to party or not?

Don Beyer, former Lt. Gov., spoke at my graduation from Piedmont Virginia Community College in 1996. I was star-struck and inspired by the speech, the setting and the occasion. The setting is stunning, sunset on the hill outside PVCC, steamy, spring evening. But I digress. The Lt. Gov at the time spoke about never turning down an invitation. He told the story of how he met his future wife at an event he did not want to attend- so his lesson was learned, no matter what, you should attend events you have been invited.

At that time, and really to the present, I live by that idea. However, this evening, David’s 4th birthday, I have opted to blog out of an event. I am still tired from the campaign, never mind the busy-ness of this week. The event is a party- a house party, with food, music, fun and adult beverages- something that even as late as this morning I looked forward to attending. Then it rained…

Here are my excuses not related to the weather:
1. What does a 35 year old mom of two boys and wife do at a house party?
The reason I ask this- I remember the college house parties and the parties after college with my college friends- but now with people I like and enjoy their company- but parties to me are for flirting and meeting potential mates/hook-ups- something I am not looking for.
2. What do I have to say?
“I am doing great- I am feeling real good about the campaign I ran” Nowadays I feel like I am dull- City politics, motherhood, current events generally- nothing too exciting.
3. Live Music?
Will it be too loud? I really have not been interested in live music since I first heard Boyd playing the fiddle and saw Dave’s eyebrow 15 years ago at Trax. Don’t get me wrong, I love music, Friday’s After 5, the radio, Cd’s, even live music at Cabell or the Paramount or JPJ.
Actually one of the best parties I ever went to was shortly before I got married- I worked with the migrant farm workers all summer and we had a fiesta at the lead lawyer’s house. We had all sorts of instruments and the interns (me and two other chicas) made up a song in Spanish to the “Aye Aye Aye” song (which may be a Spanish song). We all just enjoyed each other’s company and laughed a lot- but we had been on the Eastern Shore of Virginia all summer together. We had seen each other at our worse-think 100 degree days, limited Spanish, crazy hair, dirty clothes, tears after hearing horror stories of young children far away from home exposed to pesticides and really bad singing- so this was merely culmination of a summer of fun. How does one get that comfortable with people at my age?
4. Um…I don’t actually drink.
It was fun working at Maartens and not drinking. I mean I was working. Even now I don’t mind be designated driver or hanging out with people who drink (seriously). Now I have no way of letting the guard down, I will not likely dance or say silly things (and isn’t the fun at a party just being silly). I do mind being around drugs, I find a pot-smoking crowd duller than me and not worth the risk.

Our good friends are moving back to cville soon- now we can have some parties. What kind of parties do you attend? Should I have gone anyway to wipe away the anxieties and open up a whole new world?
David turned 4, I didn’t go to a party- I think I am either maturing or giving in-

exciting times

Chris has fixed the bathroom. Two days prior to the convention I had my first shower at home in over 6 weeks (thanks to my mom I had actually had a few showers). The water pressure is great, the tile looks fantastic, the grout and caulk are all nice and white, and the fixtures are fun. Big congratulations to Chris for the hard work of putting up with my complaints for awhile (I wasnt that bad-it was just finding time).

Tomorrow I will be mom to a 4 year old. A 4 year old is an extraordinary little person. This morning we sat together and talked a bit-
I asked "what type of cake do you want?"
"a fire engine & police car cake" he responds
"umm...what flavor cake do you want?" trying to veer from the subject of shape- dad has not agreed to the shaping of it.
"blueberry is good for police car and raspberry for the fire engine, that would be good" smiling so broadly his cute teeth, with spaces in between each one of them, showing...
"and what is your favorite meal that I could make for you?"
"rice and chicken" he states matter of factly, nodding his head and holding his hands together as he does when he is having a good conversation with a grown up.
pause 'where did this child come from' I think to myself 'have I been feeding him too much pizza for him to actually want it?'
"with green beans?" I ask finally.
nodding and smiling "yeah"
I didnt even ask about ice cream.
He is learning about choices- it is the coolest thing to watch as a parent.

When 5th place feels like 1st

Well all 450 votes are counted (or 431) and I received 149! I am so proud. Really I am. I had a great time, met all sorts of people and addressed issues with answers. I congratulate David, Holly and Huja and Linda on running good races.

I am sick now of course, I guess the relief of the campaign being over is enough to let the germs in. I am pondering the next move, what way can I serve this City, I will be talking with some folks in the coming weeks and figure out where I can place my energies. I will still be attending City Council meetings/work sessions/other relevant meetings to be an advocate for the residents of this city.


I am particularly grateful to Kevin Lynch for his faith in me. Lisa Provence asked me whether he hurt or helped my campaign- there is no doubt he helped my campaign, and his example will help me help others. Curt Gleeson did a great job as manager and I had a small cadre of loyal volunteers who helped me from the beginning.

I attended a lot of events in the past three months, one of my favorite had to be Thursday's QCC Urban Farming groundbreaking at Friendship Court. I am really proud to live in a city with such a program.

The neighborhood associations that hosted candidate forums did a real service for their neighborhoods. Thank you to them.

There are many random thoughts, perhaps they will be less random in the coming weeks. The folks who have emailed and called are really appreciated, it amazes me the good will that exists in this community.

I always said that no matter what I win, and I can honestly say this campaign has been challenging and rewarding, and I certainly won- no matter how many votes I got.

Email from Kevin Lynch

Dont forget the Democratic Nominating Convention is SATURDAY. Be at the Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center at CHS by 12:30 and make your vote count!

From my inbox this morning:
My Dear Friends,

The City Democrats will have a difficult choice to make on June 2.
There are five highly qualified, competent and able candidates vying to
help lead this City for the next four years.

I have truly enjoyed working with David Brown over the past four years
and I am very glad that he is running again. Whether or not he seeks
another term as mayor, I think we need his experience and judgment on the
Council.

Holly Edwards and Jennifer McKeever are representative of the values,
aspirations, and energy of our Democratic party. Each candidate is a
self-assured, intelligent woman with a strong and supportive family and
a service-oriented career. Holly and Jennifer have made their way and
their life in our community and know its strengths and weaknesses from
direct experience. Both want the best for their young children and have
translated this into a desire to be advocates for all of our
community’s children.

Many of you already know Holly from her many years helping working
families in Charlottesville get to the next level in their lives. She is a
registered nurse with a Masters degree in education from Howard
University. In the fifteen years that she has lived in our City, she has been
a tireless advocate for improving wellness and building leadership in
low income communities.

I first met Holly Edwards in the late nineties when we were allies in
the living wage campaign and in efforts to expand community policing and
workforce development programs. From the very beginning Holly impressed
me as someone who was not only dedicated to helping those in need, but
also as a leader with a gift for motivating others to become involved.

Health care and insurance are large issues and a large cost for our
City government. Holly’s experience as a parish nurse will bring an
important perspective to the Council’s deliberations concerning health
care as a quality of life and a budget issue. Together with David’s
advocacy of community health we can make progress on becoming a healthier
City.

Jennifer McKeever is a new, energetic face in our party, with strong
roots in our community. She graduated from Western Albemarle High school
and attended college at PVCC and at UVA. While completing her law
degree she interned for the Legal Aid Justice Center, and then began a
career of working with Legal Aid organizations across the State.
Jennifer’s life experiences have given her a great perspective on the strength
and weaknesses of our City, as well as the motivation to make our
community a better place.

I have known Jennifer for the past two years, starting from when she
applied to serve on the CDBG task force. She was elected chair within the
year. Jennifer got my attention again last summer when she successfully
advocated for longer hours at our City’s outdoor pools, so that
working families could enjoy our pools. I was impressed by how quickly she
went from being a critic, to developing a good working relationship with
staff, and ultimately improving the service that the City provides. She
joined the Parks and Rec advisory committee this past August and has a
good grasp of our programming and infrastructure challenges.

Jennifer has many qualities that would make any Charlottesville
Democrat proud. She put me to some productive work this past Fall, when as
co-chair of the Recreation precinct, she coordinated our canvassing and
get out the vote efforts. There are also a couple of things that appeal
to me personally about Jennifer. First, like me, she is a social liberal
and a fiscal conservative. We both agree that City residents should be
getting more for our tax dollars. Second, she is a lawyer and she
follows the details. She asks questions. She shows up at work sessions. She
will be a good steward of your tax dollars and the City’s resources,
including its natural resources. We can count on Jennifer not to back
down on protecting our environment and neighborhoods.

On Saturday, Charlottesville Democrats will cast their votes. David,
Holly and Jennifer have earned mine. I recommend them to you without
reservation.

Kevin Lynch

Follow-up questions from DemCentral Answers

As a candidate, I consider it a privilege to discuss my positions in a forum where others can read, and comment. As I stated way back in one of my first posts on DemCentral I believe in transparency and the blogosphere is a great way to promote openess and dialogue.
1. What should City avoid doing that it has been doing?
a) Overtaxing homeowners. For nearly a decade, homeowner assessments
have been increasing at more than twice the rate of commercial
property. We need to spend more responsibly and shift the tax burden away from homeowners.
What do you mean by "shift the tax burden away from homeowners"? That can mean only two things -- increasing a non-real-estate tax (meals? lodging? personal property?), or finding a way to have a different tax rate for businesses than for residences (which I don't think we can do at this point). Which do you advocate?

Jen's answer
I disagree with the premise of your second question. I do not want to find a non-real-estate tax or a differentiated tax structure for business and residential. I would look first to the formula used to assess commercial real estate, since commercial assessments are not rising at the same rate as residential property. I want to see the commercial assessments come more in line with reality of fair market value. Also, I would look to the City budget and find ways of reducing the size of the budget or limiting the rate at which it grows.
Keep reading...

4) What single best policy change would you propose for Charlottesville that costs little or no money?
The policy change I believe would be most immediately effective and which would save the taxpayers' money is to hold a public hearing on every new spending initiative before it is included in the City's budget. At a hearing, the public has an opportunity to vet the initiative, while the opportunity for partnership with other entities could be revealed. The way that the city budget process usually works is that the budget includes requests by departments for dealing with problems that may not have come to the point of having a formal proposal yet. The usual practice is that the budget may include money for proposals that aren't yet fully developed, and then to insist on a public hearing and discussion before actually appropriating the money. What's wrong with that? And if you aren't going to do that, how would you deal with the situation of a need that is known in April, but our public hearing process hasn't yet been set in motion to decide what to do about it?
JEN's response
I actually do know how the budget process works given the number of meetings I attended this winter. I am a firm believer in public input. As Councilors, we are stewards of the taxpayers money, justifying the money we spend is natural component of that stewardship. The staff works very hard and has great commitment to the well-being of our City, however it can be echo chamber in City Hall. I want to see additional collaboration and innovation, to do that the proposals public scrutiny may be helpful. Substantial new expenditures do not fall from the sky, planning starts early, e.g NDS had a $650,000 proposal for signage as a line item, no one could tell me where this came from early in the process. Later NDS stated it wanted to create an easier path to the downtown mall, UVA and parking etc. Even now I dont really see the need for signs, perhaps if NDS had articulated the need and the results expected as a consequence (more business downtown, less lost people etc), the line item would not have been so shocking. As it turned out, the line item was cut somewhat and it is not clear what the new signage will incorporate (just parking, directions downtown, but not UVA). I want to know what I am getting for my dollar, it is not a good way to do business. Emergencies are emergencies, I am not proposing such a rigid system as to be unmanageable or counter-productive when a need exists.
I also propose a City Councilor be appointed on the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority to ensure good stewardship of the taxpayers' money.
The RWSA, by agreement with the County, consists of the City Manager, the County Executive, the City Public Works Director, the County Service Authority Director, and a chair appointed jointly by the City and the County. City Councilors are welcome to go to the meetings, because they are public. You get reports from the meetings. City Councilors can't be on every board and commission; they have to ration their time. Why don't you trust the City Manager and the Public Works Director to know how to protect the City's interests?

Jen's Response
As I stated before this is an idea percolating. I need more information to decide if this is necessary. From what I understand, the current debt load of RWSA is quite high and only going to get higher with the number of capitol projects in the pipeline. From the perspective of a taxpayer this level of debt load, combined with increase in retail rates concerns me.

6) What should the city do to preserve and improve parking options downtown?
Bringing people into the downtown area will require new creative ways of looking at transportation, parking and transit. In the short term,we need to encourage more downtown employees to use the Water street parking garage (which has several hundred empty spaces) to free up on-street parking.
How do you propose to encourage more downtown employees to use the Water Street Parking Garage? The City doesn't own the Water Street Parking Garage, so we don't have the ability to lower the rates for monthly parkers. Very few employees -- who work 8-hour days -- park in on-street spots that are good for 30 minutes to two hours. Can you be specific?

Jen's Response
Actually the City recently passed as part of their budget the option for City government residents to park for free or reduced rate at the Water St. parking garage- I hope this will spur use of the garage. Also I would argue many downtown employees, including many City employees, do the 2 hour shuffle.
Another option is to include incentives for car-poolers to park at the garage. Finally, new transit ideas will play a major role in the coming years which will provide relief for the parking issues downtown. This is a community wide issue, one I hope to help begin to make inroads as a councilor.

Thanks for the opportunity to answer your questions.

Full Answers to Progress Questions

Daily Progress will have profiles of all the candidates this week. Seth Rosen interviewed, we filled out a questionnaire and I got my photo taken. The Progress will likely not print the full 6 questions (except online), so I thought I would provide another place for people to read my responses.

1. What should City avoid doing that it has been doing?

a) Overtaxing homeowners. For nearly a decade, homeowner assessments
have been increasing at more than twice the rate of commercial
property. We need to spend more responsibly and shift the tax burden
away from homeowners

b) Reactionary planning. Too often, the City allows uninspired
development to take limited green space in the City without involving
neighborhoods. My goals are to preserve our neighborhood and bring
transparency to the development decision-making process.

c) Status quo thinking. I want the City to consider new ways of
working with private and nonprofit resources to maximize the
efficiency of the programs it provides.

2) What concrete steps should the city take to increase the number of affordable housing units in Charlottesville?

The question I ask is how Charlottesville transforms its housing programs beyond our historic role as the only locality in the region actively working on the provision of affordable housing. The City has to support innovative new programs, such as the CAHIP proposals. I have proposed allowing low-income and elderly homeowners to receive low interest loans to complete small and medium rehabilitation projects. This helps people keep their homes, stay in the City and preserve the fabric of our neighborhoods. The City must also encourage surrounding localities to bring more affordable housing into their communities.

3) For the upcoming fiscal year the Council set a real estate tax rate of 95 cents per $100 of assessed value and passed a 12 percent jump in the budget. Do you agree with these decisions? If not, what programs would you have tried to cut or scale back?

I disagree with the 12 percent budget increase and believe it could have been cut in half. I would have reduced the EMS proposal, I would have requested a public hearing on the need and the establishment of a regional task force to see how CARS and CFD could improve service before money was appropriated. My husband is a volunteer firefighter; I value the role of volunteerism in our community and want to promote
it as much as possible. I want to see a reduction in the number of vehicles the City has- to save on gas, insurance and maintenance costs.

4) What single best policy change would you propose for Charlottesville that costs little or no money?
The policy change I believe would be most immediately effective and which would save the taxpayers' money is to hold a public hearing on every new spending initiative before it is included in the City's budget. At a hearing, the public has an opportunity to vet the initiative, while the opportunity for partnership with other entities could be revealed. I also propose a City Councilor be appointed on the
Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority to ensure good stewardship of the taxpayers' money.

5) What would you do to improve relations with Albemarle County? Are there any services that you believe should be considered for consolidation?

As a Councilor, I will work to strengthen and expand the City's partnerships with Albemarle County and the University. I'd like to see more cooperation, along with area nonprofit advocacy groups on environmental stewardship and trail planning. The superintendents of the schools are improving their partnership and I would like to see similar cooperation on youth development outside of the schools. The Planning Commissions could meet more regularly to work through issues of transportation and growth. My goal would be to see more cooperation with these partnerships to maximize our tax dollar and to have the City and County's concerns voiced.

6) What should the city do to preserve and improve parking options downtown?
Bringing people into the downtown area will require new creative ways of looking at transportation, parking and transit. In the short term,we need to encourage more downtown employees to use the Water street parking garage (which has several hundred empty spaces) to free up on- street parking. I also want to see the City partner with State and Federal transit programs, along with the private sector, to encourage park and rides, vanpools and carpoolers, and the use of structured parking. However my primary goal is to bring reliable, convenient and attractive transit options to the City and to improve bike and pedestrian facilities.

A few announcements

At the Parks & Rec Advisory Board meeting this week, Mike and Brian announced Charlottesville received a $400,000 grant from the federal walk to schools program. The money will be used to implement walk to school projects throughout the city, starting with Buford. Buford has a plan already in place, the rest of the schools will draft plans for trails, sidewalks and bike lanes for children and parents to walk to school. Chris Gensic, who has only worked with the department for 11 months as a trail planner has a lot to do with the receipt of this money. Congratulations to the Parks department!

Also- Chief Longo announced at the Woolen Mills neighborhood association the hiring and swearing in of a new animal control officer. As a reminder- leash free days at Riverview park are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, all the rest of the times you have to a have a leash on your dog. The city will be enforcing this regulation a lot more, so consider this fair warning.

Water bills

I am sure City/County residents will notice this. Water bills are set to rise significantly (15%-20%). Since we are paying more for everything, it seems to make sense. Two changes I want to explore if I am elected are:

1. Add a councilor to the RWSA board- the current board consists of City and County staff and one citizen member (and counsel to guide and advise).

2. Bring the water and sewer revenue back to the RWSA, not into the general fund of the city. The debt load of the RWSA is quite high. The capital expenditures such an organization has are large (upgrade sewer plant, meadowcreek interceptor expansion all sound very expensive). If the revenue was going directly back to RWSA, perhaps the debt load wouldnt be so great.

I want to be clear these are issues I want to explore. I surmise there may be many good reasons why things are the way they are, but I want to make sure it isnt because of complacency or because we have always done it this way.

More forums, things to learn

No article in today's paper about yesterday's forum at the monthly Democratic breakfast moderated by Bob Gibson. We were not newsworthy enough. Cville Tomorrow has the story, video and podcast.

I am learning how to campaign as I go along. Being a politician is something I never actually thought I would do, mostly I am a concerned citizen, when I see issues, I have a call to action and this is what drives me. For example, I was upset about summer pool hours, turns out a lot of people are, I apply to be on the Parks and Rec Advisory Board to advocate for families and family time as a Parks priority. This year the hours have been extended somewhat, not nearly as late as I want them...baby steps.

This post by Waldo at cvillenews also called me to action. The comment "Don’t forget the criteria for appointment: Be a friend of the Dems on City Council or someone they can trust to do their bidding. Most Republicans can just forget about applying and many members of the Democratic Party don’t even stand a chance" made me want to test this commentator's theory.

At the time I had been in town for two months, my husband had not found a job yet and I had a one year old and a two year old. I was looking for a way to serve the community I grew up in, but I really didnt know the people in charge. I applied for Planning Commission, then thought better of that, and changed to CDBG Task Force. I had heard about CDBG from my work at Legal Aid Justice Center. I was easily appointed to that board and later to the Parks Board. That go around, Mike Farruggio, good citizen and Republican was appointed to the Planning Commission.

Charlottesville is in transition, old relationships mean a lot, but newcomers and people with different points of view are more accepted. My campaign is populist in that sense, I am not tied to the way things have always been, because that seems to mean only some people who have the resources receive the resources. Instead I am looking to the future to a more egalitarian Charlottesville where decisions are made out in the open and citizens feel appreciated and respected for their participation and input (and sought out for their input).

More bad news for Cycling

More scandal in cycling, actually it is just an extension of the scandal. I am repulsed. The Giro d'Italia is on and the headlines are dominated by Landis and LeMond. I love cycling in the news, just not this way and now we are on year two of this public relations nightmare.
What if Landis is innocent? What if Landis is lying? Both are equally horrible for cycling. Do we get Directv this year to watch a Tour fundamentally flawed, one where a winner is not declared for last year?
Sports are so fun, the hard work, the tenacity, drama and heart- it has everything. Cycling has three weeks in July where it all comes together (to be clear, plenty of other awesome races). I want to be part of it, but it doesnt seem to really matter anymore since everyone is a suspect and the authorities are complicit, blind or dumb.

Fry's Spring Candidate forum

As I expected, last night's forum was challenging. The Fry's Spring neighborhood association didnt win "Neighborhood of the Year" for nothing. The association is committed to the well-being of their neighborhood and demands accountability from their elected officials even as their neighborhood is routinely marginalized in the face of development.

The Fry's Spring Beach Club was packed with people (and the Club is in the middle of their membership drive). The candidates were given 3 minutes to introduced themselves and then had to answer two questions they (we) had been given beforehand. I wonder how the NA came up with the two questions, they were fascinating...

* What should be the priority for protection of the residential quality of City neighborhood in relation to development and other interests, would you work to establish a policy to protect the neighborhood residential interests, and how would Council assure that the policy is implemented by City staff

MY short answer for the first question is we have a policy it is called the comprehensive plan and we do annual updates for these plans. The process for developing these plans is not perfunctory, people come to meetings and strategize with staff to create these plans. The issue is following the plan and conforming to the Comp Plan.

* How would you measure the negative impact on the quality of life in the City’s residential neighborhoods, including the safety and comfort of their residents, rather than just using the levels of service measurement that measures only the convenience of drivers and their riders?

MY short answer for this question, I measure quality of life on how much time I have away from my family as a result of traffic, lack of commercial development in our commercial corridors and the available green space for my family and I to play and be in. I also measure quality of life by how many options I have to get to places. I want to bike and walk and ride buses not always drive (especially with $3.00/gal gasoline), if it isnt safe then I cant and it isn't economical or efficient.

As you may imagine the candidates faced tough questions including
1. What concrete items would you cut out of the budget
Reduce the # of vehicles in the City fleet; Reduce the prize amount of eliminate entirely the design center competition for the water street parking lot that is not owned by the City...there are others

2. Who is going to stand up for the blue collar worker?
I was raised in a blue collar household. I know the balance between family and work is challenging, the ability to attend public meetings is limited. It is up to Council to reach out to these voters and ensure their voices are being heard.

3. What type of leadership style do you have? Fundamentally I am a problem-solver, I am results oriented, I prefer action over inaction, even if it is easier to do nothing. I want to collaborate with private and nonprofit sectors to make government more efficient. I listen, but I do not accept things at face value, I research and when a decision is made, I hold people accountable for the follow-through on that decision.

4. You can make a lot of promises, but what is the one thing we can count on you to do if you are elected? I will respond to phone calls and emails.

5. What departments are suffering from neglect? Public works and neighborhood development services.

The rest of the questions are a blur but Cville Tomorrow has the podcast and likely a videocast of the event.

Oh and we received homework- we have to answer another question by Monday. RTF also passed a questionaire out this week. Both organizations will have information on their website probably by the beginning of next week (which I will link to when I get my homework done).

Convention doors open at 12:15- be there early and make sure your vote counts!

Cross posted at democratic central.
Corrected spelling errors (Fry's Spring- thanks to Sean)

Unexpected Bathroom Makeover

I have lived in this home for two years and am perfectly happy. This is the first home Chris and I have ever owned. Chris enjoys the projects a house provides, I really dont.

I came home from the Pasta Supper one month ago (4/14) to a very apologetic husband. Fearing the worst, I was pleasantly surprised that the only thing wrong was...um, a gigantic hole in our bathroom wall where the faucets for the tub are. Phew, could've been worse.

I had alerted Chris to the issue, so I suspected he would be rooting around for the problem. He bribed me for a little while with the idea of getting new faucets for the bathtub, but we have had those for weeks now and I still dont have a shower. We can take baths, baths are just not that fun when you have no choice to shower.

One month later, the large hole is covered with the board, next it is the tiling and grouting and all the other stuff I dont care about but protects our house from water. Because in the meantime Chris and his friends decide we should change all of our supply pipes (This is not a thought that would occur to me, or I suspect my friends). Also it is a good thing Chris did this because one pipe was about to blow.
Apparently it doesnt make sense to regrout the new tile, one has to regrout the entire tub. I am learning a lot about bathrooms and plumping etc.

Just to be clear, Chris is saving us a lot of money and he does great, thorough work but I still have to give him a hard time. He said it would be one week and now it has been a month. I look forward to the post saying he finished.

Basso confesses...then he doesnt

AS my faithful readers know, I love cycling and specifically CSC and Ivan Basso (and then Discovery and Basso). Basso was implicated in Operacion Puerto last June right before the Tour de France, which he was scheduled to win. He denied it and denied and denied. This week Basso confessed to the tribunal hearing information on Operacion Puerto in Italy that he is "Birillo" and No. 2. This means Dr. Saiz had blood products ready to be given to Basso to enhance his performance. Basso confessed one day, then at a press conference the next day he stated he never actually used the products to enhance his performance, especially in his great victories (last year's Giro). Lie once, shame on him, believe him twice, shame on me. Who is clean? I dont know. I hope the next generation of cyclists understand the shame this has brought to the sport and are committed to a clean sport.

Candidate Forum 1

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.

MCPW

Seth Rosen and I met the night before my candidacy announcement. He is an able and young reporter for the Daily Progress. He has not been in the City long and he hailed from Arlington. Seth's stories about the budget were right on target. So now that I am a candidate, I have to say his stories are still on target and I appreciate the way he digs into issues.

That said, the Meadowcreek Parkway is a tertiary issue at this point. It is not relevant to this campaign. Many, if not all, of the issues confronting Council will be resolved prior to the election, so a new council will not have any say over it (one of the first council's in 35 years- fingers crossed).

Three reasons I do not support the MCPW (not all encompassing).

1. Traffic congestion in Charlottesville. Chamber tells me traffic is good since people in cars stop and shop, eat and play all the good engines of economic well-being. My concern is the City's apparent lack of preparation for the increase in traffic presented by the congestion. Proactive leadership is needed to prevent gridlock downtown, if MCPW approval is inevitable, my task will be to PREPARE the City by modernizing our transit and transportation network.
I can tell you from my experience in Falls Church, the longer you sit in traffic the less likely you are to stop and shop. I would have a list of three things I needed to do with a limited time to complete the tasks, traffic prevented me from getting to all the things on my list and then the question always became, what is it I can get away with NOT doing? This is not the environment I want in Charlottesville.
Traffic also incorporates Melbourne Road- what the heck is going to happen here?
Traffic concerns also relates to the idea of a freeway between RIO and Biscuit Run and beyond- there is no shopping in Cville if that happens- The County benefits.

2. McIntire Park- Paul Goodloe McIntire donated this enormous chunk of land at the beginnning of last century. Already we have two roads running through or into the donated land (in addition to CAAR and firehouse). I have no idea how McIntire would view these roads, he may not care. I do care because if we build a road a generation through the park, how long will it be when there is no more park? And imagine what McIntire could be- a real gathering spot in nature.

3.Children- greenspace is limited. The impact of the road no matter how few acres the actual width and length of the road will be dramatic. Greenspace is a precious, limited space, we have to preserve the resource.

Charlottesville is a great City, but it is not NYC or even Portland, Oregon, we have our own history and character. As we move forward, we need solutions that are sustainable for the long-term, this road will be obselete the moment it is built, traffic will gridlock downtown, Park St. will still remain a cut-through and finally if the Eastern Connector is ever built (which is a condition) then two parks will have been destroyed by road-building. This is not creative, we can do better than destroy two of our parks. We need to look forward instead of back to the 60's for our transportation solutions.
I look forward in particular to the CHART committee report on regional transit
options.
Having said all of that, reasonable people disagree all of the time and I am open to hearing more from supporters & opponents of the MCPW.

Not my most prolific posting time

Everything is a blur, so here are some scenes from the road.
1. Jen Fariello & Lisa Provence are geniuses.
2. Why does it take a year to test blood? Ivan Basso, now on Team Discovery (soon to be something else since Discovery has dropped its sponsorship), is not able to compete at this point for Operacion Puerto which happened last year. My thought is please suspend him if he is guilty of something. It is not good business practice to bring this up every year prior to the major cycling events- resolution would help, I am unsure why it is taking so long. See cyclingnews.com for further info on this scandal AND the very exciting Tour of Virginia which is making its way to town TOMORROW.
3.Leadership Charlottesville class has at least two great projects I know about. One is the Voices of Poverty, headed by cvilleblogs own StLWorkingMom. I was privileged to attend the premiere voice "Art" who was incredibly powerful. I look forward to the unveiling of the other voices in the coming weeks. The other project I know about is Friends of the Parks & Rec. I met one fellow who is heading that project at the Linear Trail dedication this morning (now known as Schenks Greenway). I look forward to the Parks Dept working collaboratively with the Friends of Parks group.
4. Emily Couric Leadership Forum was filled with at least 400 folks, a succesful fundraiser. I was honored to be there. I saw Howie Long in person for the first time and Leslie Visser was entertaining (plus I love sports so I loved her stories). I also had the opportunity to catch up with the Senator Couric's former legislative assistant (however briefly).
5. I rather like it when people are honest with me.
6. So far there looks to be 5 forums in May for the City Council candidates, but the May 19th forum is not happening. Just to be clear the Convention is June 2- arrive around 12:30 to be admitted, the door closes and no one is allowed in after 1:00. And it is at the Martin Luther King Performing Art Center at CHS.
7. Mike and Wendy are having another baby AND they are buying a house (so exciting).
8. One last tuition payment for this year at D's preschool (and then bye-bye for the tiny downtown preschool) and hello to two tuitions next year.
9. Wow Foxfield dresses are getting smaller and smaller. Outskirts posts his sardonic perspective on the whole thing. My experience was different- I sat in traffic (that part is the same) but parked in South Hill which is far from all the stuff (South Hill seems kind of in the swanky area), but very easy to leave Foxfield. The reason I say it is sort of swanky is the tents had tvs in them (in addition to the catering and hired band) to watch the far side of the race. I ran into lots of people I hadnt seen in awhile & laughed a lot.
10. Earth Day hot air balloning at McIntire didnt happen because of the wind (I hadnt noticed). Fortunately, the festivities went on, I learned a lot, picked up information for Chris to learn (and a spruce for him to plant). I am hoping to attend the Rivanna Conservation Society's fundraiser next weekend (at the Garden Barn in Advance Mills) and pick up a rain barrel (although Chris still votes on making our own).
Well ten things are enough for now.

More campaign/fun events

Here are some of the events I will attend in the coming weeks, certainly more will be added. Spring is a great time to be in Charlottesville, I look forward to meeting you at these fun events.
4/27- Trail dedication and naming at Harris and McIntire 11:30-12:30
part of Earth Day festivities
4/25 Emily Couric Leadership Forum Luncheon 11:00-1:00 (Omni)
4/28 Earth Day festivities at McIntire Park
Foxfield
4/29 Volunteer at the Tour of Virginia. Support the professional
cyclists coming through our City.
4/30 CAAR workforce housing forum 9-3 at Newcomb Hall
5/19 Candidate Forum at the monthly Democratic breakfast held at JABA at 9:30.
5/30 Public Forum on collaboration between YMCA and the City 6:30-8:00
at Carver Recreation Center.
6/2 Democratic Mass Meeting to nominate candidates for November
election. 1:00.

Venue Change City Convention

In order to accommodate the hordes of Democrats (and that is only the candidates) expected at the June 2, 2007 convention, the City Party has announced the location officially be the Charlottesville Performing Arts Center, the time changed to 12:30 too.

It is nice to know for sure where it will be. Everyone should come, it will be fascinating and it may be the only opportunity to make your vote count.

U.S. Open Cycling Championships

Tomorrow- the weather is supposed to be cold and breezy- so stay in, and watch NBC starting at 2:00. NBC will be airing the US Open Cycling Championships which is being held right here in Virginia. Some very fine cycling teams will be participating- choose your favorite colors and follow that team, it does help the watching. Al Trautwig is doing the color commentating. Al is not the best, but he is recognizable and helps keep people engaged who are just learning the sport. I like the Navigators- they have cool colors. Around here though we have a Rite Aid and (possibly) a HealthNet (or is it Priority Health?) rider so those are good reasons to cheer for those teams. I also like to root for teams based on their names- Jittery Joes and Jelly Belly being my two favorite names.

For more information see this website.
I understand the Masters is on too, but that will also be on Sunday. Follow the leaders through Amen Corner, then watch the end of the third day after the race. And have a happy Easter!

News from the Campaign Trail

I have been attending most of the City budget meetings- "a glutton for punishment." True, but a lot work happens during the work sessions and I wanted to see the push and pull of the budget debate. The newspaper had done a good job of covering the budget debate this year, but I like to decipher it through my own filter, not a reporter's. I discovered I enjoy the budget/policy development stuff. I am a lawyer so details and minutia are part of my life, but these details make a big difference. The City Council meeting was packed again this week. When it is not budget time, only the diehards (Yes. You, Peter) and high school students, who are assigned this as homework, attend of the Council meeting (the students all leave around 8).

I had a press conference this week, see coverage by the Progress and comments are posted at myspace. I stood at the corner of 10th and Page streets to discuss my proposal for substantial rehabilitation loan program. As chair of the CDBG task force I have seen how overwhelmed the non-profit sector is just to bring homes up to the building code.

My thought is in order to avoid tearing down some homes as a result of the blighted condition of the home, the City can provide low interest loans (possibly with deferral on payments) to homeowners to have private builders come in and rehabilitate their homes. And I am not talking Extreme Makeover rehabilitation, but only to bring the home up to the building code therefore SAFE for the residents.

I enjoyed the Left of Center meeting at Starr Hill on Tuesday night. The discussion involved education, Juan Diego Wade and Steve Kolezcar spoke on their philosophies and how they approach their roles on their respective School Boards. I had the opportunity to meet some new people who enjoy political discussion.

Next week looks like a busy week too (4/10- special meeting of Council to approve the budget). The City Democrats are holding their annual fundraiser on the 14th and Mark Warner is attending the 5th District annual dinner in Danville on 4/12. I should have some fun things to talk about (unrelated to budgets) as a result of these adventures.

Transparency

Open & transparent government is a major theme of my campaign. My experiences with the Parks & Rec board, CDBG Task Force, my neighborhood association & this year's budget process solidified the need for such an emphasis in my campaign.

I expect a coherent process with open debate on key matters before Council, something that citizens and staff can rely on to facilitate process. If elected, I will help make the local government process much more open and transparent, and hopefully helping people to either understand the rationale for a decision or how the decision was actually made.

Here is my quote from the Hook article cited below:
"City Council candidate Jennifer McKeever is looking at the expenditure from a taxpayer perspective. "We wouldn't want expansion of these services without meaningful public dialogue," she says. 'I don't believe it's a ... issue as much as a taxpayer issue.'"

Someone emailed me the following quotes, widely available in the local weeklies:
"...says he's disappointed the issue has become so public. 'It's just one of those major changes...'" From the Hook.

From Cville Weekly
"We have been trying to avoid any public debate so that it would be all under the radar,” ...says. “Hopefully ... would’ve embraced the additional resources in a way that it would’ve been a silent transaction.

...indicates who or what the issue is (see the articles, I am not trying to harp on one particular issue).

My platform on Open & Transparent Government.
1) Outline Council priorities early in the budget process.
2) Before major new initiatives or cuts, the public will have the ability to add to the discussion through the public hearing process.
3) As a councilor, I will bring information to our residents, not listen only to those who come to the public hearings. I will quite simply be available, return calls, and come to small and large gatherings throughout the City.
4) I will be an advocate for all residents by asking relevant questions and thoroughly researching all the material prior to making decisions.

On the occasion of my birthday week

I used to have a birthday month- March. Not really, but close enough that I love March because my birthday is at the end of it. This week was delightful. For all those who care (I hear a lot I am too young to be running), I am now officially old enough to run for president (so I cant be that young anymore). More relevant, I only have one more year of eligibility for the Young Lawyers Conference of the Virginia State Bar.
I did get myself two books- Bird by Bird by Anne Lemont (recommended since I have such issues starting the writing process) & Marietta McCarty's Little Big Minds. When will I read them?

CTS

At the Parks & Rec Advisory Board meeting the other night, I encountered my first CTS schedule/route locator. It was just sitting there in the basement conference room of City Hall (there were several). The booklet had a center middle page with all the routes in different colors, like the Metro system in DC area. Suddenly, things were more clear. All the routes had their own page with details including where the bus travels and ... WHEN! I have to tell you I was really surprised and happy to find such a booklet. I suppose a brochure like this will be housed at the new transit center, perhaps it can make its way into the hands of residents who may not normally ride the bus (but would be interested if they knew more about when and where the bus ran).

Information about CTS fares and text only route descriptions are available online.

And then there is the 77 page report which is available in .pdf format on this page. This report was completed in August 2006 and is supposed to deal with issues through 2011- probably worth a read.

A beautiful day for a bike race

Chris had his first bike race of the season today. Jeff Cup is held this weekend every year, this is our third year participating. I know this because it is always around my birthday. Jeff Cup is brought to you by Blue Wheel Bicycles, among other sponsors. Chris and his teammates had a tough day, the first race of the season really brings out the holes in your training program.

This year the Jeff Cup had collegiate categories. I saw AU, Tech, UVA, W&M, Maryland, Appalachian State, JMU, VCU, NC State- I have to say that is a lot of schools. The races were cool and brought out some diehard fans- which was refreshing.

The Tour of Virginia is coming- this is great for Virginia. In the back of my mind, I am hoping for a strong showing where we get to compete with the Tours of Georgia & California in the coming years for great American cycling races. This is a fantastic state for riding, these riders bring their money, the sponsors bring their commitment, and it is great opportunity for the state to show off its beauty. Check out opportunities to volunteer for this race! OK- I am done waxing eloquent on cycling and Virginia.

Budget Dilemma part 1

CARS- the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad held a press conference today. The Hook has some of the details. There is much more to the story. I will be at the Community Budget Forum tomorrow so I am hoping this issue is discussed.

My two main concerns are 1) $400 (or more) ambulance transport fee 2) ~$1,000,000 expenditure of taxpayer money for services we get for free at this moment (this is just the first year expenditures, there will be ongoing expenses of salaries, benefits and maintenance). CARS has never been a part of the City's budget, therefore Charlottesville residents have received highly professional service from CARS for free. CARS has relied significantly on its annual fundraising to continue its quality service. Even the threat of charging for transport (by the City's fire department, not CARS) reduces the amount of contributions.

The Fire Department argues CARS service has declined and points to the County Fire/Rescue model. I have not seen data on response times. I will give the fire department the benefit of the doubt- BUT for educational purposes, the Charlottesville fire department is considered a first responder. It is not a surprise if an ambulance comes in behind the fire engine since there are 3 fire stations in the City and only 1 rescue squad. Commonly, the fire department has been the first to arrive and provide initial care.

The County Fire/Rescue model has come about because of a significant population explosion, new, widespread development & increase in number of calls from the County. To supplement CARS, the County has added daytime fire/rescue personnel on CARS ambulances. It makes sense for County taxpayers to add personnel and equipment especially north where the next station is being built (an ambulance is already running from this station). The County has proposed new stations in Ivy and Pantops to further alleviate the burden on CARS and thus response time issues in the City. Charlottesville has not seen the explosion of growth and the County's investments have made it easier for CARS to respond to City residents.

Public safety is essential, this year's proposed budget has the fire department in line to receive ~$2.5 million more than last year. I support the renovation of Headquarters on Ridge Street which is $1.5 million of the money. I strongly support a dialogue between CARS, Fire Dept, and taxpayers, who will be asked to fund the dispute between the two, before we start charging City residents for ambulance transport and commit to a significant, ongoing expense parallel to an existing organization.

Calendar for the weekend

Tomorrow- Happy St. Patrick's Day!
9:30- Democratic Breakfast at JABA
10:00- Community Budget Forum- make your voice heard on the recently unveiled budget. Buford Middle School 617 9th St SW Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
7:30- Dancing with Deeds, a fundraiser for Creigh Deeds re-election bid.

Monday 3/19
City Council meeting at 7:00 (starts with 35 minute comment period, 3 minute limit)

My campaign is going on the road, I want to attend your neighborhood association meeting or church group or book club or other event, heck I would like to meet you and your family (City residents) for coffee (for the book I am writing on coffee/tea shops in the 'ville). Let me know what is going on, I am happy to be there.

Meeting folks

Some people think it is crazy to run for office- it is simply unimaginable, and that is fine. I agree one has to enjoy campaigning- and do I ever.

Bitsy Waters taught a class a UVA on urban planning that I took. Part of the homework was to walk around four different neighborhoods and observe. I love walking around Charlottesville and I had the opportunity to walk on streets I had not been on before. I loved it- I spoke with people about their neighborhoods and their concerns, I learned a lot during that exercise.

Campaigning is a lot like that exercise, I get to meet folks, discuss issues, LISTEN, & observe. I love it, the more people I talk to, the more focused I become on the issues, and the stronger my commitment is to this City and its residents. Every person I have met has added value to this process. Everyone has something to say, and I want to listen. Staying connected to the pulse of this very diverse community especially after I am elected is KEY to governing well. I am in no position to know all, so I will continue to listen & observe in hopes that the whole community will be served by my election.

Week One on the Campaign Trail

It has been a week since I announced. What a week. I am grateful and overwhelmed by the responses I have received. The day of the announcement the blogosphere, radio and tv stations had great coverage of it, the print media (Daily Progress) had nice coverage the day after. hat the he

The night of the announcement I attended Left of Center's one year anniversary party. The turn-out was great. Moreover, the ability to talk to so many Democrats was a great additional benefit. Senator Creigh Deeds and Delegate David Toscano were present and they always inspire & educate. Jay James from WINA invited me to be on the morning show. I enjoy being on the radio, but this time is different. The questions were exceptionally reasonable, but I stumbled a bit.

So, I have a lot of hard work to do. I received numerous mentions of the typos in the email my campaign sent out, that will be resolved. I have been asked to speak more definitively. I agree, I do equivicate too much in my speech, and I sound apologetic, when I dont really mean it. I have the wonderful gift of friends who are helping me to speak definitively and feel confident on the campaign trail.

I am great one on one, I do get nervous in a big crowd- so my message has to be crystal clear to me so I can communicate effectively to others.

This week also brought the unveiling of the City's budget. I will have much to say about the budget in the coming weeks. Just to give an overview of my thoughts on the budget- Council has a lot of work to do for this to be a budget that serves taxpayers, children and businesses. Be sure to attend the community budget forum at Buford Middle School on Saturday at 10AM & let your voice be heard.

Typos

In a blog post a typo is relatively unimportant, well unless you are KT who finds typos more annoying than a lot of things (I can hear her now-"just read it once, it doesnt take that long"). OK Chris doesnt like typos in my blog posts either (funny thing about brother and sister there).

Having said that, this morning my campaign sent out an email trumpeting my announcement that I am running for Council. I have gotten some very good responses and questions. Most of those good responses, respectfully tell me there are a number of typos in the email.

I had never even seen the email prior to the blast- which brings me to my main point- I must review everything. Senator Couric reviewed EVERYTHING and at the time I was amazed "how does she have time for that?" Well now I realize, you make time so you dont look like you don't know how to spell. Also if you take the time to do it, people know you care about making things look professional. Just to be clear, the blog is still a mistake prone place. Feel free to point out the errors!

So thank you to all my friends and supporters and the media who came out this morning, I promise to do better and avoid sending things out with typos!

Jennifer McKeever Announces Run for City Council

Today, March 6, 2007, I officially announce my candidacy for Charlottesville City Council. I am running because I love Charlottesville and I am passionate about making Charlottesville great for all of its residents. As your City Councilor, I will find ways to connect communities to opportunities, I will do this with a fresh voice and an outside perspective of what can be accomplished. My campaign will focus on community, opportunity and CONNECTION.

For those who dont know me, I am proud to have grown up here in Charlottesville and fortunate to have taken advantage of opportunities available in our community. After high school it was not obvious I would be able to succeed, I had a lot stacked against me and to be honest a lot of it was my own doing. But something changed when I began to study at Piedmont Virginia Community College. I had the great opportunity to work with committed professors and wonderful students who helped me see what could be achieved. Slowly I became more confident. Then I was accepted to the University of Virginia, a possibility so remote at the time I graduated as to be laughable. So I recognize Piedmont as a KEY resource to connecting residents to a bright economic future.

While studying at the University of Virginia, I had the great honor to work with (state) Senator Emily Couric. Senator Couric's values of integrity, cooperation and the art of compromise gave me my roots in public service. During law school I returned to every summer to work at the Legal Aid Justice Center. This work for the residents in the area cemented my commitment to service and to providing opportunities for people in Charlottesville.

Now I am a mother, a business owner and a public servant in Charlottesville. My experiences in these roles have given me a unique perspective of the community.

As a mother, I have seen how great services have real impact on families- this is especially true with respect to schools and parks- two areas I have a particular interest since I have two young children, who constantly use our parks and will attend public schools. I want to make these services work for residents and families. I will ensure the City is responsive to the needs of the Community.

As a business owner, I understand how the lack of affordable housing impacts our economic vitality, or how traffic congestion erodes our quality of life and makes doing business very difficult. I will make transit and affordable housing top priorities. As a business owner, I need results. I, along with my dedicated law partner determine our businesses priorities, we set our budget, frequently cut our business' budget and then we implement the action plan to get the results we need. I will bring a results driven agenda to Council to ensure citizens get what they need from the City in a timely fashion.

As a public servant, I will do more with less, by collaborating with others to maximize efficiency, grow at a measured pace, a pace that takes into account the burden households face. I have begun with the work I do on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Community Development Block Grant task force. I connect government with non-profits, citizens, businesses, and other areas of the government. Once the connections are made, we can leverage our strengths to come up with the best possible solution – this so my children, your children and future generations will all have the same opportunities to succeed and so Charlottesville can become a place where all may thrive.

It is shameful that in this world class city, the number 1 place to live in America, is a place where people who grow up here cant afford to live here, so they have to leave. I want to bring the opportunity to thrive her to all our residents.

I ask for your support, come to the democratic convention at the County office building on June 2, 2007 at 1PM and vote for me, Jennifer McKeever.

For videocast and audiocast (are these words?) check out Charlottesville Tomorrow's website.

For additional information check out my website or sign up to be a friend on myspace

Paint the state blue

I went to another political training this morning sponsored by the Road Back PAC and Left of Center. There were plenty of notables who spoke at the event including Jennifer McClellan, Dave Norris and Steve Jarding, Creigh Deeds was the facilitator for the event. A lot of local elected officials came out to support the event.

In the interest of full disclosure, now that I know Creigh Deeds reads blogs, I want to be extra nice to him. Having said that, I am so impressed with his attitude towards cultivating political leaders. He is extra committed to attending events that will bring new leaders into the party. Moreover, he is really a regular guy- when I talk to him, I really believe it is possible to be elected as a young person who didnt grow up with a lot of resources and still doesnt have that many resources. Or more clearly, one doesnt have to be groomed since birth and have a lot of money to be a a good public servant.

However, the program reinforced running is hard work and requires a great deal of discipline. I look forward to seeing if I am up for the challenge.

The Glass Castle

My friend, Sarah, is a member of the Junior League. Tonight was the League's big fundraiser- the Literary Feast. It was the first event of the JL I ever attended, Sarah really is a great girl and several other friends went with me.

The evening involved a silent auction (I only bid on two things and likely did not win, much to Chris' relief) and a nice dinner. The event was held at Farmington. I had never ever been to Farmington before. Once inside it looks like all nice country clubs, and I didnt get to see too much outside since it was raining and dark when I got there.

The high point of the evening was Jeanette Wall- author of The Glass Castle, a memoir of her life in poverty in rural West Virginia. I read some of the book, as you may imagine, I dont quite have time to read too many books anymore, nevertheless the part I read was awesome and horrifying all at the same time.

Her speech focused on overcoming the shame of the past- shame is very powerful and has a strong hold on some of our present actions, but once we face the shame/fear it no longer has the power. She thought for sure the world would swallow her whole if she told this awful story of her past, instead she told the story and has inspired others to move beyond the shame of their pasts. Now that is powerful.

Children

As those regular readers know (hey dad), I have two great boys (ages 2 and 3- yep thirteen months apart). Like all toddlers, they are actively exploring the world. So today at the Kroger (I know what Marijean thinks but sometimes convenience matters), the boys were fairly well behaved despite Andrew needing a nap.

The store was not crowded but inexplicably the lines were backed up- so I checked out myself (which at Kroger is not as seamless as other places). The boys were even good doing that.

As we are leaving, the dog food is placed precariously on the cart, David is driving the 'car cart' as they like to call it, and Andrew is wandering behind us. The dog food shifts as we go down a hill into the parking lot and I catch the cart (phew); but Andrew wants to go in another car cart inside the store and has not come out, and there are many other shoppers now watching him and looking at me as if to say, 'ma'am come get your child'. So thinking quickly, I could not get that cart up the hill again, so I run get Andrew and I hear 'oh I hope that cart doesnt...' and yes it does slide down the hill more. Another woman, runs and catches the cart, even as I run to catch it too.

I thank her graciously and tell her she is a hero and she responds "I didnt want your toddler in the street" a position I entirely agree with.

Being a mom is not graceful, it is messy & imperfect. I am doing the best I can, even as I am still learning this motherhood thing. Thank you to all those who help out!

Conversations on Poverty

The Quality Community Council & the Virginia Organizing Project sponsored a conversation on the poverty of Criminal Justice issues as part of their ongoing conversations on poverty.
The panelists included Shon Parker, Community Activist; Phyllis Back, Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Jail; Joy Johnson, Quality Community Council; Christa Pierpont, Restorative Community Foundation; Jack Payden-Travers, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Moderators David Saunier and Jen Larson Sawin, Central Virginia Restorative Justice.
Two things I take with me as I leave the program-
1) As a community, we should educate ourselves on the power of restorative justice and implement RJ techniques in our schools and larger community.
2) Redefining punishment to stop at the end of a jail term/probation and focusing on support for an ex-offender. We are quick to turn our backs on folks when they need our help most, unfortunately if we turn our backs, the ex-offender has few choices and may be more likely to recidivate (that is a word I think).

The program was a true conversation and we (as the audience and panelists) are hoping to generate interest in RJ and facilitating transition for offenders back into the community.

Next conversation is on hunger next Tuesday at Buford at 7:00PM.
I am proud to live in a community where these conversations are happening AND action and results are expected.

A new judge

We havent had a new Circuit Court judge since I interned with Senator Couric in 1998 when Judge Hogshire was chosen. The announcement that Cheryl Higgins has been chosen by the committee renews some faith I have in the judicial nominating process and selection. I don't know her personally, but the folks I have discussed the process with are confident of her abilities and temperament. I dont practice too much in Circuit Court either but it is important to have a judge who will not be a lightening rod in the community. I wish the soon to be Honorable Cheryl Higgins well.

It is really cool to have a woman appointed as a Circuit Court judge.

Council Candidates

Having attended both the City Dem Committee meeting and the monthly breakfast meeting, I have had the opportunity now to meet all the folks whose names are being batted around for City Council in the Democratic party. I believe the contrasts between all the potential candidates are strong enough to give convention-goers a real opportunity to choose between differing visions for the present and future of our City.

My announcement is forthcoming.

Little Big Minds

I heard the tail end of the Diane Rehm show this morning and they advertised tomorrow's show which is to have Marietta McCarty on it. She is a professor at PVCC and now a publisher of a cool new book- Little Big Minds.

As most know, I am a big fan of the community college on the hill. I am proud to have graduated from PVCC and grateful to have such a quality institution in the community. Marietta McCarty was among my favorite professors, she inspired and taught me to incorporate service into my life. Many people helped teach me lessons, but she certainly demonstrated the importance of service by calling me to action. Other students, who do not necessarily see the value of philosophy, responded to her teaching methods.

See her at the Virginia Book Festival. And support our local author by listening to her tomorrow on the Diane Rehm show, which you can listen to on Radio IQ, oh and buy the book here.

2 blocks

When I first moved here, the big joke in my family was every place was ten minutes away. My aunt and uncle really lived about 20 minutes outside of Cville, but my uncle would inevitably say the place we were going was 10 minutes away, and we believed him because where we had ventured from, it took about ten minutes to get everywhere. FYI- Crabtree Falls is not ten minutes away, nor is Blue Hole a ten minute walk (at least it didnt seem like it when I was 13).

Twenty years later, I find myself having the same problem as my uncle, places are "oh...two blocks" the courthouse, the fire department, First Settlement Title (that may be two blocks), the Post Office, even my uncle's house!

Everything is right around the corner in this City- that is what I mean- and usually traffic wont make you too late. So if I tell you two blocks, I may mean a ten minute walk.

Candidate Training

This weekend I spent three intense days at the Courtyard Marriot at the University learning how abnormal I am to want to run for office. Here is a photo of the class provided by Sorenson Blog.

I found the weekend exhilarating as well as exhausting. I have lots to think about now. I especially enjoyed meeting potential candidates from all over the state, Republicans and Democrats. Sadly I was told my ponytail will have to go, I think Nikki will have the answer. Also the consultants that came to teach us were from all over the spectrum- what a great concept for a candidate training program. The class without paying any attention to party distinction came to a consensus on a Code of Ethics, I will post it below.

Code of Ethics:
I believe that my campaign is a reflection of who I am and a demonstration of my personal integrity. I will treat my opponent, the public, and the media with respect. I pledge to be truthful and refrain from irrelevant personal attacks. I will conduct my campaign with civility, and I expect the same of my opponent. My campaign activities will be conducted as if the world is watching everything we do. I demand the highest level of integrity from all who represent my campaign.

Northern Exposure

Cville Weekly has the details on Northern Exposure closing- apparently it is part of an evolution to an event facility. My favorite dish was the salmon salad back in the day (I havent been there in ages), but I also loved the mashed potatoes and pizzas.

I worked there briefly while I was a fourth year so I am sad to see it go, but at least all the broccoli is now safe.

Men in Trees

Tonight being Thursday night, Men in Trees is on. I actually have grown fond of this rather silly show.

My issue with the show is that with All these men around in this tiny, picturesque town in Alaska, why then are 6 women fighting over three men???? These are not the world's best looking men, they are not without flaws, but not tragically flawed (a trait destined to attract many women)- so how can this be? For those who are fans, I am counting the mother and girlfriend competing over the boy who works at the inn where all these competing women live.

I love soaps as most who read this blog know, but when the name of the show is Men In Trees, I would think the drama could be more two sided (instead of the normal two women compete for one man's affections- see Jason, Sam and Liz on General Hospital).

Preschool to Close

Children's Montessori school, a downtown institution for the past 28 years, has decided to close after the sale of the property and subsequent loss of lease. The one room schoolhouse is a great place for 3-6 year olds and many a resident in this community has fond memories of either bringing their children to the school or being taught by the dedicated teachers.
OF course, our memories will only be for one year since that is all we had the opportunity to experience. On to the search for the second best preschool in town!

Go Colts!

Happily during this relatively gray time for (grandma) Sherry, her boy Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts pulled victory for the jaws of defeat! ALso I am glad we arent having a repeat of the 1986 Superbowl (Bears v. Patriots) even though the Bears did win (by a lot). Bears v. Colts- I look forward to the showdown.

To Run or Not To Run?

That is the question. Typically I would be talking about running in the form of exercise, but this time I am considering running for City Council. I know, "City Council? Didnt we just elect people to those positions?" You would be right. Another comment may be "didnt we just have an election?" Yes. Or "isnt the election in November, its only January, Jennifer" Correct again (3 for 3). The convention where the caucus is held to nominate candidates is either in very early June or May, so if I want to win (if I decide to run, I will want to win), then I have to start lining up support early.

I have had the immense honor of chatting up some of the area's great thinkers, leaders and citizens (if I havent gotten to you, I will soon) of this community. I have learned a lot from these discussions. Fortunately I was raised in the area so it is not all new to me. Several issues have emerged that may form the foundation of my campaign. If nothing else, the opportunity to discuss Charlottesville, politics and other issues has been great.

I am still considering my options. I have a great law practice, a young family and a satisfying civic life, so the path is not self-evident.

Certainly the blogosphere will likely be among the first to know (after the family). And if you have an opinion or know anyone else interested- let me know.

Lindt Balls

My brother came up with Lindt Balls as a great name for those generally yummy chocolate round things that are ubiquitous.
A warning though- the peanut butter is too much. The mint is good, the raspberry is ok; the hazelnut is awesome; but the peanut butter is too much (and nothing like a Reese Cup- ok I just said that to make chocolate snobs mad). Seriously it is too peanut buttery (if you are fan, you may enjoy it) blech.

When Blogs Go Away

After the recent election, many bloggers decided to close up shop. (thanks to Waldo for keeping track of this stuff).

One of my favorite non-cvilleblogger blogger has closed up shop. As everyone knows, I love Ivan Basso and believe him to be completely innocent of any operacion puerto allegations (although I know performance enhancing tools are rampant in the sport).

This particular blogger kept up with Ivan Basso, when his wife got pregnant again, I found out through this blog, when Basso won the Giro d'Italia this year, the blogger cheered right along with me. He (she) proclaimed Basso's innocence not with adament statements (see above) but by looking at the materials made public. He/she is leaving the blogging about Ivan because of the nightmare the sport has become with the preformance enhancing drugs. "For me, Cycling lost its attraction the day it became obvious that even today, eight years after the Festina affair, systematic doping is still wide-spread in the peloton. I don’t believe that doping will ever be eradicated, but I do believe in a clean sport. Cycling is not a clean sport, and while I will work (where possible) for a clean sport, I will no longer run this webpage nor support the sport in other ways, until significant reforms are implemented."

This article details another sport concern with steroids, the NFL sack leader in October (and I believe at the end of the season) Merriman tested positive for a steroid in his urine. That fella is now playing in the playoffs (Chargers) and is a remarkable defender. How clean are our sports? How clean can we expect them to be? Someone this week (Tony Gwynn) criticized the Baseball Hall of Fame voters for not voting for Mark McGwire paraphrasing "everyone was doing it, everyone knew about, coaches, players everyone" so basically McGwire should not be judged for his steroid use but for his performance (which was predicated on his drug use).

I want sports to be clean, I want the administrators of the cycling world to get it together and I want cycling to continue to be the thrilling, awe-inspiring sport it is. I hope this all happens soon so the blogger will return.

Richmond Sunshine

Waldo has done it again. Once again, he has created a great new tool Richmond Sunshine to keep Virginians educated on the workings of the General Assembly. A fascinating website with many things I havent even begun to explore, but needless to say I love the "most discussed" component of the home page.

From Waldo's website "Use it to track the every movement of the General Assembly, vote up or down on legislation, comment on bills, and generally figure out what they’re doing down there in Richmond. It’s got RSS feeds, tag clouds, whizzy graphs and crazy Javascript accoutrements."

Check Waldo's Virginia Political Blogs too- sometimes trash, sometimes great material on this aggregator or um...blogroll.

For Better or For Worse

Not a post on the state of my marriage but on the comic strip. Does anyone else think Elizabeth is going to find her boyfriend cheating on her as she flies up with her ex-boyfriend to the place she used to live early? This has been a long time coming- to pave the way for Elizabeth to be with Anthony and his daughter. Predictable, yes, but interesting nonetheless.

Chris does not like this comic because it is more like a soap opera. True, but I love my soaps too (although I have weeks worth of them to watch on Media Center- thank goodness for the internet).

The new year 2007 edition

The holidays were lovely- I even got to sleep through the New Year. I have no inclination anymore to party like it is 1999 (since it isnt and I had a great time then). Andrew and I are finally done being sick (think visit to the doctor on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas), but my throat still hurts a little.

With some family from the North I had the opportunity to go to the Hardware Store on one of its last days- it was jumping as usual. For the most part I cooked a lot of meals, mostly comfort food- Shephards Pie (with venison), Corned Beef & Cabbage, and Chris got to use his new smoker to smoke a Turkey!! It was delicious, we are loving the new smoker (it holds a lot of meat). The great thing about the smoker is he doesnt have to add lit charcoal every thirty minutes, so he isnt chained to it the whole day.

The cookies were a big hit (we still have some, so let me know if you want any). I am still befuddled about a gift for a babysitter. We love her and she got the boys some really cute gifts so what do we get her? Money just seems like the best option to me.

First Fridays this week- be at Batteau Custom Framing (no I am not sponsoring it)- 5-10 it is right above South Street Brewery.

A sad fact, I missed the end of the Boise State game it is said to be an instant classic. I use to tell other people about these things and now I have to hear about them the next day. Oh well.

3,000+

Numbers make people seem meaningless. The higher the number the greater the chance of ignoring. In Sundayand today's Post a couple of nice articles on families/friends and soldiers. Some are injured, some are dead. The public has not been asked to sacrifice for this war. There is a true disconnect between the soldiers in the field and those not really affected by the war. How can one bridge the divide or make a sacrifice for those who give so selflessly of themselves?

Here is where I plead for better care of our injured soldiers. Families are giving up a lot to care for these soldiers, and who wouldn't? Why in the midst of battling the greatest challenges do these families and injured soldiers have to fight the government bureaucracy to get services they are entitled to?

Everything seems so trite compared to the sacrifices the soldiers (and their families) are making for our country. Forget politics, it is humbling to witness the commitment of those who serve. Let us not forget to remain humbled and grateful.

Decisions

Sorenson said 'not this year' to my application. I am simply grateful for the speedy process and the opportunity to apply. For eight years I have said "not this year" so it makes sense Sorenson would say it to me this year.

The path is slightly clearer without the Sorenson commitment, but it is still blurry. I will be taking a few political leadership seminars in the meantime to make the path even more clear.

All the options I have are so exciting. For years it has been about later, and some days, now feels like later. (Wha??)

Cookies so far

Finally in my last post for awhile (anywhere between 2 hours and a week and a half), I list the cookies so far:
Cowboy cookies (everyone loves them, but they are different from last year)
Brackle Cookies (toffee bits yum)
Fudge
Peanut Butter Bars
Chewy Ginger Cookies
Chocolate Crinkles (all gone by now- may have to make more)

Still to be cooked (time permitted):
maple walnut fudge- anyone know where to get maple flavoring?
oatmeal scotchies
chocolate chip
something with deer meat
maybe the jelly ones mom used to make
I need more butter and choc chips.

I love staying home for the holidays.

Parks News

Really I am not obsessed, I just forgot to add something to my last post on Parks. At the board meeting last week, the Director announced the next budget includes additional funding for extended pool hours (without cutting anything else or raising rates for anyone) for next summer. No specifics yet, updates to follow.

I smiled and cheered "my work here is done." Just joking- working on a Board is really satisfying.

December illness

Chris insists no one wants to hear about this, but I press on.

I had the great opportunity to interview for the Sorenson Political Leadership Program on Friday. I know acceptance into this program is very competitive and while I believe I am a strong candidate, I heard from plenty of folks that great, qualified candidates are routinely rejected given the small class sizes and geographic diversity interests. SO finally my time to convince the powers that be at Sorenson of my fitness for the program was upon me when disaster (drama, dont mind me) struck. Outwardly I am fine, but I am nauseous and sick to my stomach (and not from nerves) from a disgusting virus that swept through my house last weekend.

SO no telltale sign I am ill (red nose, stuffy nose or cough) just my inability to create saliva. I had the worst cotton mouth because I was so dehydrated. One real pet peeve I have (there are few) is when someone is speaking and needs a drink. I want to give them a drink, and there I sat answering these questions with rambling (I say incoherent) responses with dry mouth. After the interview, I told Amber I need a drink of water and she sweetly showed me the water cooler (with cups).

My best foot was not put forward, but then maybe 'twas not meant to be this year. I did delight in meeting the interviewers. I even enjoyed the question "who was the best governor of Virginia ever?" even though I had no clue (think of me meekly saying 'um...Mark Warner was a pretty good Governor'). I learned a lot from the good dialogue that ensued so I wasnt too upset. By I digress.

I told one supporter "87 applicants, 35 seats, that is not too bad of a percentage [40%], I mean I passed the bar and that percentage is about 65%." Decisions will be made this week- after I am finished reeling, I will post.

Parks & Rec Board Meeting

Last night was our monthly board meeting. Since the last meeting, I have commented during the comment period at City Council's meeting. The comments related to two issues: multi-generational indoor recreation center and collaboration with service providers to enhance youth development programming Parks & Rec offers.

A multi-generational indoor rec center is the solution for the crumbling state of the current indoor rec centers we have (Smith and Crow). Smith and Crow are wildly popular, heavily used facilities but the only repairs done on these pools in the past decade or so involves emergency repair. Smith and Crow were cutting edge facilities when they opened in the 1970s, now they are not.

The swimming programs at the schools have been cut, so the schools are no longer teaching this valuable life skill. The schools no longer use the pools attached to them so therefore the pools do not need to be attached to the school. The costs just to maintain these facilities over the next decade are skyrocketing, the inefficiencies of the building and pools contribute to the astronomical utility bills and program wide budget cuts.

City Council's 2025 vision clearly states over and over again to maintain an outstanding Parks and Recreation Department- continuing to let the indoor recreation facilities decline does not match that vision.

I am open to alternatives, the Parks & Rec department is open to alternatives besides a City funded, centrally located, cutting edge multi-generational indoor facility. If you have thought on this matter, email me or comment to the blog. We have also opened up a dialogue with a potential partner for funding and advocacy for the facility. The current facilities are deteriorating- just because a true emergency hasnt happened yet, doesnt mean we are forever immune from such things.

At the next board meeting, we have invited the Boys&Girls club to discuss youth development programming and use of Parks&Rec facilities to broaden the reach of B&G Clubs programs. I am thrilled with the innovative ways the B&GClub and Parks&Rec staff have begun to think, this potential collaboration will enhance the services currently provided by the City and the B&GClub.

Random Goings On

The household & business are a flurry of activity. Today we received a huge box of brownies from our friendly business partner- she suggests not eating them at one time since she knows from experience the after effects. Cute. Cassis is a really nice restaurant and we had a great time at Chris's work party last night. We went to another Christmas party on Friday (or was it Thursday? it is all running together)- at Sage Moon to benefit the Boys&Girls Club, I really enjoyed mingling and bidding on silent auction items (failed to get anything). Only one more party to go (officially) unless Holly and I decide to have a law firm party to distribute these brownies (so we dont eat them all).

I ran into another high school friend- at my mom's house for a Christmas work party she had. What a blast seeing him again (no insecurity seeing this person, just really pleasant). Two other people from my high school class were there as well. Mom gave me the coveted peanut butter bar recipe (hahahaha).

Chris killed two deer this weekend in his third time out hunting ever. It is helpful to have two things when husband takes up hunting a) place to go besides HOME for shall we say gutting or dressing (not sure the lingo yet) and b) a butcher who is a friend so I never have to see the product not in a white tray and plastic wrap.

One thing about killing two deer in a weekend, a household generally gets enough venison for a significant part of the year. So to celebrate the kill(s) Chris gave me a freezer for Christmas. I am happy for the freezer (I am a hoarder of food- think post depression era hoarding) but I have to wonder - is it really for me?

passing of the torch...er..the cookie tin

Yearly my mother makes batches and batches of cookies, all kinds, ok not all kinds usually nothing that doesnt have chocolate in it (except for one kind that has a yummy jelly in it) or anything that needs to be shaped by a cookie cutter. Of course, I have all the recipes and have in the past several years given cookies to guests, colleagues, friends, you get the drift.

This year I am in the 'ville for Christmas, now mom still gets to keep Christmas dinner, but I get Christmas Eve dinner & Christmas morning! Oh happy Christmas. (let's just say having children has healed most of my Christmas angst and I am really enjoying watching Christmas through their eyes).

Well, it seems I have taken another step toward true induction into the hall of motherhood- my mother (mom) has passed me the cookie tin. All those who have EVER been to my mom's house at Christmas know about the tin, decorated with nutcrackers and very large, mom loads it full of the delicious treats she has baked and we all feast on them throughout the holidays. NOW I have it! Mom isnt even making any cookies, true heresy probably to my brother (just pass my cookies off as hers until further notice).

So what delicious treats will I bake up to celebrate this milestone? Stay tuned...

Creigh Deeds says the darndest things

I have now had the opportunity to see state Senator Creigh Deeds twice this past week. Once at the Grace Tinsely fundraiser and then last night at Left of Center meeting. He is hilarious.

Some fun quotes
1) "It is time to put the party back in Democratic Party" related to the fun time we all had at the Grace Tinsely fundraiser.

2) "If you are feeling froggy, jump" related to running for office

3) "I almost got in a fist fight with...oh dont write this down!" to the press lady noting things on her pad she responded with a cute "come on, you almost got in a fist fight" since of course the story must be newsworthy (not really).

David Toscano was at both events too, he had the highlight at the fundraiser when he presented a framed joint resolution to Grace Tinsely's daughter honoring her mother. Very moving.

Lost Coat

How does this happen? I recently got a new coat (from Old Navy-very cute) and now it is nowhere to be found. Have you seen it? I am retracing my steps. I suppose since the weather was so nice last week, I just didnt carry it with me when I left someplace. Now that it is cold and I have all these fun events to go to, I want to find my coat. Exciting stuff.

UPDATE: FOUND ONE CUTE NEW COAT!! It was in the closet. (knocking my head, 'stupid' 'stupid' 'stupid')

Temple v. UVA

In a stroke of great luck, I had the opportunity to attend the Temple v. UVA women's basketball game the other day. I also got a free t-shirt for which I am eternally grateful! It was great to see Dawn Staley at UVA again (hint...hint) and it was even better to see UVA slow down Hairston (who scored 30 points- 18 in the first half) to win the game. The seats were fantastic, really close- enough to hear the players on the floor calling out plays and the coaches yelling. It was great.

A couple of other things- the JPJ (john paul jones arena) is really cool- it will take at least one more visit for me to fully appreciate it- the entrances remind me of the football stadium, three cheers for continuity. The games are not that well attended but very reasonably priced, it is a perfect opportunity for family fun! Next time, I hope Chris and the kids can come (although the kids have been to the JPJ a lot more than mommy).