Gossip Mill Already Grinding For 2007 Election Season

· Although Supervisor Sarah R. "Sally" Kurtz (D-Catoctin) doesn't plan to run next year, her mostly rural district is deemed safe for Democrats.

· Most bloggers agree that York would have the advantage in a head-to-head race against Tulloch, whose role in delaying the rural downzoning vote could hurt him with advocates of slow growth.

· Will former state delegate Richard H. "Dick" Black (R) run for office again? If so, bloggers say, he might do more harm than good for Republicans by galvanizing Democrats and independents who find his social conservatism distasteful.

Said a poster known as "Perfect Timing" at tooconservative.com: "This man is no longer electable."

More Information, Please

There's more than a little bit of irony in a Freedom of Information Act request submitted recently by development law firm Reed Smith to state Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William).

Michael A. Banzhaf of Reed Smith, a well-known development lawyer in Leesburg, asked Marshall for all letters and e-mails regarding a recent Virginia Department of Transportation study that concluded that allowing 28,000 new homes in the Dulles South region of eastern Loudoun would cause gridlock.

The VDOT study was hailed by opponents of the Dulles South proposal, but it was roundly criticized by development representatives, who viewed it as a political stunt orchestrated by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) to build support for the tax increases he is seeking to pay for transportation improvements.

In his letter to Marshall, Banzhaf specifically asked for correspondence provided to VDOT by "others," notably the Piedmont Environmental Council, the slow- growth advocacy group.

What Banzhaf didn't say is why he was asking for the information.

Banzhaf's letter says it was written "on behalf of our client, a Virginia Limited Liability Company" -- but that's as far as it goes. So much for openness.