Monthly Archive for March, 2007

Page 4 of 6

Republican Challenging Dorrier

Published by Waldo Jaquith on March 13, 2007 in Politics. 11 Comments

Democratic member of the Board of Supervisors Lindsay Dorrier has a challenger in this year’s election in the form of Republican Denny King. (The Progress reported this fully a week ago, but I totally forgot to write about it.) King, who works in the film production business, ran for the Scottsville seat on the school board in 2003. Some may recall his 2004 efforts to start an all-Charlottesville all the time broadcast TV station.

Lindsay Dorrier is nominally a Democrat, but certainly the most conservative elected Democrat to be found in the area; he often votes with his Republican colleagues. His current run on the BoS began in 2000, but he also served from 1976-1980. He was challenged at the end of his 2000 term by a write-in candidate, but won handily.

Democrat Running Against Del. Abbitt

Published by Waldo Jaquith on March 13, 2007 in Politics. 4 Comments

Connie Brennan AnnouncesNelson County Democrat and member of the Board of Supervisors Connie Brennan announced her candidacy for the House of Delegates seat occupied by Delegate Watkins Abbitt yesterday, Bob Gibson writes in today’s Daily Progress. Brennan is a Sorensen Institute graduate and works as a nurse at UVa. Abbitt, an insurance agent, was elected in 1985.

The 59th district is the largest in the state, running from the southwest quarter of Albemarle (coming within yards of the Charlottesville boundary) clear down to Appomattox, including Nelson, Buckingham, Cumberland and, bizarrely, only the western half of Fluvanna. The unusual district was carved out specifically for Del. Abbitt in the 2001 Republican redistricting in exchange for Abbitt leaving the Democratic Party and becoming an independent.

There’s a third candidate in the race, though he hasn’t formally announced. Buckingham’s Eric Winslow — currently a Sorensen fellow — will be running as an independent. Winslow is to the right of Abbitt, and his entrance into this race is going to make it a great deal more interesting.

City, County Weigh Tax Rate Options

Published by Waldo Jaquith on March 13, 2007 in Taxes. 2 Comments

Both City Council and the Board of Supervisors met last night, and both are considering their options on how to adjust the tax rate in response to assessment increases. The staff of each municipality has recommended keeping the tax rate the same, which would leave many home owners paying about 15% more than they are now. Three members of City Council have gone on record supporting a rate cut, though at a rate that will still leave many homeowners paying more in taxes. The Board of Supervisors asked county staff to determine the impact of a $0.06 rate cut, taking it down to $0.68 per $100 of assessed value. (Lowering it to $0.58 would leave tax payments flat.)

Supervisor Sally Thomas figures a $0.74 rate is necessary just to cover the county’s basic obligations and deal with the demands that keep increasing along with the population. (The taxes paid by new residents aren’t enough to cover the demand that they place on public services, meaning that taxes have to be raised on the rest of us.) Three members of the BoS support a $0.68 rate, one a $0.71 rate, one a $0.72 rate, and one a $0.74 rate.

Democrat to Challenge Camblos

Published by Waldo Jaquith on March 6, 2007 in Politics. 12 Comments

A Democrat will be challenging Republican Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos in this year’s election, Liesel Nowak reports for the Daily Progress. Denise Lunsford has not yet filed her paperwork or formally announced that she’s running, but says that she plans on doing so. She is an attorney, of course, in private practice working in criminal defense. Albemarle County Democratic chairman Fred Hudson says that Lunsford is the only Democrat to express interest in running for the seat thus far. Likewise, Camblos is the only candidate on the Republican side.

I wouldn’t dare describe this race as a cakewalk, but Camblos isn’t what you might call a popular guy. He’s isn’t a particularly nice guy, often appearing to barely control his temper, and voters tend not to appreciate that sort of behavior towards a female opponent. That will be a tough line for him to walk, and this will be quite a race to watch.

Interestingly, on the heels of last week’s residency discussion, Lunsford lives in Charlottesville but is seeking an Albemarle office. Commonwealth’s attorney is the only position in Virginia for which it’s permissible to run in another district, under §15.2-1525. It’s my reading of the law that nonresidents only qualify “if no practicing lawyer who has resided in the county…for the period aforesaid offers for election” but, then, I’m no attorney.

McKeever Announces Council Campaign

Published by Waldo Jaquith on March 6, 2007 in Politics. 1 Comment

Jennifer McKeeverLocal attorney and blogger Jennifer McKeever has become the first candidate to announce her candidacy for this November’s City Council election. She’s seeking the Democratic nomination, which will be decided via a caucus on June 2. Charlottesville Tomorrow provides the audio of Jennifer’s announcement, or you can just read it on her blog.

There are at least five other Democrats considering running. If any Republicans are considering running, I haven’t heard about them.

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