City Council candidate Bern Ewert has proposed a new design for the Meadowcreek Parkway that he believes is superior to the current plan. It calls for the road to follow the railroad tracks, sending the road between CHS and their athletic fields, and under a proposed bridge for Melbourne Road. Ewert says that his plan “clearly is much better for the environment and clearly is more efficient,” but BOS Chairman Sally Thomas argues that his design an expressway, not a parkway, and says of the current plan that “this wasn’t just a couple of people sitting down and doodling on a map. It’s been a very carefully thought-out design by some of the nation’s best designers of parkways.” The story, and a map of Ewert’s proposal, is in today’s Progress.
Full disclosure: this reporter is a candidate for Charlottesville City Council.
Ewert wants Toscano’s voters. Toscano supports the parkway, so now Ewert does. Although in a clever maneuver, Ewert offers a different design which doesn’t have a prayer. That gives him a legitimate reason to vote against the current design. Pleases both sides, or more accurately plays boths ends against the middle.
But will sombodey please notice that there is already an unsused railroad right-of-way there which would be perfect for light rail?
I don’t know about what voters Ewert is trying to attract, but he’s made some pretty serious charges as to underfunding of capital improvements by the city. He says Charlottesville should be spending $8,000,000 a year, which is a far cry from the $4,300,000 that we’re now spending.
I don’t know whether his numbers are legitimate or not, but I do know that it’s clearly an attack on every incumbent councilor (including Toscano and Caravatti). If $8,000,000 is the right number, why haven’t these guys funded it? It’s also an attack on the professional city administrators. If $8,000,000 is the right number, why didn’t City Manager Gary O’Connell recommend it?
Can you imagine what it would be like if this guy got elected? He’s a professional public administrator. He’ll be second-guessing every move the City Manager makes.
I don’t know who’s right, but I see fireworks.
The $4.3 million figure only represents local funds for capital improvements. The City actually put over $11 million in capital projects last year when you consider what was received in state and federal funding.
Can you imagine what it would be like if this guy got elected? He’s a professional public administrator. He’ll be second-guessing every move the City Manager makes.
And this is a problem because…?
Heaven forbid city bureaucrats being held accountable for their decisions and actions!
It may or may not be a problem. Whether it’s in business, non-profit organizations or government, there can be conflicts when board members, whose job it is to set policy, become too heavily involved in administration and start to micro-manage. Since Ewert’s career has been in administration, we may see that happen.
So, to come back to the case at hand, does anybody know who Ewert blames for the capital underfunding? Is he saying that bureaucrats screwed up and heads are going to roll? Is he saying that the initiative should have come from Council and better leadership is needed?