Four forums are scheduled, the first one was last night. Candidates spent fifteen minutes at each table- there were 5 tables, then we answered questions for 45 minutes. Acc. to the Progress, 40 people showed. I enjoyed the conversational format. Quality of life was the ostensible topic, although you name it, we encountered it last night.
My favorite question involved the Ragged Mountain dam which will flood 138 acres of City land which is currently recreational use, should we be compensated? I was one of the last people to answer this question and the ideas presented were quite good- my concern is preserving green space, but we have measure the costs & benefits, our need for water will continue to grown and this dam will solve a problem. The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA) made this decision. My concern is RWSA doesnt have a member of Council or the Supervisors on it. It is a limited group making the RWSA decisions and there are many, many expensive projects, including the MC interceptor that need to be paid for by taxpayers. These issues do not get a lot of press, but touch all elements of growth in our region. Clean water and safe sewage processes are the real reasons for local government- we have to do a better job caring for the infrastructure and managing the debt-load of the RWSA.
My campaign is about the future- my mission is to preserve the quality of life for our residents, bring affordability to more of our community's employees, connect the government with residents/businesses/non-profits and finally to bring opportunity to our residents. Decisions we make today have to be sustainable for the future and we can not be complacent in our decisions. Twelve percent budget increases from year to year are not sustainable, in fact it is untenable. We can do better, I will make sure of it.
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