Loudoun Democrats Respond to Delgaudio Committee Ban

The Loudoun County Democratic Committee issued the following statement today regarding the Loudoun Board of Supervisors’ removal of Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) from standing committees.

The move, which received a response from Delgaudio’s attorney, denies Delgaudio a vote in board committees, but does not bar him from attending meetings.

Here is the full LCDC statement:

Last night, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors stripped Sterling Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio of his committee assignments. LCDC Chair Evan Macbeth made the following statement in response to this action:

“Serious allegations of wrongdoing were lodged against Sterling Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio last March, and revealed to Board Chairman Scott York within days. Chairman York sat on those allegations for six months, revealing them in public only after the Washington Post splashed them across the front page in September. At that time, the Loudoun County Democratic Committee called for Delgaudio’s resignation and, failing that, called for York and the Board to strip Delgaudio of his Committee assignments. The Board ignored our calls and rallied around Delgaudio.

As the allegations against Delgaudio simmered and garnered continuing media attention – investigations were started and stopped, York admitted he hid evidence – the LCDC continually called for Delgaudio to be stripped of his Committee assignments. The Board stood silent.

[Editor’s note: York explained during a town hall meeting that he had not turned documents over to investigators because he assumed they would receive their own copies.]

In mid-November, one Supervisor – Shawn Williams from Broad Run – agreed with the LCDC, and proposed to take action. He was shut down by York’s procedural move. No other Supervisor joined with Williams and stood against Delgaudio.

Now, four months after the serious allegations surfaced publicly – 10 months after they landed on York’s desk – the Board finally has moved against Delgaudio, failing to assign him to any Committees for 2013.

While I applaud the Board’s actions, the delays and excuses of the past four months have raised a cloud of suspicion that the members of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors care more about their personal power and political allegiances than they do about good government and the appearances of improprieties.

I want to believe this action against Delgaudio marks the beginning of new era for this Board, but experience warns me not to get my hopes up.”