There are some notable candidacy filings emerging after Tuesday’s deadline. Independent Paul Long has secured a spot on the City Council ballot, Brian Wheeler writes for Charlottesville Tomorrow. The eleven year resident moved here from Pennsylvania, and works for the UVA Medical Center. He says he’s running on the decriminalization of drugs (which isn’t actually something the city can do), creating a regional transit authority, and financially supporting local organizations that are helping the homeless. Independent candidate Andrew Williams won’t be on the Council ballot after all, the Progress reports, after he didn’t manage to get the required 125 petition signatures to get on the ballot. He’ll be running as a write-in candidate. And, finally, Del. David Toscano has a challenger in the form of independent Robert Brandon Smith, who has secured a spot on the ballot, Brian McNeill reports in today’s Progress. The Belmont resident “works odd jobs as a carpenter,” McNeill writes, describes himself as a “militant green,” and says that his top priority is to “kill” the Meadowcreek Parkway. He also says that he’s “concerned about the curriculum of the university” and he’d “like to see homework abolished forever” in the local school system.
Given that Republicans have ceded these seats to Democrats, independent competition like this is inevitable.
Carpenter.
Won’t matter a lick, but good for them!
“he’d ‘like to see homework abolished forever’ in the local school system.”
Wait, is Robert Brandon Smith running for 8th grade class president?
I’m sorry, but if you can’t get 125 signatures, you have no business running for office. That’s about three hours on the downtown mall, and that’s if you’re doing it by yourself.
Erin, lots of parents and people interested in education would like to see homework abolished or significant changes to policies regarding homework. I don’t have any personal stake in Charlottesville schools, but having worked in another Virginia public school system, I think it’d be good for it to disappear or significantly change at the elementary level.
I could respect a conversation about “significant changes to policies regarding homework.” I can’t really take seriously someone who says he would like to see “homework abolished forever.” It just doesn’t fill me with confidence that much careful thought has gone into that position or that he’s well-grounded on the issue.
Ditto this statement: “I’m concerned about the curriculum of the university.”
No, I would have to agree with you, Cecil. Which is why I assumed that he somehow misspoke and what he really meant was “I’d like to significantly change homework” or “I’d like to abolish homework for 3rd grade and below.” But maybe the guy really does want to eliminate homework for all. Damn, where was he when I was in school?
Smith also said this about the University: “I’m concerned that the university has destroyed affordable housing in our community.”
I have yet to know of anybody who has collected 125 valid signatures on a petition in three hours, even on the downtown mall, where most of the people are not eligible to vote in the city or are not inclined to sign an independent’s petition.