Fireworks Likely At Roanoke County Board Meeting 8-28-12
on August 23rd, 2012 at 6:30 am
Mike Altizer: The Key To The ICLEI Vote
The issue of property rights and Agenda 21 is getting ready to create verbal fireworks once again in Roanoke County on 8-28.
In case you aren’t familiar with ICLEI or Agenda 21 click here and here for a quick primer.
We have a task force working specifically to convince the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors to pull out of ICLEI. ICLEI’s stated goals are to further their U.N. partners Agenda 21 goals of destroying property rights. So where are we at now?
What Has Happened Before
The last ICLEI vote in Roanoke County was on January 24. The relationship with ICLEI survived by a 3-2 vote. A blow by blow description of that meeting is here. We have continued to send 3-5 people to every county board meeting since to keep this issue alive with the board. With two board members actively lobbying for severing ties with ICLEI, they have scheduled another vote on 8-28.
The players:
Against ICLEI: You have 2 members of the Roanoke Board of Supervisors; Butch Church and Ed Elswick. The Roanoke County Republican Committee has unanimously demanded that the county pull out of ICLEI. The national Republican committee has issued a statement in opposition to Agenda 21 and ICLEI. And of course you have the Agenda 21 Task Force and the Roanoke Tea Party that have been leading this fight locally and keeping pressure on the Board for over a year to pull out of ICLEI.
For ICLEI: You have County Board member Charlotte Moore. She is a typical progressive environmental nut who I believe really thinks using a canvass sack at Kroeger is going to save the planet from a non-existent man-made global warming crisis. So convincing her to change her mind is hopeless.
Then you have two Republicans county board member, Mike Altizer and Richard Flora. Remember the Republicans have, both at a local and a national level, come out against ICLEI and Agenda 21. And they continue to support KEEPING ICLEI involved in the county despite this…
If they were listening to their base, this would already be over.
Richard Flora doesn’t appear to be running for re-election next year. So as he basks in the glow of compliments from Green groups, he is unlikely to change his position.
Then we have Mike Altizer. He is up for re-election in 2013. There is every indication he will run again. Yet he continues to openly oppose the will of his Republican supporters on this issue. He needs to be made uncomfortable for the next week. And he needs to see you at the meeting on 8-28. Here is Mike’s contact information for now….
Michael W. Altizer Vinton Magisterial District Term Expires 12-31-2013
Home Phone: (540) 427-4023 County Phone: (540) 772-2003
Email: maltizer@roanokecountyva.gov
Please let Mike know he needs to support severing ties with ICLEI.
The Latest
Butch Church and Ed Elswick have requested a vote on ICLEI membership at the 8-28 meeting since the dues the county pays to the organization are owed this fall.
For those not familiar with the workings of the County government, they are going to have a 3PM public session. They then take a break, convene in private, and then re-convene for a public 7PM meeting.
Chairman Flora has put ICLEI on the agenda for the private work session between the two public meetings, presumably to hammer out some sort of compromise plan.
We need supporters to be there by the end of the 3 pm meeting (say 4PM). If we have 20 supporters or so there, then one of the board members can request that the work session should be held in the main room so that all people can know what exactly is going on.
At the 7 pm session, ICLEI will be up for a vote. We need SPEAKERS. We need lots and lots of bodies. We need Republicans there who want their elected officials to listen to them to be there in force.
This is likely to be a long meeting so it is possible that Moore and Flora will try to move ICLEI to the last item so you won’t hang around through the rather busy agenda. They likely hope you will get bored and leave before you get a chance to speak. It is likely that the board will allow public comment just before the ICLEI vote.
Much will be dependant on how many people show up and sign up at the beginning of the meeting to speak on ICLEI. The bigger the crowd, the more likely it is the board will move this early in the agenda.
Again…this is our chance….our best chance before the next election. This is a hot issue and it is likely that their will be some vocal fireworks over this contentious matter.
Numbers matter NOW!
Only a concerted and large group in support of Church and Elswick will carry the day. So put heat on Mike Altizer. Let him know that if he continues to ignore his core consituents in the GOP, he is going to be replaced in 2013.
Let’s encourage him to do the right thing and sever ties with ICLEI. So please plan on being at the county administration building Tuesday 8-28. PLEASE sign up to speak. No long speech is necessary. Just quickly urge the board to sever ties with ICLEI. The numbers matter here so please be there next Tuesday.
Chip Tarbutton
Here’s to common sense prevailing at the BOS meeting tonight. Great job
Charlotte Moore, of articulating a reasoned, grounded and sane justification for remaining tied to ICLEI and the other communities concerned about sustainability – which is not a dirty word. Adam Cohen was great also… as an ICLEI/RC CLEAR committee member I can attest that we do not discuss world domination or telling people where they live. RC CLEAR is simply an educational tool, showing simple ways that everyone can help reduce greenhouse gases. The Tea Party arguments and others with the same viewpoints at the BOS meeting were silly, without merit and reeked of conspiracy theory. Badgering Mike Altizer didn’t work either. Don’t believe that the dozen or so opponents to ICLEI that showed up last night represent the sentiments of most Roanoke County citizens either. Seriously, I was waiting for the tin foil hats to come out! The Tea Party should go back to focusing on taxes and realize it probably wasn’t the “player” it thought it was.
I would say stupidity prevailed last night Gene…
Speaking of taxes Gene…How effective was the $50,000 dollars of tax payers money spent from the stimulus money RCCLEAR received? You spent $15k on advertising, handed out some flyers and did some energy audits. Was that good bang for the buck Gene?
How about the 400 + tons of carbon emissions that was claimed to have been reduced? Do you really think that printing out flyers saved 200 tons of emissions? How about the 200 or so tons that was claimed to be saved by the audits. Less than half of the survey respondents saw a decrease in their energy bills? Did these audits really accomplish anything constructive?
Why should my tax dollars go to tell someone to caulk their windows or upgrade their heat pump? Does RCCLEAR think the people of Roanoke are too stupid to do this on their own? Did ICLEI really reduce paper usage and MPG for the county? Can they impact the traffic on I-81?
While the long term goals of A21 are nefarious, I have no doubt the short term goals of RCCLEAR are nothing if not well intentioned. But the stated long term goal of every group you are affiliated with is the implemetation of A21. Gene does RCCLEAR not want to Local Agenda 21 implemented?
By focusing on the boondoggle of climate change, your group is wasting its time on issues instead of addressing legitimate enviornmental issues like smog, water issues etc.
As for the sentiments of the county, I can’t speak to that. All I know is that the ICLEI relationship ios a waste of time, money and resources for a group tied to the hip with a UN agenda most folks find offensive. Hopefully I’ll be right here and new supervisors will be in place who won’t be so easily swayed by this sillyness.
Looks like you have another “news” article to write for the paper at least.
Chip Tarbutton
Adam Cohen’s comments were condescending and juvenile and I found it interesting that the only speaker to insult members of the audience gets kudos from you and positive “body language” from the chair.