Waldo's take on the Republican Party of Virginia squabble is biting. This weekends convention helped solidify the RPV intent on becoming irrelevant to a majority of Virginians and helping me elect more Democrats. Thanks.
The Virginia Republican seems to be promoting the opposite of what the Sorenson program seeks to do: promote dialogue bipartisan(ly) so that we can be pragmatic in finding solutions to Virginia's problems.
Showing posts with label platform. Show all posts
Showing posts with label platform. Show all posts
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
How to go to Denver in August (dem/cville)
In the 5th district there are 4 delegates to be choosen for the Democratic Convention in Denver (and one alternate). The State Party determines how many for Clinton, how many for Obama. Tentatively, the 5th likely will have 3 Obama delegates and one Hillary, I dont know who the alternate will end up being. BTW- the 5th district is huge, it isnt only Charlottesville-ALbemarle people who will have the opportunity to become a delegate.
To become a delegate one must show up at the City Caucus (or your county's caucus). At the caucus we will nominate delegates to the 5th district convention. You must be one of these delegates to even be considered. The delegates will then head to the
5th district convention where the national delegates will be elected. Politics and numbers play a critical role in determining whether you become a delegate. I have no idea how many folks will show up for the Caucus, or frankly how many delegates will attend the 5th district convention (I am sure it is a fixed number, likely 100 or so) therefore to choose 5 will be difficult.
In 1992 I went to the convention in New York City. How? I volunteered. It was awesome, electric and unforgettable. If you are not choosen as a delegate, I encourage you to volunteer- I mean you were going to spend the money in Denver anyway!
To become a delegate one must show up at the City Caucus (or your county's caucus). At the caucus we will nominate delegates to the 5th district convention. You must be one of these delegates to even be considered. The delegates will then head to the
5th district convention where the national delegates will be elected. Politics and numbers play a critical role in determining whether you become a delegate. I have no idea how many folks will show up for the Caucus, or frankly how many delegates will attend the 5th district convention (I am sure it is a fixed number, likely 100 or so) therefore to choose 5 will be difficult.
In 1992 I went to the convention in New York City. How? I volunteered. It was awesome, electric and unforgettable. If you are not choosen as a delegate, I encourage you to volunteer- I mean you were going to spend the money in Denver anyway!
Monday, January 07, 2008
New Year-2008 edition
Few things - in my last post I referenced the CvilleWorkingMoms blog- I finally put it on the blogroll- sorry about that. The blog is well-written, provocative and honest. Check it out.
I am humbled by two recent occurrences. First, I was accepted into the Sorenson Institute for Political Leadership along with these fine folks from all over Virginia. I am particularly grateful for this honor. I learned about the program when I worked with Sen. Couric during the 1998 session- she had attended, as had Paul Harris, the delegate representating parts of this area at the time. I was going to apply in 1998- but thought better of it as I reviewed the qualifications and the type of people who had graduated from the program. Ten years later, I am delighted and honored to have worked my way to a point where I am accepted into Sorenson.
Second, I became the co-chair of the Charlottesville Democratic Party. As you know I suffer from too little to do, so this seemed like an appropriate time to pursue this interest. My belief is that my nomination and election to this position ushers in a new way of looking at the City Party. I will never convince the naysayers, but for those who are looking for a reason to be involved- we welcome you. I am excited to be in this position for the next two years- during the Presidential, Senate and Governors races.
Our short-term goals (I am part of a team) include training committee members, maintain and improve database and communications generally, fundraising, work collaboratively with the County Democrats and improve outreach efforts (voter registration and greater emphasis on cohesiveness etc.).
I am open to ideas and suggestions, I am fairly new to this so constructive criticism is welcome while hateful comments are not. And as usual, I understand reasonable people may disagree respectfully- I hope to keep that in the front of my mind in the next two years.
I am humbled by two recent occurrences. First, I was accepted into the Sorenson Institute for Political Leadership along with these fine folks from all over Virginia. I am particularly grateful for this honor. I learned about the program when I worked with Sen. Couric during the 1998 session- she had attended, as had Paul Harris, the delegate representating parts of this area at the time. I was going to apply in 1998- but thought better of it as I reviewed the qualifications and the type of people who had graduated from the program. Ten years later, I am delighted and honored to have worked my way to a point where I am accepted into Sorenson.
Second, I became the co-chair of the Charlottesville Democratic Party. As you know I suffer from too little to do, so this seemed like an appropriate time to pursue this interest. My belief is that my nomination and election to this position ushers in a new way of looking at the City Party. I will never convince the naysayers, but for those who are looking for a reason to be involved- we welcome you. I am excited to be in this position for the next two years- during the Presidential, Senate and Governors races.
Our short-term goals (I am part of a team) include training committee members, maintain and improve database and communications generally, fundraising, work collaboratively with the County Democrats and improve outreach efforts (voter registration and greater emphasis on cohesiveness etc.).
I am open to ideas and suggestions, I am fairly new to this so constructive criticism is welcome while hateful comments are not. And as usual, I understand reasonable people may disagree respectfully- I hope to keep that in the front of my mind in the next two years.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Headlines from City Council Meeting
Some headlines from last night's meeting- any reporter will tell you that the headlines are not written by them and frequently dont reflect the actual story- so there is the qualifier.
"$439,000 from the Slush Fund doled out to affordable housing projects"
"$850,000 loan from CAHIP help local developer buy Dogwood Properties, Saves 55 families from imminent eviction"
No non-profit could make this work, this loan provides at least 5 years of affordability for the families.
"Charlottesville Industrial Development Authority Renamed Charlottesville Economic Development Authority" that is to reflect that changing focus from industrial development to economic development.
"5 Years Later, City turns Jefferson School Over to Partnership to Applause"
"New (draft) Comprehensive Plan Adopted"
Dont worry it can be changed, it is a fluid document- common response to questions concerning mistakes and issues citizens have with the document. Query- has the plan ever actually been changed? Not to my admittedly limited experience. The plan is used to justify Capital Improvements and projects brought before the Planning Commission. PC has been working for two and a half years on this document, Council approved it with the final draft pending.
"8th Street & West Main Street Intersection Still Not Safe for Drivers According to Local Resident"
Interestingly, Mr. Gaines came before Council for the third time in about three months or so. In a recent Council meeting Council agreed not to change the parking/loading zone situation, but to request the police enforce the parking rules on that block. Turns out, according to Mr. Gaines, this hasnt really helped visibility for people turning onto W. Main Street. Interestingly, Council agreed staff should look into the matter again.
"Confusion leads to Definitive Direction for Staff on Camera Issue"
Under New Business- or is it Other Business another discussion of cameras on the downtown mall. Dave Norris publicized a letter sent by the Rutherford Institute (defenders of the Constitution) indicating it could help draft policies related to a public camera system on the mall that may protect liberties. Norris and other councilors seemed interested in Rutherford's assistance. This led to a discussion on what was approved last Council meeting and what the understanding of the Council now was. Anyway, it seems staff wanted to present everything to Council as a package, package being defined as policy and bids; but some Councilors want to have the policy first because it may dictate the bid proposals.
"$439,000 from the Slush Fund doled out to affordable housing projects"
"$850,000 loan from CAHIP help local developer buy Dogwood Properties, Saves 55 families from imminent eviction"
No non-profit could make this work, this loan provides at least 5 years of affordability for the families.
"Charlottesville Industrial Development Authority Renamed Charlottesville Economic Development Authority" that is to reflect that changing focus from industrial development to economic development.
"5 Years Later, City turns Jefferson School Over to Partnership to Applause"
"New (draft) Comprehensive Plan Adopted"
Dont worry it can be changed, it is a fluid document- common response to questions concerning mistakes and issues citizens have with the document. Query- has the plan ever actually been changed? Not to my admittedly limited experience. The plan is used to justify Capital Improvements and projects brought before the Planning Commission. PC has been working for two and a half years on this document, Council approved it with the final draft pending.
"8th Street & West Main Street Intersection Still Not Safe for Drivers According to Local Resident"
Interestingly, Mr. Gaines came before Council for the third time in about three months or so. In a recent Council meeting Council agreed not to change the parking/loading zone situation, but to request the police enforce the parking rules on that block. Turns out, according to Mr. Gaines, this hasnt really helped visibility for people turning onto W. Main Street. Interestingly, Council agreed staff should look into the matter again.
"Confusion leads to Definitive Direction for Staff on Camera Issue"
Under New Business- or is it Other Business another discussion of cameras on the downtown mall. Dave Norris publicized a letter sent by the Rutherford Institute (defenders of the Constitution) indicating it could help draft policies related to a public camera system on the mall that may protect liberties. Norris and other councilors seemed interested in Rutherford's assistance. This led to a discussion on what was approved last Council meeting and what the understanding of the Council now was. Anyway, it seems staff wanted to present everything to Council as a package, package being defined as policy and bids; but some Councilors want to have the policy first because it may dictate the bid proposals.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, May 25, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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)
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)
Friday, May 11, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
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.
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.
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