Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Loudoun School Board, 2023

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Article VIII Section 7 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia vests authority for public school districts in a school board, which may be either elected or appointed in a manner defined by law.

The Loudoun County School Board is an elective board composed of nine members. One at-large member is elected in a county-wide race, and the remaining eight members are elected by voters in each of the eight named county districts.

Previously, members served concurrent four-year terms on the same election schedule as the Virginia Senate. The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in 2021 allowing for the board’s terms to be staggered, and the board has since voted to approve. This year will be an unusual election as the board transitions to its new schedule.

Four seats, which were chosen in a random drawing by the Loudoun County Electoral Board, will be filled for a normal four-year term. Those seats will continue to hold elections every four years on the same schedule as the Virginia Senate.

The remaining five seats will be filled for a one-time, shortened term of two years. Those seats will be up again in 2025, and from then-on they will hold elections every four years on the same schedule as the Governor of Virginia (i.e., on a two-year offset from the other four seats).

The results of the drawing were as follows:

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Other Loudoun Offices, 2023

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Seal of Loudoun County
Seal of Loudoun County

Six local races appear on this year’s Loudoun County ballots, including five races for local constitutional offices and one for the three elective seats on the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors.

Constitutional Offices

Article VII Section 4 of the Virginia Constitution establishes five offices that are generally filled by elections in each locality—treasurer, sheriff, commonwealth’s attorney, clerk of the circuit court, and commissioner of revenue. Those elected to these offices serve four-year terms, except the circuit court clerk who serves an eight-year term. In Loudoun County this year, all five offices are up for election.

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Loudoun Referendums, 2023

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Seal of Loudoun County
Seal of Loudoun County

Article VII, Section 10, of the Constitution of Virginia requires local governments to obtain voter approval to issue bonds. Voters in Loudoun County, Virginia, will be asked to consider three bond referendums on this year’s ballot.

Bonds are debt. When they are sold, the issuing government receives an influx of cash from the purchasers. Like a bank loan, that money must be repaid by the taxpayers over time with interest.

Bonds should be used only when necessary. Most projects should be funded directly from the general fund (i.e., from the “money in the bank”). We should only incur public debt when a specific project is very important, but too large to fund directly.

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Melissa and I went to the island of Oahu, Hawaii, last year . . . and I just now got around to sorting and processing the photos I took. We spent about a week driving around, seeing the sights, and having a great time.

The first set of photos is a bunch of animals and scenery we saw throughout the week. Those are followed by photos from some of the specific places we went. And finally, at the end, some random stuff. Enjoy.

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Trump, Cohen, Daniels, and Bragg
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Updated

The first of former President Donald Trump’s (R) many indictments were issued by a New York grand jury on March 30, 2023. Trump appeared at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on April 4 and entered a “not guilty” plea. The thirty-four-count indictment and an associated “Statement of Facts” were released to the public later that day.

The indictment alleges that Trump violated New York state law by falsifying business records. The case is related to “hush money” payments made through “Lawyer A” to “Woman 2” that were intended to prevent public disclosure of a sexual affair the woman allegedly had with Trump in 2006.

“Lawyer A” is believed to be Michael Cohen, who then worked for the Trump Organization as Special Council to Trump. I will refer to him by name in this article. “Woman 2” is believed to be adult film actress and director Stephanie Gregory Clifford, who is known professionally as Stormy Daniels. I will refer to her by her professional name in this review.

This article is based on the information that is publicly available at the time of its writing. It may need to be revised if new information becomes available. Any substantial changes will be described in the “Updates” section near the end of this post.

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Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.