Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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Dumler Claims Conspiracy

Scottsville Supervisor Chris Dumler says that a pair of exes are conspiring against him, Samantha Koon writes on the Daily Progress’ unfortunate new website. Dumler was arrested a month ago on charges of forcible sodomy; in a court filing, he contends that he had a wholly consensual sexual relationship with the woman, who collaborated with an ex-girlfriend of Dumler’s in subsequently claiming that he raped her. Police have seized records showing Dumler and his accuser discussing their relationship.

Investigation: TJPDC Mishandled $1M Federal Grant

Months after abruptly terminating temporary employees, an investigation into the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission has found that a lack of leadership and management led to the $500,000 error, Brian Wheeler reports for Charlottesville Tomorrow. The TJPDC appointed a commission (consisting of Keith Smith, Willie Gentry, Ann Mallek, and Kathy Galvin) to determine what led to the math error that overstated the amount of money available for staff salaries by a half-million dollars, from a federal grant of just $1,000,000. Meeting seven times over the past two months, the commission released a report containing seven findings, although the public version of the report contains redactions that limit public understanding of those findings. Problems include the budgeting process, the reporting and communications process, the quality of work, relationships with partner jurisdictions, and the organizational climate. (Although the titles of two more findings have been redacted in the table of contents, they have been left in the body of the document: “subordinate personnel” and “upper level management.”) The commission made a series of recommendations for organizational improvements, though three of their six proposed changes are redacted in their entirety. Notably, the investigation found no malfeasance, only incompetence and disorganization.

Hurricane Sandy Mostly Spares Area

Although Hurricane Sandy continues to wreak havoc on the northeast, as it spins out over land, the enormous storm is finished with Charlottesville, apparently having left us mostly unharmed. Twitter and Facebook were how many people kept up with developments, and the worst stories in our area seem to be the loss of power (about 10% of Dominion customers in Albemarle) and some light damage from wind and flooding. Although the rain, wind, and snow aren’t quite done, the airport got 1.2 inches of rain yesterday and gusts of 40 mph—a far sight better than folks in Delaware, New York, and New Jersey, who woke up this morning to devastation.

Cynthia Neff Arrested for DUI

Former Board of Supervisors candidate, House of Delegates candidate, and vice-chair of the Albemarle County Democratic Party Cynthia Neff has been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, CBS-19 reports. Neff was arrested overnight Saturday/Sunday on Proffit Road, near her home, after failing a field sobriety test. She has since been released from jail. In a remarkable coincidence, it was just ten days ago that Neff posted a $50,000 bond to get fellow-Democrat Chris Dumler out of jail after he was arrested on charges of forcible sodomy. In her mugshot, Neff is sporting what looks for all the world like a Mike Tyson-style facial tattoo, but that one must assume is face paint from an event that evening.

Supervisor Dumler Arrested

County Supervisor Chris Dumler was arrested yesterday and charged with forcible sodomy, Rob Graham reports for WINA. Police have said only that it’s a result of an alleged incident on October 4 and that the complaining witness is somebody who Dumler knows—no other information has been provided. He was held overnight at the jail, and has a bond hearing this morning. Dumler, a Democrat, was elected to the Scottsville district last November.

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