PWCBG e-mails to citizens urging input on Rural Crescent study/citizen survey

We followed up on it and the staff indicated that even though you could vote multiple times, they have a method of tracking the IP addresses to ensure there is no “ballot stuffing.”  As far as the results, we have not seen them yet, but the staff indicates there was no evidence of this being an issue.  The planning staff is scheduled to present information on the rural study at next Tuesday’s meeting (and I am told they will address this concern publicly to the Board to reassure everyone that the survey is sound).  At this point, I have no inside track on what the BOCS will want to do with the results–but we should learn more on Tuesday so stay tuned!

Hope that helps and thanks again for the heads up!

-Mike

Michael C. May
Occoquan District Supervisor
2241-K Tackett’s Mill Drive
Woodbridge, Virginia 22192
(703) 792-4643 (phone)
(703) 792-4833 (fax)

________________________________

From: Ralph Stephenson [mailto: e-mail address] Sent: Thu 10/10/2013 10:33 AM
To: May, Michael C.
Subject: Re: Mike PLS NOTE Security Hole in Important Survey from PW County (Last Day 26 Sep): The Rural Crescent, Love It or Lose It

Hi, Mike.  Tks for your response below.

Were you able to find out anything about this security hole in the Rural Crescent survey?  Also, do you know what, if anything, the BOCS has concluded from the study and survey and what it intends to do with the results?    Rgds, Ralph

On 9/26/2013 11:46 AM, May, Michael C. wrote:

Ralph-
Thanks for the heads up and the kind words. I will look into it and see what I can find out.
-Mike

—–Original Message—–
From: Ralph Stephenson [e-mail address] Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2013 01:28 AM Eastern Standard Time
To: May, Michael C.
Subject: Mike PLS NOTE Security Hole in Important Survey from PW County (Last Day 26 Sep): The Rural Crescent, Love It or Lose It

Hi, Mike.  A friend of mine has discovered a security hole in the PW County survey:  one person can easily submit the survey one or more times.  This is not conjecture on my part; as of this evening I know for a fact that it can be done.  Is there anything the county has done to prevent what could easily result in ballot box stuffing, in effect, by interested parties on this survey?

Since there’s only one party to residential development issues that has the organization and economic motive, as well as the repeatedly demonstrated inclination, to resort to corrupt, underhanded, and deceitful means to influence the Board and public opinion to get its way — i.e., some of the developers and their employees — it’s likely that they’ve already tested for such an obvious security flaw in the survey.  If they’ve tested for it, they know it’s there.  If they know it’s there and they can submit multiple surveys per person anonymously — and they can do all this — it’s unlikely that they haven’t already taken advantage of it.

Could you quietly investigate this possibility?   I appreciate your honesty and consistently pro-balanced-growth positions as a member of the Board.   Ralph

——– Original Message ——–
Subject:     Important Survey from PW County (Last Day 26 Sep): The Rural Crescent, Love It or Lose It
Date:     Mon, 09 Sep 2013 23:12:53 -0400
From:     Ralph Stephenson <e-mail address>
To:     Stephenson, Ralph <e-mail address>
CC:     BOCS, Prince William County <BOCS@pwcgov.org> <mailto:BOCS@pwcgov.org>

All:  Please spend 15-20 minutes or so filling out the survey below from Prince William County Government asking for your views on whether the Rural Crescent in the County should be preserved.  Note that the survey closes 27 Sep, so please fill out/submit before then.

This is what the county is using to determine the future of the rural area, under intense pressure from developers.  Please fill out the survey, add your comments, and pass the link along accordingly.   I am very confident that developers and their employees are busy filling out the survey, but it is important that everyone’s views — and not just those of developers — are taken into consideration.

The link to the survey is below.  Make sure to SCROLL down past the map to click “next” to get to the actual survey.  Make sure your voice is heard.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWCRuralPreservationSurvey <https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWCRuralPreservationSurvey>

You might be interested to know that the most obvious backer of this “review” of the Rural Crescent has been Prince William County Supervisor Marty Nohe of Coles District, an unapologetic supporter of virtually any residential development, particularly development in the Gainesville and Brentsville Districts where most of you live, all of which is indirectly taxpayer-subsidized because PW County has the lowest proffer rates in Northern Virginia (meaning that developers pay relatively little for the public services required for new residential development.)  Mr. Nohe receives very large sums of campaign money from Northern Virginia developer interests, particularly big developers outside PW County.

This link shows gives you more info on Mr. Nohe, including how/when he publicly began his campaign to “review” the Rural Crescent (i.e., opening it up to suburban sprawl):

http://pwcbg.org/SupervisorPositions.html#Nohe

Two of Nohe’s closest pro-developer allies on the PW Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) are Wally Covington, who owns large tracts of land along the Rural Crescent and Vint Hill Road, and Chairman of the BOCS Corey Stewart, who was first elected on a balanced/managed growth agenda, but then changed his mind and became avidly pro-growth after deciding to run for statewide office and receiving $100s of thousands of dollars from developers.  Both Covington and Stewart’s voting records in recent years have shown a strong tendency to support indirectly-taxpayer-subsidized suburban sprawl and development in the Rural Crescent, in contradiction of longstanding county policy to keep this area rural.

These links give background on Covington and Stewart’s motivations for supporting development of the Rural Crescent:

http://pwcbg.org/SupervisorPositions.html#Covington

http://pwcbg.org/SupervisorPositions.html#Stewart

Rgds to all,  Ralph