My latest column, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday (and made it to the Whipple Clips this morning – a first 😉 ). I found it interesting that the Governor’s Commission on Government Reform & Restructuring was limited in its ability to review the Dillon Rule. Seems to me that if you are serious … Continue reading Marshal some courage on Dillon Rule
One of the first posts I wrote on this blog was about the Dillon Rule. And if you search this blog, you’ll find that I often rail against it. I promised last week to open a thread where we could discuss it. From an editorial in today’s Virginian-Pilot: The state’s rigid adherence to the Dillon … Continue reading Open thread: Dillon Rule
One of the first things I checked on upon my arrival in Richmond last night was the status of SB51, which I discussed here. Well, the bill failed and it failed by a much larger margin than expected. I was told last week that 3 Republicans had decided to support the bill, which, with all … Continue reading Stupid Dillon Rule: SB51 fails
Del. David Englin (D-45) has proposed HJ111, the purpose of which is to study the Dillon Rule. WHEREAS, the Dillon Rule is a 19th century judicial philosophy of statutory construction that holds that all local authority must be based on expressed constitutional or statutory provisions; and WHEREAS, Virginia is among a handful of states that … Continue reading Bill highlight: Englin’s HJ111 – study the Dillon Rule
The front page of Sunday’s Virginian-Pilot contained a story about the abandoned homes in South Hampton Roads older cities, Norfolk and Portsmouth. Abandoned homes decrease surrounding property values and are magnets for crime. The ability of the cities to address the problem is hampered by that old standby, the Dillon Rule: Wilmington, Del., has reduced … Continue reading Pesky Dillon Rule
I finally got around to watching The Direction’s videocast posted last week. Ken spent most of the time in this 36 minute show talking about the Dillon Rule. He calls it a “red herring” and takes to task those who think the rule should be abolished. I fully expected the standard answer for supporting the … Continue reading The Direction on the Dillon Rule
In today’s Pilot, there is an article on the Virginia Beach council’s task force regarding the meal tax in that city. The task force recommended that council support “state legislation to require a referendum on any future meals tax increases.” That legislation has been proposed by Del. John J. Welch, R-Virginia Beach. No dice, says … Continue reading VB: That pesky Dillon Rule
In 1865, an Iowa judge by the name of John Dillon ruled in the case of Clark v City of Des Moines: It is a general and undisputed proposition of law that a municipal corporation possesses and can exercise the following powers and no others: First, those granted in express words; second, those necessarily or … Continue reading DYK…Virginia is a Dillon Rule state?
As previously mentioned, I was appointed by the Hillary Clinton campaign to the DNC Rules Committee. Our meeting was yesterday – and what a meeting it was! I posted on my Facebook page various parts of it as it was occurring. What I want to cover here is the biggest piece of the meeting: the … Continue reading DNC Rules Committee meeting
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in Wednesday’s Virginian-Pilot. As you might expect, I’m once again banging on the Dillon Rule. But I’m not alone in doing so. An article in the Richmond Times Dispatch drew my attention to the fact that the Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Governor’s Commission on Government Reform & Restructuring … Continue reading Antiquated rule discourages regional ventures
