Jennifer Thompson

Below is an email that my office received yesterday from a gentleman who happened to be watching our meeting this past Tuesday.  

After receiving several new building permits in record time at the Orange County Building Department on Rosalind Avenue I decided to spend some of my new found extra time listening to the Orange County Commissioner's meeting across the hall. As I walked towards the auditorium I joked with the security guards scanning packages at the front door that I was "going there to see how much hot air would fill the room".  Instead I got quite the opposite of what I expected. My experience could be summed up by the one hearing I witnessed of fellow Orange County resident Jose Barbosa. Mr. Barbosa's request to add an additional one bedroom to his modest home in a solidly working class neighborhood was turned down by BZA (Board of Zoning Approvals) because it encroached 8.5 feet into the zoned property setback. Mr. Barboza needed the extra bedroom to accommodate his aging mother as well the addition of his new wife and nine year old daughter that would be soon added to his family.  Although he had a letter of approval from his home owner's association and their was no objection to his request by any of his neighbors, the BZA felt they had to stand on the existing regulations and deny his request for a variance.  The rules were followed but clearly justice was not being served. 

 Upon hearing of this case Commissioner Jennifer Thompson urged Mr. Barbosa to appeal this decision and then proceeded to champion his cause at this hearing. She cited that Mr. Barbosa was adding two new additions to his family while shouldering the burdens of caring for his aging mother. At a time when many homeowners could not afford to pay their mortgages Mr. Barbosa only wanted to further invest in his property and obviously in this economy would have a hard time selling his home and locating another property as his only alternative. Commissioner Thompson passionately stated that "I feel this is one of the reasons why I ran for this office, this is why I am here" to help people like Mr. Barbosa who are good citizens, providing for their families and following the rules, who seek only fairness and clarity in government decisions.  The vote was called and the Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of granting a zoning variance to Mr. Barbosa, overturning the BZA's decision.  After the vote was completed Mayor Theresa Jacobs proudly stated "Welcome to Orange County!"

Thanks to a Mayor and Commissioners who cared, Mr. Barbosa will now be able to live in a home that will accommodate the needs of his new wife and daughter in addition to his mother. The Commissioners clearly did not approve his request because Mr. Barboza was a big developer who would later fill their pockets for their re-election, they did this solely because they cared about their fellow citizens and it was the right thing to do. As I walked out of the building I apologized for my earlier comments to the security guards. "Today I witnessed a victory for the common man!".  "Score one for the little guy" they replied after I told them what I heard. 

Bravo Orange County! I only wish our government officials in Washington would follow your lead. 

Best, Regards, 

Brent Kingstone