The Virginia Watchdog

An open letter to Supervisor Elton Wade (R) of Cold Harbor District....

Mr. Wade, you should be ashamed to be sucking up our tax dollars like you are in that part-time traffic guard job you have! There are "county" employees with more responsibilities than just stopping traffic for buses who are working full-time jobs and who aren't making $21,652 for only 180 days work that you are making. And your salary is JUST for 1 1/2 hours a day during the school year! I understand while most traffic guards work at only one school, you are directing traffic at two - Pole Green Elementary and Stone Wall. But your pay works out to $120/day! Why isn't there a cap on the pay scale for that job?

It's also a slap in the face to the bus drivers who are working more hours per day but are paid lots less than your hefty salary of over $80/hour and they have more responsibilities than you do. They are carrying around precious cargo!

And a lot of people in the "private" sector working a full 40 hour work week are NOT making that kind of money either. The taxpayers of this county should demand someone be fired for paying you (and some others) that much for that job.

In an email I received from a lady in Hanover County after posting the salaries on this site, she stated she and her husband are just living on her husband's Social Security Disability checks which is "just a fraction over half" of what you are making doing next to nothing. She also asks "why do people on low incomes have to support Supervisor Wade and people like him?"

So Mr. Wade... why should we pay you this kind of money?

I saw you a couple of days ago driving your Lincoln to your traffic guard job and I guess that woman and her husband mentioned above would love to have your car, too, which you can afford since you are making over $40,000 from us Hanover County taxpayers for your two "part time" jobs - the second being your Board of Supervisor's job. That woman and her husband are trying to just make ends meet with their SSD checks. They are not on the same gravy train as you and some others in this county.

And rest assured that wasn't the only email I received about your traffic guard salary...AND you also voted for the budgets that contain your salary... and your wife's bus driver salary...and your daughter's bus driver salary...and who knows how many other relatives of yours.

You should be voted out of office, Mr. Wade. I appreciate the fact that you called me to discuss this, but I told you then your salary was ridiculously high.

And then you let people "think" you did this job out of the kindness of your heart... Shame on you! I hope the voters in your district demand an investigation into this salary issue!

And lastly, who did you think you were fooling when you said the Hanover Sheriff had not endorsed Board members before - just you? He endorsed the entire Board in 1999 which included you! But that's nothing to brag about...the Sheriff has also endorsed in the past a Board member who has served time in jail on Federal charges (Bucky Stanley of Beaverdam District) and Tim Ernst of Ashland District (who was convicted of violating the conflict of interest laws - no jail, though) - both Republicans and both also recently endorsed by our Attorney General of Virginia Jerry Kilgore!

So don't feel too great about any endorsement by our Sheriff or the AG because you're not in such great company! I guess it doesn't matter to our highest ranking law enforcement official in Hanover County that he endorsed an ex-con (Stanley)! What does that say about his endorsement of you? It says he'll endorse anybody. AND so apparently will Jerry Kilgore...

But then again, I'd endorse you, too, if you paid me 50% over and above what I should be paid according to the State Compensation Board pay scale for Sheriffs for a county of 91,000... http://www.scb.state.va.us/salary1.html

Betty "BJ" Ostergren

Ashland District - Hanover County

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