Loudoun Board of Supervisors vice chair Janet Clarke (R-Blue Ridge) announced via Facebook June 24 she fired a part-time aide because he disagreed with her position on rail to Dulles, though she then apparently deleted the post and changed course on her statement.
 Supervisor Janet Clarke Photo Courtesy/Facebook |
“Metro has been quite the divisive topic, in fact so much so that I had to release an excellent part-time aide of mine based on our differing positions,” Clarke wrote on her personal Facebook page June 24. “There is a right place and time for everyone and I am blessed to have had this aide and my current aides working for me.”
The Facebook post could not be found Monday. Clarke and the aide, Phil Tran, both confirmed the separation.
Clarke told the Times-Mirror Monday releasing Tran was the original plan since his hiring, because he “is starting an internship in a couple of months.”
“His social media and photography skills are top notch and I am confident he will go on to great successes,” she said. “I wish him only the best as he starts work in his new endeavors.”
Tran, who said he was Clarke’s top political consultant during her 2011 campaign, voiced that it “was in everyone’s best interests to part ways.”
“We have fundamental differences in our political philosophies that emerged over time,” Tran said. “This hindered our ability to work together efficiently and effectively to serve the citizens of Loudoun County.”
Tran served in a part-time capacity to Clarke since she took office in January. He’s the owner of Phil Tran Public Relations which, according to its website, includes clients such as state Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-27th), Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34th) and the Loudoun County Republican Women’s Club.
“Janet is a wonderful, kind, and generous lady who cares deeply about her community,” Tran said, adding that the two “remain the best of friends.”
Clarke continued in her Facebook post, “Aides are at-will positions to the supervisors and not career employees, thus many aides have been through the Board offices. I will vote my conscience for the people of Loudoun and not vote based on political positioning or benefit.”
Clarke can be seen as one of the Dulles rail project’s biggest skeptics on the Loudoun board. She was one of three supervisors who signed off last week on a list of “opt-in considerations” for the project’s funding partners to review. While the list requested an additional five months to make a decision beyond the July 4 deadline, no official action has been taken on the proposal.
Chairman Scott York (R-At Large) released a statement June 22 saying there will not be an extension.
Having a well-informed opposing view in the office would be a good thing. Wouldn’t that make Supervisor Clarke a stronger advocate for *all* or *most* of her constituents? Now that would be a “positive approach to the community”, and that would pass the “Clarke Test”.
http://www.loudounprogress.org/?p=3364
I could really careless about why the two do not work together anymore. The thing that concerns me is Clark announcing the firing on Facebook. Really? Her own comments support that aides come and go but she choose to brag about the difficulties and balences of her position by saying she just had to fire someone based on the everyday challenges she faces. Whatever.
Don’t be so harsh on Janet Clarke. Voters will be firing her next time they get a chance. She’ll understand, I’m sure.
With luck, some will even take the metro home that day so they can get there before the polls close.
really wish the LTM would identify what the “update” to the story is….other professional news organizations leave the original story as is and then have an section labled: UPDATE.
In any event, I can understand not agreeing with the boss, but this is politics and we all know that politicians don’t like to be questioned, much less by their own staff. I think Tran must have seen this coming….but she definitely could have handled it a different way. Hope she learns from all her mis-steps quickly because it is becoming a distraction.
Do we elect leaders to lead? Or to follow the polls? There was a time when most Americans supported segregation. Thank Goodness we had leaders who lead, and weren’t lead by polls!
Between Clarke’s original FaceBook status up date (kudos for the LTM reporter sourced it before Clarke deleted it), Clarke’s email statement to the LTM and now Tran’s position. Wow, just wow. This proves what a bold two faced liar Janet Clarke is.
Brambleton got screwed by the gerrymandered district and now we are stuck with Clarke. If Clarke votes no on Metro. The Brambleton voters will revolt. What would it take to re-call Clarke?
Even Delegate Ramdan had a convincing plea supporting Metro, which took the wind out of Clarke’s sails during tonight’s B-town Community Outreach. Clarke doesn’t care what the voters of Brambleton want. She only cares about the west. Clarke pandered to Brambleton during the election and even stated her support for it.
Clarke’s new story makes no sense in relation to what she first wrote and what Tran said.
Ashburner according to the voters this group of supervisors is the elite, top of the line, A #1, numeral Uno best of the best. Voted in to make tough decisions that require skills you lack. The so-called majority trusts them to make decisions that we may not like but are in our best interests.Your transparency issue should be with the MWAA they are the ones being audited by a group of lawyers and accountants
Hey Orange, no thanks. I believe in participating in government. Many folks died and suffered to give us that right. I’ll never take it for granted. I will participate, debate, vote and argue till i’m blue. Bottom line - I’m not one to promote an elite establishment government.
orange says only the mastermind politicians can figure this out…nice government elitist point of view…If there is inside info. as you claim, why can’t the public see it - some transparancy…anyways, mark levin wrote about the so called masterminds in government and we should all avoid them…the only thing Clarke will have to hold onto when she votes no on Metro is the tax pig….and that won’t sell in Brambleton come next election….
“...most fervent of the tax pig entourage”
Are these inside jokes or is there really a tax pig entourage?
Or maybe you mean the coalition of builders and Koch’ed up libertarians dragging a giant pig around the country on a trailer?
We have supervisors who have the inside scoop on projects. If the constituents are flawed in their support and thinking then it is her job to save you from your error prone ways!
I guess he found out who makes the rules. If you are not going to futher her agenda then he should go as in escorted out like Todd was. 3 votes here cowbell!
Firing an aide over ideological difference on Metro, speaks volumes to Clarke’s leadership skills. It also highlights how important loyalty is to Clarke. Tran gave her thousands of dollars via “in-kind” campaign donations, she hired him as an aide (good-payback) and then fires him (bad-payback).
Who cares that Clarke is espousing she will be “voting her conscience”. The Brambleton Community is overwhelming in favor of Metro. Brambleton will have over 7,500 homes at build out and that will represent the single largest part of her constituency in her district.
If Clarke votes no on Metro, she will absolutely be a 1 term Sup and her aspirations of running for BoS Chair are all but over.
Dignified Lady?
A dignified person would be someobdy who is mature enough to realize that your employees don’t have to agree with everything you say or do
and as long as their work performance and attitude doesn’t decline - they should remain employed.
I don’t agree with my boss on some issues but I’m glad he is a decent enough person to realize that I don’t have to be a non-thinking yes man in order to keep my job.
Yeah, it’s a shame BOS and other politicians don’t listen to their constituents when it comes to issues. Are you listening Ralph? No to OpenBand, yes to lower taxes and no to metro. Actually that’s 4 No’s if you include the rest of my family.
I guess she only wants people who agree with her. How enlightening!
And voting her “conscience”? How about voting the will of her constituents?
His former Democratis affiliations were okay when he did so much good in-kind work on her campaign, weren’t they?
Former Democrat/liberal/progressive is somewhat immaterial anyway, as one of the most fervent of the tax pig entourage is a former hard left progressive, but now a born-again conservative.
Go figure.
That guy’s a democrat. I never did understand why Clarke hired a democrat to work in her office but she has handled it very well. What a dignified lady she is.
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