"Facts Are Facts"

Hey, Pat Herrity opened this can of worms when he said would never vote to increase taxes.  If your going to be a congressman, don't run away from the repercussions of your votes. 

1.  The official minutes of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors show Pat Herrity voted with every Democrat on the board to “set the real property tax rate at $1.04 per $100 of assessed value. As a result of this action, the real property tax rate for calendar year 2009 will increase by $0.12 over the real property tax rate for calendar year 2008 of $0.92 per $100 of assessed value.” Supervisor Herrity voting “AYE.” (emphasis added by me)

Read for yourself on the Fairfax County Government website. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/summary/2009/09-04-27.pdf  the vote is on the top of page 5.

2. The Washington Post wrote, May 1, 2009, “Local officials have promoted their efforts to keep the average tax bill from rising. But not everyone was spared: More than 150,000 households in Fairfax County alone will owe more than they did last year.”

This is not rhetoric. It is fact. Pat Herrity can object to the facts, but it does not make them any less true.  Pat Herrity voted to raise the real property tax rate on Fairfax County homeowners by 12 cents per $100 of assessed value.  This rate change amounts to $550 on the average homeowner in Fairfax County.

Comments

[NovaRep]

Everytime you peddle this ridiculous accusation you show how naieve you are to the political process. As it has been stated numerous times if you conclude that Pat raised taxes than you must also agree that Gerry lowered them.

Second, this argument is being used by Fimian because he does not have a record to run on period. It further strikes me as odd when in 2009 Pat was the "conservative's conservative" when he ran for chairman, admittedly by folks such as Fimian and yourself. But now because he challenged your candidate he is somehow a tax-and-spend liberal.

Please, this argument being shopped around is stupid and baseless.

[David Stiles]

Yeah, Chris. You Jeff Frederick-supporter-types are like so misinformed and just plain stoopid.

There should be licenses to blog, and yours should be revoked.

[Real Conservative]

NovaRep did you fail to notice Herrity voted for the Rate Increase after he ran for Chairman?

150,000 people now pay more than they did last year in property tax how do you explain that?

Not sure if you own a home but people that do are hurting and Herrity is not helping them out.

The very people that voted for him are being punished by his votes.

[Chris]

Don't be silly, Spiker. None of those other people are running for Congress having taken a pledge to never raise taxes. Nobody told Pat to do that. If every other Republican in Northern Virginia voted to increase property tax rates, they would deserve to be "shit on," as you so poetically put it.

As for "you all" planning on Herrity to run for Chairman, that wasn't our plan. That was the party's plan until Pat realized that he couldn't win a chairman's race with all the Democrat incumbents running with Sharon. So yeah, maybe I'm a little bitter but that's just me. What I value is the hard work Keith put in in 2008 and 2009, going after Obama and his agenda while so many of the establishment types 'round these parts held thier fire until the president's poll numbers dropped.

But yeah, sorry. Pat voted for a tax increase. Deal with it.

[Herrity Lies!!!!!!]

VA Blogger apparently got the Herrity talking points about writing a unhinged diatribe like Herrity did in response to Fimian's Happy Anniversary email.

VA Blogger. True or False? Without raising the property tax rate as Herrity did, homeowners would have gotten a very large tax cut. Herrity should have supported that. As you know, the answer is true.

Afterall, he rails against Gerry Connolly for doubling taxes. But then he votes to keep the Connolly tax increase in place. Pat Herrity is the only liar here...Mr "I never voted to raise taxes."

[Chris]

One last thing . . . you throw those names at me like it should impress me or scare me. I don't care about names, nobody owes me. I'm not looking to work for those people, I'm not searching for the next job in politics. I take each race by itself and judge each candidate by what they say AND do. I have a tremendous life outside of all of this, so throwing all those names at me doesn't impress me or intimidate me. Those people are just that, names.

And I'm not attacking any of them. I know why they all are backing Herrity, its politics. But names like that might impress you, they don't impress me.

[PO'd taxpayer]

My tax bill went up because of Herrity's vote. Some conservative he is! So much for his much ballyhooed experience. Maybe he'll write me check for the extra money I'm paying in taxes now.

Put a fork in him, he's done.

[NovaRep]

Again, Keith has latched onto this as a last ditch effort to save his faltering campaign. He has no message that resonates with voters outside his tiny little universe of supporters.

I was unimpressed with Fimian in 2008 but gave him credit for stepping up. I was unimpressed with Fimian in 2009 when he started running again and I have become incensed at his dirty, unethical, slimy campaign practices in 2010.

As for Keith what did he do in 2009-2010? Has anyone checked VPAP regarding his donations to candidates in 2009. Its pathetic. I have personally spoken to NUMEROUS delegate candidates who said Keith promised lists and money and manpower and delivered on none of them. In August and September of 2009 he was vacationing out west.

Look: He lost by 12 points in 2008. That's not doing well, that's getting slaughtered and I may add that the argument about it being a bad year does not hold because in the 10th Frank Wolf ACTUALLY improved on his numbers from 2006! Keith ran a horrible race with little ground game and no strategy.

There are certain people in the conservative movement that have rallied around Keith like he is Ronald Reagan incarnate. He's not. And people ought to do more research before they make a decision to back a candidate. I understand and respect Keith's right to run for the nomination, and I make no qualms about that. However, I do take issue when he resorts to the lowest of low attacks on any candidate. This is not just towards Pat Herrity but also candidates like Kurt Riesenberg (potential candidate) who was asked REPEATEDLY to get out and back Fimian but Keith's own staff. Let me ask this question: What gave Keith the idea that this was his nomination? The nomination is that of the Republican Party and we confer that upon the candidate that the majority of "Republicans" say it should be conferred on. To assume it is yours is both arrogant and cocky.

As for some of the comments on this tax issue. There is no one on the County Board who has fought harder for lowering spending and cutting taxes than Pat Herrity and that is a fact. You can quibble amongst yourselves using you Fimian-logic or you can accept the truth as VA Blogger has outlined numerous times on this, and other blogs.

This attack by Keith is nothing more than to turn the attention on Pat because Keith has nothing to offer. Democrats WANT Keith to get the nomination and I have spoken to folks who support Gerry and would relish running against Keith. They are of the mindset he is a weak candidate and Gerry will have a field day with him. They are genuinely afraid that if they run against Pat there is a very good chance Gerry would lose.

[Chris]

Spiker, being against Herrity and going after him doesn't mean we don't support any other of those pols that support him. I see your game of trying to shame us into supporting Herrity. There is no bigger supporter of guys like Tim Hugo, and supporting Fimian has no bearing on that. Nice try.

Keith Fimian stood up in 2008 when every single other person in Northern Virginia - including Tom Davis - ran and hid. THAT is party loyalty. I still haven't heard exactly how its a smear . . . the language is pretty clear that that was increasing the property tax rate and Pat Herrity voted "aye." That is a tax hike. Sorry, you can throw names at me, question my party loyalty all you want.

My loyalty isn't to the Republican Party of Fairfax County. My loyalty is to the principles of the party and to fight for candidates who I believe best illustrate that. Sure its not always consistent, but there it is.

And yes, John Cook and Mike Frey voted to raise taxes. Sorry, they did. But they aren't running for Congress and aren't in this race. And if you don't think Dave Albo is an insider and establishment, I don't know what to tell you about your judgment.

Anthony Bedell did not single-handedly do anything. There was an entire network of activists and volunteers that helped bring it along, and your idolitry for one man does nothing good for the party. I'm sure Anthony would agree that it was much more than just him, that there was a massive team effort. And I've gone after Anthony not on anything but needlessly picking sides in a fight and perhaps undoing much of what he accomplished last year. I love that he has turned the committee into a real professional organization and gotten rid of all the consultants.

All those people are good people. Hell, Pat Herrity is a good person. All I'm pointing out is that the man has talked up never raising taxes and then there it is. What's wrong with that? How's that dirty or a smear? The man cast his vote, he should own it.

Attacking Pat Herrity on his vote doesn't mean I am attacking all those people you list. Stop hiding behind your endorsements and own up to it and talk about the vote instead of attacking me for attacking people who I am not attacking. This is about Pat Herrity and his vote. Throwing up all these smokescreens to hide behind is a nice spin.

PS - I don't know about anyone else, but I get no talking points. This is all me. All me.

[I support this blog!]

Go, Chris, Go! I hate how the Herrity team and their supporters try to bully others and throw names around as if to try to intimidate people.
And VA Blogger, explain this one: my property tax went up, while the value of my house went down this past year. That's a textbook definition of a tax increase. Why do you keep saying it isn't? Are you really just that stupid?

[Chris]

I don't bash any other Republican. Not one. If Keith is going after "career politicians," that's his call not mine. But I certainly don't mind seeing someone with his background running for office.

Keith Fimian earned my respect election day, 2008. Nobody stood up for our standard. Everyone ran away and hid, everyone in the party ran away from running this race. THAT meant something to me, more than anything Pat has done. And frankly, on the issues I'm totally in-line with Keith and frankly, I've head enough of the people in charge being in charge. Its good to bring some new blood in, which is what I see Keith doing. Fact is, in three years Pat has run for three different offices. Whatever you think of that is whatever you think.

But I resent your accusation highly that somehow I am attacking every single Republican because I'm attacking Pat Herrity's TAX HIKE vote. They aren't on the ballot. He is. I was one of the few bloggers talking about Hugo running for caucus chairman, and I got a call from him as thanks for my support. I would think that Hugo and his people know about my Fimian endorsement and that didn't seem to stop them.

What is revealing here is that you think this is an all-or-nothing primary. That if you support Keith Fimian you are attacking every single Republican politician on his list. Nobody has been more supportive of our candidates than me, but just because I'm not trying to get a job from them doesn't mean I'm less loyal. I was talking about Jay McConville and Danny Smith long ago. I went to Jim LeMunyon's kick-off and blogged about it. Don't try and put it out there that I don't support our political electeds because I don't support Pat Herrity. Its bullshit and you know it.

Luckily I am independent from the local party where I can speak my mind freely and how I see fit. But I reject your idea that being for Keith means I'm against Tim Hugo or Jim LeMunyon or Tag Grearson, or anyone else. I take campaigns one by one and make my decisions based on the candidates in those races irregardless of endorsements.

I get that there are folks at FCRC that don't like me because of what I've said on party matters. Luckily I have a life, a job, friends, and a fiance that keep me in the real world most of my time. It allows me to see races as they are, not in some prism by whatever Anthony Bedell or Tom Davis tell me to do.

I support Keith Fimian over Pat Herrity because I perfer Keith. It doesn't mean I don't support Hugo (which I do), Grearson (which I do), or whoever else you want to throw in my face.

And please, never bring up Dave Albo when talking about establishment/insider Republicans.

[Chris]

Lest we forget that you have yet to comment about the actual fact that when a property tax rate was brought before the BOS, Mr. Herrity voted yes. I know there were deals and more deals, which is fine. But don't run around calling yourself a tax-cutter when you obviously voted for one. I mean, come on. Folks like VA Blogger are trying to hid this fact by saying being against Pat is being against his entire endorsement list. Its a clever dodge, but a dodge nonetheless.

[Tired of VA Blogger]

Chris,
Dialogue with the Herrity boiler-room crowd (Va Blooger, Dan, and such) is senseless. Except perhaps to remind readers that Herrity employs old-school tactics expected of thugs likes like Gerry Connolly.

Herrity's green-shirts are like the SEIU and ACORN. They use poorly constructed arguments, denial, and logic errors to paint anyone who disagrees with them as unintelligent, not smart enough to get it, whatever "it" is. One of their poster boys calls everyone an "idiot."

When these folks light up their circuits, they just remind everyone that Pat is not the right person for the job.

My taxes went up when Herrity voted. That's a tax raise. Discussion over.

When Herrity and his green-shirts deny it, it's just a reminder that it's really not about taxes, it's about his character, and the lack thereof.

[D.J. McGuire]

I must confessed to being quite surprised that the discussion of local government in Fairfax is so primitive and naive (with the exception of VA Blogger). We're far more sophisticated on this in Spotsylvania - and that should scare all of you!

With a county like Fairfax, which assesses real estate annually, the rate in question is not last year's rate, but the equalized rate, i.e., the rate at which the government would not take in more money from the taxpayers. Spotsylvania's budget shows this rate every year an assessment is done. This year, the equalized rate was 83 cents, a good deal higher than last year's 62 cent rate, but everyone understood that since 83 cents meant no more government revenue, it was the no-tax-increase line (sadly, the Board went for 86 cents).

Knowing the equalized rate allows folks dealing with idiots like Gerry Connolly to call him out on his tax cut nonsense. If assessments rose and Gerry voted for a rate lower than last year but *higher* than the equalized rate, then he voted for a tax increase. Period.

Now, if you want to criticize Herrity (and I'm too busy fighting off Crazy Cathy Crabill to take sides in the 11th), criticize him for two things: 1) having no apparent interest in finding out what the equalized rate was or is (the Fairfax budget docs appear not to mention it), and 2) Voting for what appears to be a cent and a half above the equalized rate last year (I'll admit I'm projecting, and I'm adding in the 1.5 cent stormwater tax, which was an increase from the 1 cent stormwater tax in prior years).

In short, to claim Herrity raised taxes 12 cents in misleading and intellectually dishonest. However, it did appear he voted to raise taxes by about 1.5 cents in real terms, and his lack of concern for determining the exact equalized rate is also worthy of criticism.

I will, however, remember and refer to this conversation every time I hear clowns from Fairfax pretend their smarter or more sophisticated than Spotsylvanians. :)

[local gop]

it's really gotten to the point where the fimian blog team rejects logic and facts in support of a broken-record style of attacks. if the average homeowner pays LESS in taxes, that means that they don't pay more, so that means that their tax bill went down.

i find it funny that the fimian camp has to play the word game to make their attacks even sound correct. exchanging 'taxes' for 'tax rate'.

[D.J. McGuire]

Sigh.

That should read "I must confess"

There's a reason my first web moniker was "Kaiser Typos."

[D.J. McGuire]

Local GOP,

Sadly, the "average homeowner" is not the best guage here, for it eliminates commercial property from the discussion. Stafford tries this with its "modified equalized rate" which is, in effect, equalization for residential properties only. Since commercial properties almost always have higher value increases (or lower value decreases) than residential properties, dodges like "modified equalized rate" or referencing the "average homeowner" translates to "balancing the budget on the backs of the business community."

If this is Herrity's defense, it is very disappointing.

[Herrity=Crist]

I hear Herrity is planning to pull a Charlie Crist after Republicans reject him for being a liberal tax raising republican.

[Chris]

DJ, thanks for stopping by. After this primary and Dave Marsden's elevation to the Senate I don't think I could ever claim that Fairfax is smarter than anyone ;-)

[Chris]

Find me anywhere on this blog where I have called any of our electeds out of-tough elitists? Show me anywhere where I (ME) have attacked any of our electeds.

My grounds for going after Bedell was that he should not have picked sides and yes I would say the same thing if he endorsed Fimian. As is, he supports Pat and in doing so has created an atmosphere of preceived favortism whether it is or not. The Brickner firing shows that - whatever the justification is to many it seemed like she was canned for supporting Keith. Every move from now on will be seen through a prism of suspicion. Is he doing this to help Pat? Is it fair? No, he did it to himself.

I have never called out anyone for supporting Herrity, nor have I called anyone elitist. My commentary has been strictly on this race and none other. Strickly on Herrity and Fimian. I call nobody a liar, stop putting words in my mouth. Find me anywhere I have called John Cook nothing but a great supervisor . . . I dare you to find anything anywhere where I have attacked anyone.

You blind loyalty to "the team," clearly makes it impossible for you to see that nuance. Fimian is running the way he wants to run, he's running the way he HAS to run. He can't run any other way. You can criticize me for what I say about Pat Herrity, but don't you dare try and say I don't support the rest of our guys. Because I do, as much as anyone else. Luckily since I'm not try to draw a paycheck from these guys my loyalty isn't so blind like so many other bloggers and on-line Herrity supporters. And attack on one is NOT an attack on all. I support almost all of our elected officials, but I don't blindly follow them like a rat being led by a piper.

Independence is a wonderful thing, you should try it.

[Herrity=Crist equals full of sh*t]

"I hear Herrity is planning to pull a Charlie Crist after Republicans reject him for being a liberal tax raising republican."

Herrity=Crist, it is far worse than that! I hear Herrity is really a Marxist and a secret Muslim and he wants to turn America into a socialist utopia. There are rumors that Herrity has engaged in human sacrifice during the Satanic rituals he regularly participates in and that he plans to introduce legislation to outlaw Christianity. He wants to limit family size through government enforced abortion and if that doesn't work he is going to propose mandatory homosexuality!

You can thank me later for the help.

You see Herrity=Crist, if you are going to make a patently ridiculous comment about a rumor you "heard" (wink,wink) you shouldn't half step. Having revealed yourself to be so damned silly you might as well go full crazy and add all this other stuff.

[RightOnGallows]

The inane logic of the Fimian brigade is actually getting to be quite comical.

[Boss Herrity]

Politicians defend other politicians...especially the ones who all voted the same way on raising taxes.

[D.J. McGuire]

VA Blogger,

I see your point on the stormwater tax, but what you describe on page 19 is *not* equalization (I saw that section myself earlier this morning). Comparing "average tax per household" is (1) unclear in reference to median versus mean, and more importantly, it does not include commercial real estate at all, which did not suffer nearly as bad a fall as residential properties did. Thus, the rate translates as a tax increase almost exclusively felt by the business community.

Again, the problem is not as bad as Chris initially says it to be, but as I see things, it doesn't go away either.

[Dan]

Herrity=Crist, that's funny. I "heard" that if Fimian loses he is going to pull a Lieberman and run as an independent.

Have you "heard" that one too?

Maybe you should stop listening to the voices in your head. Or try to be more plausible when you make stuff up.