Well, we lost. I’d like to thank my volunteers for their support. It was gratifying to see so many give their time and I am humbled. I’d like to thank the Committee for their hard work and able handling of some of the fun and games put on by my opponent. I know that it was tough spot to be in and you guy did a great job. It’s s stressful point in time and everyone is under a lot of pressure. Kudos.
I have a couple of observations. The first is that I was surprised by how negative Hal went. I was surprised by how selective he was with his facts and the language he used. I could have gone there but I committed to Hal that I was going to run a clean campaign and I did. Trust me, my “kitchen cabinet” pushed me pretty hard to use Hals 20-year record against him and I wouldn’t do it. I guess Hal’s a better politician than I am and willing to engage in the politics of personal destruction. I think Manassas is too small a place to do that.
Second, we took a anti-status quo message to the people: our schools are in trouble and Manassas, overall, is in decline. The people didn’t buy it and, as our current President has said, elections have consequences! I lost so I’ll sit back down and see what happens!
Third, congratulations to the winners. I will, of course, support them all.
January 29, 2012 at 9:53 am
Andy,
Congratulations to you for a job well done and standing by your ethics! You will continue to have our support and as a continuing voting member of the council, I suspect you will accomplish a lot!
This was my first time participating in a Republican convention and although it was a tremendous experience, I was disgusted (with Hal) and I understand now why so many people detest Republicans in general.
I do not know the official count, I would guess that Hal didn’t win by much. Just because you didn’t win the majority vote at the convention doesn’t mean you don’t have the majority support of the general population.
Please know that the distraction of a negative speech by Hal was just that and no one was fooled. I believe that those who supported him were going to do so regardless and the rest of us are smarter than that.
Time for some of us now to focus on the highly anticipated School Board election and hopefully the outcome will be better than Saturday’s! One bright spot….Ian’s win should be celebrated by all!
January 29, 2012 at 10:52 am
My two cents on that speech: Even if the count shows Hal took the majority, he should pause and ask what about the votes he did not take – were they because some of us were in favor of the honorable canditate who presented his plan, or turned off because of a pure political attack speech. The danger though when pontificating on leadership it can either come back to haunt you, or be used to hold your feet to the fire.
I noted his wording the Mayor’s Office and Council should not be a “bully pulpit” and yet, the removal of a bus stop at the Pavillion used frequently by our disabled community was “bullying” – that decision was a direct one and not considered across the full Council. (Andy, you and I shall probably go round and round forever about it, but be happy in knowing I won’t pull the trigger on it – yet.)
But, let us not completely sit back and watch – your ideas have merit, and whether it be in your living room over a beer or at Simply Sweet on Main, there is much work to be done especially around the schools. Manassas does not need to become like the City of Bedford moving forward to become once again a town, or Charlottesville who because of their school costs is looking into reverting to a town status. Lord knows I do not want to give Wally Covington anything to dance about if our City (aka looking like Custer at the Little Big Horn except in our case it is COG and PWC surrounding us) ever gets backed into that corner where reverting status ever is considered.
January 29, 2012 at 11:35 am
Andy, I hope you will continue to have your occasional coffees at Simply Sweet on Main, and encourage others in local government to meet people where they are and improve the communication. I appreciate everyone who steps forward to serve as a public servant or run for office.
Great to hear about Ian Lovejoy. To me, he is a model of the “12 Ways to Improve Your Neighborhood” and it’s great to see someone from Point of Woods and the 1 By Youth project come forward to aim for a greater civic role.
http://www.ci.green-bay.wi.us/neighborhoods/forms/12WaysImproveYourNeighborhood.pdf
January 29, 2012 at 1:57 pm
All one has to do is watch the Republican debates and see what unfortunately politics has become. Maybe it has always been that way. All these guys are doing is going after each other debate after debate. I have no clue what they as President would do to turn this country around. Look at it this way Andy, you are a better person for not stooping to public attacks of your opponent and sticking to your message. It is very well known that the City is in decline. The positive side is you still have a seat on City Council to express your views and continue with your message.
January 29, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Well said Tenacity.
Andy, thank you for being a gentleman, sticking to your ethics and addressing the serious issues facing the city. You may not have won a spot on the ballot but you raised awareness and perhaps you woke up Mayor Parrish. I look foward to your continued service on City Council.
January 29, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Andy – I also want to congratulate you, and thank you. To me, I can’t accept the outcome as a loss. Because you most certainly made a difference. The press says the turn out was unprecedented, that in itself is a win. Your clean, concise, simple three point message rang true.
Your supporters are civic minded community servants, the foot soldiers who volunteer time and labor to improve Manassas – not business associates you promise to lower taxes for.
I admire you more, now, in truth, because I saw firsthand the integrity with which you conduct yourself. My lifelong opinion has been “friends don’t let friends vote Republican” I don’t mean to offend anyone, I guess I’m just a tree-hugger at heart.
I had the honor of meeting your father yesterday, I have no doubt he’s incredibly proud of you today… I think Harry Parrish would have been deeply disappointed to see anyone representing Manassas stoop to trash politics. He was classier than that.
Your speech had no inaccuracies – you addressed the issues. Hal’s speech employed the best defense is a good offense strategy – at least you had him scared. Fear can be a great motivator.
I think the winners are aware that people are not going to shut up and go away just because of Saturday. I plan to be much more active – and way more vocal. There are just too many things about Manassas that aren’t OK.
Andy… I’ve seen friends and members of the community put the work and the time in to try to make a change, I watched, “kvetched” and did nothing – in my mind, the outcome of this election, is about how people like me failed, by being complacent.
I’m going on Amazon now… to purchase about 30 copies of the book “Everything I Ever Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten” I guess I have a lot of meetings to go to 🙂
Andy, please consider running as an Independent… someone in the Mayor’s office has to actually care, about something besides image and money.
January 29, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Jessica, about Andy as an independent…he will hold true to his personal values and, as he stated, he is a Republican and will not run as an Independent. For that, notch one more on the belt for his being an honorable man standing firm on his beliefs.
And on a personal observation, sometimes it is better to stay in the system to be the most effective – even if you act like a pirate in doing so to keep pushing and blasting at the system. An old maxim I live by 🙂
January 30, 2012 at 7:43 am
Andy, look at the bright side – you can continue to vote on
every item that comes before council – not just when there
is a tie!
January 30, 2012 at 7:55 am
I was disgusted with Hal’s conduct. He lost my vote with that stunt. I agree with Andy that Manassas is too small for that stuff. That convention effecively sealed the citys fate for the next 10 years. I guess when you don’t have ideas you have to stoop to a lower level.
January 30, 2012 at 8:42 am
Everyone needs to remember Manassas is governed by
what is often called a “weak Mayor” system. The
City Council, operating through a city manager, who
they hire , has the main chartered decision
making responsibilities. The Mayor doesn’t have a veto,
can not hire of fire anyone, make a motion, or, as noted,
vote except to break ties.
January 30, 2012 at 8:48 am
Can someone explain the voting system used at the primary. If I understood it, your vote is “adjusted” by the precinct where you live, meaning that a vote from one precinct of the city carried more weight than a vote from a different precinct. How are these percentages developed, who develops them and why in a City of 10 square miles and a population of 38,000 are they necessary. Maybe its just my conservative nature but I’ve always liked the “one man, one vote” concept and especially in a City the size of Manassas.
Secondly, I saw a comment to an article in the JM where the writer quoted the percentage of the vote a candidate recieved. Are these numbers published? Where does one get this information?
January 30, 2012 at 9:40 am
I was so proud of Andy and how he was the “better man” on Saturday. As everyone else has stated, YOU still have a vote and a voice. Hal had everything to lose and you had nothing.
I spoke to a few people after the vote and they too were very disappointed in how Hal conducted himself. 2 people stated that when they got to the convention they THOUGHT they had their mind made up…until Hal spoke…and changed their position. We are a small town STILL and folks won’t forget this for a while. But, if the truth be known…this is who Hal is when you are “against” him.
At an “Town Hall” meeting at Haydon Elementary school, a few years back, I stood up and publicly disagreed with Hal regarding an issue. He found me and brought me aside and chastised me for speaking up. Thank goodness there was a lady standing behind me who, heard him speak to me that way and she TOTALLY agreed with me and stepped next to me to defend me. (Didn’t know the lady but hats off to her.)
Hal is not used to being “pushed”…and you pushed him, showing his “TRUE” colors.
I believe we ALL NEED to do our part to hold each and every elected official to manage our money the best way. I would hope that our officials remember, it’s not an open bank account and that the definition of THRIFTY should be glued to their table tops while in session, along with an example sentence.
1: thriving by industry and frugality : prosperous
2: growing vigorously
3: given to or marked by economy and good management
Although you can always have the sentence fit the City!
January 30, 2012 at 9:44 am
If you are thrifty, you can find ways to decorate your room stylishly yet inexpensively.
January 30, 2012 at 10:48 am
I think the tone set by hal was unfortunate and reflects on his true character. Your character was set by your agenda for areas of improvement. I hope that you will use the next two years to fight for your vision. You have the vote and more ability to effect change on the council than as mayor. Funny how hal decided after twenty years that the schools need to be saved. If you decide to run for another term in 2014, you will have my support and vote.
January 30, 2012 at 10:58 am
@Steve,
Thanks for the information. I was wondering why the Mayor downplayed the authority of his position.
January 30, 2012 at 11:49 am
Steve, it is true in terms of legislative actions by the Council, we have a “weak mayor” system. That said, the position is still a Mayor of an Independent City. Mayors of Cities and Towns are not just figure heads (look over to nearby Occoquan as an example with Earnie).
I have two friends who are Mayors of a City and a Town down in NC. Both encounter things where their Councils may either table or completely kill an action, but as the elected leader, and when they feel the action may still have benefit to the people who elected them, ask for Staff Reports. Then very, very smartly they ask for appointed persons within various Boards/Committees/Commissions to bring them back requesting action. Fails sometimes, but it least it is action. Locally, a case in point:
Sudley Road/Hospital Sector Plan: tabled by the Council for the moment. In that Plan though is the appendix on the traffic study. Smart thinking would say pull that section and have a Staff Report made for the infrastructure portion to be prepared in the format of CIP. That is something a Mayor could do – that is the advocacy role all Mayors have and true leadership beyond just “meet and greet”.
January 30, 2012 at 12:03 pm
“Can someone explain the voting system used at the primary. If I understood it, your vote is “adjusted” by the precinct where you live, meaning that a vote from one precinct of the city carried more weight than a vote from a different precinct. ”
Mo,
Under RPV rules, there are three acceptable methods of nomination: Mass Meeting, Party Canvass, Convention. Proportional voting is a characteristic of conventions. The idea behind it is the larger the GOP voting population of a precinct, the greater number of delegates that precinct can send to the convention. How the proportions were arrived at was spelled out in the official call, and convention rules. These proportions are set by RPV. You can read the call here: http://www.manassasgop.com/2012-CityConventionCallfinal.pdf
January 30, 2012 at 1:29 pm
a. Baldwin Precinct: 58
b. Dean Precinct: 96
c. Hayden Precinct: 81
d. Metz Precinct: 68
e. Weems Precinct: 63
To me this is total BS. As a candidate I wouldn’t even bother with the Baldwin District and only hit Hayden, Dean and some of Metz districts since that is where the majority is…now I know why I’ve never had a “campaigner” knock on my door. Why should he/she bother…they need to be ALL EVEN…’cause this is just TOTAL BS…
January 30, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Ms. Stevens,
I’m not sure that you understand the dynamics fully. While there might be more delegates allowed from say, Dean precinct, a delgate vote from Baldwin would actually carry MORE weight at the convention.
January 30, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Thanks Steve & Nettie,
As someone who votes in the Baldwin District I feel much better knowing that my vote counts as half of another voter and taxpayer in the City. Does anyone know the history behind this and why it is a good idea? Who do I complain to and how do we get this changed? One must assume that since I only get 1/2 of a vote I should be required to write 2 complaint letters.
January 30, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Ray, certainly agree Manassas Mayors are and have been far more
than “meet and greet figure heads”, but their authority comes
more from their intelligence, drive, leadership and people skills
than the City Charter or Code.
January 30, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Strong councilmembers can “take point” with
new ideas and programs perhaps even better that a Mayor.
Andy did a first rate job with “Manassas Next” – spending
hours thinking it through and then selling it to other members
and the public.
Also note that Andy was selected as Vice-Mayor by his
fellow councilmembers which shows their respect for him
and his work and dedication to the City.
We have much to do and I trust we will all come together
for the good of the community we all love.
January 30, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Mo,
The flaw in your logic is that you assume that a Baldwin delegates vote counts less than a full vote. Actually, Baldwin delegates votes counted more than one vote.
As to the history or deep explanation, this is what a convention is. Conventions are made up of delegates to the convention. The number of delegates each jurisdiction is allowed is based on a uniform set of apportionment criteria. The smaller the divsion, whether it be a precinct, municipality, a county, a state, the smaller the apportioned number of delegates. If you’ve been following things at the national level, all of these caucuses and primaries are to elect delegates to the national convention. Those delegates are expected to vote for the candidate to which they are pledged. The same thing will happen for state or congressional district conventions, which will happen later this year.
The short answer is, things are done this way, according to the rules governing Republican conventions. The Manassas GOP doesn’t make them up. There’s three methods of nomination allowed for Municiple elections: Mass Meeting, Convention, Party Canvas. The Manassas City Republican Committee chose a convention as the method of nomination.
January 30, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Well Steve…I guess you’ll just have to draw it on a white board…because I don’t know why it just can’t be made by “popular” vote…and the mere fact that you had to ever write “I’m not sure that you understand the dynamics fully.”…makes it even more stupid. THE AVERAGE PERSON SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IT, without a whole bunch of BULL MALARKY!
January 30, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Ms Stevens,
I have tried to be respectful, and answer your questions clearly and accurately. It can’t be made by popular vote, because the rules do not permit it. The President of the United States is not elected by popular vote, as the rules dictate that this election is made by the electoral college. I guess the great wisdom that the founders exercised when setting up the system by which our president is elected, serves as the basis as to why conventions work the way that they do. Perhaps you might want to ask the chairman of the City GOP, why the rules set forth by the State party must be followed, in order that the nominations contest be deemed “valid”. I can say, with the utmost certainty, you will receive the same explanation I have presented.
January 30, 2012 at 3:49 pm
Who makes the City districts? Who gives them the number of delegates? There are ALWAYS WAYS around a situation…AND BTW lights and indoor plumbing have been invented since our founding fathers set it up too! Just sayin’!
January 30, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Ease up all or I’ma lock this thread!…:) I know that this stuff can be a bit confusing (and maybe more than a bit) but one thing to remember is that Steve and the other local party guys really don’t have any say over what the rules are – the state party sets those. I know that Steve & co. would probably prefer not to explain them ever again…:)
I’m just thankful that we have guys like Steve, Tony, Russ and the rest who work hard to smooth over the rough spots in the convention process. No nomination process is perfect and every group has their suspicions and preference but this is what we have. The other nominating options might be interesting to try but I feel they would be less organized.
If you’re really wound up about the convention stuff, contact the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) and let ’em know!
January 30, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Hello my buddy Nettie,
I was in the counting room and I have to say that everything was on the up and up. I had ample opportunity to observe everthing and challenge anything I believed was amiss. Indeed, we were invited to voice disagreement on anything we believed was improper. Steve was in the room as a Party official. He was a complete gentleman, as was Tony K., and I am glad Steve was there. Truth be told, I don’t know if the rules make sense or not. But I do know they were fairly enforced in the counting room. Every candidate had their own “rep” in that room and nobody had a problem with the process. On the national level the electoral college never made real good sense to me, and you presumably feel the same about what amounts to the local equivalent. But it ain’t Steve’s fault. C’mon Nettie, give Steve a least a pat on the back for trying to explain the mathematical intricacies!
January 30, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Love ya Rich!!!!! Keep smiling! : )
January 30, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Rich, Andy, I appreciate your comments regarding the transparency and fairness by which the committee operates. We go to great lengths to ensure our nominations contests are open, fair, and operated within clearly defined rules. The City Committee even went so far as to hire a neutral parlimentarian to ensure we operated the convention properly. This isn’t the first time Ms. Stevens has refused to accept a fact-based explanation from me, but that’s OK. I even let the pokes at my integrity slide. Can’t please everyone. Most believe the MGOP does it right. Most importantly, the candidates believe the process fair, and have chosen to engage in it. The candidates who present themselves are what I am grateful for. We offer a real opportunity to exercise the franchise, because we offer an opportunity to choose from several qualified candidates. Perhaps the other party’s method is better? An “unorganized caucus”? They will hold this on February 6th. Maybe more than one candidate will present themselves for consideration, maybe not. He or she will be the nominee of the other party, if only a single person presents themselves. This is vetting a candidate? Or maybe everyone should just run as independents?
Maybe it is all to difficult for some to understand, all this representative republican democracy stuff. I try to take this into consideration, and exercise patience. Maybe I should have been a civics teacher. I understand why there is an electoral college. Beautiful thing it is, and I see shining examples of why we have one, almost every single day.
January 30, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Steve,
Thanks for the explanation. It was never my intent to question the integrity of those counting the ballots, I was simply trying to understand the system. Now that I know my vote counted more than a vote from the Dean precinct, I feel much better.
January 30, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Mo,
I didn’t take your comments as an idictment, and am happy to explain the process. That’s part of my job as a party official. Got to earn that paycheck that comes along with all the power and prestige assigned to the office 🙂
January 30, 2012 at 5:39 pm
@Steve Randolph: agree with all you say. Then again, can’t remember a time I ever disagreed with something you said 🙂
January 30, 2012 at 6:13 pm
OMG…because you are so condensending Mr. Thomas. I’ve been attending conventions since the age of 15…my father was a delegate to the State Convention for Ronald Reagan and thought I needed to learn the process, which I indeed did. I also had Rita Koman as a high school History/Civics teacher and we held our own mock conventions in her class. I’m certain Steve, that you have at least heard of Mrs. Koman, who probably knows more about politics then any one of us! Sorry she was unable to attend on Saturday.
FACTS or otherwise, I feel that people should challenge what they don’t like…THAT INDEED is the politicial process! Kind of like the Governor and others not wanting those attending republican conventions to sign the pledge. PROCESSES CHANGE!
January 30, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Condesending? Madam, I have been nothing but polite, and deliberate in everything that I have written, and I do believe I have shown significant restraint in how I have responded to you. I do know Ms. Koman. I serve with her on the HRB. I am sure she was a wonderful teacher, and am sorry if she did not get to attend. I too have an education in history, as well as political science. As a matter of fact, I majored in both. But all of this is neither here, nor there. You asked several questions. I answered them, respectfully, factually, and directly. Whether or not you accept the facts is your choice. Yes, processes do change. However, they do not change because someone decides they will just disregard the rules. I am sure Ms. Koman taught you what the opposite of totalitarianism is….it’s anarchy. Choosing which rules you will follow, and which you will disregard is just that: anarchy. As was mentioned previously, if you do not like the rules by which the convention was conducted, please by all means, lodge a protest with the local chairman. If that doesn’t satisfy you, you can protest to RPV. Call the ACLU. Occupy Delisle Park if it pleases you (but check to see if there’s rules against camping). Set about changing those processes. Get the City to redo the precincts (they set them, not MGOP). Change the voting history of the last Presidential and Gubenatorial races (used to establish apportionment), or you could really get motivated and run for the chairmanship of the Manassas Committee, and convince the committee to choose a different method of nomination next time. All of these options are open to you Ms. Stevens. No one is stopping you, least of all me.
January 30, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Steve, you just made me spill my coffee at the visual on Occupy Delisle Park.