Letters 05/23/12

The Harmony
meeting

    I attended the Board of Supervisor’s meeting on 5/7/2012 for the rezoning of the “Harmony” project. … The meeting started at 7:30 p.m. for the consideration of a request by B&A Investors to rezone Harmony from AR to PD-1.  
    People spoke against the rezoning for the following reasons: taxes, traffic, congestion, no job opportunities to bring new people to Bedford, and that Bedford did not need this because of all the empty businesses and houses already up for sale.
    The developer did not meet all the requirements for PD1 rezoning.  We learned that Virginia would no longer require Urban Development Areas, (UDA) after July 1, 2012, (part of the Harmony project is located in an UDA Area.)  Close to 11 p.m., the Board of Supervisors quickly made their decision and voted 4 to 1 in favor of allowing the request to rezone. They had been asked to take their time to review all the information before making their decision. Two of the board members did not state their reasons for allowing the rezoning. The people have a right to know why their supervisors voted the way they did.  In fact, two of the board members were absent. 
    I called all of the board members personally to discuss the hearing ahead of time and only spoke with Annie Pollard, Chuck Neudorfer and Tammy Parker.  
    While issuing petitions to the community, I constantly heard that petitions were a waste of time since “the Board of Supervisors do exactly what they want to do.”  The people must have been right. The Board allowed us to speak but quickly made their decision. The petitions were provided to the supervisors for a reduction in density and against the rezoning.  It did not appear that any of the Supervisors even looked at the petitions.
    … It was apparent that the board already had their decision made long before the meeting ever started. Attending the Board of Supervisor’s meetings has been a real eye opener and I urge all Bedford residents to get involved on what happens in our county. 

Lisa Persinger
Bedford
Courage, not
apathy

    Is Bedford in a time warp of apathy? Surely the outrageous state of our country alarms you sufficiently to change national direction. It is unbelievable that Virginia is classified a “swing” state. We were sold elaborate convincing promises from a talented orator.
    Americans — Virginia — didn’t know that candidate, only his ambitious promises. In office, nothing could slow down his liberal ideology. His bi-racial status was an asset as he perfected his black preference. We were eager to believe him.
    Candidate Mitt Romney is a thoroughly successful businessman, but not a showman or orator. His values and reputation are solidly American. He is devoted to his church with Christian roots. His contrast to Obama is totally opposite.
    I know Bedford is disappointed by this liberal President’s first term. Think about it. Voting totals tell us that plenty of us were fooled because we wanted to believe his goals. Our young people in colleges are targeted by repeated liberal promises in the current campaign.
    Judicial Watch — non-partisan, unaffiliated politically, independent — is identifying evidence of pending voter fraud: winning a second term by any means.
    Virginia took leadership in establishing our unique country with courage, not apathy. Time to call up our sacred honor.

Joyce Pedigo
Bedford