Deathstar Goes After Mary Margaret Whipple (D) And Jim Scott (D)

Conservative sponsors of the controversial Deathstar charter change referendum have served two popular Northern Virginia Democrats, Virginia Senator Mary Margaret Whipple (D) and Delegate Jim Scott (D), with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking to investigate what, if any, connection the two area Democrats have had to people who oppose the proposed Falls Church City charter change. 

The most recent FOIA request was prepared and served by charter change sponsor and attorney Linda Neighborgal, who has been working closely with Sam Mabry and Team Dave Snyder to support the city council campaigns of conservative "independents" Nader Baroukh, Ed Hillegass, and Margaret Housen.  Team Dave Snyder ran as the Republican nominee against Delegate Jim Scott (D) in 2002 and lost by a nearly 4 to 1 margin. 

Several sponsors of the charter change, including Sam Mabry and Team Dave Snyder, have previously used FOIA requests against various Falls Church City Officials to begin protracted homespun investigations they use to bully, chill, and allege various conspiracies theories against their political opponents.  Sam Mabry used an earlier FOIA request to launch a discredited fair housing investigation on the City during one election cycle, and Team Dave Snyder used another FOIA request last year to try to stop the appointment of City Manager Wyatt Shields and to openly criticize the City Manager and the City Attorney from the dais during their annual performance review.

The sponsors of the Deathstar charter change have been very aggressive in their efforts to prevent public discussion among people who either dissent or want non-political information about the proposed charter change.  As documented here in previous posts, attorney Linda Neighborgal also served every elected Democratic local official with a previous FOIA requests and has made wild accusations and threats against the Falls Church News-Press and this blog in blatant efforts to stop local media from publicizing criticisms and critical questions about the proposed charter change.  Team Dave Snyder has supported these efforts by gag ordering the City Manager and his staff and making protracted threats to the Economic Development Authority and his colleagues on City Council to not hold public forums and to not provide information, even minutes and videos from Council meetings, to the public on the charter change. 

The widening of the these attacks and investigations to include seeking information from popular regional Democrats is a significant escalation of the now openly partisan efforts of the charter change proponents who have become increasingly desperate to elect Nader Baroukh, Ed Hillegass, and Margaret Housen and impose the controversial Deathstar charter change on the City.