I was at the Braddock District supervisor’s debate last night, which was packed with 100+ people, mostly Cook supporters from what I could tell from bumper stickers in the parking lot (note: this was Cook’s home turn, as NLS explains). As for John Cook, I’d never seen him in action before, and my first impression was that I can see why he’s most definitely a politician (in all senses of that word) — slick and glib, but fundamentally without much “beef” there (unless you like Cuccinelli-supported Teapublicans pretending to be “moderates”). Cook also makes mistakes, despite being able to rattle off facts and figures, as the following press release from Fairfax County Board Chair Sharon Bulova, along with Democratic nominee Janet Oleszek, explains. I’d just add that if you’re looking for “slick and glib politician,” then by all means support John Cook for reelection. If, instead, you want someone who’s clearly not a politician at heart, but is a real person who cares about her community, and who shares the values of most people in Braddock District, then your choice is also clear — Janet Oleszek. Finally, if you really want a (self-described) strong fiscal conservative, you can always vote for the independent candidate in the race, Carey Campbell, who is running hard against (in his words) the “borrow and spend” incumbent.
Today the campaigns of Sharon Bulova for Chairman and Janet Oleszek for Braddock Supervisor released the following regarding the pension plans discussed in last night’s Braddock District Supervisor debate:
“John continues to misunderstand how Fairfax County maintains the stability of its pension funds“, Chairman Bulova said. We are following the guidance of our financial experts with whom I work every day and maintain a level of funding that helps to protect our retirees and current employees from being hurt by market fluctuations. His claim of being the one on the board to stand up is right, but he is standing up against good financial advice and the expertise on the boards of trustees of all three pension funds.
“I think Sharon Bulova has been doing an excellent job managing an extremely complex budget”, Janet Oleszek said. “It’s actually laughable that John tried to compare himself to Sharon at one time during the debate, while attacking her record of fiscal leadership in another part of the debate. If John wants to make this election a referendum on Sharon’s leadership of Fairfax County then I accept.“
Photo courtesy of Clifford’sPhotography
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
