Dems Want to Block a Tough-On-Crime Parole Board Chief

by Kerry Dougherty

Virginia Democrats are audacious. You’ve got to give them that.

During the lawless  McAuliffe-Northam years, Virginia’s Parole Board was headed by bleeding hearts, who specialized in releasing criminals.

They were rewarded for their soft-hearted approach with judgeships. Because that’s how Democrats roll.

You’d think the party that favors criminals over victims wouldn’t want to remind the public of its own terrible record.

But they can’t help themselves.

Now that Gov. Glenn Youngkin has named Patricia West, a tough, super-qualified retired Virginia Beach judge to the same position, they’re trying to block her confirmation. They fear she’ll be too tough on criminals.

Dems have removed her name from a list of gubernatorial appointments. Her name could be restored by the entire General Assembly.

You’d think Democrats would be so embarrassed by what they did when they controlled the board they wouldn’t want to remind the public of their own terrible record.

You see, Democrats prefer board chairs like Adrianne Bennett, now a juvenile judge in Virginia Beach.

Bennett merrily sprang murderers and cop killers from prison, joking in an email that she was waving her “magic wand of power.”

Among those killers freed during the Northam years was a Louisiana guy who raped, kidnapped and stabbed to death a 78-year-old grandmother who allowed the stranger in her home when he asked to use her phone.

Yep, he’s back on the street.

So is Vincent Martin, the hairbag who executed Richmond police officer Michael Conner back in 1979. Both killer and victim were 23.

The good guy’s been in the ground for 45 years. The predator is free.

That makes Democrats do their happy dance.

There were more. We wrote about these reeking, capricious actions of the parole board back in 2020. Read all about it here.

Back to the qualified nominee Youngkin has put forth: I’ve known “Trish” West for years. I trust her to make smart, fair parole decisions that place the safety of Virginia’s communities and the fears of the victims and their families above political dogma.

West is a former Juvenile and Domestic Court Judge, retired Virginia Beach Circuit Court Judge, Former State Director of Juvenile Justice, former Secretary of Public Safety and most recently a member of the State Corporation Commission. 

When I interviewed former Gov. Bob McDonnell on WNIS in December I asked him to compare his experiences in Richmond with Governor Youngkin’s. He pointed out that during his term, Republicans and Democrats worked together. Back then, he said, Virginia’s Democrat Party had many moderates who were willing to reach across the aisle to work for the common good.

McDonnell said the Democrats have rid themselves of these moderates. The commonwealth is stuck with a far-left Democrat party.

Watch and see what happens to West’s confirmation. If no Democrats are willing to confirm her that should tell you where we’re headed

Three words: lock your doors.

Republished with permission from Kerry: Unemployed and Unedited. 


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Comments

25 responses to “Dems Want to Block a Tough-On-Crime Parole Board Chief”

  1. LarrytheG Avatar

    There’s a saying – “what goes around comes around” and it was just a matter of days and weeks that Youngin cleaned house in some state agencies and appointed replacements without consultation with the GA.

    That’s a dumb strategy in Virginia if the other side wins the GA.

    So, maybe Youngkin’s “plan” was to flip the GA and keep his appointments.

    CLEARLY, he has had little intention of trying to work with the GA, at least from a public perspective. It looks for all the world like a big “_issing” contest and I don’t mean with a K but about five letters later.

    He has gutted the Dept of Education and apparently wants to weaken the SOLs. He uses the SOLs and NAEP to attack education in Va, gets elected… and does away with the very metrics he used to win election on! Not a bad cheap trick!

      1. LarrytheG Avatar

        Well, you WOULD bring that up. Barf! Hopefully this will end like uber gas passing in a windstorm.
        Maybe the GOP can use him for one of their tokens?

        1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
          James Wyatt Whitehead

          Mr. Larry. Send me your size. I want to get you a Levar Stoney Onesie. Thought about you yesterday. RMA played St Michael Archangle in hoops. They were so good.
          https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4b5537fe9ee822ec4f595b7fe6f767131381fa9f0a6429ba1c2ad62841fff463.jpg

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            geeze, James… some folks would consider that downright insulting! Lord! I feel you have badly gone astray here..

      2. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        St. Louis Prosecutor Would Like To Free Marcellus Williams Instead Of Executing Him, *Just Because He’s Innocent*

        1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
          James Wyatt Whitehead

          Sounds good. Let him go. Meanwhile Biden’s Gestapo is going to put 11 pro-life activists in prison for 11 years for singing hymns and praying.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Problem is the Governor is for going forward.

          2. Lefty665 Avatar

            Off topic. The admiral and the fractional troll haven’t been around for awhile, hope they’re ok.

          3. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Troll was here 3 hours ago. Make sure you didn’t accidentally block him.
            Didn’t see a “Big O” on the Captain, but at 79 maybe he’s napping?

          4. Eric the half a troll Avatar
            Eric the half a troll

            “Make sure you didn’t accidentally block him.”

            Opposite is true. After warning them that I would block them if the personal attacks did not cease, they returned with another attack so here we are.

          5. LarrytheG Avatar

            my experience also… and apparently free to do it …without sanctions.

          6. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Aw, it takes the fun out of it. But then, sometimes necessary. I’ll let him know. However, if he was worried enough to ask, at least he misses you.

          7. Lefty665 Avatar

            I’ve never blocked anyone.

          8. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            He blocked you. Alas. (Read below)

          9. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
            James Wyatt Whitehead

            Not good maybe a court can do something.

    1. Back to the subject at hand: Will you please explain why you think Patricia West is not qualified to lead the parole board?

      1. LarrytheG Avatar

        Nope. I think that lies with the GA people. I think she tends to be more of a GOP operative than not and tne prior GA did not like her attitude towards whether she should be independent on the SCC or do what the GA wanted. How about you? You think she is qualified ? Why?

        1. She certainly appears to be qualified:

          – former Juvenile and Domestic Court Judge
          – retired Virginia Beach Circuit Court Judge
          – Former State Director of Juvenile Justice
          – former Secretary of Public Safety

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            yep. but need whole context of her background and experience, right?
            I suspect the “rest of the story”, that’s what led to loss of support in the GA.

  2. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    We have a flawed system, but that’s different from a broken system. Funny how when spouting and shouting on forums that a jury sworn to evaluate a case only on the evidence in court can come to unanimity even in apparently divisive cases. I trust a civilian board can do the same. Both, however, require voir dire.

  3. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    We have a flawed system, but that’s different from a broken system. Funny how when spouting and shouting on forums that a jury sworn to evaluate a case only on the evidence in court can come to unanimity even in apparently divisive cases. I trust a civilian board can do the same. Both, however, require voir dire.

  4. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Spare me the wailing. Obviously, Trish West is qualified to serve as head of the Parole Board. However, Senate Democrats are not rejecting her because she is “tough on crime.” They had no problem confirming Chadwick Dotson, another retired judge that Youngkin nominated in 2022. https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?221+sum+SJ83&221+sum+SJ83 (Youngkin recently named Dotson to be director of the Department of Corrections.)

    It must be something about West that Senate Democrats don’t like. They previously refused to confirm her appointment to the SCC, as well.

      1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
        Dick Hall-Sizemore

        Maybe, but they had their revenge a year or so later when West came up for re-election and they refused to do so.

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