by The Sheriff of Nottingham
The Sheriff of Nottingham in Prince William County

The following blog post falls into the category of “You just can’t make this stuff up.”

The Sheriff received a report from a Birdie at McCoart that claimed that the County Executive Melissa Peacor had blown a gasket at the fact that Supervisor Candland had dared to convene a meeting with the new Executive Director of the Economic Development Office, Jeff Kaczmarek without first seeking Ms. Peacor’s permission.

The deadly sin by Candland was that he was discussing an idea for a creative way to develop a public-private partnership to fund new park development and wanted to explore with Mr. Kaczmarek whether the concept had merit.

The Birdie claims Peacor dressed down Kaczmarek for daring to meet with Supervisor Candland without her prior approval, and then fired off an email to Candland instructing him that if he wanted to have any meetings with County staff heads then he would have to ask her permission first.

Mommy may I?

This is surely one of the most incredible overreaches of power that the Sheriff can conjure up in his wildest of dreams, even from Budget Dominatrix Peacor herself.

It is official.  The term “Budget” is heretofore struck from the Sheriff’s lexicon with reference to the County Executive.

It is now, and forever will be, simply Dominatrix Peacor.

First, consider the parties involved in this illicit meeting.

Economic Development Director Kaczmarek and Supervisor Candland are both adults.  The are both above the age of consent.  What they do behind closed doors is their own business.

Sorry, The Sheriff went a little off message there, and slipped into the other big issue of importance.

Kaczmarek was hired for his expertise on all issues dealing with economic development, and ostensibly his skills are far more honed on these issues that Dominatrix Peacor’s.

Supervisor Candland is a duly elected member of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.  It was the citizens who entrusted him (as it is equally true for each of the seven other Board Members) with the responsibility to make decisions on their behalf and to serve their interests.  Mr. Candland was not hand-picked and hired by Chairman Stewart and given the job assignment to go off and do his personal bidding.

To be completely fair to Dominatrix Peacor, she has done a most fine job at serving the every whim and thought Chairman Stewart may expect of her.

But, of great importance, each Supervisor took an Oath of Office to “faithfully and impartially discharge all duties incumbent upon me as a Supervisor.”

At last check, the proposed language that Dominatrix Peacor was recommending — “and to ask permission for any action I may wish to take from, and to follow all directions of, County Executive Peacor” had not been officially approved.

But Dominatrix Peacor, with the apparent blessing of the Chairman himself, has already implemented the policy and currently holds the iron fist over any County Department head from meeting with a member of the Board of County Supervisors without that Supervisor having requested and received prior approval for the meeting.

Like The Sheriff said, you just cannot make this stuff up.

Specifically, Ms. Peacor, following her meeting with Economic Development Director Kaszmarek, fired off an email that directed Supervisor Candland to clear any discussions with County staff with her BEFORE any meetings took place.

The Birdies report that Candland fired right back that he wasn’t aware of any policy that required that he ask Ms. Peacor for permission to discuss anything he chose to discuss with County staff, and cited the Supervisors’ Rules and Procedures as not containing any such provision.

Then Candland asked that the County Attorney to inform him if his interpretation of the Rules was mistaken.

Mr. Candland apparently does not read The Sheriff’s blog or he would have known that asking the County Attorney for any actual independent legal opinion would get him absolutely nowhere.

In fact, The Sheriff is certain Ms. Horan is now busily creating all sorts of legal mumbo-jumbo to put in a confidential and never-to-be-revealed memorandum to Supervisor Candland telling him to shut up and listen to Mommy Peacor.

Here is the bottom line:  When the time has come that an elected official whose duty requires independence and judgment becomes the servant of the unelected County Executive here in Prince William County, then it is time to get rid of the unelected County Executive.

The Sheriff has one other beef to get off his chest.

This beef is with Supervisor Candland himself.

Why did The Sheriff have to find out about this usurpation of power by Dominatrix Peacor from a Birdie at McCoart?

Why did you not confront this issue loudly and clearly at the Board Meeting on Tuesday.

It is not a private matter between Supervisor Candland and Ms. Peacor.

The issue strikes at the very heart of the purpose for which independent Supervisors are elected by the citizens.

It is, in fact, a monumental issue that speaks to whether any of the current Board members will actually tolerate being subjected to a requirement that they get prior approval from Ms. Peacor before they dare to ask for information or the opinions of a County Department Head, or any County employee for that matter, on some issue of importance to the people who elected them in the first place.

Mrs. Sheriff likes to tell The Sheriff that he should quit when he is ahead.

Because The Sheriff has never really understood what that means, here is a final question:

Mrs. Peacor.  Could you please provide a copy to The Sheriff of the permission slip allowing Economic Development Director Jeffrey Kaszmarek to slip off to China for ten days with his Man-Bro Chairman Mao-Tse Stewart?

by The Sheriff of Nottingham
The Sheriff of Nottingham in Prince William County

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