 | Former Blue Ridge Supervisor Jim Burton on Dec. 30 from his Aldie home talks about his departure from office and the future. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Laura Peters |
With less than 48 hours left in his term, Supervisor Jim Burton pushes back from the dining room table in his Aldie home, contemplating his next move.
What started more than 16 years ago with a knock from a sheriff’s deputy on Burton’s back door was about to end, and the veteran politician was already sure another challenge was bound to find its way to him. It always does.
“I have spent 47 years in public service, 31 years in the Air Force, 16 here. For some strange reason, interesting and controversial situations have found their way to our front door. I fully expect it to happen again and we’ll move on to that direction,” Burton says of himself and his wife, Lina, who live in the historic Mercer House in Aldie.
In the early 1980s, the retired U.S. Air Force colonel earned a reputation as a whistle-blower from several major media outlets for his part in challenging the government from inside the system.
Burton, stationed at The Pentagon and overseeing testing of the military’s weapons systems, challenged the government over the safety of the Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The vehicle’s aluminum armor couldn’t withstand an attack from Soviet antitank weapons, he argued.
Until Burton questioned the system – starting a two-year debate – the military used computer models, not live testing, to determine that its equipment was safe for troops.
His efforts could be seen in 1991 during the Gulf War. Army officials, according to Burton, said a remodeled version of the Bradley saved countless lives. Prior to the war, Congress mandated live fire tests for the vehicle.
In 1993, the supervisor wrote a book about the situation, “The Pentagon Wars,” and in 1998 HBO produced a movie of the same name based on his experiences starring Cary Elwes, who portrays Burton, and Kelsey Grammer.
A controversial start
In November Burton, seeking his fifth term in office representing the Blue Ridge District, lost his seat to Janet Clarke, a former Purcellville Town Council member.
Clarke beat Burton by 4,434 votes to 3,351 votes, respectively
It ended 16 years of public service that began with Burton doing what he does best, questioning authority, in this case the development of a large-scale community now known as the Villages of Round Hill.
“I thought it was too large and overwhelmed the Town of Round Hill,” Burton said.
It was during this fight that the supervisor said he decided to run for office. His records had been subpoenaed, along with the records of former supervisor Eleanore Towe, under an allegation that he conspired to have the land owners surrounding Round Hill sue the developer who would build the Villages of Round Hill.
In the end, the order to Burton and Towe to turn over their records was quashed, but the Villages of Round Hill were still approved for construction.
“That made me mad. I decided if this is way the game is played then I’m going to get busy. So I decided that I’d be willing to do it,” Burton said.
In 1995, voters elected Burton as supervisor of the Mercer District. During his four-term tenure, Burton says he’s never personally asked a voter for money for his campaign.
Burton’s supporters, who first approached him about running after the controversy with the Villages of Round Hill, have always volunteered to help raise funds, he said.
“I said, ‘I will do it if you will raise the money. I can not call people up and ask them for money because I feel I would be beholden to them.’ So they did it and they’ve lived by that commitment. In five elections, I never had to call someone and ask them for money,” Burton said.
This go-against-the-grain attitude also goes for Burton’s decision to remain a political independent throughout his career in office.
“An independent fits my political views and my personality. I can’t stand someone telling me how to think, how to vote, what to think, what to do. Unfortunately, that happens in the local parties,” he said. “The job is tough enough dealing with the issues to also have to deal with someone who is not elected, not responsible to the public, trying to tell you how to act, what position to take and if you don’t they won’t support you. I want no part of that. I the local level, I don’t see that political parties is the right thing to do.”
A look back and forward
Burton beams with pride when he talks about his 16 years in office.
Of that time, he is most proud of his service on the county’s finance committee. He commends his colleagues throughout the years for working to keep Loudoun County’s head above the fray as its population exploded.
“Trying to find the resources for the fastest growing county in the nation and keep the tax burden at a reasonable level has been a tremendous challenge. But that has been my primary focus because the financial burden is one of the biggest consequences of the rapid growth,” he said.
“We were growing too fast to ordinarily be able to deal with it in terms of building schools and fire houses, but yet in my term we were able to manage the finances well enough that we were able to go from a AA, to a AA+ to a AAA rating while we were exploding population wise,” he continued.
Burton also brags of a vital vote in 2001, of which he was part, that gave Loudoun’s Comprehensive Plan a major facelift and cut in half the number of residents the county could accommodate and plan for. It helped to protect western Loudoun from suburban sprawl, an area for which Burton professes his love for and vows to continue to protect.
“I have a deep love for Western Loudoun. I make no bones about that,” he said.
He worries his work could come undone with the new Board of Supervisors, all Republicans, that took office Jan. 1. Burton is concerned that campaign contributions from some developers could cloud the judgment of the new supervisors, leading them to approve construction for Loudoun’s transition area – a no-development strip of land between eastern and western Loudoun that serves to separate the urban from the rural.
“The major rezonings have occurred. There isn’t much land left for any more big projects. I am concerned that this board, before its over will move to open up the transition area. That is a real concern of mine. I hope I’m wrong. ”
If the new board decides in its tenure to extend public utility lines along the Route 7 corridor to Purcellville, that could open the floodgate, he said.
“I’m hopeful that they’ll be some cool heads on this board [who] will take the time to think through the future consequences of the decisions that they make rather than yield to the immediate pressures,” Burton said.
He believes an Economic Development Authority, an idea touted by business leaders, is a bad move for the county, an opinion he didn’t hold back during his last two years on the board.
In the last 10 years, 46,000 new jobs were created in Loudoun County and the number of businesses doubled, he said.
“Why do we need to give over to a group of unelected, not responsive to the public, officials the responsibility to bond debt in the county’s name? … It’s so the development community can find tax-exempt financing without going through the Board of Supervisors,” he said.
Loudoun County is two-thirds of the way to full build-out, but Burton cautions new supervisors not to race toward the finish line. He would like to see the county stabilize.
“There’s nothing wrong with a stable population, a stable economy, and stable school situation,” he said.
Disappointment and advice
Burton didn’t make it through nearly two decades in office without mistakes, Burton says.
He most regrets his own vote in his last year in office over Loudoun’s redistricting plan.
In the beginning, Burton supported the plan that ultimately passed, but days before the final vote, he told the board he had a change of heart. He abstained during the vote, but in the end it only upset some of his fellow supervisors.
“I’m not happy with my own decision in the recent redistricting. I should have held my ground all the way through on not agreeing to either one of those two approaches. I let my friendship with one supervisor cloud my judgment and I wish I hadn’t,” he said.
But looking toward the future, one that he hopes continues a rural way of life in western Loudoun, Burton worries that the county’s residents aren’t paying enough attention to how lawmakers can affect their future.
“It bothers me of how so few people really pay attention to the election and come out and vote. Basically, 15 percent of registered voters in Loudoun County decided the future of the next four years,” he said.
“… I would ask the public to please pay attention to what goes on at the local Board of Supervisors. Their decisions have a direct impact on people’s lives here in the county,” he said.
 | Boxes of files and documents clutter Burton's home office in Aldie. The supervisor said it took several trips to clean out his office of more than a decade in the Loudoun County Government Center. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Laura Peters |
Yes, please do speak with Burton. He will NOT vouch for her “character”.
Elder Berry,
You misunderstand. Those are not my words nor are they directed towards you. I agree with you that they are highly offensive, but those were the words used by the “worthy citizen” you referenced earlier. They were directed towards a respected member of the Purcellville Town Council with decades of community service to his credit at a well attended public meeting (including a pack of cub scouts no less). Ms. Clarke was not present. And the angry comments were delivered with venom because the council member didn’t remember a private conversation in the same manner as the speaker. I understand why you would be offended. I was offended by the remarks as well, but they are why I indicated earlier you didn’t know what you were talking about in regards to Ms. Clarke. Like Mr. Burton, she is actively involved in the community trying to do what’s best for everyone. None of the adjectives you’ve used apply to her. As I indicated earlier, I’ve known Ms. Clarke for a very long time and she is humble, honest, caring individual doing a difficult job. Again, speak with Mr. Burton. I believe that he’ll vouch for her character.
Let me be very clear too, I was very plainly criticizing Clarke’s words, actions and performance in office and as a candidate. I do not know her personally. I was talking about her in terms of her obligations and behavior as an elected official, which I think qualified for the descriptions I gave. So I don’t know where the personal insults from Western Loudoun Resident come from. I looked it up and the CRIME of criticizing an elected official is called lese majeste. It is one of the things we fought a revolution to end, but it is still on the books as a crime in some dictatorships. Maybe Western Loudoun Resident wants to bring it back here. Maybe Clarke wants it back too.
Western Loudoun Resident I don’t have to answer you because you’ve surely violated the rules of this forum not to mention having gone way past common courtesy in personally attacking me when I said nothing personal about you. However, yes, I am a Christian, baptised, raised and confirmed. I assume you think you are a Christian, but based on what you wrote others might disagree. Calling me names is not turning the other cheek even if you think I criticized unfairly. Some advice for you, maybe type once but then think twice before you press the enter key.
Elder Berry,
I have some words for you too. You’re a liar, hypocrite, and a coward, and are you a Christian?
Western Loudoun Resident are you going to deny that right off the bat she tried to settle a personal political score by hatcheting a worthy citizen off a commission he was capably serving on just because he spoke in public against her position on a local Purcellville issue? That’s a small, vindictive, power-mad anti-free-speech and counter-productive behavior. You’d never see JB doing any of that, never. He held his temper on many public occasions when I would have thrown something heavy at someone.
Elder Berry,
Talk with Mr. Burton. I know him well enough that he’ll honestly attest to Ms. Clarke’s outstanding character. They’ve known each other for a number of years as well.
Sorry Leesburg Resident, baloney, couldn’t have happened as you state. I’ve known Ms. Clarke for a very long time as a fellow parent active in her child’s school, as a community volunteer, as a neighbor, as a colleague and at no time has she ever even hinted at what suggest. As a matter of fact, she has always supported just the opposite.
Maybe he will have time to fix his historic Mercer Wall that he denies he owns when it comes to paying for the repair. Last time I saw it, it was falling down. This steward needs to do a better job.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Burton. Although I have aligned with him on managing growth, I had my share of disagreements with him. Through it all he was bar none the most responsive Supervisor sitting on the previous two Boards. I was not his constituent, but whenever I had a question, comment or concern, he ALWAYS responded - usually the same day with a thoughtful response on-topic. I hope the new Supervisors will take a lesson on that from him and consider/respond to citizen input before settling on a decision.
I worked the polls on election day and am convinced that the GOP sweep was primarily fueled by frustration with Washington - not local issues. Because most voters I saw specifically asked for the GOP sample ballot. I appreciate Mr. Baldwin’s strong candidacy and his outspoken efforts over many years before the election. Unfortunately great candidates with the highest integrity and sincerity as characterized by Mr. Baldwin could not overcome the GOP tsunami.
I hope both men will remember the thousands of votes they did receive and choose to remain very involved with shaping Loudoun’s uncertain future. Best wishes to them both and to Ms. Clarke and Mr. Higgins.
Western Loudoun Resident: Sup. Clarke hasn’t served yet she just collected a bunch of money from all the usual sources. Jim Burton gave the county and his district a lot of years and all his best attention and effort. True that Jim Burton would never say anything bad about his opponent (or about anyone much personally that I know of) but we’ve already seen that Clarke has no such scruples as she took the hatchet to a local businessman who was serving his community on the EDC and had the unforgivable effrontery to speak against her position in front of her. You can’t possibly compare her to JB, she’s a nasty piece of work and he’s an officer and a gentleman. If you didn’t want the unalloyed truth you should not have asked Jim a question, Clarke it looks like you should not speak words in her presence at all lest she use them to club you with later.
I see an incandescent light bulb in Mr. Eco’s den…I thouhgt for sure he would only purchase the 10 times more expensive and hazardous curly jobs that he wants to force down our throats…
Yes Jim , we have been paying attention to the Board and this is why you are no longer serving…
Yes it did happen.
Elder Berry,
Regarding Ms. Clarke, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Ask Mr. Burton. I suspect that he’ll only have positive things to say about her not just because he’s a gentleman, but because he respects her past and present service to our community.
Barbara Munsey don’t you get tired of simply misstating the truth in order to try to prove a point. Jim Burton did not try to delay services, he got two high schools built when even one was probably overkill to respond to constituents in your area just so your kids wouldn’t have to have the kind of school bus trips that rural kids have every day.
Jim Burton was and is one of the finest public servants this county has had the privilege to see. The county and its citizens are going to rue the day the few who actually voted in Blue Ridge allowed the substitution of a mean-spirited vindictive political hack for this independent and ethical man who devoted an entire second career to trying to avoid the legal and fiscal messes the county’s government always seemed to be headed for. He could have been on a beach relaxing with his grandkids and instead he devoted day and night to our county’s future. Jim Burton understood the county finances better than almost anyone, certainly better than the development lackeys who Barbara Munsey speaks for. Intense development in the so-called transition area will cause another huge jump in property taxes and will create a new surge in traffic congestion. Based on how she conducted her campaign, Janet Clarke may be the best supervisor money can buy but she will never replace any of the integrity and selfless service that Jim Burton gave to Loudoun over the years. Thank you, Jim, although we can never thank you enough.
Leesburg Resident,
I call baloney on your post. Never happened. The goal of some of the posts here is to create a misrepresentation of someone they don’t know very well if at all. Mr. Burton wouldn’t appreciate your efforts because he was the victim of similar attacks. Thankfully, we have good people who are still willing to serve their communities despite this type of unethical behavior. Do something positive for your communities instead of destructive. You’ll enjoy life more and others will benefit from your efforts. Thanks again to Mr. Burton and Ms. Clarke for their service.
Burton and Baldwin are the biggest boobs in the South since Dolly had hers reduced.
Next to Malcolm Baldwin, Burton was the most incompetent candidate in the race.
Let’s leave Burton and his admirers in the past where they belong. There, they can fantasize with the 9-11 truthers, and the “Elvis lives” crowd about whatever conspiracy theories they want.
Mr. Rowe, why don’t you do it the way it used to be done, put some latex gloves on and send me an anonymous letter telling me my kids are ugly, everyone laughs, and people high up in the IRS in western Loudoun are going to audit me for my hidden developer millions? Or, wait! Are you with the…FBI?????
rotfl
I know, I know, the indictments are coming ANY MINUTE NOW.
At least everyone knew Burton was old and cranky. Clarke fooled the voters into thinking she’s a nice woman. They’re already seeing that really isn’t the case. This is what you get with uninformed voters voting the party line.
Don’t worry about Janet Clarke and the bimbo, Barbara Munsey. There is a move already to really look into their backgrounds and find out why they are so hellbent on development. It should be interesting. There is already a “link” to this that will be made public very soon and it will be embarrassing…to say the least.
Thank you Jim Burton. Watch this new board. Janet Clarke has complained outloud at a party bemoaning why Western Loudoun isn’t more developed like Eastern Loudoun. She’s two faced on this isse. Watch her votes.
An independent voice who always voted with the Democrats?
He was elected 4 times - that tells me he was doing what most of his constituents wanted. He served honorably and by admitting his regrets in this article, shows that he’s of high morale character - perhaps something the rest of the BOS can try to follow suit.
Mean, hateful and mean to ANYONE that questioned his authority. A disgrace to PUBLIC service.
You idiots are about to get what you voted for. Congrats, i’m sure an all republican BOS with unchecked power won’t run the county into the ground.
Most destructive supervisor during my 24 years in the county.
This guy was unreasonable on many positions and didn’t work well with others. This new one is nice to get her way and just as obstinate and mean. Too bad with all the residents in western loudoun this is what we got.
Burton is not the only one who has refused to meet with his successor—so has Burk and McGimsey, from what I hear. Pretty sad.
After only one meeting of this new board, I am already regretting my decision to support Janet Clarke. It looks like everything they said about her being nice on the surface and mean underneath is all too true.
not surprised, I am not commenting on Mr. Burton, but on an inaccurate description in the article of a planning policy area: the transition zone is not a “no-development” zone, but that is how some prefer to interpret it, just as we have very few truly urban areas in the county, and none of them adjoins said transition zone—suburban is not urban, although it seems to be fashionable in some circles to refer to it that way.
That was one of the interesting uses of language to me during the whole CBPO disaster: the relentless use of the word “urban” to describe the communities of the suburban policy area. It made me wonder, if suburban was now “urban”, was the desired standard to be “untouched”?
So it would seem, which is part of why even a majority of rural residents opposed the blatant overreach of that endeavor.
Mr. Burton served a long time, and was mysupervisor for years when I first moved in. He has firm beliefs, and acts on them.
As one poster points out, attempting to delay all services did nothing to stop market-driven growth: it just gave us growth with no services, and a maxed out county credit card from putting things to referendum and then letting them sit for years and pile up.
Attrition is the ultimate strategy in all wars, after all. Which may be why some are determined to see the transition area as a no-man’s land.
It is as its name implies: transitional. People live, work, farm, commute there. It is more than a layer of foam rubber for a neighboring policy area, where people ALSO live, work, farm and commute. It also is not “threatened” by road improvements miles away, or business development in the rte 28 corridor, which was the knee-jerk bleat (by some) in opposition to every project proposed during the 07 BoS’ term.
As Ms. Buckley once famously (and astutely) said to Ms. McGimsey on the dais (I think during a discussion on Kincora) “It isn’t always about the transition zone”.
Glad to see this guy go. I have heard he would not meet with the new supervisor for transition purposes. If he really cared about western Loudoun, he would put away his ego and look out for his former constituents to ensure a smooth transition. Burton and his clan continued to overreach and they were punished for it. Contrary to what he says, I think people finally began to pay attention to what this board was doing and that is why we now have the privilege of their absence. Jim, you never should have pushed the Chesapeake Bay stuff on the farmers and subdivisions…that was your biggest mistake. Nice puff piece LTM!
Sure hope Ralph is as astute and hardworking as Jim was while chairing the Finance committee. I hope Ralph researches all the up as well as the down side of those financial instruments such as cda’s that the developers and BOS want to use. We got used to having someone who cared on the Board. Someone who wanted to protect citizens from the exposure of non-payment.
Love the ways bozos like Barbara Munsey and “not a fan” feel they need to comment on Jim Burton. He lost an election but didn’t deviate from trying to serve the best interests of Loudoun. A far better legacy than the weasels who have been trying to sell our county out for the past 15 years.
Jim Burton was a tireless advocate for the slow-growthers and preservation of Western Loudoun. He was a hard working supervisor, no doubt, and he believed strongly in his mission. But he was anti business, anti transportation and anti suburbanite. Everything he did was designed to fluster people from moving here, and it failed. He became Supervisor when Loudoun probably had no more than 115,000 people and left office with the population standing at 312,000. Despite his best efforts, growth still occurred because of market forces—not pro development boards alone. Today, Loudoun has billions in unfunded capital needs and horrible traffic—in part because of his opposition to building roads and helping attract the jobs base we needed to sustain this residential growth. So, he leaves a mixed legacy.
“Loudoun’s transition area – a no-development strip of land between eastern and western Loudoun that serves to separate the urban from the rural.”—ummm, actually, if you READ the RGP, it is “visioned” as a “visual and spatial divide”, with lower density than the suburban policy area, and higher density than either AR1 or AR2. Public facilities like schools are permitted uses, as well as business and commercial considered in keeping with the step-down from one to the other. Not to mention homes, either on large lots or clustered. The continued fiction that it is a no-build zone creates as many issues as those who might like to do away with it entirely.
You will indeed be missed, especially with the nasty woman who has taken your place already screwing up royally. Western Loudoun is now ruled from the thrones in Purcellville. Start up the dozers!
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