Today is the election for Charlottesville City Council. There are four registered candidates: Blake Caravati (D), Stratton Salidis (I), Rob Schilling (R) and Alexandria Searls (D). Voting takes place at the usual polling places throughout the city. Please, I beg of you, go vote. Take a few friends with you, tell your coworkers and, when you get home, remind your neighbors. As a special added incentive, cvillenews.com will be cross-referencing the list of voters in this election with all accounts on the site, and those who haven’t voted will find their posts to city-related stories automatically ranked at -1. ;)
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
four six 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 #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Jake Mooney was delivering excellent stories on the Council race, up until about a month ago. Since then his coverage has been a disaster. The last two pieces have been blatent pro-Schilling screeds. Today’s is one of the worst articles I’ve read in a long time — it doesn’t even pretend to be journalism. “Hey Rob what message do you want me to get out on election day?” “Thanks for asking Jake. First of all, don’t bring any attention to the Democratic candidates or their strategies and ideas. Second of all, please tell everyone that I want them to only vote for me. It’ll help my chances.” “Sure thing Rob! I’m off to Columbia so I don’t give a fuck anyway, I’ll do whatever my editors tell me to!”
Alex Searls got totally shafted by the Daily Progress. She could have sacrificed a live goat on the steps of City Hall and Mooney wouldn’t have covered it. I think he has been put in a Schilling/Caravati straightjacket by the (pro-establishment, pro-Parkway) editors he works for and has lost all sense of fairness or balance. Too bad, he seemed to have potential.
Waldo, I went and voted at the downtown precinct. There were plenty of Schilling signs and a few Caravati-Searls signs. I think someone (large gentleman with gray hair and beard) was with the Dems. At 8:10 this morning, turnout was low. All but 2 machines were available. But behind were a group of people and another group of people were watching the new ballots.
The new balloting system was interesting. I was a bit of an alarmist when they gave me a number at the initial polling table. I thought perhaps “THEY” could match my number with my vote. The voting officials assured me that I would get another number and this would be confidential. (I try to have a healthy distrust of things: No social security number on my checks, no telephone numbers on my checks and I resist giving out SSN. Perhaps I am paranoid. Wanna make something out of it? :) )
It worked great although I didn’t realize that I had to hit the button marked “CAST BALLOT” so I sort of kept spinning my wheels. Got a big “I VOTED” sticker this year (Albemarle County voters always had bigger ones…)
Waldo’s right, go out and vote. (PS You can do write-ins on the new ballots probably easier than you could on the old ones.)
Oh come on now, a LIVE goat would have been covered. It might have even got her some votes from the goths, voodoo, and barbecue factions.
don’t like the current candidates and want to protest or only like one. Make your voice heard vote WALDO! If not Waldo then maybe Toscano or anyone else. Show the city your unhappy with the current choice and make your protest count. Also you get to use high-tech voting machines as a bonus.
The new balloting system was interesting. I was a bit of an alarmist when they gave me a number at the initial polling table. I thought perhaps “THEY” could match my number with my vote. The voting officials assured me that I would get another number and this would be confidential. (I try to have a healthy distrust of things: No social security number on my checks, no telephone numbers on my checks and I resist giving out SSN. Perhaps I am paranoid. Wanna make something out of it? :) )
I’m the exact same way, though maybe a little more paranoid. :)
I’ll be doing a shift at the Recreation precinct (the place I assume you’re talking about, at the old armory) from 11pm-1pm, standing outside and convincing people to vote Democratic. Any of y’all voting during that time, be sure to say ‘hi.’ I’m the tall skinny kid. :)
That’s funny — I thought the story was about how it will be next to impossible for Schilling to win, and his only hope is to get people to do something they won’t want to.
Not to mention that the SPCA would have been there to protest….it would have made an interesting campaign video…
Do you remember the National Lampoon (the magazine) cover back in the late 70s? It had a picture of a dog with a gun to its head with the caption, “Buy this magazine or this dog gets it!”
The article was nothing less than a primer for Schilling’s supporters on how to ensure his election. There was NO mention at all of the strategies any of the other candidates are using to win. But what do you expect from a newspaper that is so freaked out about losing the Parkway that they’d do anything to push their man Schilling.
The article was nothing less than a primer for Schilling’s supporters on how to ensure his election. There was NO mention at all of the strategies any of the other candidates are using to win.
Of course there was mention of their strategy — repeated mention. It says in the SECOND PARAGRAPH (if my memory serves — and I think it does) that their strategy is to get their large base out to the polls.
uhh…sorry, you’re wrong.
Whoa, crude anonymous Mooney attacker. Hold up there and look at the stories. Jake Mooney has covered this election straight up, favoring no candidate and earning the glare of unhappy glances from all sides. He could care less whom the editorial page of the Progress endorses and it shows. He has been providing interseting takes on candidates on all sides. Cool your partisan jets, nasty boy! Just because a few Republicans talk about single-shotting as their only hope for a win doesn’t mean most voters are going to waste or withhold one of their two votes. Attacking the messenger is the oldest and saddest trick in the book for people who have no positive message.
or at least BE counted. Those who vote rule. If you don’t think that a large write-in vote doesn’t or can’t make a difference go ask Sally Thomas.
I certainly appreciated the little play on the words. In any case, is it those who vote that rule or is it those who control the discussion (ranging from the traditional media to traditional agitators) that rule? Voters make one vote. The influencers can change handfuls.
I thought (I)!
You’re right — I’m sorry. Stratton is a Democrat, but for the purpose of this race, he’s an Independent, so I changed that on the news story. Thanks for pointing that out!
This isn’t about J.J., it is a critique of the notion of the write-in as protest. How is that trolling?
This isn’t about J.J., it is a critique of the notion of the write-in as protest. How is that trolling?
You wrote:
You should write-in Jake Jizzrag. His band has revamped their equipment and is just about ready to rock the shit out of this town.
That’s a troll. If you don’t want your posts moderated into oblivion, don’t add garbage like that.
I am positing that write-in votes, organized this late, aren’t really protest. They are as meaningful as a write-in vote for J.J. Further, their importance is as importance as the fact that his band has revamped their equipment, etc., etc. I was relying on the message board’s distaste for the subject to make my point. How is that language, which seems to fit pretty well the point that I was making, “garbage” more than:
“Sandridge is a whorish eunuch. UVa is a corrupt
autocracy. City Council is a bunch of pussies who’re afraid to tick people off.
Hence, the parking garage. Our tax dollars being used to anally rape us.”
Both of them are making seemingly legitimate points (U-Va oversteps its bounds, write-in votes ineffective as protest). If you are going to say that mine used a form that is unacceptable, how is that not? Surely mine is more stomachable in terms of obscenity, vulgarity and profanity.
Not that I want you moderate that post down — I just don’t understand the -1 here. You seem, in the past, to have modded posts essentially out of existance for being so off topic and limited in meaning as to have (perceivedly) no place on this board. Language, form and format have not been the apparent determiners in the past.
uhh…sorry, you’re wrong.
Uhh … OK, but you’re a cocksucker.
And as the saying goes, at least there’s the chance that tomorrow I’ll be right.
Granted its better than pregnant chads.
But still. Can’t they design a compuerized system that is as easy to use as the check-out at Kroger? Touch the screen and you’ve bought the lettuce. Or voted for Mayor. Why do they have to complicate things with secret numbers and multiple steps and dialing-for-candidates?
This system was obviously not developed by Mac users who know the value of simplicity.
As soon as the election’s over, I’m looking forward to seeing the “Don’t blame me, I voted for Waldo” bumper stickers around town
Using Jake’s own technique against him:
By JAKE MOONEY
Daily Progress staff writer
He’s got a clear lead in lawn-mounted campaign signs, but Republican City Council candidate Rob Schilling still faces an uphill climb today as he seeks to become the first member of his party to hold elective office in Charlottesville since Darden Towe.
In addition to the city’s strong Democratic bent, there is another obstacle: Schilling is the only Republican running, and voters can choose two candidates from a field that also includes Democrats Alexandria Searls and Mayor Blake Caravati and left-leaning independent Stratton Salidis.
In an election with low turnout, what Schilling’s supporters do with their second vote could cause big problems for the candidate. As a result, city Republicans are putting word out among their supporters about the mechanics of casting only one vote without using the other — a move known as single-shotting.
The argument for the importance of single-shotting to Schilling’s chances goes like this: The Democratic Party has a larger base of devoted supporters in the city than the Republican Party. If most of these base voters choose Caravati and Searls, those two candidates will have an automatic cushion.
A Republican who chooses Schilling, on the other hand, will have a vote left over. If those second votes are spread among the remaining candidates, many could add to the Democrats’ strong base of support and hurt Schilling.
Some Republicans, then, are urging Schilling supporters to vote only for him. One is Kevin Cox, the former independent candidate for council who joined the GOP just before the start of Schilling’s campaign.
Cox admits that single-shotting can be counter-intuitive — it strikes many people as throwing away a vote. But, Cox countered, “why vote for somebody that you don’t want to be in office?”
“It makes me feel good, not voting for Caravati or Searls,” he added. “Not doing something that I really don’t want to do is actually helping my man.”
If Schilling supporters insist on casting two votes, Cox argued, they should avoid supporting the other declared candidates by writing in a name — for example, that of John Bright, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for the council in 2000.
Bob Hodous, the party’s chairman in the city, said he is “not necessarily encouraging people” to single-shot. “I’m not sure which would be better. You can sit down and work the mathematics in a lot of different ways,” he said, adding that he would like to see voters from all parties come out to support Schilling.
Still, he added, “depending on the turnout, single-shotting could be very helpful to Rob.”
Toward that end, city Republicans have been distributing sample ballots with instructions on how to cast just one vote on the city’s new electronic voting machines. Voters who pick two candidates are moved automatically to the next screen, whereas those who choose only one have to hit an extra button to advance.
It was unclear just before the election, though, whether the publicity efforts would pay off. The difficulties a lone candidate can face are among the reasons the Republicans tried so hard to find Schilling a running-mate early in the campaign, Hodous said.
Among the problems: Single-shotting is a hard thing to convince large numbers of people to do.
That’s especially true, Democratic City Councilor David J. Toscano noted, among the independents and moderate Democrats Schilling is counting on for support.
“Independents don’t just vote for one person,” said Toscano, who has won two council elections and is stepping down in July. “They generally cast all the votes they have to cast.”
Independents who choose Schilling, then, likely will pick a second-favorite from among the other three candidates as well, Toscano said. That, he said, essentially cancels the first vote out.
“So then we’re left with the Democratic base versus the Republican base, and we know what those numbers are,” Toscano said. “They’re clear Democratic victory.”
City polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
I, for one, am waiting for Waldo’s response here!
Language, form and format have not been the apparent determiners in the past.
I changed my mind. Just for you.
Say, aren’t you going home now that the school year is over?
Another damn McCutcheon wrote: Using Jake’s own technique against him
“Against”?
If anything, I think reading the story will calm people down a little when they see that it’s actually pretty balanced. The more people who read this stuff with a clear head before popping off, the better.
The piece is a description of a strategy that the Republicans were using, and an assessment of its chances of working — not very good. If there’s any mistake in the story, it’s that it doesn’t give the single-shotting approach enough credit.
I appreciate the subtle reference to your ability to read IPs. I am awed by your powers.
Oh, and I apologize for trying to discuss and reason with you. I suppose the better option would have been petty insults and evasive posts. I come here to learn from the best!