Both David Toscano and Susan Payne have announced that they are not running for the 25th District Senate elections. In an interview with the Progress, City Councilor David Toscano said that he wants to spend time with his four-year-old child, and is concerned about the legalities of the election as regards the recent redistricting. And in a letter to George Loper today, Susan Payne said that she had not thought about running for the seat, but that she just cannot make a commitment to running.
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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Archive for Sideblog »
I just saw that Meredith Richards is planning on running. Yuck. I am pretty much a yellow dog Democrat but I doubt very seriously I could vote for her. I have written to many of the council on issues and I will say that she is one of the few that responds (Toscano is another) to email you back. Her responses are always disingenuous and wishy-washy. Heck, I’d rather not have a response back if you can’t say what you really think and tell me what you think of a situation. And, I’m a woman so don’t put any sexism charges on me.
To be honest, I’m not really too impressed with the council. The Democratic Party in C’ville seem as if they suffering from too much inbreeding and tend to reward each other or their friends. Unfortunately or fortunately, the Republicans in town tend to self destruct so there’s no real competition. Whatcha gonna do?
Maybe you should start a thread, the worst candidate possible? :)
After seeing how much council is paid, it is obvious why they’re so inbred. Only a small few can afford to do it, want to do it, and are capable of getting elected.
I couldn’t agree more. It needs to either be a volunteer position, and pay nothing, or pay something along the lines of $25k/year. At this point, Council is something that’s only for the middle- to upper-class folks that can afford it.
If we want to get the citizens of Charlottesville represented, we have to understand that folks that aren’t getting paid a living wage just can’t make the time commitment to serve on Council. The pay just ain’t there. I understand that City Council would be raked over the coals if they started passing bills tripling their own pay, but it’s really necessary.
Waldo —
If you decide to run for city council [see http://www.loper.org/~george/archives/2001/Sep/99.html ], would you vote for a pay increase and, if so, how much?
Would you be willing to serve on city council if it were a volunteer position?
George Loper
If you decide to run for city council [see http://www.loper.org/~george/archives/2001/Sep/99.html ], would you vote for a pay increase and, if so, how much?
Would you be willing to serve on city council if it were a volunteer position?
I apologize for my brevity here, but my UVa application is due today, and I got into work about 2 hours late today, so I’m a little low on time. :)
I would support either volunteer or greater pay, but keeping it in between seems useless. I would definitely be willing to serve as a volunteer, but I do recognize that this is hardly fair — I’m entirely OK with way overextending myself. And I also recognize that making it volunteer keeps it accessible only to those that make enough money that they can afford to spend the 10-20 hours a week that Council often occupies. That said, making it a volunteer position would at least fully acknowledge this current setup and the classism that inherently associates an elite yet low-paid job.
But much better than simply acknowledging something for the sake of doing so would be to actually fix the problem. I think it would be wonderful to see Council vote on a pay increase, and I’d certainly like to think that I’d do so. I could give you a number, but it would be entirely invented: I couldn’t possibly claim to have sufficient knowledge on the amount of pay that the city could afford, that would adequately compensate for the time, and that would be enough that lower- to lower-middle-class citizens could afford to serve on Council. I’m sure that there are economists that could certainly arrive at an adequate figure (the same folks that determined what constitutes a living wage? :) that would solve these problems.
Perhaps the best way to prevent people from crying foul over Councilors voting to raise their own pay so significantly would be to pend the date of that change by a term or two. So Councilors now could vote for a pay raise that would go into effect in, say, 2004.
I think that this change would result in a much wider variety of candidates, notably including people from economic backgrounds where serving on City Council might have been impossible without such a pay raise. I only support moving the positions to a volunteer one in that it would make the point that this is a position for people who have the time and the money to hold it. But like I said, far better than making such a change to make a point, wouldn’t it be better to simply fix the problem?
Now, speaking of economic situations, I’ve got to go scratch up the $40 to accompany this UVa application… :)
For what it is worth I hope and pray that a city councilor gets the nomination. That is the only hope republicans have. My guess is tht if Charles Martin can ride Warner’s coattails, the only way martin can win, to victory he will immediately run for senate. Martin would be crazy not to. If he wins at senate he only has to run every 4 years, as opposed to every two, and he would have a very safe district. If it would be OK for Deeds to run after just winning a house seat then why not Martin. The state dems want bath county’s favorite son but the votes all live on this side of the mountain.
Martin will just give people a sticker that will go right over the word Delegate and say Senate.
If the dems had gotten Susan Paine to run this would already be over, but without Paine or Toscano it gives the republicans a fighting chance.
Do you think that the city pays enough or are you in favor of noblesse oblige?
OK, here’s how I’d handicap this race right now.
Meredith Richards (3-1 odds). She’s got the fire in her belly, she does her homework, and she is an outspoken supporter of issues that tend to draw out the activists (living wage, gay rights, pro-choice, etc.). And remember, the key to this race is going to be turnout, turnout, turnout at the nominating convention on Nov. 10. Meredith’s main liability is that many people see her as inauthentic and/or overambitious, if not downright scheming (look at the way she dispatched David Simmons during the last Council race).
Creigh Deeds (6-1 odds). Young, ambitious, very well-connected on the state level…but entirely unknown in the end of the 25th District that will carry this election (Charlottesville-Albemarle). Not exactly a recipe for success. Main chance of winning is if the eastern 25th-ers don’t end up coalescing behind one of their own (which is a possibility).
Nancy O’Brien (8-1 odds). Well-connected to the party establishment, good history (Cville’s first woman mayor), but not likely to inspire much enthusiasm among the ranks (especially among people who’ve entered the party in the last decade). Not known for her people skills. However, she is married to one of Charlottesville’s most well-loved and respected citizens (Francis Fife).
Steven Koleszar (10-1 odds). Nice guy, has good track record in the educational arena, fairly well-connected in Albemarle County (which has the most votes at the convention), but lacking somewhat in spitfire or savvy. Could be a good compromise candidate but is unlikely to inspire legions at the outset.
Al Weed (10-1 odds). Again, good guy, solid on the issues, excellent personal background, but does not have a built-in base of support in any of the populated areas of the district. Al could be the darkhorse candidate, though, particularly if he successfully rallies the enviros to his cause.
Damn thing is, I still can’t decide who I’d vote for myself.
Rink E. Dink
What do you make of the fact that the convention is in Natural Bridge and not here. Does that not give and advantage to Deeds?
As I understand from Loper’s web site , the convention is going to be held at the Albemarle County Office Building. But wherever it is held, keep in mind that the delegates are distributed proportionally by locality. So even if is in Natural Bridge and Creigh Deeds is able to bring 10,000 Bath Countyans to the convention they will still carry less than 5% of the vote that morning. Cville and Albemarle together have over 60% of the delegates.
Rink E. Dink