Proposed Resort Remains Topical

Candidates See Lessons in Controversy

Months after the Middleburg Town Council gave the go-ahead for construction of the Salamander Resort and Spa, a 120-room luxury resort on the edge of town, the project continues to cast a long shadow over town politics.

Most of the seven candidates in Middleburg-- six running for four Town Council seats and one council member running unopposed for mayor-- say the hullabaloo delivered an important lesson in the politics of development.

Vice Mayor Betsy Davis, a two-term council member, voted to approve the resort's plan and said she is satisfied with the council's decision, although it was a difficult one to reach. Davis, the owner of the Fun Shop, put her name in for mayor at the behest of her friend and ally, longtime Mayor C.L. "Tim" Dimos, who is stepping down after 10 years in office.

As Davis sees it, change in Middleburg is inevitable. But the resort and other recent projects point up the need, she said, to improve council communication with developers and residents. Tightening zoning ordinances to rein in large-scale development is also on her agenda.

"Loudoun has become a real popular place. Middleburg is a popular place," Davis said. "People come here for the beauty and to be able to drive around and see the uniqueness of our town. If you have a lot of huge office spaces and projects out here, that's not going to happen."

Among the candidates for council are two incumbents: Mark T. Snyder, a computer technologies analyst, and Darlene Kirk, a public affairs specialist at the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

Snyder, seeking a third four-year term, said he would like to see the town work a little more closely with county officials to keep undeveloped land left open around Middleburg.

"We're all in the same boat out here in Loudoun," Snyder said. "If we want this lifestyle to continue and to have this small-town, friendly atmosphere, we've got to try to work with the people outside our town to make it happen."

Kirk, who is running for a second term, sees development as a big issue, too. But she said she is also concerned about high turnover in Middleburg's town staff. Three key officials recently left their positions.

"I want to get to the bottom of it and find out why people are leaving and what we can do to keep good people on staff," she said.

Candidate Lisa Hubbard Patterson, owner of the Mello Out restaurant in Middleburg and a member of the town's Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals, said making Middleburg more pedestrian-friendly is a big priority for her, as is encouraging tourism and commerce.

Judith Pryor Plescow, a real estate agent and a board member of the Fox Run Homeowners Association, said she wants to reunite a town that was pulled apart by controversy over the resort.

"The Salamander issue has been relatively divisive in this area," Plescow said. "I just felt like I needed to get involved and bring things back into focus."

Karen D. Robinson, a Middleburg native and a planner with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, said the town needs to look at controlling potential traffic snarls around the resort.

Also running for the council is Frederick L. Hutchison, a retired school administrator and teacher who was on the Town Council from 1994 to 1996. He could not be reached for comment.