To the Editor:
I was disappointed in Mr. Horrock's commentary on the Silver Line [Silver Line Gets ‘Green Light’ The Connection, July 11-17, 2012].
I had hoped it would provide more facts, and less opinion.
I support Mr. Horrock espousing his political views, but I'd prefer not to read them as part of a news item.
Conspicuous by its absence in Mr. Horrock's piece was one key reason for the hold-up of the Silver Line by both Loudoun County as well as the Governor.
That issue was the requirement that contractors for the construction of the Silver Line extension would have to be Union Shops -- meaning that companies would have to hire union labor to win their contracts.
Since Virginia's economy has grown quite well without union organizers and the strife which usually attends that process, neither the Governor nor the Loudoun County Board was interested in promoting a union foothold via the Silver Line. Governor McDonnell ended that problem by firing Dennis Martire -- whom his Democratic predecessor [Tim Kaine] had appointed to the WMATA.
Martire was/is the Vice President of the Laborers' International Union of North America and had inserted the "project labor agreement" Union clause into WMATA's requirements against Governor McDonnells's instructions, and in contradiction to Virginia's Right to Work law.
I believe Mr. Martire is still under investigation for his profligate spending [$38,000] which he charged to WMATA and Virginia; his $10,586 tab for nine days in Sardinia to attend a one-day conference on airport security caused concern that he was perhaps abusing his expense account.
I, and other readers of the Reston Connection, would appreciate it if your reporters would follow Joe Friday's advice: "Just the facts, ma'am."
If we want a politicized slant on news that affects us, we can turn to the Washington Post.
We expect better from the Reston Connection.
Greg Davis
Reston