Official Backed Plans Of Business Connections

"Good, I agree," Kalina responded in an e-mail, which went on to discuss the size of the project and its potential impact on traffic. She suggested that she and Knop ask Beerman "to give us some insight as to what he has heard privately" from other planning commission members about Knop's proposed entertainment center. "Based on the fact that you just helped him out on the Alabama deal, he owes us this information. . . . I dont think he'll balk. Do you?"

Knop's company made a payment to Beerman for thousands of dollars while he was a planning commissioner, according to an interview with Knop's former accountant, Angela Kelleher. The money was connected to Beerman's efforts to resolve a land dispute between Knop and Greenvest L.C., a major developer, she recalled.

Kalina also remembered payments to Beerman, which she described in a deposition, although her statements were inconsistent about when the payments were made.

Political Forays

Beerman and Knop have known each other for years, a period during which Beerman helped shape Loudoun's development as a rapidly growing suburb.

In 1992, Beerman was appointed to a citizens committee advising on development plans near Dulles Airport. In 1995, he was elected to the Board of Supervisors, where he positioned himself as the board's go-to person on financial matters.

"I was a step ahead of most people because I knew what they were talking about," Beerman said in an interview this summer. He later declined to answer additional questions from reporters.

Beerman lost his bid for reelection in 1999 and was defeated again when he ran for board chairman in 2003. But he still had a voice in development decisions: He served two years on the county's Sanitation Authority, which controls water and sewage lines, and in 2004 was appointed to the Planning Commission, a nine-member board that helps decide which projects can be built in the county. The commission elected Beerman its chairman.

Under Beerman's leadership, the commission abandoned its practice of publicly disclosing contacts with people who had business before the board. He said in an interview that he also encouraged fellow commissioners to "do our work independently" by talking outside of meetings individually to county staff and developers with pending proposals. He regularly backed major developments across the county, including large communities near Dulles Airport proposed by Toll Brothers Inc. and Van Metre Cos.

The work came naturally to him, he said. "If you're doing this for 15 years, you kind of get a feel for it," Beerman said.

Beerman, 46, lives with his family in Ashburn. He has a passion for golf and running, and he previously worked as an investment banker. During his years in local politics, he repeatedly met with developers and their advocates to discuss proposals, building strong ties in that world. His business colleagues say he is an affable dealmaker with a sensitive radar for opportunities.

Work as a Loan Officer

In February 2003, Beerman took a job as a residential loan officer with George Mason Mortgage LLC, a major lender in Northern Virginia. He asked to be assigned to the company's account with Greenvest, saying he had a contact there, according to George Mason chief executive D. Gene Merrill.

Greenvest, led by co-owner Jeff Sneider, had joined forces with former supervisor Dale Polen Myers to back a slate of candidates in 2003 who were sympathetic to the building industry. Myers backed Beerman, who lost. He was nominated to the Planning Commission by another Myers protege, Supervisor Stephen J. Snow (R-Dulles).