Posted on 08/03/2006 11:49:48 AM PDT by bigsky
The story seems very familiar to people who follow Republican politics, but it is also out of tomorrow’s headlines: Sean Connaughton (R-at large), chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors (about as close as one gets to being a big city mayor in the Old Dominion), has recently been tapped by President Bush to be administrator of the Maritime Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Although Connaughton—a moderate Republican and close ally of House Government Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.) has yet to be confirmed by the Senate, Republicans in the county are already making preparations to nominate a successor in the special election to succeed him later this year.
Squaring off for nomination at the special county GOP convention scheduled for August 19 are County Supervisors Corey Stewart (R.-Occoquan) and Maureen Caddigan (R.-Dumfries). Although the names mean little to people outside the county, they are symbols of the ideological dynamics going on within the Virginia Republican Party: Stewart is a stalwart conservative, an opponent of spending and taxes, and is not close to the outgoing chairman. Caddigan is “the Connaughton candidate,” a fellow moderate GOPer who has marched in stepped with the chairman’s spending policies that have made him unpopular with conservatives.
“Under the current chairman, the population of Prince William County has grown 32% and the spending by government has grown 120%,” noted County Supervisor John Stirrup (R.-Gainesville), a former Reagan Administration official and Stewart’s campaign chairman, “You would not see anything approaching that under a ‘Chairman Stewart.’” Recalling Connaughton’s confrontational style with conservatives on the county board, Stirrup added that if Stewart succeeds him, “you will see a far more collegial atmosphere on the board.”
The coming clash between conservative Stewart and moderate Caddigan is, in effect, a proxy of the Republican primary battle for lieutenant governor last year. In that race, Connaughton himself was beaten for nomination by conservative State Sen. Bill Bolling, who went on to win the second-highest office in the state. Caddigan was a strong backer of Connaughton while Stewart, along with local conservatives such as John Stirrup and fellow activist-wife Heidi, walked precincts for Bolling.
Copyright © 2006 HUMAN EVENTS. All Rights Reserved.
Richmond ping.
Add me to your ping list please.
I live in Fairfax, not Prince William, but anybody who has spent time in Prince William over the past decade or two can tell you that the county has changed radically from almost rural to almost urban.
The county needed/needs more new roads, schools, junior college, college, libraries, police, bigger courthouse, more judges, more inspectors.
I know business people whose business expansions are delayed because there aren't enough building and zoning inspectors to go 'round.
To me, these are not issues of "soul," they're issues of good government, performing essential government functions fairly, honestly, and efficiently.
Okay, as someone who knows both Stewart and Caddigan personally, they're both conservatives and vote the same way about 99 percent of the time. We'll be in good hands either way. In fact, there have been times where the two of them along with Stirrup have formed a voting block on issues.
When I lived in PW County Caddigan was a liberal who voted with the majority Democrats. Now she's a moderate Republican voting with the majority Republicans. She's a cameleon who floats with the wind. Someone like that can't be trusted.
You're added!
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