IN THE 2002 Charlottesville City Council elections, only 25 University students voted. There are now over 2,000 University students registered to vote in Charlottesville and with the May 2 election day just around the corner, the onus lies with us to improve greatly upon that voter turnout of not even two percent.
Although some demean local elections as less important, a quick glimpse at the political landscape this year shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Issues being debated this year include increased CTS trolley service, wireless Internet on the Downtown Mall, an additional Mall crossing for cars and property taxes. For students, these issues are of the utmost importance and almost everyone I have spoken with has had a strong opinion on each issue.
This year, students are in luck. On the ballot are two candidates who represent many of the ideas being promoted on grounds. Democrats Dave Norris and Julian Taliaferro are running a joint campaign to capture the two seats up for grabs on May 2.
Dave Norris has been an active community member for many years, as associate director at Madison House at the University and now as executive director of PACEM, a non-profit that shelters and feeds the homeless each winter. He was named by the Daily Progress as one of Charlottesville's "Distinguished Dozen" last year and has earned the endorsement of the Sierra Club.
Julian Taliaferro also has an outstanding record of service in the community, serving as Charlottesville's Fire Department Chief for 34 years. He is a Vietnam veteran and received both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals. Together, they offer a vision of a Charlottesville that is the number-one place in America, not only for those who currently prosper, but for everyone. They have already earned the endorsement of two Cavalier Daily columnists, Zack Fields and Adam Silverberg, and have made appearances on Grounds multiple times.
One of the issues that endear them most to students here is their fervent support for the poor and endeavor for affordable housing. Both candidates spoke at a rally in front of Madison Hall during the living wage sit-in and urged the University to work with the city in addressing the pressing problem of Charlottesville's poverty rate of over 25 percent. They stressed that the University's failure to adequately pay its workers had a severe impact on the city, whose social resources were utilized by many University employees. This then affects students who rely on city services that compete with the social services for funding.
Dave Norris provided particularly sobering testimony on the subject, as he had spent the night before the rally checking on those homeless men who were being housed by PACEM. That night was the last night that PACEM provided housing, as winter ended, but that unfortunately meant that these men would be forced to sleep on the streets for the next few months. The real tragedy, and surprise ending, of this story was that the majority of these men had jobs. Working full-time is no longer a ticket out of poverty in Charlottesville and Norris's experience as a leader in public service has shown him the need for affordable housing and other remedies.
Once elected to city council, Norris and Taliaferro have pledged to make affordable housing one of their top priorities and try to combat the high poverty rate in Charlottesville. Although not all agree with the methods of the Living Wage Campaign itself, it certainly has highlighted to students the dire need to fight poverty, not only at the University, but in the entire city. Unfortunately, Norris and Taliaferro's opponent, Republican Rob Schilling, has been an unrelenting obstructionist on this issue during his four years on council. On March 24, 2004, he voted against raising the minimum wage for city employees to nine dollars per hour, a conservative step towards eliminating the ranks of the working poor. Then, on November 21, 2005, he even voted against property tax breaks of over $250 to moderate-income home-owners in Charlottesville, an interesting ploy for someone who claims to be an "advocate for continued property tax rate reductions" on his web site.
In evaluating the candidates and staying abreast of the issues, it is evident that students can not afford to sit on the sidelines again in 2006. At a meeting of the University Democrats, Norris challenged students to "quintuple" their voter turnout from 2002. To my fellow Wahoos, I echo this challenge: take a look at the issues that matter to you as a student of this University and citizen of Charlottesville and vote on May 2.
Isaac Wood is campaign and party chair for the University Democrats and a first year in the College of Arts & Sciences.
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