CvilleDave

Cookout for Healthcare with Cindy Sheehan--Saturday, July 18, 12:00pm

2009-07-16T14:24:00.008-04:00

from AfterDowningStreet.org:

"Cindy Sheehan, one of the best known peace and justice activists in the United States, will be joined by other speakers in support of public healthcare at a cookout open to the public and the media. Please join Cindy for lunch at noon on Saturday, July, 18, 2009, rain or shine, at 707 Gillespie Ave, Charlottesville, VA, 22902. Cindy will talk about her new book and the need for an expanded public healthcare system.

RSVP: http://afterdowningstreet.org/cindyevent

Also at noon on Saturday, elsewhere in Charlottesville, others have announced plans to hold an anti-healthcare rally that they misleadingly call a rally for "Patients First." Participants include Kay Coles James, the disgraced director of the United States Office of Personnel Management known for hiring unqualified government employees based on their attendance of a fourth-rate, right-wing university; Del. Ben Cline, whose opinions are paid for by his campaign funders, including Medical Facilities of America, US Tobacco, Va. Hospital & Healthcare Assn., Medco Health Solutions, and Va. Independent Insurance Agents; Tito Munoz, a small business owner who helped John McCain lose Virginia; former city councilman and aspiring Rush Limbaugh, Rob Schilling; and Ben Marchi, a former employee of ethically reprimanded and indicted congressman Tom Delay.

Marchi says: "Health care legislation being pushed by the liberals in Congress will threaten the sacred relationship between doctor and patient and strip away patients' rights to choose a plan that best suits them."

Yet, Americans consistently tell pollsters that they want public health coverage: http://tr.im/sENL

Other nations that have public health coverage (government spending on private or public healthcare) provide their people with better care. The U.S. system is ranked 37th by the World Health Organization. The United States is 24th in life expectancy and 29th in reducing infant mortality. Infants who do not survive the US system do not get a chance to possess patients' rights.

A single-payer system, which would go further than the compromise that has Marchi so upset, would cover everyone at all times with no exceptions, allow completely free choice of doctors, invest in preventive care, allow patients and doctors to make their own decisions free of insurance company restrictions, reduce the 30 percent waste in the current system to the 3 percent overhead in Medicare, and create a net gain of 2.6 million jobs, $317 billion in business revenue, and $100 billion in wages. See: http://tr.im/sETE

House Resolution 676, backed by 86 congress members, would accomplish these things and meet every one of Congressman Tom Perriello's goals for healthcare as listed on his website: http://tr.im/sEUO

Cindy Sheehan said: "Health care is a basic human right and the only way to get obscene profits out of the way of patient health is single-payer, as many nations around the world do. We challenge both Democrats and Republicans to put people before insurance companies, big-pharma, and HMO's."

Summaries of this issue:
http://charlottesvillepeace.org/node/1939
http://charlottesvillepeace.org/node/1854

Video of recent forum in Charlottesville:
http://charlottesvillepeace.org/node/1882

Join us at noon on Saturday, July 18, 2009, at 707 Gillespie Ave, Charlottesville, Va. Kids are welcome! There is no charge, but it is appreciated if you bring something to eat or drink. Please go to this page and post a comment that you are coming and how many are coming with you. And if you are able to bring something to eat or drink and know what it will be, please post that: http://afterdowningstreet.org/cindyevent"

Congressman Perriello Wows 'Em on "Morning Joe"

2009-07-15T16:57:00.004-04:00

Tom Perriello consistently impresses. See for yourself, from MSNBC yesterday:

We need to make sure Tom gets re-elected to Congress next year so he can continue to provide energetic leadership for the 5th District. Please give what you can by clicking here.

Sacajawea Ceremony

2009-06-25T08:06:00.004-04:00

I was honored to participate in a very moving ceremony last week to recognize Sacajawea for her courage and resourcefulness as a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The event, and the subsequent panel discussion, raised some good and pointed questions about the way in which the roles and contributions of Native Americans and women are all too often minimized in our telling of history. The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities has a beautiful slideshow of the ceremony here: http://www.virginiafoundation.org/photoalbums/sacajawea/

Great Enviro Event in Cville Yesterday

2009-06-24T00:30:00.005-04:00

Brian McNeill of the Daily Progress has an excellent recap of yesterday's visit to Charlottesville by President Obama's top environmental advisors, organized by Rep. Tom Perriello. (And thanks to Eileen @ Blue Commonwealth for pointing out Creigh Deeds' role in the whole affair.)

Below: Van Jones, Obama's Green Jobs Czar, poses with myself and Teri Kent of Better World Betty

President's Top Environmental Advisors Holding Media Event in Charlottesville Tomorrow to Tout Cville's Clean Energy Financing Program

2009-06-22T18:16:00.006-04:00

from the office of Rep. Tom Perriello:

Obama Administration Officials to Join Rep. Perriello in Showcasing Charlottesville Energy Efficiency Program

Charlottesville, VA—As part of his efforts to make the 5th District a national model for the clean energy economy, Congressman Tom Perriello will be joined by Nancy Sutley and Van Jones of the White House Council on Environmental Quality in Charlottesville on Tuesday to demonstrate the development of an innovative revolving loan program for energy efficiency upgrades.

Through the program, which is in development, the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle would be able to lend funds from federal and other grant sources to area residents to make their homes more energy efficient. The loans would be paid back from the energy savings that are generated by the efficiency upgrades. The federal funds would also be used to train area workers in retrofitting and energy efficiency upgrading at the local community college. Those newly skilled workers can seek employment with the local companies participating in the program. Through this innovative program, Charlottesville and Albemarle are trying to unleash the potential of clean energy jobs by not just training people for them, but by helping to create a market that will employ those who have been trained.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality coordinates federal environmental efforts and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental policies and initiatives. Nancy Sutley, the Council's Chair, serves as the principal environmental policy adviser to the President. Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs at the Council, is the founder of Green For All, a national organization that promotes an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty, and the author of the 2008 New York Times best-seller, The Green Collar Economy.

WHEN:
Tuesday, June 23, at 11 a.m.

WHERE:
Home of Ms. Ingrid Feggans (resident whose home will be weatherized through program), 503 Brown Street, Charlottesville, VA

WHO:
Congressman Tom Perriello (VA-5th)
Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Mayor Dave Norris, City of Charlottesville
David Slutzky, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Albemarle County
Bill Shelton, Director of Virginia's Department of Housing and Community Development
Area resident whose home will be weatherized
Area resident to be trained in weatherization job

###

With Governor Kaine for the Debut of SmartGrid Charlottesville

2009-06-22T02:54:00.009-04:00

June 16, 2009: Governor Tim Kaine and other VIPs announce that Charlottesville will be the first locality in Virginia, and one of the first in the nation, to install Smart Grid energy-saving technology.

Barnie Day Predicts Deeds Victory in November

2009-06-10T23:09:00.001-04:00

What a party last night at the Charlottesville Omni! The eyes of the Commonwealth (and beyond) were on Charlottesville as Creigh Deeds celebrated his stunning victory here in the Democratic primary for Governor. Congratulations to Creigh and to Jody Wagner for their convincing wins yesterday. It's great to see the party now lining up behind them as the Deeds/Wagner/Shannon ticket prepares for a tough race this fall. (In Charlottesville, of course, that's the Deeds/Wagner/Shannon/Toscano/Norris/Szakos/Brown/Brown/Chapman/Richards ticket. Damn, that's going to make for a looooooong bumper sticker.)

There's been a lot of commentary over the last 24 hours about How Deeds Won, How the Other Candidates Lost, What Deeds' Victory Means, etc., etc., but now's the time to start looking forward. To that end, I recommend this analysis by former Delegate Barnie Day: http://virginiatomorrow.com/2009/06/10/barnie-day-assessing-deeds-v-mcdonnell/ While we absolutely cannot take anything for granted, I think Day hits the nail on the head when it comes to the dynamics of this race and I agree with him that Creigh's in very good shape to win it on November 3. Go Creigh!

Deeds, Wagner on Tuesday

2009-06-08T00:15:00.007-04:00

I have had many people ask me in the last week who I'm supporting for Governor and Lieutenant Governor in the Democratic primary tomorrow. While I don't necessarily believe that endorsements from local elected officials (unlike, say, from the Washington Post) make a huge difference in such contests, I have gone on record as endorsing Creigh Deeds for Governor and Jody Wagner for Lieutenant Governor as I believe they would be our strongest ticket going into the November general election -- and just as importantly, the pair most likely to Get Things Done down in Richmond.

I may not agree with either of them on 100% of the issues, but they are both progressives in the sense of willing to fight for the interests of working Virginians, for increased investments in clean energy, for improvements to public and higher education, for civil rights and civil liberties, etc., and they both have successful track records of pushing for positive change on the state level. I have had the good fortune of getting to know both Creigh and Jody personally and they both strike me as authentic, sincere, well-informed and aptly-experienced. When you throw in the Democratic candidate for Attorney General, Steve Shannon, you have a ticket that well-represents the state as a whole (Creigh from Southwest/Central Virginia, Jody from Hampton Roads, Steve from Northern Virginia) and would elect the first woman to the office of Lieutenant Governor in Virginia history. That distinction should have belonged to Emily Couric, but Jody is a good second choice.

None of this is to take anything away from any of the other candidates who are on the ballot on Tuesday, at least two of whom I like and have a great deal of respect for. Turnout tomorrow is expected to be abysmal, so whomever you support, get out and vote because your vote will carry even more weight than normal. As for me, when I go into that voting booth tomorrow, I will be "pulling the lever" for Deeds and Wagner and I encourage you to consider doing the same.

Creigh Deeds for Governor: www.deedsforvirginia.com
Jody Wagner for Lieutenant Governor: www.jodyforva.com

p.s. For what it's worth, this fall I will be sharing a ballot and a coordinated campaign with whoever wins tomorrow, so I do admit to having slightly more of a vested interest in the outcome than the average voter. :-)

Election-Eve Rally with Creigh Deeds

2009-06-02T11:59:00.003-04:00

Cynthia Neff for Delegate

2009-05-31T12:34:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I attended a meet-and-greet for Cynthia Neff, candidate for the 58th District seat (Greene County and parts of Albemarle, Fluvanna and Orange) in the Virginia House of Delegates. I was very impressed. Not only did Cynthia demonstrate a keen understanding of how the General Assembly has dropped the ball on issues like transportation, energy, education and the environment, she was also unafraid to call out the bigotry and small-mindedness that has prevailed in Richmond on matters of equality and non-discrimination for all our citizens. Cynthia is running against a well-funded incumbent, but it's a swing district and she has the vim and the vigor to win this thing in November. Please lend her your support -- www.cynthianeff.com. Go Cynthia!

How Should Our City Schools Be Configured?

2009-05-26T02:19:00.006-04:00

Tonight (Tues., May 26), the Charlottesville City School system is hosting a Community Engagement Workshop to get feedback from the public on what changes, if any, should be made to the way our City schools are configured. (For more info.: http://www.ccs.k12.va.us/community/CommunityEngagementPage.html) The workshop will be held at Charlottesville High School from 6-9pm. Here are the options under consideration:

Option 1: Leave City school division as is: 6 elementary schools (K-4), 1 upper elementary (5-6), 1 middle school (7-8), 1 high school (9-12)

Option 2: Close 1 elementary school

Option 3: 6 elementary schools (K-5), 2 middle schools (6-8), 1 high school (9-12)

Option 4: 6 elementary schools (K-5), 1 middle school (6-8), 1 high school (9-12)

Option 5: Other reconfiguration possibilities?

I commend the School Board and the School Administration for initiating this important public dialogue. Speaking as the parent of two City schoolchildren, and not necessarily as Mayor, I'll put in my two cents for Option 3. I think it makes a lot of sense to put 5th graders in the elementary schools and have fewer, and more gradual, transitions from there. As it is now, our kids leave their small neighborhood elementary schools and are immediately plunged into a city-wide upper elementary school for two years before going to a city-wide middle school for two years and then on to the city-wide high school. In case you lost track, that means a child attends 4 different schools in 6 years! Why not get rid of the "upper elementary" school concept altogether and instead have two smaller middle schools (6th-8th grades) before students enter the city-wide high school. That makes for an easier transition, and also hopefully allows for more individualized attention at the middle school level, where much of the research tells us that "at-risk" kids start to seriously fall behind.

The main argument that's usually raised against having two middle schools is that we tried that before in Charlottesville, and the school boundaries were drawn in a way that brought more upper-income/white kids to one middle school and more lower-income/African-American kids to the other, leading to a separate and inequal educational environment. Rather than throw in the towel on a more personalized middle school experience and a more gradual 5th-to-9th-grade transition for our schoolchildren, however, why not just do a better and more equitable job of drawing the boundaries so that the two middle schools serve an equally diverse population?

If you have any thoughts you'd like to share on this subject, feel free to attend tonight's workshop or contact the School Board at SchoolBoard@ccs.k12.va.us.

Best Veg Eats in Cville?

2009-05-25T23:23:00.000-04:00

Voices for Animals, which organizes the annual Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival, is soliciting nominations for the "Best Vegetarian Meal in Central Virginia." From their May 2009 e-newsletter:

Share your insider knowledge and let others know where they can find an awesome veg meal -- in Charlottesville and surrounding areas -- whether it's a favorite sandwich and smoothie or qualifies as haute cuisine. Email info@voicesforanimals.org with the name of the restaurant and the dish that keeps you going back. We'll report the results in the June e-newsletter. Yum!

Have a favorite dish that you'd like to nominate? Or, do you work at a restaurant that features some particularly tasty veg options and want to brag on them? Send 'em in!

"Postcards from Charlottesville," Show #16

2009-05-24T17:15:00.003-04:00

Since I am leaving my current position as Executive Director of PACEM at the end of June in order to pursue a new professional opportunity (TBD), I thought I'd dedicate the latest episode of my public access TV show to a retrospective on PACEM, its founding, its operations, the impact that it's made on the community, etc. Joining me in-studio is Adriana Nicholson, who was one of the founding Board members of PACEM and currently serves as PACEM's Director of Community and Volunteer Resources. Click here to view the show:

http://charlottesville.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=162

General Assembly Appointment

2009-05-18T09:09:00.003-04:00

Since Charlottesville was one of the main battlegrounds in the "Massive Resistance" campaign against school desegregation back in the late 1950s, it is only fitting that we be represented on a new General Assembly subcommittee that's been formed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the school-integration struggle. Last week I received a letter on behalf of State Senator Henry Marsh and State Delegate Rosalyn Dance appointing me to the "Special Subcommittee on the Fiftieth Anniversary of Public School Closings in Virginia," which will kick off with an organizational meeting in June. I am looking forward to participating on this subcommittee, not only because it will give me a chance to immerse myself into the history of the Massive Resistance movement both locally and statewide, but moreso as an opportunity to explore how race continues to play a role in our schools today and what more we can be doing to ensure that children of all races are equally well-served by our public education system.

The Day After

2009-05-10T22:09:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for the Charlottesville Democratic Party -- the first time the party used a Firehouse Primary to choose its nominees for City Council (and Sheriff). Over 1,600 residents participated, meaning we had many more voters taking part in selecting our nominess than in the past; prior nominating conventions typically attracted 400-600 voters. We even had more voters yesterday than the 2006 U.S. Senate primary between Jim Webb and Harris Miller, when 1,554 Charlottesville residents cast their vote. I was at the polls for almost the entire day and it was great to see a steady stream of voters and friendly faces all day long.

The final vote tally for the Council race was as follows:

Dave Norris -- 80.49%
Kristin Szakos -- 61.13%
Julian Taliaferro -- 43.32%

As always, excellent coverage of the day's proceedings was provided by Charlottesville Tomorrow: http://cvilletomorrow.typepad.com/charlottesville_tomorrow_/2009/05/norris_szakos2.html

I'm still wiped out by the day's events (OK, and the revelry afterwards) but did want to offer a few quick thoughts.

* First and foremost, thank you to the voters, to the people of Charlottesville, for your confidence and support. As I've said all along, I don't expect everyone to agree with me on each and every issue that comes before Council, but I do hope people see that I've worked hard to get the City moving in the right direction on a number of important fronts. I look forward to making yesterday's endorsement "official" on election day, November 3. (By the way, we need to change the date of these nominating primaries. It's ridiculous to have a 6-month general election season for City Council races. The United Kingdom has been known to pull off nationwide Parliamentary elections in less than 6 WEEKS.)

* Many thanks to the folks who worked on my campaign team, particularly my campaign manager, Becky Reid (a genial genius of a strategist & organizer who walks on water and makes a killer eggplant sauce) and my communications director, Tad Abbey (who somehow juggled his campaign duties with getting married and landing a new DJ gig on WNRN -- congrats Tad!). Everyone who contributed time, money, moral support and/or advice to my campaign deserves my unending gratitude, especially Cat H., who made generous donations of all the above.

* Congratulations to Kristin Szakos and James Brown III for running great campaigns and coming out ahead yesterday, and best wishes to Phillip Brown, Mike Baird and, of course, Vice Mayor Julian Taliaferro, all of whom ran good races and deserve heaps of praise for their service to our community.

* Bottom line is: it was a great day for democracy, and a great day for Democrats, in Charlottesville. And now, on to November 3!

Below: James Brown and Kristin Szakos at the polls; me and Becky Reid at the after-party at Rapture.

Glimpses of Winneba

2009-05-07T23:18:00.025-04:00

I'll share some thoughts and reflections about our trip to Ghana soon (my head is still spinning from sensory overload and I've got an election on Saturday to focus on). For now, here are a few "slice of life" snapshots from our journey. More later...

Africa-Bound

2009-04-26T11:11:00.003-04:00

Heading to the airport in a couple of hours to hop on a plane to Amsterdam, and flying from there to Accra, Ghana. Will be in Ghana for a week with a privately-funded, seven-member community delegation from Charlottesville to explore development of exchanges (youth exchanges, academic exchanges, cultural/arts exchanges, business exchanges, etc.) between Charlottesville and the university community of Winneba. Couldn't be more excited, both for me personally (my first trip to Africa) and for the people of Charlottesville and Winneba, who as a result of this trip will hopefully enjoy many opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration and travel in the years to come.

Among others, we'll be meeting this week with city leaders, traditional/tribal leaders, business leaders, university leaders, Winneba's Member of Parliament, the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana (a UVa alum), and the leadership of the Africa Global Sister Cities Foundation, which is based in Accra and just this past week received a $7.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help 25 U.S. cities to develop community-improvement partnerships with municipalities in Africa (fortuitous timing, anyone?). We'll also visit a number of historical sites and natural landmarks and partake in one of Ghana's largest annual cultural festivals, which takes place next weekend in Winneba.

I'm not sure which is going to require more of an adjustment, being in Africa for the first time in my life or not having regular access to phone calls or e-mails for the next week. Both, I suspect, will be equally enjoyable. :-) See you when I return.

Earth Day Greetings & News

2009-04-22T17:21:00.005-04:00

Earth Day is a great holiday and here in Charlottesville we are so enamored with it, we celebrate it for a whole week. Over the past week or so there have been a number of major announcements and events with Earth Day/Earth Week in mind, capped off by an amazing Eco Fair on Saturday. There's so much going on, some things may have flown under your radar screen.

* In case you didn't hear, for example, last Thursday the City joined with Better World Betty and a number of local businesses to kick off a Reusable Bag Campaign, whereby we're going to distribute thousands of reusable shopping bags (to cut down on use of disposable plastic bags that are clogging our streams, polluting our parks and neighborhoods, and increasing our dependence on fossil fuels). A growing list of local businesses have agreed to provide rebates of at least a nickel a bag for shoppers who bring their own reusable bags. For more info.: http://cvillebettyblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/charlottesvilles-reusable-bag-campaign.html

* Today, the City announced a new initiative called "Sundays in the Park," to enable and encourage local residents to enjoy the scenic beauty of the eastern side of McIntire Park (which is typically off-limits to non-golfers) on the last Sunday of each month, from noon til dusk starting this Sunday, April 26, and running through November.

* And last Tuesday, as part of my re-election campaign, I unveiled a series of proposals for increasing Green Space in our City -- see http://votefordave.org/id33.html

For more local eco-news, keep tabs on Betty World Betty's blog at http://www.cvillebettyblog.blogspot.com/ or C-Ville Weekly's "Green Scene" blog at http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1990309083055403&act=blog.

And Happy Earth Day to you and yours!

UPDATE: Oops, almost forgot -- another big piece of news from this past week that hasn't received much attention is that City Council agreed on Monday to a permanent 50% reduction of building permit fees for construction projects that include green roofs.

Bumper Stickers Are In -- Get Yours Now!

2009-04-09T14:42:00.005-04:00

If you are willing to display one of these lovelies for all the world to see, please contact Becky Reid (beckydreid@gmail.com) with your mailing address and she'll put one in the mail to you right away. (And if you need multiples, she'll send multiples!) Or, you can pick one up from my table at the City Market any Saturday between now and May 9. Thanks!

Father of the Virginia Constitution Eviscerates the Proposed Meadowcreek Parkway

2009-04-05T15:20:00.008-04:00

I received the following e-mail today from A.E. Dick Howard, Charlottesville resident, White Burkett Miller Professor of Law and Public Affairs at UVa, and oft-described "Father of the Virginia Constitution." Reprinted with permission, it lays out a crisp and trenchant argument as to why this road is a bad deal for our City. I've tried, but I couldn't have said it better myself.

Dear Dave:

I have lived in downtown Charlottesville (at 627 Park Street) since 1965. I was among a generation of local people who, believing in the prospects for and future of downtown Charlottesville, resolved to work for the revival of this part of the city at a time when many people had little hope for its future. Intervening years have justified my vision. Downtown Charlottesville has become, in the intervening years, a genuine community-- family friendly, highly livable, a place in which local citizens can take pride.

The proposed Meadowcreek Parkway will deal a blow to this revival. Designed to divert traffic from US29, it will drive a stake through the heart of the city. It will benefit county developers and business interests at the expense of those of us who live in the city. Once upon a time, there was a regional transportation plan, in which the county would bear its share of regional traffic needs. That plan is now in tatters. The Western Bypass will not be built. The North Grounds Connector is but a truncated part of what had been proposed. There is no reason to believe that the county will ever build an Eastern Connector (despite the fact that such a large part of traffic on the 250 Bypass goes between Pantops on the east and US29 on the north). What we are left with is the proposed Meadowcreek Parkway -- a plan to solve county traffic problems at the immediate and direct expense of city residents.

Meadowcreek Parkway, if built, will extract a high price from Charlottesville and its citizens, especially those who live downtown.

1. The Parkway will erode the quality of McIntire Park and have a direct impact on historical resources, such as the Rock Hill gardens (which, as Daniel Bluestone has eloquently argued, could be a major local resource). Traffic flowing through the park will turn the pleasurable sylvan and bucolic experience of walkers and others who use the park into something more nearly like being near an expressway.

2. Overall traffic volume through the downtown area will increase.Vast numbers of these cars will be headed, not downtown, but from one part to the county to another. Developers with an interest in projects such as Biscuit Run will be the direct beneficiaries of the parkway. The notion that somehow the parkway is needed for the benefit of the Downtown Mall is nonsensical, as anyone who has watched the Downtown Mall thrive will attest.

3. Traffic from the parkway, arriving at McIntire Road, will spill into side streets, directly impacting the quality of life in downtown Charlottesville. Residential streets will become conduits for cut-through traffic.

4. The increased traffic, especially on McIntire Road, will tend to create blight, beginning with houses on that road (they will become rental properties), and spreading more generally. This will depress property values and the city's tax base.

5. With the parkway's construction, pressure will mount to make the parkway four lanes rather than two. There will be further pressure to add traffic lanes to McIntire Road. This will destroy the recently created Schenck's Branch Park. Then, inevitably, there will bepressure to widen Ridge Street, destroying that historic district. This unhappy step will recall the destruction of Vinegar Hill and the displacement of its citizens -- a lesson which should not be not be repeated at the expense of those who live along Ridge Street. Ultimately, building the parkway will be a major step toward creating a means for traffic to get from US29 on the north to Interstate 64 on the south -- again channeling through traffic into the heart of the city. This is the failed planning of the 1960s, an approach which enlightened cities (such as Portland, Oregon) have rejected.

6. The wedge driven though the heart of Charlottesville will tend to separate the University part of town from downtown, severing the sense of community which many have sought (for example, by improvements on West Main Street) to enhance.

7. All of this is made worse by the proposed US250 interchange. This is an industrial-strength project forced into a constricted residentialand parkland setting. It is no accident that the team being called upon to design the interchange takes pride in having designed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge crossing the Potomac in Northern Virginia. The interchange will reach the height of telephone poles and will project noise across a large residential area. Not many people in Charlottesville would swap their life style for that of Northern Virginia. It is ironic that an interchange better suited for an interstate highway in Manassas would be thrust upon our community.

The injuries being done to our city by the parkway proposal are compounded by the proponents' evasion of state and federal law. There is serious doubt whether the Council's simple majority vote to convey the easement of city land for the project satisfies the requirements of the Constitution of Virginia. It is true that a local judge has refused to grant a preliminary injunction, but that judgment does not reach the merits of the case (judges are typically reluctant to grant a preliminary injunction in cases like this). Even more serious is the manner in which the parkway has been deliberately segmented in a way to avoid federal environmental impact review. Ever since the proposal for a parkway first surfaced, common sense obliges us to understand that this is one project. Yet now we are told that there are severable, free-standing projects, one of which, the so-called McIntire Road Extended, ends in the middle of the park. In truth, there is one project, not more. The only reason to pretend there are segments is to create a fiction -- that a parkway is being built with state funds (thus avoiding federal environmental impact review), separate from the interchange, being built with federal funds. Fictions of this kind are an insult to the intelligence.

During my decades of living in downtown Charlottesville, I have been actively engaged in the affairs of our community. There is no single issue which has aroused my concerns for our city more than that arising from the proposed Meadowcreek Parkway. Countless fellow citizens feel as strongly about this issue as I do.

With best regards,
A. E. Dick Howard

Reelection Update

2009-04-02T00:15:00.005-04:00

Despite the article in this week's C-ville Weekly that already proclaimed me the winner of the May 9 Democratic Primary ("Dems will nominate Dave Norris...and who else?"), I am taking nothing for granted. As I've said on numerous occasions, elections should not be coronations and this one is no different.

To that end, my campaign is continuing to recruit volunteers and we are continuing to seek financial donations to cover our ongoing expenses. To sign up as a volunteer, or to make a contribution to the campaign, please visit http://www.votefordave.org/id11.html.

If you would like to receive our weekly-ish campaign e-newsletter, click here.

If you're on Facebook, consider becoming a "Fan" of the campaign -- see here.

Most importantly...PLEASE GET OUT AND VOTE ON MAY 9! And tell all your friends and coworkers and family members and colleagues to do the same. There will be only one polling place that day: Burley Middle School on Rose Hill Drive, which will be open from 9:00am-7:00pm.

Thanks!
Dave
www.votefordave.org

Mentors DO. Tutors DO.

2009-03-26T15:44:00.008-04:00

Cross-posted from Living United, the blog of the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. Living United is running a monthlong blog marathon to encourage people to get involved as mentors or tutors for area kids, leading up to very special Mentoring and Tutoring Information Fair next Monday, March 30, from 3-6pm at the Omni Hotel.

Looking back at all the wonderful mentoring- and tutoring-related posts on Living United from the past few weeks, it’s hard to know what more can be said!

We’ve heard from adults who mentor or tutor about the positive experiences they’ve had with their “mentees” and “tutees.” We’ve heard from children who have mentors or tutors on the many ways they’ve benefited from the time and attention of dedicated adult role models. We’ve heard from mentoring and tutoring program coordinators about the invaluable work that they do in connecting caring adults with kids who need one-on-one help.

I commend them all. And I commend the United Way and the good folks behind the “Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on.” campaign for highlighting the many opportunities available to local residents who want to make a positive & direct impact on the lives of our youth.

One thing I might add to what’s already been said is that mentoring or tutoring does not just make a difference in the life of an individual child, it also makes a difference in the life of our City. We talk a lot in this community about the need to reduce the achievement gap in our schools. We talk a lot about the need to reduce youth violence in our neighborhoods. We talk a lot about steering our kids away from drugs, or gangs, or teen pregnancy, or dropping out of school. We talk a lot.

We talk, but mentors DO. Tutors DO.

Talking about ways to improve the lives of disadvantaged children is helpful; establishing an ongoing, personal relationship of trust and support with a child is actually giving them the tools they need to build a brighter future. They, and our whole City, are the better for it.

"Charlottesville Meets Winneba" Reception this Friday

2009-03-17T10:19:00.004-04:00

from Holly Edwards and Roberta Williamson:

"Charlottesville Meets Winneba" Reception
Friday, March 20, 2009, 7:00-8:30pm
Light House Studio Space, Live Arts Building, 123 E. Water St.

Featuring tasty Ghanaian food and lively Ghanaian music
Honorary Co-Hosts: Roberta Williamson and City Councilor Holly Edwards

Please join us for a very special reception on Friday, March 20, to support the development of cultural, youth and business exchanges between Charlottesville and Winneba, Ghana. From April 26-May 4, 2009, a delegation of Charlottesville residents will be visiting Winneba to explore the possibility for exchange programs between our two university communities. We are very excited about the potential for building strong connections between Charlottesville and Winneba in the years ahead.

Even though the delegation will include officials from City Council and the City Schools (see below), this trip will be funded entirely by private donations. Please come on March 20 and learn more about Winneba and how you can support this effort to build a bridge of friendship between our communities.

We are particularly pleased to note that Quintin Franklyn, a public housing resident and award-winning teen filmmaker from Light House Studio, will be participating in the delegation and recording his journey (including interviews of teens from Winneba) for use in a documentary that he and Light House will produce after our return.

If you cannot attend the reception but are willing to make a tax-deductible financial donation to this cause, please write a check to "Virginia Organizing Project" and mail it to 703 Concord Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22903; be sure to write "Winneba Trip" in the memo line. You can also make a secure on-line donation via http://www.virginia-organizing.org/donation.php#1 -- again, you'll need to designate your contribution to "Winneba Trip."

Thanks much, and we hope to see you on the 20th!

Roberta Williamson
Holly Edwards

**************

Membership of Charlottesville’s exploratory delegation to Winneba:

Holly Edwards, City Councilor
Dave Norris, Mayor
Rosa Atkins, Superintendent of Schools
Wiliam Harvey, Vice President for Diversity and Equity, University of Virginia
Danielle Fitz-Hugh, Vice President, Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce
Nana Ghartey, Winneba Native and Current Charlottesville Resident
Pastor Dale Johnson, Way of the Cross Baptist Church
Quintin Franklyn, Light House Studio
Sam Baker, Light House Studio

Charlottesville's Clean Energy Financing Bill Makes the New York Times (Well, Sorta)

2009-03-16T10:06:00.007-04:00

On Saturday, the New York Times ran an article (see here) highlighting the benefits of, and the growing interest in, municipal-level financing programs for clean energy improvements. I was pleased that they noted, in an aside, that Virginia has now joined a half-dozen other states in pursuing authorizing legislation for such programs -- which, of course, came about thanks to Charlottesville's own SB1212.

One point of interest: the Times article quotes some skeptics as saying it would be smarter for local governments to use their funds to finance energy-efficiency measures (like replacing windows or insulating attics) before making loans for solar panels. I'm pleased to note that SB1212 is actually a step ahead of some of the initiatives profiled in the article in addressing this very concern. Our bill, which will hopefully be signed into law by the Governor any day now, is broader in scope by allowing for the loans to be used for energy efficiency purposes as well as renewable energy generation, thus giving Virginia localities the flexibility to decide how they wish to use their funds. It's one of the recommendations that our Citizens Committee on Environmental Sustainability made in helping us to craft the proposal, and it made eminent sense.

"Postcards from Charlottesville," Show #15

2009-03-15T15:25:00.002-04:00

How can you go wrong with an organization called the "Building Goodness Foundation"? On this month's episode, Jack Stoner and Connie Jorgensen of BGF join with me to talk about the many worthy projects in which Building Goodness is involved. This Charlottesville-based foundation organizes work teams to do construction projects in disadvantaged communities and is making a big impact locally, in other parts of our country, and internationally as well. Click here to view the show:

http://charlottesville.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=141