Delgaudio criticized for disparaging comment about Sterling Park
By Jason Jacks
A Loudoun supervisor, known for being outspoken with respect to the issue of illegal immigration, is drawing criticism for comparing the district he represents to a sewage pit.During the Kojo Nnamdi "Politics Hour" on WAMU 88.5 June 20, Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) sparked controversy when he said that illegal immigrants have turned Sterling Park into a "cesspool."
"Great, someone who wants to buy a house in Sterling is going to Google Sterling Park and see that someone called it a cesspool," said George Hidy, a 24-year resident of Sterling Park, who lost to Delgaudio at last year's local Republican primary. "If he really feels that way, then he should sell his house and move the heck out of Sterling."
Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D), whose Potomac District includes parts of Sterling, called Delgaudio's comments "disappointing."
"Sterling is a wonderful place to live and work," she said. "And to characterize Sterling in the manner that he did is bad for business and bad for the reputation of Sterling."
Delgaudio was asked to appear on the lunch-hour show after Loudoun Sheriff Steve Simpson announced June 17 that his deputies would soon begin checking the citizenship of people arrested for felonies.
Delgaudio spoke briefly near the end of the program. He called Sterling Park a cesspool, which is a pit for retaining sewage, after he was asked if the community's problems, which include complaints of unkempt lawns, litter and overcrowded homes, could be attributed to urbanization.
"This is not urbanization," he responded. "This is a cesspool. People are coming from outside our culture and they are dumping their crap on the streets on our town."
Delgaudio's comments also ran on local NBC4 News and on its Web site, as well as on the Web site for the National Policy Institute, a Georgia-based think tank accused of being a white supremacist group.
For Delgaudio, who is in his third term on the board, this is not the first time critics have attacked him for bashing living conditions in Sterling Park, Loudoun's first suburban community, built in the 1960s.
Last summer, while trying to drum up support for a slew of illegal immigration initiatives he had proposed, Delgaudio often referred to Sterling Park as littered and crime-ridden. He made similar comments in the lead-up to last November's election.
"Same old rhetoric," Supervisor Susan Klimek Buckley (D-Sugarland Run) said of these latest comments.
Despite the interview being available for download off the station's Web site, Delgaudio refused to admit that he called Sterling Park a cesspool. He said his comments were that illegal immigrants "are trying" to turn it into a cesspool. "And they're failing," he said.
He added: "Sterling Park is a beautiful place, and I'm fighting for it."
Sterling Park's Joseph Budzinski, who is with Help Save Loudoun, which wants tougher enforcement of illegal immigration, said while Sterling Park may not be a cesspool, it is "in danger" of becoming one.
"Some areas, such as around the shopping center [Sterling Plaza], have become dangerous at night," he said, "and there are sections which are just plain sad because of the lack of zoning enforcement. Things are definitely going in the wrong direction in some of our communities."
In the nearly eight years she's lived in Sterling Park, Anne Lawver said her neighborhood has become dotted with boarding houses. Vandalism and litter are also common, she said, as are groups of Hispanic men who "hang about and shout at women driving or walking by."
"Sadly, I have to agree with Mr. Delgaudio," she said. "We still love Sterling but are deeply saddened to see it becoming a cesspool."
Jeanne West, who lost to Delgaudio in November's race for Sterling supervisor, disagrees. She moved to the community in 1974. She called Sterling Park an aging community in need of some attention – but not a cesspool.
"Yes, we have some problems, she said. "It is an older community. But don't call it that name. If the mayors of New York and Washington called their cities cesspools, people would be in an uproar."
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com