July 17, 2007 will be remembered as the day that Crosstrail was defeated. Meaning Loudoun County and the Town of Leesburg said “no thank you” to over $42 million of badly needed road improvements. The County also said no thank you to over $200 million in tax revenue over the next 20 years. The community lost an elementary school site. Residents of Leesburg and near by Loudoun lost a proven Town Center concept where they could shop, eat and be entertained in style. The Leesburg Airport lost the opportunity to acquire 40 acres of land for expansion, and the opportunity to finally make this airport financially self-sufficient. (See Train Wreck). The Town of Leesburg lost an opportunity to sell sewer and water service from their new $15 million plant. But most of all, the opportunity to have two million square feet of Class A office space occupied by Fortune 500 companies in our community is gone.
Congratulation to Kelly Burk who made it her sole purpose for the last year to defeat the Crosstrail rezoning. Congratulations to traitor Ken Reid who reneged on his pledge to his Party, and in an even more bazaar move joined with his Democratic opponent, Burk, to defeat Crosstrail. Finally, congratulations to Dennis Boykin, Chairman of the Leesburg Airport Commission, for finally getting his wish for a hobbyist airport filled with little airplanes to match his own toy.
The Mikado, a very popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera, is the story of the “crime” of flirting, for which the punishment in this Japanese city is beheading. When the audience learns that Ko-Ko, who has committed this flirtatious act with Yum-Yum, has been promoted to the position of Lord High Executioner, the cast sings, Let the Punishment Fit the Crime. A ridiculous story? Maybe. But here in our country, in modern times, strange thing are also happening.
Today in the United States we seem to be seeing an ever increasing need on the part of prosecutors, judges, legislators, and the public to “imprison not only those we fear, but those we hate”. Our jails and prisons are filled with non-violent criminals. We release both the violent and non-violent into society, many because our prisons are overcrowded, to make way for those more recently sentenced. Most of those released are not prepared to return to a non-prison environment. Seventy percent will commit another crime and return to jail. Others like John Rigas, CEO of Adelphia, and Bernie Ebbers, CEO of WorldCom, will never have a chance to commit another crime, but will most likely die in prison having received the equivalent of a death sentence. Regas, 80 and ill, is serving 20 years. Ebbers, 63, is serving 25 years.
I recently met a man who lives in Leesburg and is doing something about this American embarrassment. Pat Nolan is the president of the Justice Fellowship, a non-profit foundation that works to reform the criminal justice system. Over breakfast Pat discussed with me and two other friends his mission and his experience. Pat has been there done that. If you don’t click on any other link, please read his amazing story as reported in a recent LA Times article, He found a calling in prison. In the opinion of many Pat was framed, but found guilty and sent to prison. (After considerable research, you can consider me among those that share this belief.) Pat emerged from prison, not bitter and revengeful, but determined to make a difference in our prison system. One of my favorite quotes from Pat in the Times article was, “If hospitals were failing to heal two out of three patients, would we continue to pour money into them?”
Here in Leesburg we have just opened a new jail, which was over crowded on opening day. Plans are underway to spend millions on an expansion. How many of the prisoners are returning “guests” of Loudoun County at prices that would make a stay at the Lansdowne resort seem a bargain? How many are locked up for non-violent crimes of drug possession, perjury, etc.? I don’t know but I am going to ask – and maybe you should too.
