Today’s Progress reports on City Council, the proposed changes in the date of the election, and the fact that 3/5 of Council intends to run for Senate this fall. It turns out that, if a Council seat is vacated, Council is supposed to appoint a replacement rather than hold an election. Councilors David Toscano and Blake Caravati, who are interested in Senator Couric’s former seat, believe that the members of Council should choose a candidate from themselves informally. Councilor Meredith Richards, also interested, doesn’t favor that approach. Amidst all of this, Council members are now saying that it would just be too confusing to move the election from May to November, and that they may put off that decision this time around.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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Here’s my bleary-eyed oh-my-god-is-it-really-1:45-in-the-morning thoughts.
1. Moving the date of the election should proceed anyhow because:
1a. Those people considering running for Council (ahem) pretty much need to know what the plan is here one way or another. If elections were in May, it would pretty much be time to announce candidacy right about now, but most people have been running on the assumption that they’ll be in November.
1b. Failing to do so would assume that a Councilor would be winning the Senate seat, therefore vacating a seat, therefore requiring an appointed replacement, therefore we’d probably want that person in office for as little time as possible, given that they’d likely be without agenda (ideally) and not terribly useful.
2. Council should seriously considering having a special election (and modifying our laws to require such) to fill this seat. Appointing a replacement hardly seems fair, and would surely be a seriously loaded process. I mean, really, could you see anybody but a Democrat being appointed? Plus, it seems a bit more reasonable to hold a special election for an eleven-month term, but it seems a little silly (though still necessary) for a six-month term, so this would be best combined with a change in the election date.
3. I don’t care if Christ himself announces his candidacy, Susan Payne is going to win if she runs.
Bedtime for me.
I’m sorry, but if Christ himself runs he gets my vote. If nothing else, it’ll resolve my agnosticism.
Council members are now saying that it would just be too confusing to move the election from May to November, and that they may put off that decision this time around.
Oh, my head is just spinning with confusion! How will I ever figure this out?
Although the political machinations of some state-senator-wannabees on the city council may be confusing, I think the voters can handle a shift in election dates just fine. And, you know, that’s the thing about democracy, sometimes it gets messy . But I think that a system that encourages maximum public participation is best.
So, elections = good. Appointment = bad. November election = good. May election = bad.
Harry Landers