Fredericksburg City at it again with CHP requirements

[Grapeshot]

I'm thinking we need an OC luncheon for the Fredericksburg chapter of OpenCarry.org. :banana:

Would be good, except I work out of town... so difficult to do on a weekday.

TFred

Do an OC breakfast on a Saturday.

 

[thebigsd]

Do an OC breakfast on a Saturday.

I would probably drive down for that.

 

[lagmonkey]

No doubt TFred - I am gone from 0600 until 1900 every day. I was thinking of the weekend as well.

 

[TFred]

Fredericksburg folks: More info on the Clerk of Court candidates

Each one has done a short interview for the FLS, along with a poll.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/Web/elections/2011/fredericksburg/

Click the down-arrow to open the video for each one.

TFred

 

[CaptainCharles]

Each one has done a short interview for the FLS, along with a poll.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/Web/elections/2011/fredericksburg/

Click the down-arrow to open the video for each one.

TFred

Great info TFred. I have emailed both candidates to ask their intentions regarding retention of current deputy clerks or appointing new. Both mention making customer service a top priority. Will post answers when I recieve them.

 

[CaptainCharles]

Mr. Small's response:



"If I get elected I will ask the current staff to stay on. They are bright and experienced and are an asset to the office. I believe they are the perfect team to work with me to accomplish the goals I have set. Thank you for the question. Jeff Small"

 

[lagmonkey]

Each one has done a short interview for the FLS, along with a poll.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/Web/elections/2011/fredericksburg/

Click the down-arrow to open the video for each one.

TFred

Solid find TFred.

I like that they both have identified that service within the Clerk of Circuit Court's office needs a kick in the pants. Now if either one of them can deliver on this promise this is a win/win for us.

 

[CaptainCharles]

And Mr. Ahearn's response:


"I intend to retain all the current staff as long as performance is satisfactory. I also intend to work with the City and the State Compensation Board to obtain funding for the two vacant deputy clerk positions.

I thank you for your consideration.

Dennis E. Ahearn, Esq."


So, at least as it pertains to CHP applications, it looksl ike status quo of having to force the deputies to abide by the law, no matter who wins the election. I wonder how many renewal applicants needlessly have submitted to fingerprinting, because they were told by the Deputies that they had to. ( And rudely and aggressivly at that)

 

[TFred]

And Mr. Ahearn's response:


"I intend to retain all the current staff as long as performance is satisfactory. I also intend to work with the City and the State Compensation Board to obtain funding for the two vacant deputy clerk positions.

I thank you for your consideration.

Dennis E. Ahearn, Esq."


So, at least as it pertains to CHP applications, it looksl ike status quo of having to force the deputies to abide by the law, no matter who wins the election. I wonder how many renewal applicants needlessly have submitted to fingerprinting, because they were told by the Deputies that they had to. ( And rudely and aggressivly at that)

Actually, I suspect none.

I think this was a fluke case where the renewal happened to coincide with the move to Fredericksburg. And as we have seen, the issue was resolved by the issuance of the permit, which was sent out by the same office that originally objected, so unless they are dumb as rocks (and I have no reason whatsoever to think that), they are now fully aware that renewals do not require fingerprints, even if you happen to be moving into the city at the same time.

I spoke with Mr. Small in person about this issue, and informed him that the permit had been issued without the fingerprints, and Mr. Ahearn's initial response was to interpret the law correctly, so I think this issue is done, at least in the City of Fredericksburg.

TFred

 

[TFred]

Any other Fredericksburg city residents besides: CaptainCharles, fburgdave and lagmonkey?

Send me a private note if you're willing to admit it!

TFred

 

[TFred]

Update

I wanted to stop back by this thread to say that after spending the past several weeks evaluating information, reading lots of letters, watching interviews, and talking to people, I have decided to support Jeff Small for the Fredericksburg clerk of the court.

As I noticed at the beginning, neither candidate is inherently unqualified for the position. But after my time spent studying the issues, including seeking guidance from our resident legal guru on what one should look for in a clerk, I'm convinced Mr. Small is the better candidate.

Even though both candidates are lawyers, that is not a requirement for the job, in fact several nearby court clerks are very well respected for their well-run offices, and they are not lawyers. I believe Mr. Small's additional experience in running a customer service oriented business will be a great asset to the job.

At face value, Mr. Ahearn's answer to our question is what we wanted to hear. That wasn't hard to deduce from the context of the question. Mr. Small's answer is not incorrect, but is an answer that tells me he is willing to be sure he gets it right.

One factor that settled my decision is the fact that Mr. Small has spent a substantial amount of time volunteering in Spotsylvania's clerk's office. He has stated that he didn't want the city taxpayers to pay for his on-the-job training, so he spent his own time learning the job, before he gets the job. That was a big indicator that he was all in for this campaign.

TFred

 

[Grapeshot]

........snip........
One factor that settled my decision is the fact that Mr. Small has spent a substantial amount of time volunteering in Spotsylvania's clerk's office. He has stated that he didn't want the city taxpayers to pay for his on-the-job training, so he spent his own time learning the job, before he gets the job. That was a big indicator that he was all in for this campaign.

Very unusual - can't say that I have heard of anyone else ever doing that.

I'm impressed.

 

[CaptainCharles]

THanks again TFred. Sorry I missed the meet and greet Saturday. Still look forward to meeting up with all the local OCDO Fredericksburg residents at a later time.

 

[lagmonkey]

One factor that settled my decision is the fact that Mr. Small has spent a substantial amount of time volunteering in Spotsylvania's clerk's office. He has stated that he didn't want the city taxpayers to pay for his on-the-job training, so he spent his own time learning the job, before he gets the job. That was a big indicator that he was all in for this campaign.

TFred

This little nugget of information impressed me as well. I met up with Mr. Small on Sunday when he was touring my neighborhood and I feel confident that, should he win the post, he wants to hit the ground running.

And boy does he hate that little security window that separates the clerk of courts office from the public.

:lol:

 

[TFred]

This little nugget of information impressed me as well. I met up with Mr. Small on Sunday when he was touring my neighborhood and I feel confident that, should he win the post, he wants to hit the ground running.

And boy does he hate that little security window that separates the clerk of courts office from the public.

:lol:

That window does seem to be one of his pet peeves. I suspect that he will be advised that there is nothing they can do until they move into the new courthouse facility which will put his office behind the security perimeter. Just my guess.

TFred

 

[lagmonkey]

That window does seem to be one of his pet peeves. I suspect that he will be advised that there is nothing they can do until they move into the new courthouse facility which will put his office behind the security perimeter. Just my guess.

TFred

Time will tell if his quest to "tear down that wall" is successful. Personally, as long as those deputy clerks put out solid service you can put them on the far side of a moat for all I care.

 

[TFred]

Certainly to be lost in the roar of the Virginia Senate races, Jeff Small cruised to a 3-1 margin of victory over his opponent, Dennis Ahearn.

http://fredericksburg.patch.com/articles/small-wins-court-clerk-race-in-landslide

I have every confidence that Mr. Small will run a good office.

TFred

 

[CaptainCharles]

Certainly to be lost in the roar of the Virginia Senate races, Jeff Small cruised to a 3-1 margin of victory over his opponent, Dennis Ahearn.

http://fredericksburg.patch.com/articles/small-wins-court-clerk-race-in-landslide

I have every confidence that Mr. Small will run a good office.

TFred

Yes, congrats to Mr. Small, had the opportunity to talk with on the way in, and out of the polling place yesterday.

 

[lagmonkey]

Mr. Small was the first candidate in line as I made my way into Hugh Mercer Elementary last night. I stopped to shake his hand and chat with him for a moment (you could say it was pretty clear that he was my candidate) but in the fading light I failed to notice that the next man in line was none other than Mr. Ahearn.

Talk about awkward.

As I exited the polls Mr. Small was still working the line but Mr. Ahearn was packing his gear and exiting stage left.

 

[TFred]

Here we are, almost a year later, I had a few comments to make following up on some of the posts in the thread.

True to his word, one of the first things Mr. Small did was to remove the bullet-proof windows between the public and the assistant clerks working area. They have added alternate security measures (details omitted intentionally), which I judge to be reasonable considering the fact that whether we like it or not, the clerk's office is in the city's historic courthouse, built in 1852 with MUCH different security considerations, and it provides an entrance into the court building. It is very nice to not have to be "buzzed in" to gain entrance to the records room. The current situation is temporary, as the city has just recently began construction on a brand new courthouse which will incorporate the clerk's office, and it will certainly be behind the entire building's security perimeter. Money counts more than rights these days.

I've discussed the CHP process with both Mr. Small and one of the senior assistants on several occasions. Each time I show up for a records search, he brings me the latest copy of their application package to review. I guess I have a bit of a reputation...

I'm very pleased to report that I reviewed their current package yesterday, and they've got it just about as streamlined as it can be. The one page of directions spends most of the text clarifying the qualifications (city resident, must use your street address, etc.) and then pretty much: Fill out the form. Sign it in front of the clerk or a notary. Give it to us. We'll mail you the permit or the reason you didn't get one.

He said their turn-around time is down to about 7 business days, most of which are waiting on the background check to come back from the PD.

Several other improvements to the office as well, unrelated to the interests of the forum.

If only all the Clerk's offices in the state were run this way!

TFred