Dear George,

Referendums! Referendums! You may enjoy my site's new front page and "Superlatives 2003" and "Directly Elected Mayor-Attorney-Ward System for Charlottesville".

"If you combine a referendum with a ward system, the election demographics can show a divided city. The seven housing referendums in the 1960s showed that the affluent northside of town wanted public housing in the southside. The southside was in greater opposition. Any referendum would show a division. If we had a referendum on the Meadowcreek Parkway, the southside would vote for the road on the north side of town. Of course, the parkway affects public land and public use, unlike urban renewal and annexations."

Enjoy.

Blair Hawkins (electronic mail, February 5, 2004)