Anti-Taxer Moss may return to Beach Council
By Brian Kirwin | Monday, July 18th, 2011 | PoliticsJohn Moss has to be looking at November and smiling.
Moss, who has twice served on the Virginia Beach City Council, has tried like heck to get back on. He ran and lost in 2004, lost for Mayor in 2008, and lost again for Council in 2010. He’s also applied for vacancies on Council, with no success.
But the anti-taxer might be in the right place at the right time this year.
Recently appointed Prescott Sherrod will have to face the voters in November with very little else going on citywide.
Unless the Democrats decide to run candidates in more districts, most of the city will have no other opposed campaigns on the ballot but this one. So far, only Del. Ron Villanueva’s district has a race, plus a single precinct where Sen. Ralph Northam is opposed. The voters in the 21st will effectively be where the race is won.
Moss, connected to the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance, has what his organization has always hoped for – a virtual ward race. Rarely a prolific fundraiser, Moss could compete for Council in a smaller area like a single district. TV/Radio ads aren’t as effective, and it becomes a canvass and turnout effort.
Having run in a few citywide November races helps Moss. He does have a base – it’s just never been enough to be a majority. If the citywide turnout projections don’t change, this year it just may be.
If more contested campaigns pop up, it’s not like that helps Sherrod that much either. Democrats aren’t favored to win any VB races at all, so while it makes the City Council campaign more expensive, it doesn’t tilt the electorate leftward.
Prescott Sherrod might have the worst of both worlds – an incumbent during bad economic times who hasn’t been in long enough to win anyone over. It’ll be tough for him to take credit for anything good, and voters won’t mind a bit to take out their frustrations on him for anything bad.
What could sink Moss, again, is a crowded field. Other applicants for the recent vacancy have been rumored to be considering a run: Tanya Bullock, who almost toppled Council woman Barbara Henley, and Dennis Free, chief deputy Sheriff.
Let’s be clear- Sherrod’s best hope of winning in a low turnout election is multiple challengers.
If conservatives unite around one voice, Moss might have that win that has eluded him for 7 years.
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The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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27 Responses to "Anti-Taxer Moss may return to Beach Council"
Hmmmmmm
Moss should have a good inventory of campaign literature, yard signs, buttons and other stuff he can recycle from his past campaigns to keep the cost down. He needs a good campaign manager to plant him in the center of this one.
Why wouldn’t conservatives choose to rally around Tonya Bullock, a highly respected and talented conservative activist in her own right?
Ken, they may. And if they do, she’s got a great shot. But Moss has already announced he’s running. She has not.
Tonya Bullock or Moss would be a tough choice for me. I think I would have to go with the one most likely to vote with Bill DeSteph.
Yes, the irony of a retired federal civil service bureaucrat who is the recipient of government largess for all of his retirement pay, health care, and that of his spouse as well, but who now expresses his views on capitalism, entreprenuerism, and the need for smaller government, is too much too stomach. If conservatives can’t find a standard bearer who walks the talk they have no business voting for an imposter like John Moss.
Mike, why don’t you run? You can announce your candidacy here on BD and then we will offer constructive comments about how you can get us to vote for you.
Too funny, Mike. I think he was a bit more than a civil service bureaucrat. Not just anyone could do his job, or have his credentials, some people couldn’t even get his security clearance. Funny how you left out the word “military” completely from you version of his professional life. The size of the budget he was responsible for is pretty amazing. The guy is brilliant. He knows his stuff.
Thanks Britt for confirming my view. Particularly, the comment that…”The size of the budget he was responsible for is pretty amazing.” Yes, that is exactly my point. As a civilian in the civil service bureaucracy, he was judged on how much he spent. Now, he is all criticism of spending. Seems to me he can’t have it both ways. He made his fortune ashore, as an administrative bureaucrat, building up his expenditures so he could be promoted to the next civil service level. Now, he wants us to all believe he really didn’t mean it. The President for Life of the moribund VBTA, famous for criticizing government spending, spent more than jsut about anyone else, and yet he has been dishing it out to critics for doing the same for years. His turn is next. How about that $859. hammer? Did the service really need that?
It’s telling that one of the first things that Moss has done is to try to distance himself from the VBTA. Even he tacitly admits the VBTA brand is toxic.
Moss could have had some credibility as a candidate had he made a clean break from the VBTA 3+ years ago. The problem is that he’s now too closely associated with their crazier antics to draw donors, top quality professional campaign staff, and significant endorsements.
If a mainstream Republican with name recognition (see: Tanya Bullock) gets in the race, Moss becomes a sideshow overnight.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm?
While having a late dinner, it struck me that a good model for a Sherrod – Bullock – Moss Council race would be the 2000 Mayor’s contest. You’d have Prescott as Meyera (the business community candidate), Tanya as Glenn “Corey” Corillo (the Republican establishment candidate), and Moss as Mike Arsuaga (the fringe candidate). There are two big differences here. First, Sherrod doesn’t have Oberndorf’s name recognition. Second, the minority communities would probably back Bullock, not Sherrod. Tanya wins the three way.
Wally, if you want to keep making “hmmmmm” comments, you can enter the race and be our Dick Jones.
Actually, I made a commitment to support Andrew Jackson if he decides to enter the race.
Ok, firstly, John Moss was not some bureaucrat shuffling tax dollars for departments that don’t come close to serving a constitutional specified effort.
Sure, there are fiscal abuses even in the defense department, but less talked about is how little ability they have to change some things and how much is involved with who can have a government contract. Overall a legitimate gripe, but not one assigned to Moss personally.
John Moss has over 30 years of experience of Defense Department Resource Management.
He went to ODU AND Va. Tech. I believe he has a Masters in Public Administration from one of those schools.
He also has a Masters Degree in National Defense from the National War College
Moss is among the Senior Federal Fellows Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Given the area’s military background, John brings a lot to the table. The charge that he is some hypocritical self-interested waster of government largess is simply wrong. What? You can’t serve in the military or work for the Defense Department and be a fiscal conservative?
Well Britt, sure you can be a fiscal conservative, but you should avoid being a hypocrite. Thanks for acknowledging that he has spent his entire career receiving a government paycheck, and figuring out to get more money for the agency he served, while at the same time criticizing the City and the State for trying to provide outstanding service levels for their citizens within limited budgets. Now that he is retired, he will receive his pension as he goes on criticizing the pension and health care systems for others. Point is, his hobby is criticism of other agencies for doing exactly the same thing he made his entire net worth doing himself. Frankly, whether he did a good job or not is not the issue; the issue is, he did not walk the talk, and his attempt to lecture business people about capitalism and entreprenuerism is ridiculous when you know his background.
There is nothing wrong with a government check for a legitimate job. What he did helped ensure our military readiness. There is nothing inherently wrong with working for the defense department. I am sure he didn’t agree with everything he saw at work. I am sure there were better and worse states of affairs that he was forced to deal with.
Given what Spore & council has done with Va Beach, they deserve criticism. Comparitively, Virginia is doing much better. Not sure why he would be taking the state to task except maybe on retirement issues and cheating Tidewater at every turn.
I understand you have a financial interest in light rail and other issues that would ally you with the current council. However, the national and city financial conditions are horrible. Frankly you would also benefit from a revived economy. Staying the course of blindly spending is not the path to success. The government can’t even pay you a check if it is broke. Everyone has interest in a return to fiscal responsibility. We need guys like Moss. Your buddies had their turn and obviously screwed things up badly. Seen the unemployment numbers lately? VB population isn’t exactly growing either.
Mike B does not care.. He got his.
Britt,
On light rail and population growth, the issue is how we manage future growth. Listening to Moss and Saferstein, they’re stuck in terms on thinking of 2010 patterns. What we need to look at is 2030 and beyond.
The VBTA’s notion that Virginia Beach can simply put the brakes on growth altogether flies in the face of the tax code. If you oppose LRT, you should also be advocating for a local piggyback income tax for when Property Tax revenues hit the wall. Moss and the VBTA believe they can have their cake and eat it, too.
Care to articulate why VB city council voted in progressive Will Sessoms bank employee/light rail tool.. uh whats his name?… c’mon Henry
Turbo,
Don’t blame me: I joined my good friends in the African-American community leadership by e-mailing in my support for Tanya Bullock. (It’s a FOIAble document if you want to ask the City for it.)
Well actually Britt, I do have a financial interest in light rail, as does every citizen and tax payer in this city. In case you are the last one to know, the era of suburbanization is over, and future quality growth will be dependent upon re-development and revitalization. Suburbanization died because the Commonwealth has decided it can no longer pay for roads, so growth will occur essentially where infrastructure is already in place. Now John Moss, President for Life of the moribund VBTA, wants suburbanization to increase, in full knowledge of the inherent cost of such a decadent policy, and of course he also refuses to support replacement funding from that lost from the Commonwealth. For all that education, Moss is a real dolt. He and Robert Dean have not a clue; after all, basing current public policy on books written by a dead crazed women, does not good public policy make.
Really, then explain, Mike, why your side has wrecked VB. Explain the loss of population and the closing of Plaza Elementary school due to OVERCAPACITY! That is……people LEFT!
Lastly Mike, I don’t criticize you for the financial stakes your company and you personally have in having light rail built. My highlighting motive is not meant as a a cut down. Years back, I could see looking at it. These current policies just don’t mesh with current reality.
For Henry, I know light rail would be a great thing for you. I know you say your health makes it less likely that you see the day, but I wish you the best and that you surprise everyone. I am sure you also think about others that benefit from public transit. My problem with what you just said is that you are incorrect on the growth. Hampton Roads is hardly growing. People are priced out of the area. Military moves don’t help either. VB and area has traditionally been a low cost of living and low wage area. The last several years, cost of living has far outpaced increases in wages. Light rail now would fail miserably. There aren’t the people or interest in mass purchase of commerical property built skyward. It just isn’t there. Moss is simply pointing at the naked emperor and stating the obvious.
You do have one point Henry, decades later LR might be feasible. However, the rest of VB has to live today as we try to make it to that tommorrow. These policies by council don’t make this more likely. Instead, it starves VB and makes it less likely. Seriously, Mike, a resurgent local economy would do far more for you than forced policy moves for items on your wish list.
Wrecked Virginia Beach? What planet do you live on? If you, like the moribund VBTA and the President for Life John Moss think this is such a bad place, by all means, see you later. I remain a categorical optimist about this City, and believe its best days lay ahead of us. Solid financial rating, quality growth in town center and elsewhere, great schools, the lowest tax rates in the region, the rating agencies just confirmed a triple A rating, best services and programs. This City will not live or die based upon light rail as the automobile will remain as the predominate form of transportation. But frankly, when citizens in Norfolk can ride their light rail to connect to passenger rail for a one seat ride to Boston, yes, I will wonder what was wrong with our political leadership. And for me, Moss and his fellow critics will always be to blame for giving voice to the reactionary elements in this City. Even though they are about 15% of the population they weigh the rest down with their persistent pessimism. Sorry to see Britt you are one of them.
Property Rights seems to be a big concern of conservatives, tea party, Republicans and Libertarians. So why all this support for Moss who led the charge for down-zoning which was later overturn unanimously by the courts as unconstitutional on a previous term on council?
Britt,
Virginia Beach is nearly out of greenfields north of the Green Line. We don’t have years to wait: the margin for error is gone. We either move forward with light rail, or hit a development and Property Tax revenue wall within a decade.
Fringe right politicians like Moss, who run from the impact of what would happen then, need to be held accountable for the disaster they advocate.
Mike, there have been huge budget shortfalls, the city fights with the school system over money, they closed Plaza Elementary school due to over capacity, the real estate market has come face to face with valuation realities despite what council thought about ever increasing property tax revenues being “mana from heaven”. It is council & Spore that need to realize where planet Earth is.
You bash Moss, yet here you have Wally painting him as if he is in league with you.
Henry, you are right that we are running out of land, but when there is actual demand for real estate commercial and private, there might be incentive to urbanize and bulid skyward. Then it would be feasible. Right now the demand is not there. The economy is a huge problem too. If you’re losing or stagnating on population now and property is a buyer’s market, how do you get the demand and people for urbanization.
Mike is right – VB can fall on its own. Even without light rail prematurely executed without a sensible business model.
Well Britt, you confuse casuality with results. There are always budget challenges, the school board budget was fully funded, Plaza was an old school and newer ones could handle the capacity, and yes, real estate values are adjusting to period of irrational exhuberance. That said, the Beach is in much better shape than most, and Moss and his gang of extremists have done all they can to ensure we would have to pay higher taxes. They just don’t get it that our citizens do not want enforced extreme austerity. We attract residents because we are a vital, attractive, interesting place to live. The Moss, Dean, Greenmun, Kruase image would be closer to a soviet style gray monolith with all the life sucked out of it. No thanks.
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