After my announcement a coupla weeks ago I received a wide range of correspondence from folks. A few were glad that one of the RINO's on Council was finally hanging up his cleats. Good riddance! Indeed. Some urged me to reconsider and some commiserated but asked I run as an "I". That was a humbling experience. The ones I didn't expect were the ones that accused me of abandoning the City in her hour of need. Those really surprised me.
Folks, You know what kind of dirt you get when you dig down past the brown stuff? Red clay. Know why it's red? Sure the local egghead will tell you that it's some oxidized iron in there but that's fancy "science talk" and not to be trusted. Folks that talk like that are just trying to bamboozle you. No, that red clay is red with the blood of Harrovers, Rices, Rohrs, Parrishs, Vetters, Conners, Smiths and all the others who have made Manassas their home town. It's what flows in my veins. I've eaten enough of it over the years so that if you cut me open, you could pot a plant in there. I don't actually bleed. It's mud. Red Clay Mud. Around here you're a newcomer until you have been around for about 20 years. That's just enough time to lift the stigma. My family has been here since before the Civil War. I am of Manassas and I'm damn proud of it.
Manassas is my home town man. Just because I'm not running for office doesn't mean I'm sailing off into the sunset. I'm just going to do some different things. No, I'm not running as an "I" or a "D". I'll probably endorse some folks and help them campaign but I'm sitting this one out. Everyone is replaceable. As I mentioned in my previous post, I don't think there's much I can get done in elected office as things currently stand and I really need new and different challenges to keep feeding the fire.
I've some interesting things cooking in my own life and some other things I want to try my hand at. I'm already on the board of a local non-profit organization that does some needed things and I'm helping them face some tough management challenges. I look forward to doing more of that. In my free time (ha!) maybe I'll also try to figure out what, if any, possible use Linkedin might be. I'm just not seeing it. Calling it the "Facebook for business" does a disservice to Facebook. Every now and then I'll post something on there just to see if anyone is paying attention. It's a 50% proposition.
Pay attention to this space in the future. You'll see something interesting. You'll need to be involved in those things. I promise.
Thanks for reading.
May 2, 2014 at 8:27 am
Well written. My compliments to you!
May 2, 2014 at 9:21 am
Dear Andy,
I was one of those who did not write to you. I wrote to your friends. As a county resident, I appreciate the time and effort you have put in to making our community and your City a better place to live.
I especially appreciate your outreach to those of us who aren't inside the City limits but who are affected by what goes on in the community. I have appreciated your leadership and your sense of fair-handedness.
I grow increasingly weary of the very personal public attacks on people who serve the public, whether they are elected officials or public servants. Unless the tone changes, who will we get to run for public office? Your family and business have been very generous to lend your wisdom and insight to the rest of us over the past few years.
I know you won't disappear. We will hear from you from a different location is all. Perhaps a change of venue, so to speak is needed. Perhaps we will start to listen better.
You will be missed, regardless.
May 2, 2014 at 7:37 pm
So, Andy….what came out of the MRP Fire House Call the other week? Haven't seen a peep about it in any news source and the MRP webpage is blank on it. Thanks!