Message from Alexandria Searls (1)

Occasionally, a rumor becomes so widespread that a candidate is forced to make a pre-emptive strike. This occurs when a candidate raises the subject of a rumor without being asked and then proceeds to denounce. It can be risky, but sometimes it's worse to remain silent.

The risk of course is, that as Edward Cheyfitz has said of Washington, D.C., "Nobody believes a rumor here ... until it's officially denied" ( brainyquote.com , February 18, 2002).

Personally, I believe Alexandria Searls when she says she will not "throw her votes" in the upcoming Democratic convention for the Charlottesville City Council. I believe she is in the race to win.

This said, see her note below as well as the extraction which from the Virtual Community Chalkboard which follows and send your thoughts to george@loper.org, where the most representative will be placed on my web site with full attribution.

Note: The extraction from the Virtual Community Chalkboard below was made after Alex asked me to post her original note above.

Backroom Deals?

One of the purposes of my web site is to place issues and publically accountable discussion into the public domain. I leave it up to my readers to decide for themselves whether this is useful to them or not. I personally believe it makes the political process more accountable and more readily transparent. I realize that this is not everyone's goal.

There is a large rumor mill and I believe that one of the values of my web site is to act as a corrective to that rumor mill and to bring people into the political process who would be left out if such discussions all took place in private.

Below is an extraction from the Virtual Community Chalkboard making charges of backroom deals by Alexandria Searls.

For an account of the previous Democratic caucus and convention, see Elections 2000: The Charlottesville Democratic Convention.

And, for those of you who are not aware:

With this and Alexandria's message above in mind, please send your thoughts to george@loper.org where the most representative comments will be placed on my web site with full attribution.

Message from Alexandria Searls (2)

After reading what George put up on his site [above], I wanted to comment further. I am in this race to win. But let me say more: I like David Simmons. That doesn't mean I'll drop out for him. It does mean that I trust him.

I came into the Democratic Party with Kevin Lynch, though I hadn't attended Dems4Change meetings, since I had been told that they were closed. I worked hard for Kevin, going to hundreds of doors with him. I voted in both of the caucus meetings, and then worked to show that I was going to follow through on being an active Democrat. I was impressed by the people in the party. At first I was active because I felt I had made a commitment by voting and becoming a delegate, but I stayed involved because I really liked the people. I also continued my activism for the environment, being involved against chip mills, belonging to the Shenandoah Ecosystems Defense Group, lobbying for endangered species at the CRC, working for a more sustainable society, writing letters to council about saving parkland, writing letters against the death penalty and mountaintop removal, having nation-wide photography shows and lectures about the environment a! nd road issues. But what is impressive about the Democratic Party is that people are working on all kind of issues, like saving the Mattaponi from being turned into a reservoir, like making the Rivanna Trails Foundation a success.

For a long time I didn't know exactly who was Dems4Change and who wasn't. I was happy to be a part of the new initiative this time around, though I had known that people were offended by the DFC before. Now I know how it feels to have worked years on issues and be dismissed as part of an old, corrupt party. It feels lousy.

I don't think that's what DFC as a whole is about, though. Since I have no idea who is saying I'm throwing my votes to David, I don't know if they are D, DFC, R or I, or any other acronym. No one has called me to ask me any questions.

There's only been one person who has asked me to throw my votes this election, and she isn't a regular party member. One person did suggest I step down for David's sake and run next time. I said I wouldn't do it. Maybe that person could influence people next time, and maybe not. I happen to think this race is anyone's.

So now we've got people threatening to move votes like they moved them before because I'm supposedly going to move votes to David. They are on the phone and on the chalkboard. But let me reiterate. I am running to win. I work hard, form my own opinions, and will keep my commitments on issues. I am not an entertainer. I don't have smooth talk. I am a Democrat.

Alexandria Searls (electronic mail, February 19, 2002)