Republican John Pfaltz and Democrat Jason Vandever will be the candidates for Charlottesville treasurer, Graham Moomaw writes in the Daily Progress. Vandever is the interim treasurer, having served as the deputy for retired long-time treasurer Jennifer Brown. Pfaltz is a professor emeritus of computer science, perhaps best known in local political circles for his unsuccessful run for City Council in 2000.
The special election is being held at the behest of local Republicans, who didn’t want to see Vandever remaining interim treasurer until next November. They demanded an election, but before Judge Hogshire would order that one be held, he wanted to know that Republicans would actually run a candidate, something that they have often failed to do in city elections. As Moomaw points out, the chairman of the Charlottesville Republicans assured the judge that they had a candidiate, but that his identity was a secret, in an interaction that took place prior to when Pfaltz says that he decided to run. (Pfaltz says that there was another person, but he declined to run.) He’s holding a campaign announcement for the city office in North Garden tomorrow morning.
The good news is that the election is being contested. I was beginning to doubt that Republicans could find candidates for any office in Charlottesville.
01/06 Update: It turns out that Pfaltz is running as an independent, not as a Republican. So one could either see this as yet another a failure on the part of city Republicans to field a single candidate, or an effort by Pfaltz to avoid association with a label that he fears would tarnish his candidacy. Or maybe something more generous that I can’t think of.
NBC 29 is reporting Pfaltz is running as an independent.
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20504509/former-uva-professor-to-run-for-charlottesville-city-treasurer
“The treasurer is charged with collecting city taxes and fees as well as overseeing investments and retirement funds.”
Did not know their office had responsibility for investments. Is there any way to find out what sort of return Cville’s been getting on its $$?
The last time there was a contested race for city treasurer in Charlottesville was 1969:
http://exm.nr/Rvuc3X
Records are not complete prior to that year, but it may be the case that 2013 and 1969 are the only occasions since the 1940s (or earlier) that there were two candidates in an election for Charlottesville Treasurer.
Not only that, but the original Progress article said the same thing! Having been aware of Charlottesville Republicans’ role in holding a special election, and their assurance that they’d run a candidate, I’d been waiting for the Republican candidate, and this was clearly him. Had I actually read for something other than to confirm what I already thought I knew, I would have learned that. :) Rather than make a bunch of changes to this blog entry, I’ve appended an update. Thanks for pointing that out!
Good Lord, Rick—that’s amazing. I chalk this up as one more sign that these offices shouldn’t be elected, but appointed. If there was rousing competition, and the most experienced, capable accountants tended to become treasurers? Well, great, we’d want to stick with it. But no contested election for 44 years? That’s pathetic.
Greene county has had a couple of contested elections for the same office. Last time there 7 or eight candidates initially, after a few dropped out there were at least 5 on the ballot.