LTE: Read the Report, Mr. Barney

My Sterling neighbor, Tony Barney (July 19, 2013 Letter to the Editor), submitted a letter to the editor which claimed that the most relevant issues of the Eugene Delgaudio scandal were not discussed or addressed at the July 17th Board of Supervisor’s meeting. As has been the case throughout this process, I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Barney. His thesis is simply incorrect, and his solution continues to lack any realistic application. The contents of the report are what's at issue here, not Delgaudio’s public policy. When this year's budget came out, and it was announced that the Community Center and Library improvements had been pushed back to 2016, several Sterling residents went to public input to speak about the urgency of those improvements, so we all understand how important they are for Sterling.

But that is not what's at issue right now. As Supervisor Ralph Buona said repeatedly: Read the report!

First of all, the Grand Jury clearly described Supervisor Delgaudio's disdain for constituent services, and how he reprimanded employees who spent time serving constituents instead of fundraising. Having watched most of the entire meeting on Wednesday, I remember the long debate on Mr. Deglaudio's constituent services, or lack thereof. To mix metaphors, I can attest that this 'elephant' was beaten to death. Likewise the issue of political printing and mailing was also addressed. The implication that it is somehow more important than Delgaudio's well documented misuse of staff aides is confusing, since the newsletters, while blatantly political, are not typically used for fundraising the way Eugene's staff aides were. Additionally, it glosses over the fact that these staff aides were people; people who were being ordered, by threat of termination, to engage in conduct that compromised their morals and put them in legal peril.

Finally, it is important to draw attention to the impractical strategy of demanding Supervisor Delgaudio's resignation. Eugene Delgaudio will not resign. Ever. He doesn't even recognize that he did anything wrong. In today's Sterling District newsletter, he claimed he is being unfairly attacked for being conservative, despite the fact that most conservatives are disgusted by politicians like Eugene who engage in corruption and use the public's tax dollars for personal gain. He also claimed that he is being attacked for having a strong work ethic. I will attest that Eugene does have a strong work ethic, the problem is that all of the work he does is related to electioneering and/or building his hate-promoting Ponzi scheme known as Public Advocate of the United States, and never towards making Sterling a better place to live. Finally, he continues to threaten retaliation against fellow Supervisors

Even now, after everything that has happened, he truly believes that he is an innocent victim of some totalitarian conspiracy, not unlike when he claimed, that "a thug crept in through a door, threw a blanket over my head and pummeled me with a rock" - a claim he made in 2011, an event that was never reported to the police and has never substantiated by any evidence. He will never see the error in his ways, and he will never, ever, voluntarily resign his position. That is why this recall, which the citizens of Sterling initiated, is the only way Sterling is going get any legitimate representation anytime soon. 

If Mr. Barney is serious about removing Eugene Delgaudio from office, he should sign the recall petition and go to his neighbors in Sterling to collect additional signatures. Sterling Deserves Better welcomes anyone interested in helping us recall Eugene Delgaudio. Please go to www.sterlingdeservesbetter.com for more information.

Lee Hadden
Sterling, VA