Breaking down the Staunton City Council race
Staff
Staunton news: www.staunton.va.us
Nine – count ‘em, nine – men (yes, all men) have submitted applications for the soon-to-be-vacant Staunton City Council seat of Dickie Bell, who is resigning effective Dec. 31 to take the 20th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
City Council has set a special meeting for Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 1 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 116 W. Beverley St., to interview the prospective candidates.
The seat will be filled through June 30. The final two years of Bell’s four-year term will be filled in the May 2010 city elections.
Richard Armstrong
A 2003 candidate for Augusta County sheriff, Armstrong heads up the local tea-party movement.
“Where we are today is a very complicated situation, immersed in debt through improper spending with projects that belong with private entrepreneurs and not taxpayer funds,” Armstrong wrote in his position statement to City Council.
Armstrong, true to the tea-party line of rhetoric, sees in Staunton “a city that could grow if the chains of a government out of control are removed to allow it to flourish.”
David Brown
Brown, the chairman of the Staunton Historic Preservation Commission and a contractor and real-estate broker, wrote in his position statement about the “difficult economic times” and the “many hard and unpopular decisions” that will have to be made to get through them.
“With thoughtful planning and continued diligence, I feel our city will continue on its path to remaining vibrant and welcoming to tourism, future residents and future business,” Brown wrote.
Bob Campbell
Campbell ran for City Council in 2008, when he fell 45 votes short of supplanting Andrea Oakes for the fourth and final spot on Council in the all at-large race.
Campbell, in his position statement, urges the city to “be more responsive” to ongoing infrastructure needs and to place an emphasis on attracting business and industry to the city industrial parks that pay more than minimum wage.
“We need to continue to promote tourism but not at the expense of living wage and not economically fragile enterprises,” Campbell said.
‘Being a singer and musician, I respect the arts, whatever it may be, and I do want to see the arts, history and culture of this city continued, Let’s just broaden our focus and keep Staunton as a wondehl place to live for everyone,” Campbell said.
John Downey
Downey is a former teacher and former city appointee to the Valley Community Services Board. He reported in his position statement that his current interests include environmental improvements and checking on absentee landlords who fail to maintain their properties in Staunton.
“I intend to be a good listener, note taker and consensus builder,” Downey wrote.
Cliff Fretwell
Fretwell is a local businessman and active Staunton Republican Committee member involved in a wide range of civic activities.
“I believe our strength is both our heritage and our dedicated men and women who saw our future and worked to make it happen, for example, Blackfriars, Stonewall Jackson Hotel and the streetscape project,” Fretwell wrote.
Jim Harrington
Harrington is a Mary Baldwin College professor, a renowned local musician and a former Staunton School Board chairman.
“We have to weather the perfect storm of economic challenges which face us, our neighboring localities and our state. This means doing less than we would like, doing things less quickly than we would prefer, and prioritizing initiatives more carefully than ever. But it cannot mean that we do nothing,” Harrington wrote in his position statement.
Carl Hensley
Hensley is a retired bond trader and investment banker
“It is particularly difficult to foresee the future of Staunton under current economic conditions, but it is important that the position of the city as a mecca for tourism be maintained,” Hensley wrote in his position statement.
“The vitality of the downtown businesses and restaurants, so far as Council can be an element, must be supported and, if needed, nurtured. It would be devastating to see the area become a tee shirt and junk emporium as some former tourist meccas have succumbed or see more empty buildings on Beverly Street,” Hensley wrote.
Hensley also shared a strong view on stormwater-system improvements planned by the city.
“Unnecessary or avoidable expenditures should be delayed until conditions improve to relieve the burden on businesses and taxpayers. Primary among these appear to be the imposition of storm sewer charges starting in January,” Hensley wrote. “While stormwater containment is commendable it does not appear to be an emergency which must be handled now. Temporary stay in the imposition of the fees would give the City some space to explore other alternative revenues should a more important budget problem occur.”
Jack Morgan
Morgan is the youngest of the applicants, at 30, and was introduced to the public arena while managing the 20th District House campaign of Erik Curren.
“I believe that the Council has done a great job so far in moving the city forward. With a vacant seat, a momentous opportunity materializes: new eyes and new ideas can be introduced, and the voice of the younger people living here can begin to be heard. Career politicians and civil servants are great when you’re happy with the status quo, but business people and entrepreneurs are what’s necessary when you want to move forward in hard times,” Morgan wrote in his position statement.
Among Morgan’s initiatives – projects to bridge the racial and economic gaps in Staunton, efforts to get young people more involved in civic life, more work in the recycling area, and the development of a dog park.
Dick Robinson
Robinson is a former three-term member of City Council and a retired educator.
“Staunton’s biggest challenge now is finances,” Robinson wrote in his position paper. “We need to work very hard to keep all of the services to our citizens. I think our schools are very important. The relationship that council has with the school
board is excellent. By working together, nothing is impossible. I think we need to continue to work very hard on attracting new businesses and light industry to Staunton. This will help with our real-estate taxes, sales taxes, and unemployment. I think a real challenge will be putting the Western State Hospital property back on the tax books.
This is a real opportunity for the city, but a lot of work and planning must take place.”
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