Culpeper Republicans Reject Stand Against Valley Link
- paulBVL
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
I’m not the least bit shocked the Culpeper Republican Committee Is giving Supervisor Payne a measly five minutes tonight to address the committee regarding Valley Link.
Because nothing says “we take the biggest threat to Culpeper in a generation seriously” like rationing the lead supervisor fighting the Valley Link transmission line and its accompanying substation down to the length of a commercial break.
Let’s stroll down memory lane, shall we?
At the May 19 Board of Supervisors meeting, while Valley Link cheerfully sketched out its plans to industrialize the countryside, several Republican supervisors offered the now-familiar refrain: “We should negotiate with Dominion to get the best deal we can for Culpeper County.” Charming. Some of them, astonishingly, still seemed unaware that the county’s zoning authority over the substation is absolute. Neither the State Corporation Commission nor any other state body can override it. In plain English: the Board can simply say NO. Imagine that.
Around the same time, former Culpeper Republican Committee Chairman Larry Green posted nearly identical language on Facebook, helpfully informing the public that “we cannot prevent this situation from occurring” and that we should “make the most of this opportunity.” Gaslighting with a smile. Note that Mr. Green now works for Bryce Reeves. Coincidence, I’m sure.
Then came the pièce de résistance. On June 2, Republican Committee Treasurer Jennifer Rossy stood before the Board, announced she was speaking on behalf of the Culpeper Republican Committee, offered a polite nod to the citizens of Richardsville, and promptly declared that the whole matter would be decided by the SCC. Not a whisper about the Board’s power to reject the substation. Not a hint of urging them to do so. Just more cheerful talk of “negotiating the best outcome.”
A pattern begins to emerge, doesn’t it?
I contacted the Committee to ask, politely, what their actual position was. Chair Bell was unavailable, so I spoke with Vice Chair Martin on the evening of June 5. I suggested that their members’ public comments sounded an awful lot like endorsing the horse-trading of seized private land for the greater glory of Culpeper County government. Mr. Martin assured me that was not their policy—then admitted they didn’t have a policy at all, and helpfully asked me to draft one. I obliged.
On June 8 I sent a draft policy, background on the Board’s clear authority, and a draft press release. (See below for the full document) Nothing radical, just a clear statement that matched what the Vice Chair had told me on the phone. Subsequent conversations with Chair Bell and Vice Chair Martin made it crystal clear they could not accept it. They don’t make policy statements like that. Except, of course, when their Treasurer does exactly that in public.
Their preferred talking points continue to leave the impression that all power rests with the SCC, while quietly omitting the inconvenient fact that the Board can kill the substation on its own.
Having been thoroughly stonewalled by the local Republicans, I sent the same materials to Culpeper Democratic Committee Chairman Josh Pieper. His response was… different. He freely admitted they had no policy either, then enthusiastically invited me (and others) to address their full committee on July 7, offering an entire hour and promising to move a draft through their process.
My goal was never to score partisan points. It was to get both parties on the record supporting their own citizens and rejecting the substation. This is not, and should not be, a party issue. Across Virginia and beyond, people are rapidly becoming single-issue voters, crossing every political line to back candidates willing to stop massive industrial infrastructure that benefits hyper-scale data centers while offering precious little to the people forced to live next to it.
So someone please explain, slowly and carefully, why a local county political party refuses to stand with its own citizens and voters on the one issue that actually threatens to reshape their community forever. I’m all ears.
Side note: Culpeper Republican Committee - Maybe remove the whole "Liberty or Death" and "Don't Tread on Me" from your seal, obviously you have no real concept of what those words stand for.
Comments