Election Day!

So I've been a bit slack on posting about the election and now election day is upon us, so at J's request, I'm going to offer my voting guide to anyone who may be undecided:

The Issues:
"Open Government" - The problem with the sewer debate 2 years ago wasn't so much the sewer as much as it was the way that decisions were made in our local government. Over the years, Roger Hedgepath had basically fell into a mode of operating where the Town Manager and he made decisions and that was that. No real public input and no real debate. This led to the creation of Kent Square in it's current state, and may explain why it's been a failure (no public input). The sewer debate really exposed to what lengths these govt. officials were willing to go to get their way. This lead to the creation of Citizens First, and that group really exposed the lying and manuevering that was going on.

"Middle School" - what should be done with that property? The County (school board) owns it, but the town controls the zoning and it's currently zoned for civic use. I don't have time to get into this issue in depth in this post - suffice to say we're headed for a showdown on this property w/ the county and we need officials who will do the will of the people, and lead us to do the right thing w/ this property - it's a key part of downtown.

"Downtown" - You may have noticed more than a few empty storefronts downtown. Downtown has become a key issue: How to attract good businesses and the "right kind" of businesses downtown? How to deal w/ VA Tech (VT doesn't charge a meal tax on campus and is building more and more stuff on campus to cater to the students)? The role of downtown neighborhoods (like ours!) is a hot topic... how do we better enhance and protect these neighborhoods?

"Woman on Council" - There are no women on council after Joyce lewis steps down unless one gets elected. Having a diverse council is a good thing, IMHO.

Mayor Race:
Don vs. Ron
Both guys are great guys and I've worked with both of them on neighborhood issues. I lean slightly towards Don because he's more of a maverick - he shakes things up (he blew the whistle on some ongoing secret meetings Council was having w/ a developer who wanted to put a huge shopping area at the middle school site) and he has no ties to VT (which can be both good and bad). I'm afraid that if Ron gets in and the other incumbants are reelected, we'll have a new mini-Roger-machine. Electing Don will steer things in a more progressive route. On the flip side, Ron has been around much longer than Don (Don has only served 2 years) and may work better to form coalitions on council. That could also lead to too much "status quo".

Council: Tom(inc), Al(inc), Susan, Frank, Mary, Wendell
This is a tighter race and arguments can be made either way. My votes are going to Tom, Susan, and Frank. I think Mary would also be a great vote.

Tom: He's been on council for 8 years and he's been great - he's smart and really studies the issues and understands all sides. Blacksburg needs Tom. He's part of the "incumbant network" but Tom has been a strong supporter of neighborhoods and it's been more than just lip service. Furthermore, he opposed the sewer and really stuck his neck out when it counted.

Susan: VT Faculty member and progressive community member who has the support of both Citizens First and the STAR group (a group formed to elect Susan, Tom, Al, and Ron). She seems to have everyone's support and has a great reputation as a community leader and activist. Will be an assett.

Frank: This ones gets more personal for me. He's a friend and has been a supporter of our neighborhood for a long time. He's a Mont. County planning commission member and the president of Woodbine homeowners assoc; however, he's got this big idea for rerouting Main St. that has him coming across as a bit of a loose canon.

Mary: Current Blacksburg Planning Commission member. Very good member, really does her homework and understands things. If she doesn't get elected, she should be appointed to the spot that's freed up by Don or Ron.

Al: He's been on council for 20+ years and he made some comments in the CF candidate conversations that leads me to believe he's not a very good "open government" choice. Al's a nice guy and he may win because he's an incumbant, but I think it's time for new blood on council.

Wendell: He's had some experience in the past as a Mongt. County Supervisor, so that may be a plus for dealing w/ the Middle School (which he favors leaving as a civic center, not developing). He's also endorsed (supposedly) by Roger and Joyce, which is a BAD thing in my opinion. He's big on business and bringing more industry to the area. He's obviously a conservative republican type. You can make arguments for him, but I'm a bit nervous about Wendell for some reason.

There you have it... feel free to add your thoughts. I *think* the outcome is going to be:
Ron for Mayor
Tom, Susan, and Wendell for Council, but anything can happen!

Remember to Vote! Polls are open until 7pm.

Blacksburg Library if you live west side of Main (Campus side) but south of Prices Fork or if you live west side of Tom's creek but north of Prices Fork.

Blacksburg Community Center if you live on the east side of Main or east of Tom's Creek but north of Prices Fork!

Let me know what you think!