Gardner 'Stands By' Harsh Words For Anti-Project Petition's Author

Falls Church Mayor Dan Gardner's angry denunciation at a July 19 City Council work session of a petition opposing approval of the Atlantic Realty project on S. Maple drew a strong reaction from the petition's author at this Monday's City Council business meeting, but the mayor stood by what he said. The petition was signed by 427 citizens.

Gardner was quoted in last week's News-Press saying "the way the petition was put together" was "disingenuous at best and a disservice to the community." He added, "It was not balanced," "largely one-sided" and "based on listening to the opinions of one person."

Monday, Lou Mauro, who authored and circulated the petition, retorted in remarks to the Council, saying, "It is hard to imagine more undemocratic statements for the mayor of any community to make about a citizen petition." He added, "Does the mayor really believe that the people who live in this City are incapable of reading and understanding a document, deciding whether they agree with it, and, if so, whether they want to sign it?"

But the mayor replied saying he "stood by" his earlier statement, insisting it was directed not against those who signed the petition, but against its author.

While not mentioning that Mauro was the prime mover placing a referendum on the November 2002 ballot that would have blocked downtown mixed use development had it passed (it failed by a two-to-one margin) and was an unsuccessful candidate for City Council this May, Gardner said he was "disappointed with the author's action, and I said so."

Mauro's petition, he said, "Was one sided, without balance, lacking information. It got 400 people stirred up without providing full information...Petitions should not only focus on the negatives, but the positives, too."

Two of Gardner's colleagues on the City Council weighed in on the issue with Letters to the Editor published elsewhere in this News-Press edition.

Councilman Sam Mabry defended Mauro's petition, saying that Mauro "doesn't have to agree with" the mayor "on the substance of this issue and he's not going to embrace alternative positions in his petition. To do so would eclipse his right of free speech, inhibit free debate and result in his submission to a form of political bullying."

Council member David Chavern came to Mayor Gardner's defense, saying "He had a point about the petition being bad," containing "loaded and incorrect statements." He said it was "broadly written, undated and did not reference which of the many Atlantic proposals it was addressing," adding, "I think one can criticize the preparation and execution of the petition without being anti-democratic."

Gardner led the 4-0-2 (with Mabry one of two abstentions) giving final approval for the Atlantic Realty project this Monday night.