On behalf of Unlink Clarke, I am delighted to announce that Clarke County has been “Unlinked.” Today, Valley Link has removed from consideration two proposed lengthy and invasive routes that would have caused irreparable harm to Clarke County’s heritage and its future. Unlink Clarke is a non-profit entity that has standing to represent the interest of private citizens who are opposed to the routes published by Valley Link in the summer.
Clarke’s Board of Supervisors is the best. We thank Chair David Weiss, Vice Chair Terri Catlett, and Supervisors Douglas Shaffer, Doug Lawrence, and Bev McKay for standing united and fighting on behalf of their constituents. From the very beginning the Board understood how much was at stake and its opposition was always clear and unambiguous. We also thank county staff for their work supporting this effort, especially County Administrator Chris Boies.
I also want to thank my co-directors of Unlink Clarke: Mark Jacobsen, Joe Henderson, George Ohrstrom, Alison Teetor, Dave Morris, Jeff Weiss, Mary Shockey, Celeste Borel, Jerry Buckley, and Zelicia Read. These individuals spent innumerable hours and incurred significant personal expenses to ensure that we could substantiate the merits of our case and retain the best legal talent available.
To that end, we retained Richard Cullen and Torridon Law to provide the legal expertise needed to present a compelling case. Richard is highly respected as both a private practitioner and public servant. And we readily consented to the County’s separate retention of Richard which insured a uniform and streamlined legal strategy.
Finally, when we formed Unlink Clarke we pledged we would never play neighbor against neighbor or county against county. I am pleased to report that we have been true to that pledge throughout all of our efforts.
Let’s keep Clarke County a special place!
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About Unlink Clarke
Unlink Clarke is a nonprofit advocacy organization made up of Clarke County residents, farmers, landowners and conservation advocates working to prevent the proposed Valley North transmission line from being constructed through Clarke County. The organization is committed to protecting the county's farmland, groundwater, conservation investments, historic landscape and rural character through community organizing, independent research, regulatory advocacy and legal action.
Members of the press: contact unlinkclarke@gmail.com for interviews, property visits, photography and filming.