Difference of opinion over stimulus

Woodbridge Supervisor Frank J. Principi believes his unusual actions during Tuesday’s special Board of County Supervisors meeting on potential stimulus funds spoke louder than any vote he could have cast.

When his motion to reconsider the issue at the board’s next scheduled meeting on Sept. 14 died due to a lack of a second, he informed the board and those attending he would walk out on the subsequent vote to consider the issue in the fiscal 2012 process.

He believed that by doing so, there would be no quorum and thus, no official action by the board. Principi feared that if the board voted to postpone the decision to next fiscal year, they could jeopardize losing money that could pay for 180 new teaching positions.

However, after a brief discussion with county attorney Angela Horan, it was determined that Principi was in the room during the vote and thus, the board had a quorum necessary to pass the resolution.

Principi, a Democrat, appeared to be leaving the chambers when the four remaining board members cast a vote in the affirmative. When reached by phone Wednesday, Principi maintained his belief that no quorum was present.

“It’s creative to redefine a quorum after 100 years of legislative action,” Principi said of Horan’s decision. “It’s clear to me that a quorum is five out of eight members of board and clearly a fifth member was not present when the vote was taken.”

Occoquan Supervisor Michael C. May, who was presiding as chairman thanks to Corey A. Stewart’s absence, disagreed.

“The county attorney advised me of the ruling, as the chair, whether a quorum was present,” May said. “Supervisor Principi was present. He had every opportunity to vote. As chair, I ruled a quorum was present and the vote was legitimate.”

Principi said he would like to see Horan’s “opinion made available to the public for review and consideration.”

When asked about her ruling after the meeting, Horan referenced a part of Virginia code that does not define quorum as it pertains to the current situation. According to the commonly used Robert’s Rules of Order, a “requirement for a quorum is protection against totally unrepresentative action in the name of the body by an unduly small number of persons."

County staff did not respond to a request for further explanation of the ruling by press time.

While all supervisors agreed that the issue should be vetted further before a decision was made, Principi believed that part of the reason for the board’s decision to delay the process until the next budget season was tantamount to political posturing against spending federal money.

“All four of my Republican colleagues were in favor of the resolution and that certainly sends a political message that they are unwilling [to take stimulus money],” said Principi.

May said Tuesday’s decision to pass the resolution was not politically motivated. May referred to the recommendation by the county executive Melissa Peacor -- a non-elected official -- as proof.

“This wasn’t about politics, this was about good government,” May said Wednesday. “The issue was whether to use one time funds to pay for on going operations. That runs counter to the board’s sound financial management.”

With a balanced budget and a AAA bond rating, the county shouldn’t be accepting these funds without going through the budget process, said May.

To Principi’s point, though, several supervisors spoke to the issue of federal assistance and the national debt after the vote.

“It [the funding] will be somewhat like a grain of sand.. but folks, this is very treacherous, tenuous, wrong path to go by,” Gainesville Supervisor John T. Stirrup said.

In a letter read by May, Stewart also said he would not support taking the federal funds.