WINA is reporting that three people have scheduled press conferences to announce their candidacy for City Council: former city planner Satyendra Huja, former Charlottesville School Board Chairwoman Linda Seaman, and Public Housing Association of Residents program coordinator Holly Edwards. All three are among the names being floated as likely candidates, and they’ll join Jennifer McKeever, who announced her campaign a month ago today. All four are seeking the Democratic nomination. Though Councilor Kendra Hamilton has announced she won’t be seeking a second term, the intentions of Mayor David Brown and Councilor Kevin Lynch aren’t yet known.
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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By way of disclaimer, I recently discussed Satyendra Huja candidacy with him, providing him with some friendly advice on his campaign. And I used to serve on the board of the IT Academy with Linda Seaman. Oh, also, I think Holly Edwards is awesome. :)
I know nothing of Seaman, but if she’s anything like the other three, we can’t go wrong.
Huja would be wonderful for City Council. He’s already done so much for the Downtown area — I’d love to see what else he’d do.
So, when’re you going to run for Council again, Waldo? :-D
She is — Linda’s great. Linda ran the Charlottesville Albemarle School Business Alliance (CASBA) for many years, which is exactly the sort of public-private partnership that we could use more of around here. I really enjoyed being on the IT Academy board with her, and I suspect I could be persuaded to join some other board only by the knowledge that she’s on it. :)
We’ve got an embarrassment of riches this time around. I’d be happy with any of these four folks ending up on Council.
I almost forgot my obligatory hell no. You know where we live now, Tim — I’m so far from C’ville that I’m nearly in Orange. :)
Do these declared canidates mean Kevin Lynch is not going to run?
Huja? Well, hope he’s improved his rhetoric since the “the plan for development is not a plan but a rule which we can choose like a guideline for the direction of how we look at the plan” days when I interacted with him… Sheesh.
Bah. And I assume there are residency requirements for City Council. :-P
My quetion is, will we have a choice? Or will it be the same old Charlottesville Democratic machine rolling along again?
Do know that I will be voting Republican or Independent if there is anyone on the ballot. I am sick and tired of how City Council can never find a dumb program to spend taxpayers money on that it didnt like. Like the transit center(yeah , it was federal funds to build,but guess who will pay for maintaining it).In the meantime, facilities like the pools that people actually use are falling apart.(But Parks money goes for shaving off every patch of vegetation to the nth degree,and that “trail that goes nowhere by Schenck’s Branch).
I am looking forward to the day when I stand on the county line, and wave goodbye to this “worldclass city” with one finger! Affording to live here getting harder and harder anyhow.
More than a few candidates (if everybody announces that I think will announce) have nothing to do with any Democratic machine. Huja has never been spotted at a Democratic gathering. Ditto for Linda Seaman. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen Holly Edwards at anything partisan, either. None of these four candidates are plugged into the party in a way that makes in any way controllable. Woe be to the person who tries to twist Holly’s arm; they’re liable to lose it.
So, yes, we’ll have a choice, but only in the Democratic caucus. All other things being equal, there simply aren’t enough Republicans in town to put a Republican in office. If you feel so strongly, you should consider meeting the candidates and going to the nomination caucus and voting for your two candidates of choice. The only catch is that you’ll have to sign a piece of paper in which you affirm that you will not support any candidates in the general election other than the two nominated Democrats, so you’d probably want to make mighty sure that there are no Republicans or independents running that you’d rather get behind.
I don’t think there are ANY Democrats I would care to support for City Council! I will not set foot at their caucus, and they will not get my vote.
Well then, no, you won’t have a choice, but that’s nobody’s fault but your own.
(Other than, presumably, the non-Democrats who aren’t running. :)
From todays Daily Progress:
That was back in the days before an elected school board, when political connections got one the appointed seat. In my opinion that makes her an insider (and political heavyweight). I would be surprised if she didn’t get the nomination. However having said all that I don’t hold it against her. I’ve met her she’s a nice person.
I knew people in the 80’s who (rightly or wrongly) blamed Mr. Huja’s and his policies for driving business out to the county. Now that things have turned out for the better- it’s easy to claim “vision.” But I don’t think anyone back then had the ability of foresight to predict twenty years into the future. That said I think most of his detractors (at least the ones I knew) no longer live in the city, and memory being as short term and fallible as it is I think he stands a fair chance as well.
I don’t know enough about the other two to comment. However, I would be surprised if there were one “born in Virginia” native among the four.
You’re free to hold that as an opinion, but as a fact it’s wrong. The political organization that decided who got on the school board in 1987 bears little resemblance to the political organization that makes up the party these two decades later.
If Kevin Lynch runs for reelection, there will be enormous pressure on the party (from within the party) to nominate somebody who is black, preferably a black woman. Linda Seaman is many things, but she is not a black woman. :)
Interesting slate of contenders. Edwards and Huja have quite a support network. From what I’m reading here, Seaman probably does too. It could make for a challenging caucus if David and/or Kevin choose to run as incumbants. Sure, all the choice will be in the Dem caucus again, but it’s a nice to see competition–a 180 from the last election where we had exactly 2 candidates and 2 seats. It means that we’re not becoming complacent in our majority.
If there is such pressure to nominate someone who is black then democrats shouldn’t be opposed to council seat’s by ward. I think if council members had to actually “live” in the section of town they represented then you would get a much different council (and I do not mean republican v. democrat).
Waldo wrote: “If Kevin Lynch runs for reelection, there will be enormous pressure on the party (from within the party) to nominate somebody who is black, preferably a black woman.”
I don’t think that’s true at all. That’s based on the assumption that Lynch would be a shoo-in for renomination. I think a lot of people believe 8 years is long enough for anyone to be on Council. Kevin Lynch may well run but Linda Seaman or Holly Edwards will be hard for him to beat.