To the Editor:
In my letter to the Gazette two weeks ago, I discussed a brochure sent to Fairfax County residents at the behest of the Board of Supervisors (BOS) discussing the Meals Tax Referendum and pointing out that the brochure only set forth reasons to support the Referendum and no reasons to oppose it. In my letter to the Gazette last week, I reported on my request to the BOS that they vote to send a new brochure that discusses pros and cons of the proposed new tax. I also reported that the BOS did not do so at its meeting on Sept. 20.
The BOS represents all of us, not just those who voted to elect individual supervisors. Sending residents a one-sided propaganda piece is deceptive and clearly done to conceal from voters information they need to have in order to make an informed decision concerning whether to vote for or against the referendum. As such, I suggest that all supervisors who voted to approve the one-sided brochure should be required to reimburse the county treasury, from their supervisor salaries, for all costs attributable to drafting, revising, typesetting, printing and mailing the brochure. The integrity of our BOS is called into question by their politically-motivated action in this matter, and this must promptly be rectified.
H. Jay Spiegel
Mount Vernon