Albemarle Democrats nominated Madison Cummings for the Samuel Miller seat on the Board of Supervisors this evening. He was running against Lucia Phinney. The North Garden resident will run against possible Republican John Lowry (he’s not saying) for the seat current held by retiring supervisor Sally Thomas. Those wanting to learn more about Cummings can watch video of his campaign announcement speech, courtesy of Charlottesville Tomorrow, and Lowry has a campaign website with information about him and his candidacy. (Via @DoloresMaireRog)
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Monthly Archive for May, 2009
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Democrats have nominated Mayor Dave Norris and Kristin Szakos as their City Council candidates, Charlottesville Tomorrow reports, meaning that the third candidate, Julian Taliaferro, has failed in his bid for reelection. (Norris is seeking a second term, Szakos her first.) Right now there’s no word on the percentages, nor is there word on the outcome of the sheriff’s race.
1,644 Charlottesville Democrats participated in the convention, which has got to be a record—and by a longshot—as a result of the party’s move to a firehouse primary. The system long used by city Dems involved several rounds of balloting, the number of rounds increasing proportional to the number of candidates, which meant that voters participating in the process could have to spend hours casting a series of votes. A really good year might involve 500 votes, so 1,644 is really a huge turnout, comparatively speaking.
11:55 PM Update: James Brown has been nominated for Sheriff, Bianca Spinosa reports for CBS-19. Though the numbers aren’t final, Norris received approximately 80% of the vote, Szakos 61%, and Taliaferro 40%. Remember that voters are ranking the three candidates from their favorite to least-favorite, with the top two being their candidates of choice, so the total percentage is way over 100%. If I’m doing the math rights, this means that 80% of voters named Norris as their #1 or #2 choice, 61% named Szakos in those positions, and 40% named Taliaferro.
May 11 Update: The party has released the voting tallies. Dave Norris got 1,261 votes, Szakos 974, and Taliaferro 684. Weighted by precinct population, it came out to 80.49 “precinct votes” for Norris, 61.13 for Szakos, and 43.32 for Taliaferro. In the sheriff’s race, it was 661 (40.83) for Baird, 744 (47.78) for James Brown, and 177 (11.39) for Phillip Brown. You’ll note that total would have left Baird the winner, but James Brown won. That’s because this was instant runoff voting (IRV), with voters ranking their choice of candidates from most favorite to least favorite. Dropping Phillip Brown out of consideration, as the lowest vote-getter, and factoring in the second choices of his supporters, that left Baird with 701 votes and James Brown with 839. In a traditional election, Baird would have won with a plurality, but not a majority. Under IRV, the candidate that is preferred by the greatest number of people wins, which is how James Brown won. I’m a moron. The specific breakdowns are below the fold.
Continue reading ‘Norris, Szakos Win Democratic Nomination for Council’
If you are a Charlottesville Democrat, please remember to vote on Saturday. Dave Norris, Julian Taliaferro and Kristin Szakos are all running for the nomination for two available Council seats, while Mike Baird, James Brown III, and Phillip U. Brown are all running for the nomination for Sheriff. Those nominees will go on to run in the general election against whatever Republicans or independents decide to run. Charlottesville Tomorrow has a recording of last night’s Council candidate forum for those who need more information to make up their minds in that race.
At any time between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM on Saturday, any registered Charlottesville voter can go to Burley Middle School (on Rose Hill), sign a pledge not to support anybody running against the Democratic nominees, and cast a ballot for their choice for Council. Details are available on the Charlottesville Democrats’ website.
For all y’all Democrats who are supporting specific candidates here, this is your chance to make a pitch for your guy. I know that a lot of people are undecided, and I know that cvillenewsers are an engaged bunch. Who do you support, and why should others back your candidate of choice?
One Bob Fenwick appears to be preparing to run for City Council, Rachana Dixit writes in the Daily Progress today. It’s not clear (to me) whether he’s a Republican, independent, or unaffiliated Democrat, but he’s doing the sorts of things that one does before running for office. Just in the past month he’s made increasingly public statements on behalf of the Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park, he’s promoted the eyeball-burning SaveMcIntire.com, and most recently has demanded that Mayor Dave Norris increase spending drastically, eliminating the city’s savings to hire “41 men and women” for capital improvements and maintenance work. When asked by Dixit if he intends to run for Council, he said that he’d make “a political announcement” soon and, cryptically, that “there is an action [he] will take first.” In an undated note on one of his websites he writes that “in a week or two I’ll announce what I, personally, will do.”
Running to the left of Charlottesville Democrats is certainly a bold political gambit.
David Slutzky is running for reelection to the Board of Supervisors, he announced in a press release this evening. Slutzky was elected to represent the Rio District in 2005 with a surprising 58% of the vote over Republican nominee Gary Grant. He’s facing a challenge in the form of Republican Rodney Thomas, who sought the Republican nomination for the same seat in 2005, though lost to Grant that time around. This could shape up to be an interesting race, because many Republicans throughout the county have such a deep antipathy for Slutzky—currently the chair of the BoS—which may result in some decent funding for Thomas from folks who believe that the Democrat’s positions on taxation and property rights are outside of the county mainstream. Though Slutzky’s 2005 margin of victory was surprising, 58% is by no means an overwhelming majority. I expect this to be the most competitive race in the county, and if the issues in this race are taxation and property rights, I think the outcome can be seen as a small referendum on what people think of the BoS’s recent lurch to the left.
The full press release follows.
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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