EMR ruffles feathers. Imagine that!

Ed Risse had a chance to speak truth to power last week when he participated in a round table discussion with Fauquier County’s supervisors on the topic of developing a “functional and sustainable future.” Read a bit more about the session in this advance story published in the Fauquier Times-Democrat. Readers of Bacon’s Rebellion will find most of the ideas discussed in the article to be familiar. But the best part of the article isn’t about Ed’s ideas, it’s about Ed. Permit me to quote at some length:

Risse tends to ruffle feathers.

“Ed can walk into a room and immediately alienate the community-development people,” said [Terry] Nyhous, a former Warrenton town councilman. “I’ve seen it at the town a couple of times. [Warrenton Planning Director] Chris Mothersead would get himself in a dander” listening to Risse, Nyhous said.

Risse even makes him “mad” sometimes, Nyhous said with a laugh.

But he reminds himself that Risse intends his criticism to be constructive, the Center District supervisor said. “And I’ve got to keep [his frustration] in the box and listen” to Risse.

Risse knows he sometimes rubs the bureaucrats the wrong way. A few years ago, he made a presentation to the Fauquier planning commission and staff that implicitly faulted the county’s land-planning practices, assumptions and results.

Risse received a chilly response.

Later, “a planning commissioner came up to me and said that’s just what those people needed to hear,” he recalled.

Yeah, that sounds about right. That’s the Ed we know and love.