Monthly Archive for November, 2005

Page 5 of 6

Showings of Wal-Mart documentary in C’ville

Published by Duane Gran on November 15, 2005 in Business. 12 Comments

Robert Greenwald has produced a critical documentary about Wal-Mart which is being shown in various places around the nation this week. On November 17, one can see it locally at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist and the Friends Quaker Meeting House. Wal-Mart has responded to some aspects of the documentary that differ from the facts. Hopefully events like these raise dialog about the intersection of global commerce and society.

11/17 Update by Waldo: Charlottesville Podcasting has an MP3 of last night’s town meeting about Wal-Mart.

Albemarle Again Backs the Dem.

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 10, 2005 in Politics. 15 Comments

When Republican Jim Gilmore won his 1997 race against Democrat Don Beyer, he did so with 54% of Albemarle’s votes. But in 2001, when Democrat Mark Warner won his race against Republican Mark Earley, Albemarle had switched to supporting the Democrat by a 56% majority. The trend continued with Tuesday’s election, with Democratic Governor Elect Tim Kaine garnering a surprising 61% of the vote, significantly more than his 52% victory statewide.

Part of this can be attributed to population growth, though part of this can also be attributed to the leadership of the Albemarle Republican Party, which is one of the more far right in the state, something that has got to impact involvement.

Surprisingly, the results in Greene County didn’t change at all from 2001. I’d assumed that, with more Charlottesville and Albemarle residents moving to the surrounding counties (where property is affordable), we’d see a spike in support for Democratic candidates, but there was no such effect.

In today’s Daily Progress, Bob Gibson writes about this trend in Albemarle and in counties around the state.

Election Results

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 8, 2005 in Politics. 12 Comments

Democratic Lt. Governor Tim Kaine won big, defeating Republican Jerry Kilgore. Republican Bill Bolling squeaked out a victory against Democrat Leslie Byrne for Lt. Governor. And, as of this writing, the attorney general’s race is up in the air, too close to call, but it’s trending towards a very narrow victory for Republican Bob McDonnell over Charlottesville Senator Creigh Deeds.

Local House of Delegates races put Democrat David Toscano over Republican Tom McCrystal by a landslide and Republican Del. Rob Bell kept his seat with 56% against challenger Steve Koleszar.

On the Board of Supervisors, Dennis Rooker easily fended off Republican Christian Schoenwald, besting him by a 3:1 margin. David Slutzky pulled off a shockingly strong victory over Republican Gary Grant and independent Tom “Dr. J.” Jakubowski (seriously, that’s how he’s listed on the ballot) in the Rio District with 58% of the vote in what can only be described as a rallying endorsement of growth restrictions in the county.

Finally, the elected school board referendum passed in Charlottesville easily, by nearly a 3:1 margin.

Pre-Election Discussion

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 7, 2005 in Politics. 14 Comments

I’ve never created a story just for for the purpose of discussion, but it was suggested, and I think it’s a good idea.

So, tomorrow’s elections. We’ve got several BoS seats, constitutional officers, several HoD seats, several school board seats, and the statewide races. Any predictions as to who is going to win, and by how much? What issues will decide the race? Who will pull ahead in the Rio race and why?

The Hollymead House

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 6, 2005 in Development. Closed

An oft-asked question about town for the past six months has been “What’s the deal with that house getting buried by Target”? Jessica Kitchin provides the answer in today’s Daily Progress.

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