Nice comments, Ms. Buckley, but the decision wasn't made two weeks ago. It was made almost four years ago. Had this BoS not decided to second guess the decision of the last Board, the lawsuit would have been won over a year ago, and we would be that much closer to a hospital on Route 50.

Posted by con5ab (anonymous) on February 18, 2009 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It's over for HCA in this county. They should go spend their money elsewhere instead of this backwards place called Loudoun.

Posted by mazman128 (anonymous) on February 18, 2009 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Businesses, don't you get it by now? Loudoun County might be one of the fastest growing, but it is not the fastest moving in terms of keeping current with today's business and economic needs. Forewarned is forearmed, do yourself a favor and find a county that is open for business! As for Susan Buckley, she does not speak for the entire population of Loudoun Cnty, she speaks for herself and Inova. Don't put words in people's mouths, Susan, it's very pompous of you

Posted by Yocomclan (anonymous) on February 18, 2009 at 2:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

yocom, you may not understand, but Ms. Buckley is correct; this is a sovereign land use decision which the corporate Board of Supervisors is empowered to make. Not the state, not the Fed, and not the voters by referendum on the application.

The Board.

And they've made it.

True, not everyone agrees with the Board's decision.

And not everyone disagrees either.

Posted by BarbaraMunsey (anonymous) on February 18, 2009 at 5:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Why does loudoun have a planning commision? It seems like they're useless if the board who has final say doesn't agree with them anyway.

Posted by mazman128 (anonymous) on February 18, 2009 at 5:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Barbara, I think you're the one who doesn't understand. No one advocated that the FTC be permitted to cast a vote in Ms. Buckley's place. They simply wanted her to listen to what the FTC had to say. I suppose it is hard to listen to rational arguments when you're determined to keep your mind made up.

Posted by GR8PMPKN (anonymous) on February 18, 2009 at 6:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

murphythegr8, nothing prevents the Board from inviting the FTC to weigh in on competition. They may yet do so, as a body, instead of simply Mr. Miller and Mr. Burton.

That doesn't change County land use.

This was a last minute procedural finagle by Miller to keep the dead horse on life support for further beating.

Since a reconsideration can only be held at the next business meeting, was he then going to move to recess rather than adjourn for two or three months while they waited for input that was immaterial to the item on the table?

They technically only had one meeting one month last year, because they recessed rather than adjourned--it was part of Miller's nonsense trying to get Lambert in place of Lenah.

Were they going to keep this meeting open until they had set a budget and a tax rate?

I don't know if MILLER understands, actually.

Posted by BarbaraMunsey (anonymous) on February 18, 2009 at 6:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hooray for INOVA and its monopoly and having bought off the LoCo Commisioners!

Posted by herb.jordan (anonymous) on February 19, 2009 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

As I've said before, certain members of the Loudoun County BOS made their decision to deny a a new hospital based exclusively on what would most benefit them personally. They were also afraid of Inova's threats. This is no way to make a productive, sound business decision that will help the county. Some people like to place blame on HCA, which is just inane. To think that a company should be forced to locate in a place in which it does not feel it would do well is -- well -- utter nonsense. These people have no understanding or respect for the amount of study and planning that goes into choosing the best location for business. Ms. Buckley was thinking about one person only when she cast her vote, and that is, herself of course. She, along with the other four supervisors who voted against the hospital, did a grave disservice to this county. Shame on them.

Posted by Yocomclan (anonymous) on February 20, 2009 at 7:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

yocom, can you provide proof that those supervisors who voted to uphold the countywide health plan received personal benefit from their vote, or are you just echoing Supervisor Miller's grotesquely inappropriate accusations that he spewed out when he knew he didn't have five votes?

After the amount of money the HCA corporate PAC put into the last election, I think Mr. Miller and Ms. McGimsey have more explaining to do about benefits in relation to their votes than those in the majority do.

Posted by BarbaraMunsey (anonymous) on February 20, 2009 at 10:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Barbara, once again, you are completely off the mark. The supervisors who voted against Inova stand to gain in terms of their political careers -- or so they thought. Voting HCA in would have forced these cowards to have to deal with the small but extremely aggressive group from Broadlands who would have made their lives a living hell. Second, the numerous and longstanding threats of Inova to withdraw services in western parts of the county was another contributor to the fear factor. In a nutshell, this group of BOS chose to behave in a short sighted, self focused manner that did nothing to advance any sort of progress in this county, most especially in the area of business and economics. Supervisor Miller is a stand up person -- and you just don't find many people like that anymore.

Posted by Yocomclan (anonymous) on February 21, 2009 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Yocom, you've stopped making sense now.

If HCA was the large corporate PAC donor, both to VLF and to under-the-table attack PACs, how does it benefit the political careers of those opposed to vote AGAINST HCA?

Unless you think HCA will donate against these five in the next election, to get them voted out as punishment?

(Not that that makes sense either.)

Well, keep it alive as a wistfully angry lament, and maybe it will burn a pathway through some hearts at voting time.

Why, I don't know, but as I said, you're not making sense.

Posted by BarbaraMunsey (anonymous) on February 21, 2009 at 3:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Barbara, Inova has behaved as an aggressive, threatening bully throughout this entire process, from A - Z. No one, including myself, knew the lengths it would go to in order to BLOCK any competition. These supervisors were intimidated about having to deal with Inova's unrelenting threats about cessation of services for the county. They allowed these threats to affect their decision making process. They could not be objective. They could not find the courage to vote such that Loudoun would finally have a new hospital. And isn't it ironic that in the coming weeks there will be many discussions regarding cuts in services, right after the BOS threw away a company that would've offered many new jobs and finaancial contribution to the local economy. Thanks, BOS - for absolutely nothing.

Posted by Yocomclan (anonymous) on February 21, 2009 at 6:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

yocom, there will be another hospital--just not at Broadlands.

And as you may (or may not) recall, one of the threats we all heard before the initial vote was that, if turned down, HCA would be leaving northern VA.

Both companies were aggressive throughout the process, and understandably so; Inova Loudoun wanted to survive as a hospital, which could have been jeopardized by placing BRMC in such ridiculously close proximity, and HCA wanted to set up a strategically placed outpost, in order to block other services from threatening their planned massive expansion of Reston.

I doubt you will view any of it dispassionately, because it seems that emotional rewrite is your objective.

Suit yourself, but it won't get hospital services expanded for all county residents.

Posted by BarbaraMunsey (anonymous) on February 23, 2009 at 6:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Barbara, there is certainly more than enough "business" to go around with regard to healthcare services in Loudoun County. What Inova did not want, however, was competition, which is what BRMC would have given it. Rather than accepting the challenge of having to improve and provide more cost effective services to the consumer, Inova chose a different path, threatening to reduce or stop providing some of its services altogether. Not a very ethical way of approaching the situation. So, Inova, through its threats and intimidation, succeeded in killing the chance for this new hospital. The Route 50 corridor is unlikely to see any hospital for some time to come. So no one gets a new hospital -- the county doesn't get the added revenue BRMC would have given it, nor does it get new jobs. Who really "won" in this situation? The BOS who voted against it won because now they don't have to deal with Inova breathing down their backs, nor the nimbys phoning/screaming/threatening lawsuits because of their concern about their house values dropping. Talk about greeedy and selfish. The rest of the county is now forced to live with one hospital for years to come. So other than Inova, the nimbys, and the cowardly BOS who voted to deny the new hospital -- who else has won anything from this debacle? No one. Whatever your goal was, your efforts have resulted in stamping out competition and greatly lengthening the time it will take for this county to ever see a new hospital. Not a positive outcome for the rest of us any way you look at it, and if you think I'm the only one who is "emotional" about it, think again. To the extent that you and your compatriots were emotional about getting a hospital on 50, we are disgusted that this BOS only catered to special interest groups rather than looking out for the welfare of the community at large.

Posted by Yocomclan (anonymous) on February 23, 2009 at 10:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

yocom, you are continuing to ignore the fact that there is already competition.

You are also arguing both sides of the question; a hospital at Broadlands would have taken care of the whole county, and a hospital anywhere else would just serve the people next door?

If you want another hospital IN Loudoun--and not just in your own backyard where you are already between two of them--why not turn your energy toward getting one built where there is land use to encourage one?

I'm sorry, but it looks ridiculous for you to call anyone emotional over this. I think you win on that one. Hands down, over the top.

"The rest of us"?

You mean the group that seems to be comprised of those for whom a choice of locations and providers was not enough, joined by those who protest anything on route 50 (unless it is a private school or community center just for them)?

Again, there are more people in Loudoun than both of you.

In addition, your heavy-handed accusations continue to multiply.

Can you provide proof for any of your statements of undue influence?

Posted by BarbaraMunsey (anonymous) on February 23, 2009 at 11:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)