George -

Thank you for your request [for information].

I am not a member of the Conservative Coalition, but Peter Way invited me to his annual meeting. I accepted. The food was good (hot dogs) and the people were friendly. I enjoyed the event.

I am not looking for any opponents for my fellow supervisors. My purpose for attending the event was purely social and I look forward to meeting new people who may help me maintain a broad perspective on county policies and politics.

I have not necessarily agreed with the Conservative Coalition on all issues but see some of their membership as articulate and concerned. Paul Wright serves on several County committees and he adds good information to the discussions.

While I reserve judgment on all of the CC stands, I do believe that they were right in opposing a tax increase in April 2000 and the resulting surpluses have proved the CC and the positions of Perkins and me correct. I support the Historic Preservation Plan , which many in the CC do not. Therefore, I prefer to take each individual issue separately and open the dialogue between us.

While I have heard many speak about the CC, pro and con, I will always be open to speak at their forums and other forums in Albemarle County. Perhaps we can learn from each other if we learn to listen and not to arbitrarily close the door because of preconceived notions which should be constantly reexamined.

Savodnik's article may have focused unduly on the supervisor races, which Way only mentioned in passing to solicit candidates.

Also, I recently attended the annual meeting of the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and commended that gorup for what it does for the environment of Albemarle County. I do not agree with PEC on every issue but I respect the work of Babette Thorp and Jeff Werner and other dedicated members of the PEC. They have provided me with good information regarding historic preservation and other issues.

I close by saying that I think your concerns may be an overreaction to the article which unduly focused on elections, which I never mentioned or endorsed in my remarks.

Remember, listening is a lost art in politics today. Perhaps in some small way I can help revive it.

Best wishes,

Lindsay Dorrier (electronic mail, October 15, 2000).

Editors Note: Lindsay Dorrier serves on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors from the Scottsville District. This is his response to my request for more information about Peter Savodnik's article in The Daily Progress and about Lindsay's relationship to the Conservative Coalition.