Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf goes negative
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She’s the incumbent. She’s the only directly-elected Mayor Virginia Beach ever had. Why is she going negative in August?
Mayor Meyera Oberndorf took her first swipe at a key challenger Monday, saying former Vice Mayor Will Sessoms should return a $10,000 campaign donation from health care giant Amerigroup. (Virginian-Pilot)
Meyera is being outraised $428,112 to $22,870, so I guess it must be easier to ask Sessoms to give money back than to raise some herself. Funny how things change….let’s shoot back a few years.
“I’m delighted to share the podium today with Governor Warner and Mr. McWaters as we celebrate AMERIGROUP Corporation’s phenomenal growth and continuing success in this great city,” said Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf. “When we grow them in Virginia Beach, we grow them right – and we as a city do all that we can to nurture fine corporate citizens and powerful economic engines such as AMERIGROUP.” (press release)
Fine corporate citizens until campaign time, I guess.
Like $10,000 would matter considering what Sessoms has collected from other special interests?
Why shouldn’t she go negative? It amounts to free advertising and an early jab at one of her opponents. Eventhough, Sessoms is basically Oberndorf with an “R”ino after his name, Meyera would rather that she was the free spender in the mayoral seat.
If you missed Republican candidate John Moss speaking before this past Saturday’s Republican Party Breakfast, you missed something big. Moss for Mayor stickers were worn by people all over the room. Moss clearly explained how he is the alternative and how Oberndorf/Sessoms are two sides of the same coin.
It was obvious that Moss’s championing of Republican values when many Republicans refuse to do that these days, reasonated with the audience.
November elections are different than what Oberndorf is used to. I expect she might see early attacks as cost efficient and possibly use it to gather attention from her usual funding groups. Well, Sessoms claims to no longer be a “Friend of Meyera” so there will be at least some changes in potential donors.
Hey, that lady to the right of the mayor is the same lady who was interviewed in 2006 claiming Kellam was the nicest guy in the world and she has known that fmaily for years and wouldn’t believe he slapped a woman around.
Hmmm. Tat lady is everywhere. She must have a ton of money
I read Moss’ speech online. Shame he spelled Ronald Reagan’s name wrong.
Brian,
If you’re speaking of the Virginia News Source posting, notice how in the intro VNS wants to pretend Scott Taylor isn’t in the race.
Geez, wonder why he’s throwing the Moss people for such a loop….
Henry and Brian, let us be honest here. John is the only candidate that exemplifies Republican values by his track record. You can take your chances with someone like Mr. Taylor who has no track record, or you can go with someone who will no doubt be a person who Republicans can be proud to have in office. Why don’t you guys look at his track record? He’s been a member of the Republican party for… exactly the same amount of time as Brian here, and represented the values faithfully out of a true belief in them before he joined!
Frankly, I’m sick of people claiming to be conservative but not supporting people who are proven conservatives. Actions speak louder than words.
Stephen,
John Moss is a decent, intelligent man.
However, what should scare the crap out of any sane resident of Virginia Beach is Mayor Moss with the VBTA Board of Directors as his sounding board. That gang of lunatics would destroy Virginia Beach.
After Moss finishs a distant 4th, I hope he realizes the VBTA is his biggest political liability and distances himself from them. He could still run for the Bayside District Council seat in 2010.
Myra,
Jeff McWaters–Amerigroup got some bucks out of the City of Va Beach at your behest to keep 1500+ jobs here in VB instead of moving them to Texas. Oh, might I add he got some big money from the Commonwealth’s Gov Economic Dev out of then Gov..now Boy wonder Mark Warner.
Amerigroup (my employer) was pretty good then…what’s your problem now? He back’s your Republican opponent?
Scott Taylor might as well not be in the Mayor’s race. He is by no means a serious candidate. Just look at his website and his blogs. He has the writing ability of a seventh-grader.
Scott Taylor is a pretty boy with absolutely no substance. He treats his campaign as simply another way to get women. He shows blatant disregard for regulations and laws regarding running for office. The man holds poker tournaments as a means of collecting donations for the campaign. When he was advised not to do this, his response was nonchalant. “So I’ll pay a fine. Who cares? I’ll probably gain votes because people will think I’m cool.” Mr. Taylor, that is so not cool!
His media rep, Allen, does consulting for Tim Kaine. One of his most prominent female volunteers lived in sin with a man who abused her. His campaign meetings are completely disorganized and the statements made are so completely offensive. Forgive my language, but Scott once said, “F%#k the Republican Party. I don’t give a F*&k about the Republican Party. F*&k Gary Byler and F*&k Kenny Golden…” at a staff meeting.
He shuns any talk of God or religion, but trumpets his and his fake campaign manager’s “connections” to The Wave Church. At a recent volunteer event, he had his minions drag a 14-year veteran of the Virginia political arena off of his stage simply because he mentioned the name Jesus. He did not respect the long service to the Republican party of this man and simply whisked him away because he was ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Scott Taylor for Mayor is a bigger joke than “Hope” and “Change”. Will may not be perfect, but he is our best shot. Vote Sessoms for Mayor!
Scott Taylor should drop out now. He is a disgrace to this race, Virginia Beach, himself, and God.
Pretty brave comments from a fake name, an email address that isn’t yours, and an IP address that’s easily identifiable.
Good call Brian. Whoever it is seems kind of confused. If what they’re looking for is a Godly person, then John Moss should be the one they’re looking for.
I don’t want to have a massive chill on comments, and we really don’t want to get into the habit of deleting comments.
I wrote what I wrote to let people know that, on the internet, you aren’t always as anonymous as you think you are, and although I wouldn’t be likely to out someone, everyone isn’t like me.
Anonymity to take part in the debate is fine here at Bearing Drift. But anonymity just to flame and attack while thinking your identity is 100% hidden is a false assumption.
I just think its fair to make everyone aware of that. Eventually, some blog owner might call you on it.
In response to “I’m the Mayor” written by Joseph Calandra
My name is Mary Lentz Everett and I am the campaign manager for Scott Taylor who is running for Mayor of Virginia Beach. I am posting a blog in response to the scathing attack that was written by Joseph Calandra above called, “I’m the Mayor.”
First of all, I would like to say that I am extremely proud to be working for Scott Taylor and his campaign. Scott is an amazing person who is as real behind the scenes as he is when in front of voters or cameras. I chose to be apart of this campaign because I truly believe that Virginia Beach needs fresh ideas, strong leadership and change. Scott exemplifies all of these things and more. He is a dynamic leader and a fantastic example of what a public servant should look like but he is also my good friend. He is one of the most genuine people you will ever meet and instead of being consumed with politics or staus he is all about the issues and excited to improve the lives of people who live in Virginia Beach. He has a “Whatever it Takes” attitude and will do what’s necessary to get the job done right! He served our country as a Navy Seal with honor and dignity and because of all of these things I felt that Mr. Calandra’s attacks on Scott, his campaign and by-standing staff members, who never hurt Mr. Calandra or his agenda, was hateful and uncalled for.
Mr. Calandra was welcomed onto our staff with open arms and we were glad to have him as a part of our team. When we held our first volunteer kick off August 13th at Rumba, we asked Mr. Calandra to talk to the volunteers and explain what volunteers can do to help and where they are needed. Instead of doing what he was asked, he got up, introduced himself, and gave the room a 5 minute “career history,” and then proceeded to whip out his Bible and inappropriately preach to our volunteers for 10 minutes before he was politely cut off. When a staff member spoke to him concerning this incident he proceeded to say that if given the chance “he would do it all over again.”: We decided to politely part ways at that point, for nothing more than a difference in philosophy. Mr. Calandra then became angry and began to bash our campaign. When his agenda was not accepted he proved to be the very opposite of a Christian man and divinity student. He became unteachable, pompous and self-serving. Instead of exemplifying Christian qualities he exposed himself as a hypocrit. Real and authentic Christians do not bash other people with lies or “bear false witness against their neighbors.” That is what is happening here and it is very unfortunate.
So, I want to briefly address the lies that he wrote in his blog. First of all, I can assure you Mr. Calandra, and everyone else, that Scott Taylor is a serious candidate for Mayor of Virginia Beach and he is in this race to win it. He is working very hard and gaining support, donations and volunteers wherever he goes. He has a phenomenal staff who sometimes work round the clock to get the job done. You attacked him falsely by saying that “he is a pretty boy with no substance and treats his campaign as just another way to get women.” First of all, how would you know? You sat in one campaign staff meeting and came to one event. Scott Taylor is nothing but substance and his personal life is not in question here. He is a hard worker who has not only served our country but started his own business, worked extremely hard throughout his life for everything he has and put a ton of time, energy and resources into this race. Since I am Scott’s friend and you are not, I don’t think sitting in one campaign meeting makes you an expert on his motives, campaign or character qualities. And while we are on the subject of character, what right do you have to attack someone who did nothing but welcome you into his campaign as a team mate? When you were called on the carpet for doing something inappropriate and shockingly embarrassing to the campaign, instead of apologizing and being teachable you ran off and are telling lies about the very people you said you were priviledged to work with! Where is the character in that?
Second, Scott Taylor has never held a poker tournament for fundraising purposes and our campaign has not broken any rules or regulations where the campaign is concerned. Scott and his executive team take all rules and regulations very seriously and they are strictly adhered to. I would love to see Mr. Calandra’s proof of this allegation because none exists.
Third, our Media Rep is not working for Tim Caine and I thought it was blatently offensive that Mr. Calandra would drag one of our volunteers and her personal life into the mud along with his agenda pushing and character bashing. This yet again, proves that the morals he claims to have and the relationship with “Jesus” that he so boldly preaches about at inappropriate times is nothing more than talk.
Fourth and most importantly, Scott does not currently, nor has he ever shunned mentioning religion or God. He trumpets nothing concerning his own faith. Moreover, since you called my personal relationship with Jesus and my motives into question Mr. Calandra, I will speak to that loud and clear.First of all, my faith is none of your business but I have had a personal relationship with Jesus since I was 5 and not only do I attend Wave Church, it is my church home where two of my siblings are on staff as pastors. We do not misuse any “connections” or abuse our relationships there. I was mortified watching you preach inappropriately to a group of volunteers who were there to hear about Scott’s campaign and how they could help. There is a time and a place for everything and that was not it. My relationship with God is absolutely real and unlike you I do not believe in shoving it down people’s throats at the wrong time and place. You weren’t politely pulled off the platform for just using the name of Jesus once (as you claimed above) you preached for 10 minutes before we gracefully cut you off. No one disrespected you in anyway, you disrespected our campaign and volunteers.
Scott Taylor is not the joke Mr. Calandra, you are, and it might be good to re-evaluate your motives before you continue in politics because people can smell a fake from a mile away. You should be ashamed of yourself for dragging God into this at all, for slandering people who have done nothing to you and for forcing your agenda on a campaign that is only working towards positive change in this city.
I have worked in Virginia politics for a long time now, worked on numerous campaigns and I am proud to be working with Scott and our team. We have amazing people on our staff who care about Virginia Beach and the people who live in it and are only doing this to make our city a better place to live. It would be who of you Mr. Calandra, and people like you, to think about being the ones to get out of politics. Our city doesn’t need another slick talking, self centered, insincere, personal agenda pushing politician. What we need are people who will look for the positive and find solutions to big problems. People who care about their neighbors and will go after change with gusto! That is what our campaign is all about! The tide and climate of politics are about to change in this city Mr. Calandra, and your 15 minutes of fame are up. It is now time for serious people with serious plans to step forward and lead our city and one of those people who will do a great job is Scott Taylor.
I hope you will take the time to visit our website (www.scotttaylor2008.com) and decide for yourself. I am confident that if you ever get the chance to meet my friend Scott Taylor you will agree that he has everything it takes and more to be the new Mayor of Virginia Beach!
I am Scott Taylor’s sister, I have to say that reading this posting would have been hilarious if it hadn’t of angered me so much. The reason I say it would have been hilarious is because of all the false accusations. Anyone who has ever met my brother will read this and know without a doubt that these are lies. Scott is a SERIOUS candidate and it would be a big mistake for anyone to underestimate him as such. Scott lives his life everyday doing things 110%, with passion, and integrity. Scott is my brother, my business partner, my best friend, and has been a role model for me and my son our entire lives. We are from a small town and were raised by a single mother of 3. My brother began working & paying taxes at 10 years old on a chicken farm. He defines what it means to be hard working and always giving everything your all. He motivates me and others to always do the same, give it your best and always push yourself to be the best that you can be. My brother would NEVER say, “So people will think I am cool!” That is so hilarious, because once again, anyone that has ever met him, even 1 time, would know he wouldn’t say this. Everything that was stated in your blog is just a blatant lie. I just can’t believe that you would lie this way. I have to say in the 1 meeting you attended, you came off as a positive, high energy, person. Someone we were eager to have on board. And even after you started preaching at the event on 08/13, we still wanted you as part of the team. Of course, like I read in another response, there is a time and place and your sermon wasn’t in the right place. I have a very strong faith, but I do believe in freedom of religion. I don’t think that a volunteer meeting is the place to express your religious views. No one is knocking religion or questioning your beliefs, it’s just that YOUR BELIEFS, which you are certainly entitled to, ARE NOT Scott’s message that we are trying to convey. I think you should be ashamed of yourself the way you are trying to push your own AGENDA!! You JOE are the DISGRACE. Meeting women in a romantic way is the last thing on his mind. Scott is consumed with educating himself on issues and talking to people of our community to see what their issues are. You talk of disgrace, you didn’t think twice to leave the event on the 13th of August without even closing your BAR TAB. I had to pay it!! The waiter came up to me and said that you didn’t pay for your drinks; you were nowhere to be found. So, I said no problem, I’ll take care of it and I never even mentioned it till now. I think after reading your blog, you have really shown your true self, and I can say, I would NEVER EVER want a pastor that conducts them self in this manner.
Why Scott Taylor for Mayor?
Everyone in Hampton Roads needs to know the difference between Politicians running for Mayor of Virginia Beach,
…and People who care about people.
In 2001 after 9-11, I transferred to SEAL Team 4 from San Diego, CA. I joined a platoon with a number of spirited personalities and charged up overachievers.
One of them was Scott Taylor.
As time progressed, I decided to purchase my first home and was assisted in my search by Scott, who was building his real estate business part time.
Scott made several key choices with perfect timing that allowed me to find , and secure a contract on, a brand new construction, just minutes before another buyer walked into the same office determined to buy it.
I was thrilled!
Enter the military pay system.
Before I was able to close, my Navy pay was misprocessed and I received two short paychecks…one for $24…the second for $27.
This obviously caused me to use my savings for living expenses. When it was time to close, I did not have enough money to close on the house.
Enter Scott Taylor
Instead of taking commission in the closing, he used the money he would have made and paid for my closing costs! This insured I was able to not only get this great deal in a very competitive market, at the time,
…but that I had a home to live in of my own.
In this “political” day and age, who can you name that will fore go their own financial gain to fill in the gaps of loss for someone else and care about what ethically matters most…relationships?
November 4, 2008 is the day to vote for the new Mayor of Virginia Beach.
I am voting for Scott Taylor and I strongly encourage you to do the same.
…He is Going Where We All Need to Go!…towards prioritizing people over projects, finances, and personal gain.
Virginia Beach needs THIS change!!
The icing on the cake of this story, is that less then a year after Scott made that closing possible…I sold that property…
….for over $30,000 profit.
Scott’s SACRIFICE allowed someone else to to receive the INCREASE!
This is the best type of leader we can hope for in Virginia Beach!
Dear Mr. Calandra;
I take keyboard in hand, not to defend Scott Taylor from your unwarranted attack, but to reflect on the pause your inappropriate message gave to me and I’m sure to others. You are so wrong on so many fronts and in so many ways it is impossible to know where to begin with a point by point rebuttal, so I thought based upon some serious research over the decades I would attempt to provide some idea of what historical figures might have said if they had been forced to witness your out of context biblical tirade and read your silly little blog. These were significant people, so I’m sure you won’t understand them any better than you do Scott who is probably the only significant person to whom you have been exposed.
Right up front I’m sure Faulkner would have looked over his glasses and said: “He obviously has never written a word that would send a reader to a dictionary.” And Abe Lincoln might have joined in with: “He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.” And John Bright might observe: “He is a self made man and worships his creator.”
When asked of the contribution you made I think a few would have these observations:
“He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others.”
- Samuel Johnson
“He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.” - Robert Redford
“They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human
knowledge.”
- Thomas Brackett Reed
And when asked of the character of the Joe who would perform and write this way I can see these replies:
“A modest little person, with much to be modest about.”
- Winston Churchill
“He had delusions of adequacy.”
- Walter Kerr
And finally this precious tip for you to know about yourself in the future:
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.”
- Oscar Wilde
Normally I would end with well wishes for a good future, but in your case I’ll make an exception.
Cordially,
Paul
I do not like either of the two main characters.
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