Response to John Williamson’s July 10 Letter to the Editor
You know what they say… “when you start receiving flak, you know you’re over the target.” Mr. John Williamson’s verbal assaults on me and “our group” consist entirely of false statements, distortions, and blatant misrepresentations. My following responses will address each of these misstatements individually:
- Misstatement 1– There is an entity called the Dean group. The reality is, I am the chairman of the Botetourt County Republican Committee (BCRC) and as such I am subject to the bylaws which require prior approval of both the executive committee and general committee for any actions that I undertake in representing the general committee. The committee members are a diverse group of county residents who vote to approve any representative action taken by me as the chair. I do not make unilateral decisions, nor does the committee speak for every individual in the county. These citizens can and do stand up for themselves.
- Misstatement 2 – The BCRC has been in decline since my installment. Truth is, the BCRC membership is at an all-time high with our monthly meetings very well attended. What Mr. Williamson really objects to is that most of the BCRC membership disagrees with his philosophy of tax and spend, spend and tax governance of this county.
- Misstatement 3 – The BCRC members attacked the supervisors in various venues with vitriol, disrespect, and false accusations. Not surprisingly, the BCRC members and others spoke powerfully, eloquently, and from the heart about their concerns with the proposed dramatic budget increase and increased taxation. Public comments and yes, objection is the right and duty of every citizen!
- Misstatement 4 – The Dean group provided no realistic or actionable reductions to the proposed budget. The BCRC members and others objected to the budget on two grounds, 1) The budget procedure is flawed. Each department is asked to provide their wish list for budget increases. The administration then makes insignificant reductions to the proposed increased spending, and pats themselves on the back for a job well done. They never consider a cut in any part of the county’s budget. This process resulted in a 2025 budget increase of 16.3% which is a $13,142,691 increase from the 2023-2024 spending, with a marked increase of the citizens’ taxes. It should not be lost on Mr. Williamson that county citizens who are already financially strapped by out-of-control inflation, were incensed by these numbers. 2) We absolutely did make several explicit proposals to reduce the budget. Mr. Williamson knows this; he was at the June 24 BCRC meeting and heard it for himself. Also, I have to assume that Mr. Williamson is unaware that Virginia law recommends “net neutral “rate budgeting.
- Misstatement 5 – A “net neutral” rate would have degraded law enforcement and emergency response times. This is the typical scare tactic offered to rebut objections to increased spending. The administration’s “sleight of hand” made it sound as if any decrease in the proposed rate of increased spending would result in a cut in the currently budgeted services. Any honest analysis will confirm that is simply not the case!
- Misstatement 6 – Statements made by the BCRC members led to death threats against the Board of Supervisors. This is an outrageous defamation! A disturbed individual, with prior felony convictions, and no affiliation with the BCRC, was arrested in connection with this threat. I strongly reiterate, this individual has no connection with the BCRC.
- Misstatement 7 – The BCRC opposed the library foundation funding because of a paranoid belief that such funding would be used to purchase pornography to poison the minds of children. It is well known that this is a nationwide problem, not unique to Botetourt County. One of the books currently residing in our Fincastle and Blue Ridge libraries is “The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families” for ages 8-12 published in 2020. This is one of over 300 of these types of books in our libraries and readily available to young children without parental consent! And, there are probably more than we know about! We invite Mr. Williamson to visit any of the county’s local libraries and check out this book and if he has the courage to read it, let him then try and defend his position that ours is a “paranoid” belief.
- Misstatement 8 – Dean and the BCRC are pursuing a recall petition against the current Board of Supervisors. This is another blatantly false, defamatory accusation. There is a private effort underway, but it is not endorsed by the BCRC.
Mr. Williamson does correctly pontificate on the close win in a low turnout election. Here is a disconcerting fact. There are approximately 26,000 registered voters in Botetourt County and only 524 came out to vote in the March 23 election. Also, only 1,728 voted in the US Senate primary election.
That is a sad commentary on the state of the county’s citizenship participation. Nevertheless, we cannot place all the blame on the apathy of the citizens when you have a county Board of Supervisors and School Board that refuse to listen to those who vote for them. The citizens are simply demoralized by this ongoing disrespect and I am hopeful that through our efforts in the BCRC we can help change that perception.
I want all the citizens of Botetourt County to know about the re-constituted BCRC. This BCRC is sanctioned by the Virginia Republican Party, as in the past, but we are actually working to further a true conservative agenda of the Republican Party at the county and state level. Membership in the BCRC is open to all residents of Botetourt County.
The BCRC is open to all residents of Botetourt County. Our primary goal is to recruit, support and get elected qualified candidates for local and state political offices who will adhere to the Republican principles of fiscal and social responsibility. Everything the BCRC is working to accomplish is for the benefit of all citizens of Botetourt County. I invite you to visit our website at mybcrc.com for more information. If you like what you see, join our community of like-minded citizens. We are growing, come grow with us!
Steve Dean, Chairman
Botetourt County Republican Committee
Reader wants supervisors to reconsider ordinance changes
I am a firm believer in individual property rights and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as based on the Constitution and the principles this country was founded on. Upon reading the proposed changes to the ordinances concerning vegetation control and unlicensed vehicles, I feel this would be another step towards taking away these rights. These changes would make the Administrator’s Office the judge, jury, and executioner on these issues with no recourse for whoever is being targeted.
As for the requirement to keep grass below 12 inches, this would adversely affect properties that were “A-1” until a blanket rezoning several years ago changed them to “Residential.” They generally are several acres in size and are still used for hay production.
Concerning unlicensed vehicles, there are several valid reasons why someone may have them. There are vehicles used in farming or logging exclusively off-road, with no reason to be licensed or inspected. There are also those who collect/restore vehicles as a hobby. Or maybe just for a personal reason they may want to have them.
I am by no means implying that anyone should be allowed to turn their property into a commercial landfill or dump, create a public health hazard, or encroach on neighboring property, or public lands or rights of way.
In closing, I think the powers that be are already doing a satisfactory job in this area. Giving the virtually unlimited authority to the Administrator’s Office would open the door for so-called “witch hunts” by persons or groups who, maybe for personal reasons or potential personal gain, would pursue enforcement of this ordinance.
I hope that when this comes up for vote at the supervisors’ meeting on July 23, that they will consider this and reject, or at least postpone for further consideration, these proposed changes.
James Norris
Cloverdale
Reader says BCRC letter was inaccurate
Inaccurate statements have appeared in these pages about the Botetourt County Republican Committee (BCRC). I would like to offer some corrections.
First, Mr. Steve Dean and the rest of the leadership of the BCRC were elected at a public meeting, duly advertised and open to all county Republicans. Current party leadership members were elected in an open nominating process and through voice votes. I was present at the meeting and I can attest that there were NO dissenting voices raised against any of the current leaders.
If nominal Republicans in Botetourt are unhappy with the results, perhaps they should have shown up at the mass meeting and brought their like-minded friends. You cannot expect to control a local party by sitting at home. The world is run by the people who show up, as my old boss, Ronald Reagan, used to say.
Second, meetings of the Board of Supervisors are videotaped and available online. Anyone can watch recent meetings in which the board’s enormous tax increases were discussed. Far from being raucous and vitriolic, citizens’ comments were measured and fact-based. If they were not as genteel or fawning as the board members are used to, that’s a board problem, not a citizens’ problem.
Elected officials have a tendency to forget that we, the people, don’t work for them. They work for us. If the current board members expected that board meetings would be love-feasts or that none of their decisions would raise taxpayers’ ire, they were hopelessly naïve.
Under the Supreme Court’s unanimous 1964 Sullivan decision, citizens do not have to be polite, respectful, deferential or submissive in talking to, or about, elected politicians. Moreover, it is the politicians who have the burden of proof in showing “actual malice” on the part of a citizen, a journalist, or an opposing candidate. Disagreement is not malice.
Attempting to bypass the required proof and simply link sharply worded and passionately felt objections to the man accused of vandalism and threats is an example of baseless guilt-by-association reminiscent of the worst days of Sen. Joe McCarthy.
As a former party chair myself, I know it is the legitimate role of a local political party committee to monitor the actions of elected officials, especially officials in the same political party. If this is something new for the Botetourt Board of Supervisors, or for the go-along, get-along crowd, I would advise them to get used to it.
Dr. Ed Lynch
Cloverdale
Dean brought back the Republican Creed
Regarding John Williamson’s letter to the editor on July 10 attacking Steve Dean and the BCRC (Botetourt County Republican Committee), God bless Steve Dean for bringing back the missing Republican Creed to the Republican Committee. For too long the Committee has stood for and achieved next to nothing while supporting non-conservatives for local office.
As Republicans, we expect our public servants to be socially and fiscally conservative. The current crop, with the exception of Walter Michael, has proven by their actions to be none of the above. Regular folks are rising up to stand against the transformation of our county into a congested, debt-ridden, high-tax, progressive playground.
Charles Ruhl
Fincastle
