Undelivered Nomination SpeechMcIntire Park, Charlottesville, Virginia, 6 pm, Monday, June 2, 2003I would like to thank you all for attending this historic gathering. A political drama is unfolding here tonight. I am seeking the Republican nomination because no one else has the courage to oppose the Democratic nominee. I also believe that my ideas are more powerful than those of Mitch Van Yahres. Because I have observed and studied recent local history, my conscience compels me to seek the 57th district seat of the House of Delegates. As a native of Charlottesville, I care about this place. So I am trying to make a difference. I don't own property or a business. I don't have money, power, or influence. I don't have a network of cronies to whom I owe political favors. What I have to offer are ideas. As delegate, I can write letters, propose and vote on legislation, deliver speeches, make phone calls, give interviews. I cannot be a successful representative without your support. Honestly, I don't think I can win the nomination or the election. Public housing remains popular in both parties even today. I'm running for office to bring attention to the Fifth Amendment. Urban renewal is the most important issue we are facing. Can the government take your property just because they want want someone else to own it? We fought a revolution to remove this power from government. Taking your land to sell to a developer is a property transfer, which is prohibited by the Fifth Amendment. Can the Housing Authority take my house because they want someone else to live there? Some people in this community live in fear that their home will be taken when they need it most, when they become elderly or infirm and unable to maintain the house. In his nomination speech, the only thing Democrat Van Yahres has to offer is fear of Republicans and repeated calls for us "to do something about it." He offers no specific action that we should undertake. So I will. Here are some of my campaign promises.
I would like to thank a few of those involved with urban renewal over the years. The League of Women Voters who opposed the creation of the Housing Authority in 1954. Mrs. Nimmo and her family who put an ad in The Daily Progress opposing Ridge Lane renewal in 1965. Frank Tomlin and Sherman White who ran for City Council in 1976. Dave Norris, current chairman of the Housing Authority board, who circulated an email stating that urban renewal is in progress right now. And Del Harvey, who resigned as director of the Housing Authority since my campaign began in April. For me, it's not just local history. It's family history. I'd like to thank my grandmother Mrs. Laura Dowell, who gave up her estate to the Housing Authority in November 1971 after a court battle. I would like to thank Ed Wayland who represented my family in court. A special thanks to my uncle Thomas Dowell here with us today. Thomas ran for City Council three times in the 1970s on a platform to stop urban renewal. He once sought the Republican nomination for House of Delegates but was not allowed to give a speech at the convention. He has been a member of the Republican Party since the '50s and Belmont precinct captain since the '70s. I will continue an awareness campaign. My next scheduled appearance is the Independence Day parade in Scottsville. I will cruise down the strip in a 1967 Pontiac Tempest. 1967 was the year that Charlottesville voted to demolish my childhood neighborhood. I will build more time machines. I will add more photos to my website. I will try to publish as a book the body of knowledge of urban renewal now available to commemorate with the 50th anniversary of the Housing Authority. Thanks again to those who helped in this campaign and those who offered encouragement. You participated in history.
[signed]
Completion of Campaign for Republican Nomination 2003Update: I did not appear at the parade.Return to Timeline of Campaign. To Top of Page Healing Charlottesville
|