Check out the debate spin from Janet Oleszek’s campaign chair after debate #1: http://notlarrysabato.typepad.
And here is the debate spin from Janet Oleszek’s #1 cheerleader (and re-tweeted by her campaign chairman) after debate #2: http://bluevirginia.us/diary/
Which is their only hope, perhaps. Check out this trainwreck of an answer by Janet Oleszek on why median strips aren’t mowed:
In case you can’t or don’t want to open the video, here is a transcript of Janet’s answer:
“The reason it doesn’t present well is because we don’t have enough money in the budget. When the incumbent votes against the budget two years in a row, he votes against funding those important activities.
But not only the transportation problems and the school issues of increased need in schools. Our school system is a majority-minority school system.
The competing dollars for education, for transportation, for public safety, make this a very very nuanced job to deal with. I don’t think we’ve had that kind of leadership in Braddock District.”
Sadly, this is like an episode of LOST, in that it raises more questions than it answers, chief of which is “what the hell is she talking about?” The only bright side is that she didn’t foolishly claim that “local control of local roads”, which is in place in Henrico and Arlington County as well as independent cities, is “privatization” as she did last week.
Oh, but it gets worse. You may have noticed that Lowell, of Blue Virginia, uploaded this clip. Why, you ask, would a campaign supporter upload a video where his candidate looks so bad and the incumbent looks good? The reason why is because they believe John Cook erred in his response. Check out this sequence of tweets from Connection Newspapers:
#BraddockVA2011 – JO “When your incumbent votes against the budget 2 yrs in row, he contributes to lack of funds for various services.”
#BraddockVA2011 – Oleszek counters State stopped maintaining roads several years ago; local inmates now mow lawns. Voting against County…
#BraddockVA2011 – Oleszek: …budget, as Cook did, impacts Sheriff’s funding and abiilty to provide inmates to mow grass…
(A quick note: the first tweet is a quote from the debate, while the last two were speaking one-on-one with the reporter afterwards, after her staff could give her the new talking points.)
In short, its the state’s responsibility, but they abdicated their responsibility years ago, and turned it over to the Sheriff’s office, who deploy inmates under the supervision of deputies. The Oleszek campaign claims that budget cuts impacted the Sheriff’s office’s ability to provide this service.
However, Cook explains how this is wrong:
#BraddockVA2011 – Cook: Janet wrong. Important to understand that Sheriff doesn’t have prisoners to cover all the roads.
#BraddockVA2011 – Cook: “If you’ve got an intersection, and it’s safety hazard, Sheriff will see if he can provide inmates.”
That’s not all. Ben Tribbett explained to me, in detail, that the specific budget cuts he’s referring to is the 2008 budget, the one year that Sharon Bulova worked with the Republicans on the Board to pass. So therefore, Cook (and the bi-partisan majority who also voted for the budget) voted for the cuts to the Sheriff’s office which used their own discretion to cut deputies.
But that’s not what Janet Olezek says. She says that John Cook voted against the budget, and therefore voted against funding for the Sheriff’s office, and somehow that’s what caused the cuts to deputies. Check out the first tweet above: “”When your incumbent votes against the budget 2 yrs in row, he contributes to lack of funds for various services.” Apparently, Oleszek thinks that when a budget passes by a 7-3 vote, the County only gets 70% of the funds!
Janet and her campaign can’t get their story straight even when they confer about it before sending her out in front of reporters. And the point they were trying to make is moot because its still the state’s responsibility, which John Cook wants to fix my turning local control of roads over to the County, like they have in Arlington and Henrico.
The rest of the debate went similarly. Janet gave rambling, often incoherent answers while John Cook detailed his record of leadership and his vision for the future. Oh, there was also a sideshow when the hanger-on third-party candidate thought a winning strategy was to insult the host and the moderator.
Here’s the bottom line: John Cook is a great Supervisor who campaigned on strengthening neighborhoods, and has delivered on it. He’s been endorsed by the environment lobby, by unions, and by businesses, and is being attacked from both the far left and the far right. Meanwhile, Janet Oleszek is running on being a Democrat, endorsed by other Democrats, and is hoping to limp through sub-standard public appearances and hide the fact that she is clearly not able to understand the job she’s running for.
The choice couldn’t be more clear, but John Cook needs your help. Check out www.johncook4supervisor.com to get involved.
John Cook is a fine and capable Supervisor in Fairfax. Janet Oleszek once again shows why she has earned the nickname “The Loon”. This race really shouldn’t be close, but it is Fairfax County after all and Oleszek is a Dem backed by the local machine. Cook deserves all the support he can get.
LI – what makes this race interesting is that Oleszek is NOT supported by the local machine. Very little is being done for her mostly because both her and her campaign manager have made enemies with the Connolly machine. I’ve heard rumors of informal ticket splitting by the other Democratic candidates across Braddock candidates who don’t want to go down with the ship.
If she’s not being supported by the local machine, the glossy doorhangers with Sharon Bulova, Janet Olezek and Megan McLaughlin all together and paid for by “Friends of Braddock” I got on my door today must be fake.
I mean, they do the request “we are all on the same team” stuff on the surface . . . but trust me, few Democrat candidates are happy to share a ballot with her
Good news, Chris, she is a loon after all. Cook should win this easy.
Cuts were in the 2008 budget? But Cook was not elected Supervisor until 2009! Can we clarify this bit?
Ron, that was my mistake; I meant the 2009 budget vote.
I live in Braddock, and am an active Braddock Dem. If the schism Chris is talking about actually exists, it is a tiny fraction of people I know and talk to. Sorry!
By the way, what’s with the goofy smiles and smirks Oleszek does while Cook is talking? Did her campaign manager implant an audio device in her ear so she could hide it under her strange hairdo?
She thinks the smile makes her look friendly and like a nice person. The weird hair, sorry, I got nothing.
The Christian Conservative Independent Campbell won both Braddock Supervisor debates.
Brother Campbell is the only veteran on the ballot.
Carey Campbell is the winner in Braddock!
Who is Carey Campbell?
“Brother Campbell”???
I finally watched the video. How anyone could even consider voting for Oleszek is beyond me. What an idiot.
“Brother Campbell” the Green Party candidate, now? Lol
Does Clowncar Campbell realize how much of a buffoon he is and is playing along for fun or is he delusional enough to think any of his antics win votes?
I can’t believe that party has a candidate that makes both Will Radke and Gail Parker sound like impressive candidates by comparison.
Carey Campbell is a veteran, and the only true conservative on the ballot for Braddock Supervisor.
Campbell is a patriot, and liberty advocate!
Carey Campbell the pro-life christian conservative running for Braddock Supervisor has an article in the Connection Newspaper.
To the Editor:
Thank you for covering the Braddock District supervisor debate. Also appreciate your including our Independent Campbell campaign and participation in your coverage.
Thanks to the many people who contacted the Campbell campaign to say they think we are winning the debate on the issues, and substance with passion, heart and intelligence. Ultimately, our system of government, transparency and voters win by seeing discussion and clear differences.
Ours is an Independent campaign, filed as an Independent, running as Independent, and when elected will serve as an Independent. The article failed to mention I am an Independent conservative or conservative Independent. Your reporter represented me as a candidate of a political party. I am not.
I am the most fiscally conservative candidate in the race. Your article failed to mention that vital fact for Connection readers. Not only videos, but other reporters noted the Campbell campaign is conservative.
Our Campbell for Braddock supervisor campaign calls for the lowest property tax rate. Our Campbell campaign is for the largest cuts and shifts in spending. Other points would have made for a more fair and balanced article. Here they are.
Over a month ago, the Campbell campaign called for debates in all 27 Braddock District precincts. Just as in the campaign two years ago.
I am a very serious candidate for Braddock supervisor, a U.S. Air Force veteran and accountant. I’ve served our nation over three decades. I have served our Braddock community over 20 years — North Springfield Civic Association board and PTA member, Braddock District council member, Fairfax Federation of Civic Associations co-chair of budget and transportation committees, Braddock District Comprehensive Transportation Task Force. Education includes a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude from University of Maryland, European Division. Accounting and business studies at the University of Kentucky, and while on active duty in the U.S. Air Force study at the University of Freiburg in Germany.
In our Independent campaign two years ago, we knocked on about 40,000 doors in Braddock District. We have knocked thousands more Braddock doors this year.
For over two decades I’ve gathered hundreds of thousands of petition signatures to put Independent candidates on the ballot in Braddock District, Fairfax County and across Virginia. Decades of community work proves the seriousness of the Campbell conservative Independent campaign.
I run as an Independent because we must get beyond the partisan bickering and deadlock. We need a new Independent course. Independent because like the declaration of Independence, we must declare our independence.
We must be independent of old, dead, useless ideology.
We need be independent to be realistic, pragmatic, and reasonable.
We must be free, and independent for liberty, private enterprise and business opportunity for renewable energy. Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! In solar, wind, rail.
We need smart, intelligent multimodal transportation, bike-share, and pedestrian ways. We must be Independent to build bonds, grow our community into the safest most secure with America’s strongest schools for our children and grandkids.
Independent to stop the wanton waste of tax dollars on the fiscal and social madness of subsides for fat cat campaign contributors. We are Independent to shift resources to community building, job creating, life saving rail.
Finally in your story there was a post debate – next day exchange between the two other candidates about the same issues discussed by all in the debate. Your reporter did not contact the Campbell campaign to include our positive solutions. This is despite the fact that the Campbell campaign was and is in touch with the Connection reporter regularly.
Polls show Independent voters are the largest political group. Voters disapprove of the two smaller parties more than ever. Parties grown smaller by too many empty words, too few deeds.
Please give the Independent conservative Campbell campaign fair and equal coverage. Give Braddock voters for supervisor the opportunity to know they have a serious Independent on the ballot.
Carey Campbell (I)
Supervisor Candidate
Braddock District
Springfield
Carey Campbell’s trolls have more comments in this thread than votes they’ll get in November.