Delegate Terry Austin: A Primer on Evasive Political Flatulence
Terry Austin’s recent letter to the editor of the Fincastle Herald recommends to Botetourt a pattern of planning and development modeled by that bastion of rural charm, Virginia Beach. Let’s pause to reflect upon that. In view of the present political temperature of the county, this suggestion is astonishing.
Is this provocation, or stupidity? Let’s see if his style of communication contains any clues.
His letter employs some political weasel wording which follows a pattern of manipulation that people should pay attention to. Austin’s third paragraph reads:
“Given the proximity to Roanoke County and the City of Roanoke, with the ease of convenience getting to these two locations, along with it came the growth and expansive development – much of which many fear has grown too fast, leading to the lack of long-range planning. Given that, I, over time, have felt at some point we should begin to protect our rural character and give more consideration to planned growth and development.”
Did you spot the distortion? According to Austin, proximity, growth, and development strolled down Williamson Road, I guess, found themselves in Botetourt, and lustily set to without any direction. It’s childish when you see it, right? And more than 30 years on, the hapless leadership “felt” it might do some planning. Austin later reassures us that it’s his “understanding that county administration is now seriously considering this concept.”
Of course, we’re not confused about cause and effect; this was all the result of human agency. Delegate Austin is so kind as to tell us, in his first paragraph, precisely whose planning is to blame:
“I have also had the privilege of serving four years on the Planning Commission (1995-1998), sixteen years on the Board of Supervisors (1998-2013), and thirteen years as your State Delegate for Botetourt County (2013–2026).”
Terry tete a tete might enjoy a cozy conversation with Google representatives–
–but he is consistently squeamish about admitting to his own agency. In a June 24, 2026 Facebook post, Austin argues:
“The Google project itself is a local land-use decision…decisions regarding zoning and project feasibility are made by the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission…It is not the role of a state delegate to override local elected officials or substitute my judgment for theirs.”
Austin is correct to raise the issue of accountability, but wrong to exclusively blame the Board and Planning. He knows as well as I do that local boards increasingly share their planning and decision-making power with corporations and other government officials and entities by means of economic development authorities, and regional partnerships and commissions.
In fact, in the same paragraph, Austin suggests that he knows how passive a role local government has in practice, reporting that the Board and Planning “are provided the technical studies, engineering reports, and project-specific information needed to determine whether a proposal is appropriate for their locality.” But who provides them? Is the expectation that a developer like Google will tell the County what to believe, and that the Board will not bestir itself to interrogate Google’s self-interested studies?
Austin’s June message opens with the statement that “I do believe the Google project is a significant win for Botetourt County,” but what support does he offer for this contention? The closest he gets is the following:
“I will note that in my time as a supervisor, we never had a single industry capable of contributing an amount approaching 25% of the county’s operating budget.”
Do you see it? What doesn’t this say? It does not claim that “Botetourt has, or will soon have, a single industry covering 25% of its budget.”
There is such a pattern of misdirection, omission, and distortion in Austin’s writing, that I doubt it’s the accidental issue of stupidity. I said elsewhere that the county “has been prostituted by a leadership too witless to even ask a good price,” but perhaps they do know what they’re doing, and have exploited the community for other ends.
Also in this series:
Vampire Pimps: In Their Own Words
Private Betrayal, Public Defiance: Botetourt’s Board of Supervisors
Vomitous Prattle & Statutory Conspiracy: The 2026 Comprehensive Plan
The 2026 Comprehensive Plan: Bend Over
The Botetourt Data Center, The Planning Commission, and Broken Promises
The Botetourt Data Center: Vampire Pimps
The Botetourt Data Center: The Legacy of Fascism
The Botetourt Data Center & the Lie of Freedom
If It’s Not Love, Then It’s the Data Center That Will Bring Us Together
The Botetourt Data Center: A Bad Deal with a Scammy Cherry on Top
The Botetourt Data Center, The Water Authority, and an Invitation to Corruption
The Botetourt Data Center: Bilious Corporate Prerogative
The Botetourt Data Center: Don’t Fear the Hamster Kaiju
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