Snubbing of Salvation Army costs Leesburg $13,400

OPINION:

Thanks to the Town Council of Leesburg, Virginia, there’s now a price tag on leftist virtue signaling: $13,400. For a majority of council members, that five-figure amount was better than free. 

The Salvation Army had offered to administer a social welfare program for the Loudoun County town about 40 miles northwest of Washington at no cost to its taxpayers. But Councilman Todd Cimino-Johnson was having none of it, labeling the venerable Christian charity “homophobic and transphobic.”

Robin Hackbarth, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Corps of the Salvation Army, said her religious and charitable organization could use its staff members who manage community assistance programs in the county without incurring extra costs, according to LoudounNow.com, an online news site. 

At Mr. Cimino-Johnson’s urging, however, the council in a June 11 vote snubbed the organization for its generous offer and handed the job instead to Loudoun Cares, a nonprofit that bid to perform the same job for an estimated $13,400. 

The task involves administering a new $100,000 program of subsidizing the cost of water and sewage bills for residents with modest incomes. Part of the reason the assistance program is needed in the first place is the same Town Council earlier this year raised utility rates by 4.1%, piling on to the burden that families already feel from inflation and high interest rates.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the $13,400 that will be paid to Loudoun Cares would be in addition to the $100,000 allocated to the program or would come out of the fund itself, effectively reducing by 13.4% the amount of money available to help low- and middle-income residents pay their utility bills. 

In making its final decision, the council rejected the formal recommendation of staff that the job be given to the Salvation Army. The staff analysis determined that “free” was a really good offer. Loudoun Cares, on the other hand, projected it would rack up administrative costs of about $100 per transaction.

Formed in 1865, the Salvation Army boasts 1.7 million members worldwide. The organization is best known for running soup kitchens and thrift stores that give ex-convicts a chance at rehabilitating their lives. It mobilizes relief efforts during hurricanes and other natural disasters, and its volunteers are the ones raising money for the homeless by ringing a bell outside stores during the Christmas season. 

Because the group was founded by Christians who adhere to a system of beliefs rooted in the Bible, it opposes legislation that infringes on religious freedom. For instance, cities like San Francisco and New York have attempted to force their novel values on organizations doing business with the city. The Salvation Army is willing to give up multimillion-dollar contracts to avoid being forced to violate traditional beliefs about the sanctity of marriage.

That doesn’t mean the Salvation Army imposes its views on others. The group doesn’t discriminate against anyone who knocks on the doors of its shelters seeking help. Everyone is welcome, regardless of faith or sexual orientation. In fact, they seek out those neglected and shunned by others.

If the Leesburg Town Council majority seeks to wipe out intolerance and bigotry, it can start in the council’s own chambers.