George:

I have been delighted (though not surprised) to see that all 6 of our candidates would be excellent nominees, and I would have no problem supporting and working for the election of whoever gets the nomination. I was not planning to endorse publicly any candidates, but I haven't heard anyone talking about a few things that I want people to remember, which leads me to want to explain why I will be voting for Blake Caravati and David Simmons on Saturday.

Blake Caravati -- Others have commented on Blake's personal attributes, and I agree with them; I won't rehash that ground. I would like to add another thought.

I think it is important to retaining the spirit of good governance in our party that we re-elect incumbents who are doing a good job. Those whom we nominate and elect should know that if they do their jobs, the party will back them again. We elect them not to mirror our beliefs, but to use their own judgment on complex issues. We should not expect our City Councilors to be worried about getting re-nominated from the moment they take office. They should be spending their time governing. I have disagreed with Blake on some votes, but I have always had confidence in his judgment. There may be some candidates with whom I agree more completely on one or two issues, but I will support Blake for re-election. I think it would send a terrible message to our elected officials if we failed to renominate a competent incumbent.

David Simmons -- Some people may not remember exactly what happened in 2000, when David ran last, so let me refresh some recollections. It was clear after the first meeting that Maurice Cox and Kevin Lynch would be elected, and that either Meredith Richards or David Simmons could be elected. Meredith had finished ahead of David. Meredith and David had been on a ticket together, and Meredith had asked many of her supporters to support David. However, some folks who were vehemently opposed to Meredith went to David and told him that they could put him over the top by supporting him -- essentially, stabbing Meredith in the back. David was getting a great deal of pressure in both directions. Ultimately, he chose the course of decency over personal ambition. He withdrew, and Meredith was nominated and elected.

I support David because I want to say to him, and to others in an increasingly cut-throat political environment, that decency and fair play will be remembered and rewarded. He is an intelligent, caring, committed person who will be an excellent counselor.

I would like to touch on another aspect of David's candidacy.

There is one issue in Charlottesville that we can't dissect, that we can't reason out. That is the problem of race relations. No candidate can announce a 5-point plan that is going to move race relations forward. All that any of us can do is to live our lives in such a way that we build bridges, that we work with and for people who need help, that we listen and talk quietly and work toward consensus. That's what David does well.

I look forward to a very interesting Saturday!

Lloyd Snook (electronic mail, February 19, 2002)