Stevens Miller Got Served...By a Fellow Loudoun Supervisor

The Washington Post, during a recent Loudoun County Board of Supervisors meeting, there was a contentious vote in deciding whether or not a lobbyist would be appointed to a third term in the Loudoun Health Council. This lobbyist worked against autism legislation outside her capacity on the Loudoun Health Council (rather, she was working on behalf of a professional client, Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, who knew this legislation would hurt small businesses, as they do not have the funds to help pay for what was covered in this bill), while the bill was being debated in Richmond (note: Richmond, not Loudoun County). Mindy Williams works for a professional lobbying firm in Fairfax, and she was not required to disclose her work with other clients.

Guess who decided to speak up to flaunt his race for Delegate and call for the ouster of this member of the Loudoun Health Council? Stevens Miller. Miller actually did more than call for the ouster, rather he tried to block her appointment.

"Parent after parent of autistic children have come to me, asking for us and the Chamber to some gesture of compassion and send someone else to Richmond," Miller said Tuesday before the vote. "In my view, this person had a conflict of interest...It's an egregious insult and, if this person is confirmed, I will seek to have this seat removed from the Health Council."

Miller said he met with Williams as a supervisor last year to discuss autism legislation without her telling him she was a paid lobbyist against the bills.

"Had I known that, I would have chosen my words very differently," he said.

Miller has also used autism legislation as a chief component of his campaign for House delegate.

Supervisor Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) said Williams's re-appointment to the volunteer position was "being used to raise an issue that's not there." She bluntly said Miller was using the debate as a political tool.

"This item uses the autistic community in a cruel and selfish manner," she said.

So...Miller was using this as a political tool. At least, Supervisor Burk had the guts to call him out on playing politics, rather than leading. In fact, I am curious if Miller will use this tactic, if elected as a Delegate in Richmond.

Hard Work is all in a day's work...Supposedly

As mentioned in a previous post, I had indicated that Dulles Supervisor Stevens Miller voted for a pay increase that would have been triple his salary, as a part-time county supervisor.  The Loudoun Times reported in February 2008 that Miller had some frustrations with the demands of the job. 

At a recent breakfast with the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, he said board members should be paid more. He currently makes $41,200 a year as a supervisor. The position is considered part-time.

At Tuesday's meeting, he voiced his frustration at the workload placed upon supervisors.

"No one told you had to work this hard," he said mostly in jest. "Perhaps someone should have told me this before I took the job."

Also, during a series of votes on whether the board would support or oppose certain bills coursing through the General Assembly, Miller vented that supervisors were not given adequate time to pour through the legislation thoroughly enough to formulate an opinion.

If Miller had reservations about being a supervisor, then why does he believe that those in the 86th District should elect him as their delegate?