Politics & Government

Supervisors Get Testy During Delgaudio Censure

Delguadio fights back, vows to run for reelection, accuses others of trying to 'appease' the media.

During deliberations Wednesday night about the decision to censure Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), members of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors showed clear signs of frustration. While Delgaudio and a couple of his colleagues on the board sought to send the discussion to an ad hoc committee for further investigation of accusations that the supervisor misused county funds, the majority were determined to get the matter behind them.

Some said they feared a prolonged process would just result in a “political circus,” and that the board does not have the authority to do as thorough a job of investigating the allegations as the grand jury, which issued a report but no indictments in the matter.

“What’s extraordinary in this particular case is they issued a report,” said Supervisor Ralph Buona. “Why? It’s pretty clear to me … because they felt something was wrong, but they couldn’t do anything about it because of a technicality in the law. That report did not exonerate anybody. It was quite the contrary.”

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That technicality, according to the report, is that Delgaudio could not be charged with one particular campaign-related violation only because he is considered a part-time employee rather than full time.

Chairman Scott K. York (R-At Large) told Delgaudio he brought the board’s censure upon himself and encouraged Loudoun Republicans to distance themselves from him.

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“You just have yourself to blame for this,” York said. “You’ve crossed the line and it’s time to deal with it. Enough is enough.”

Supervisors Geary Higgins (R-Catoctin) and Janet Clarke (R-Blue Ridge) offered Delgaudio the most leeway, joining him in a push to assemble the ad hoc committee and therefore delay the censure. They also declined to strip the Delgaudio of the authority to spend county funds; however, both voted to censure Delgaudio.

“I believe we should do the right thing and not the fast thing,” Higgins said.

In fact, Stevens Miller – the attorney for Donna Mateer, the former aide to Delgaudio who first raised the accusations – agreed that the matter should be delayed because Mateer was prepared to go before the public.

Several board members expressed the desire to just get the ordeal and related bad press behind them, while others took the opportunity to share their views about the work being done by Delgaudio.

Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian) said the idea of airing everything raised during the grand jury investigation in public was repulsive.

“To be honest, I would rather slit my wrists if I was in that position and looking to have a public process and have us and the other 31 people out on video in public, all of what was done in that grand jury room,” she said, adding that is would not be helpful to Delgaudio, his family or the county.

Volpe later seemed exasperated with the debate and shared some of what she told the grand jury.

“Twenty minutes of my discussion with the grand jury was them asking me about all of the constituent work I have been doing in Sterling for the past year,” she said. “It’s to the point that both my aides just roll their eyes and say, ‘Sure, I’ll take care of it.’”

Volpe and another critic of Delgaudio, Ken Reid (R-Leesburg), said they appreciated all of the political and campaign guidance the supervisor had given them, but the could not condone misuse of county funds.

Reid and York also made clear that the board had done its research and was confident it was within its authority to discipline Delgaudio.

“We have authority to do what we’re doing right now,” Reid explained.

Supervisor Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) ripped into Delgaudio and any supervisor who suggested there had not been enough time to review the documents related to Wednesday’s meeting.

“We have packets that are several hundred pages long dropped on us three days before a meeting. That’s routine procedure,” he said. “If anybody can’t do that, if you can’t handle it, then they shouldn’t be on the board of supervisors because that’s the job.”

In addition, several board members pointed out that Delgaudio was given a week’s warning before the meeting to prepare his response. He was offered the opportunity to read a response to grand jury report prepared by his attorney, but declined.

“He’s spent a long time telling us tonight he has not had the opportunity to respond,” Letourneau said. “He has spent no time actual responding.”

Prior to the deliberations, many residents spoke – one sang – some in favor, some against Delgaudio. And comments on recent stories about the investigation have offered both support and criticism of him.

With several supporters in the room, Delgaudio appeared defiant. He made clear he’d broken no laws, according to the grand jury, and seemed to feel he’d done nothing wrong.

“There are no charges,” he said. “Where is your sense as Americans. All these are are allegations. You’re taking this action based on allegations. I have done nothing in terms of my own behavior in this board room to warrant this type of treatment.”

Buona responded that, “the standard here isn’t criminality. The integrity of this board is at stake. The integrity of my own Republican Party is at stake here. We have to police ourselves. We have to police our own.”

Others pointed out that the board was not conducting a criminal trial, but rather an ethics proceeding.

Delgaudio said stripping him of his budget would deprive Sterling residents of his newsletter. He also noted that York, who lives in Sterling, had previously derided the newsletters.

“Now to find out that I have other critics of my publications,” Delgaudio said. “This is the first “I’ve heard from some supervisors that they’re upset that I have a newsletter. This is the first time I am actually being told that going door to door during their term of office is campaigning. This is revelations to me.”

Letourneau said Delgaudio could still request that the board authorize distribution of a newsletter, and that newsletters are not the main issue. As an example, Letourneau pointed to an event in which a resident called the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office because of the conduct of one of Delgaudio’s aides canvassing the community.

“If you don’t know that one of your aides had the police called on them during the conduct of business, you are really not doing you’re job,” Letourneau said, having previously pointing out that the grand jury report did not suggest it condone Delgaudio’s actions.

Reid seemed to find it hard to believe that Delgaudio had not taken a more apologetic stance.

“Eugene, I consider you a friend,” he said. “What really concerns me is after of this that you’ve show no contrition.”

To his fellow board members, all of whom were called to the grand jury, Delgaudio offered no apologies.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through the grand jury process,” he said, pointing out that the board requested the investigation. “I’m running for reelection in 2015 and I’m working hard at it and it’s not in this boardroom because I’m not allowed to work for reelection in this boardroom. I’m allowed to go out and talk to people and that’s what I do.”

He then took one more jab at some fellow supervisors: “Some of you … need to do something to appease the Washington Post.”

Delgaudio earlier Wednesday lost an attempt to stop the board of taking its actions.


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