Hi George,

Harry Tenney reports that he's been hearing stealthful "noises" about certain candidates for Charlottesville City Council. I too have been hearing the same. You know it's election time again because the rumors, they are a-flyin'. Why wage issue campaigns when you can wage whisper campaigns instead? After all, tearing people down is a lot more fun (and occasionally more fruitful) than advancing issues of substance or building up the party. So candidates who've given their heart and soul to this City, and have an enormous amount of energy and ideas to offer this City, are now rumored to be ill-meaning aliens from the planet Albemarle. And then you have the rumors about certain other candidates that are so slanderous or petty they aren't even fit for print.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't we have REAL issues of importance to gnash our collective teeth about? Just for starters:

Both the Democrats for Change (which I co-chair) and the Charlottesville Democratic Party have chronic problem getting African-Americans motivated to participate in our events (last Saturday's pasta supper being a prime example). Shouldn't we be worried about this?

The capital needs of our schools (and not just Jefferson School) are being neglected. Shouldn't we be concerned about this?

City tax dollars are being used to subsidize the construction of upper-income housing on Elliot Avenue. When so many low-wage workers are finding it next to impossible to afford housing for their families, shouldn't we be disturbed by this?

The City took well over a year to decide that all of the workers on its payroll (and not just those employed directly by the City) deserved at least a living wage. Um...why?

The City declared over a year ago that it would work with Albemarle County to develop a regional transporation plan so that the Meadowcreek Parkway is not built in isolation. As best I can tell, nothing's been done to actually get this plan underway. Meanwhile, the Parkway is moving full speed ahead and County developers are drooling at the prospect of thousands of new suburban cul-de-sac homes being built on land being opened up for development by the Parkway. Can we really afford to plan so poorly any longer?

And the list goes on...and on...and on.

Suddenly it seems a lot less important how many nights per week candidate X sleeps in the City of Charlottesville versus the County of Albemarle. Like Rey Barry, I'd much rather know how candidate X (and candidates Y, Z, A, B and C) plan to deal with the real challenges that are facing our community.

Dave Norris (electronic mail, February 5, 2002)

Editor's Note: According to Satyendra Huja (phone call, February 5, 2002), the city has approved the development of 36 single family detached units and is sharing 50% of the cost of the road. The cost of construction of the units is expected to be between $100,000 and $200,000 - which will be sold at market value.

The site is zoned R-3 and would have permitted up to 200 units of multiple dwelling housing. The city made the agreement to encourage the development of single-family housing in that neighborhood.

Do you think this constitutes upper-income housing? How do you think the remainer of Charlottesville should be developed? What do you think should be done for low-wage workers with regard to housing?

Please send your thoughts about these issues and others mentioned above to george@loper.org where the most representative comments will be placed on my web site with full attribution.