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February 2002
Charlottesville City Council Race 2002: Political Advertising
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In the 2000 race for Charlottesville City Council, outside political ads were the source of some controversy.

In that race, Opportunity for All endorsed Democratic incumbent Meredith Richards along with Republicans Jon Bright and Elizabeth Fortune, and subsequently began to run television commercials, began dialing for voters, [ Opportunity for All Phone Script ] all in the name of responsible downtown development causing Meredith Richards to respond saying, "Although I appreciate their recognition for my work on Council, I wish to make it clear that I am running with Maurice Cox and Kevin Lynch on a Joint Democratic ticket."

At the same time, Independents and Democrats for Pfaltz ran an ad supporting a Republican candidate. In that race, it was generally acknowledged that Democrat Meredith Richards and Republicans Jon Bright and Elizabeth Fortune were all in favor of Meadowcreek Parkway, while Republican John Pfaltz and Democrats Maurice Cox and Kevin Lynch were against Meadowcreek Parkway.

To my knowledge, there were no ads run in the 2000 race for the Charlottesville City Council before Democrats had nominated their three candidates, Maurice Cox, Kevin Lynch and Meredith Richards.

Now, in the 2002 race for the Democratic nomination for the Charlottesville City Council, an ad has been placed in The HooK by Oliver Kuttner, shortly before the day of the Democratic Convention, supporting three out of six of the contestants: Alexandria Searls, Joan Fenton and Waldo Jaquith.

Paid Advertisement

MEMO

To: the silent majority
Fr: Oliver Kuttner

City Council elections are coming up in May, but the truth is your vote does not count. In Charlottesville, elections are decided this Saturday at the primary convention. If you take the time to come out, your vote will count.

Did you know?

-that the City of Charlottesville spent over $100,000 on a parking study that concluded that we need more downtown parking?
-that the City spent over $800,000 on out-of-town consulting fees?
-that the City spent thousands of dollars and 4+ years on a train station development that developed into nothing?
-that the City policy favoring fancy résumés over promotion from within has caused us to lose some of the best people and undermine morale in many City offices?
-that City intransigence has resulted in having four boarded-up buildings beside Wachovia bank headquarters (where ice rink developers Lee Danielson and Colin Rolph want to spend $12 million)?

I believe that candidates Alexandria Searls, Joan Fenton, and Waldo Jaquith have a shot at breaking the buddy-buddy system whose actions (and inactions) aren't in your best interests. Only two of them can
win, though, so whatever your political leaning, I urge you to come out this Saturday and make your vote count!

(9:30 am, Saturday, February 23, Charlottesville Performing Arts Center, Melbourne Road)

(The HooK, [#3], February 21, 2002).

What do you think of outside political ads? Does the sponsorship of the ad make a difference in your thinking? Are outside political ads any different from formal endorsements?

What do you think of Oliver Kuttner's ad? Do his implicit criticisms of the actions of the current city council resonate with you? Do you think there is a buddy-buddy system in City Hall?

Do you think Oliver Kutner's ad will have an impact on the result of the vote in the upcoming Democratic Convention?

Do candidates Searls, Fenton and Jaquith have any obligation to say whether they agree with the statements in the ads before the time of the Convention? Wonder what candidates Caravati, Ewert and Simmons make of the ads?

Please send your thoughts to george@loper.org where the most representative comments will be placed on my web site with full attribution.

Comments? Questions? Write me at george@loper.org.