Community activist Holly Edwards announced her candidacy for City Council today, Seth Rosen wrote in yesterday’s Progress. Edwards is a a volunteer parish nurse at Westhaven Nursing Clinic and PHAR‘s program coordinator, and is advocating affordable housing, reduction of taxes for the middle class and expanded public transportation. She pointedly announced her campaign while standing in front of Crescent Hall. More information about Holly Edwards is available on her website.
04/13 Update: Charlottesville Tomorrow was there, and provides this video:
Four incredible candidates… so far… for what could be zero open seats. I can’t blame the Republicans for phoning in this one.
I keep hearing Kevin Lynch isn’t going to run. I have also heard the David Brown is in. Anybody else thinking of running?
Seriously, why would a republican run in the city. It’s a fool’s errand and any rationale person knows it. If you could make the perfect republican canidate(that might have a chance) who would it be?
The perfect Republican would be somebody with long-standing ties to the community. Perhaps somebody who owns and runs a business. Somebody with a track record of working with different segments of the community, across partisan and ideological lines.
A Republican who would champion control of spending, but with the financial and management background to do so in a responsible way could do well. Somebody with a real plan and committment to crime control would find traction. If there was a Republican who understood real estate and could offer a private market solution to the difficulty of low and moderate income residents gaining home ownership in Charlottesville, that might be welcomed.
The key is, a Republican can’t run as an ideologue and win in Charlottesville. But, ideology doesn’t have anything to do with making the buses run on time.
Yes, except the last Republican to win was the long-haired guy with no ties to the community, no business (that I recall), no track record, and I think a fairly ideological libertarian, who did not work across party lines. Or maybe that’s what you meant! I was thinking you meant the most electable Republican, but I guess you meant no more Schillings.
Anyway, Shilling won by working really hard. He probably knocked on almost every door in Cville and was odd and friendly on these little visits, or so I’ve heard. Also, the Democrats for Change, in the second local election after they showed their strength in the mass meeting, refusing to renominate Meridith Richards for being too pro-Parkway, may not have nominated the strongest candidate. This year looks entirely different. The Repubs would need a movie star… wait, don’t give them any ideas!
That said, one-party domination is not good. And you know the city is not 100% Democratic, even if all the Dems on council do not agree with each other all the time. It’s more like 100% Democratic, with strong inference of money talking from the unelected right, ad-hoc.
colfer,
Just one correction… Rob Schilling was not elected in the same cycle as when Meredith Richards failed to secure re-nomination. He was elected the year that the Democrats nominated Blake Caravati (who was re-elected) and Alexandria Searles (who was defeated).
I think it’s fair to say that Schilling was a fluke. Don’t forget that he just barely eked out a victory — something like 70 votes, if I recall correctly.
“I think it’s fair to say that Schilling was a fluke.”
Waldo does that mean that Artinplace installation on the 250 bypass at the Charlottesville is in Rob’s honor? Because that thing been a work in progress for some time and is a whale of a fluke. (or is it the other way around) ;)
at the Charlottesville high school exit
That installation is awesome. I think I’ve enjoyed seeing it made as much as I’ll enjoy it when it’s done. :)
And would have to be a “transplant.” It seems to be an unspoken rule that “native” equals unelectable and native Republican equals “pariah.” Besides any Republican (even one meeting those qualifications) would be vilified straight out of the gate. Local democrats don’t seriously want anyone in office who will regularly point out that “the emperor has no clothes.” A Charlottesville democrat’s perfect Republican is what you’ve got now- One who isn’t running for office. I believe any democrat suggesting differently is just paying lip service to the spirit of competition.
Doh!
Edit- I messed up the tags. Those last two paragraphs starting with “That should be a given” should not be blockquoted. Those are my comments.
Waldo, Perlogik,
THE FLUKE IS DONE!!!
It truly is the finest AIP I’ve seen. Spoke with the artist a few times. It took him much longer than he expected. Think of it as a Bodo’s opening.