Healing Charlottesville
Move council election to November and media coverage of candidates.October 18, 2001
The Observer Dear Editor, Charlottesville should move council elections to November, but not for the reasons your paper states (October 17). The best reason is that increased voter turnout will bust the Democratic monopoly of city council as more people vote along party lines. With the nation and state leaning more Republican, council is unlikely to change a system that has served Democrats well for decades. Your newspaper states that "the media will pay attention" if candidates are more interesting and hold more appearances. Paying attention is not the same as media coverage. The last council election proves the point. There were six forums, nine candidates, and no debates. The most interesting candidate, the only native, struggled for coverage. Only WINA radio covered my candidacy before the first forum and throughout the campaign. I circulated several platform letters to media during two months before the official campaign kicked off. At the first forum, I accused city council of treason because of revenue sharing. I said it was taxation without representation, a crime against democracy, the highest crime in the nation. The Daily Progress reported only that I hammered on the Constitutionality of revenue sharing. No other paper reported the story. No one has refuted the charge. At the second forum, I said city council policies create a climate where serious crime flourishes and goes unreported. That same morning a school bus of students witnessed a gun fight on Hinton Avenue. I appeared on WVIR-29 because I came out to investigate from my apartment one block away. At the third forum, I related first-hand knowledge that Charlottesville High is a violent school. I was the only candidate who had attended the schools that are funded by city council. Only after these performances did the Observer invite me to write a candidate’s essay on education. I wrote about the history of Jefferson School. It was the most requested pamphlet of my campaign and added value to the Observer. At the fourth forum, I speculated a connection between pancreatic cancer and the drinking water. No one reported it. Sixteen months later, the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority has responded only with speculation that the water is safe. The last two forums were a refinement of my positions. A week before the first forum, the C-ville Weekly censored the second certified write-in candidate in the city’s history. Editor Hawes Spencer stated in writing that his paper was not covering any write-ins. He kept his word until after Election Day. Your guarantee that media will pay attention to interesting and accessible candidates rings hollow.
Blair Hawkins Printed 31 Oct 2002 Posted
Discussion | Index | Time Machine
HealingCharlottesville@yahoo.com
|