. With regard to the water controversy, he comes from the perspective of “dredging-first-option,” but he can converse civilly with those who are “dam -first-option.”     Kathy Galvin (D) comes from a blue-collar city where she witnessed the closing of factories and the withering of neighborhoods. She is an architect with a vision for a greener, smarter Charlottesville by design, a city that expands economic opportunities especially for the most vulnerable while minimizing the regional footprint.     James Halfaday (D) was elected to his hometown council at age 18, the youngest official in Illinois history. He doesn’t run from a script, but rather from his heart and mind. His focus is on education to close the education gap and accountability so that city council will be responsive.     Satyendra Singh Huja (D) is the only incumbent running. He points to his achievements including the downtown mall, but looks to creative solutions for future needs. The city has a bright future, but there is a need to improve the environment, safely walk and ride a bike, improve transportation system, infrastructure, water and sewer lines, and housing.     Paul Long (I) has been in Charlottesville since 1998 and is running because he is disgraced by the way we’re treating our homeless people.     Dede Smith (D) is running because she loves Charlottesville and wants to see the city maintain a high quality of life for generations to come. She has a long history of community service and cofounded citizens for a sustainable water plan.     Andrew Williams (I) is a full-time student and claims adjuster for State Farm. The purest form of representation at local level is independent. His core principles are sustainability, honesty, moving forward, and helping the major populace without ignoring the concerns of the few.