Charlottesville Democrats will maintain complete control of City Council for two more years, following the solid re-election of current Mayor David Brown and the election of Holly Edwards and Satyendra Huja.
Huja and Brown each received about 24 percent of the vote, while fellow Democrat Edwards received 23.62 percent of the vote. Independent challengers Peter Kleeman and Barbara Haskins garnered 14.08 and 13.43 percent of the vote respectively. For the first time in decades, Charlottesville Republicans did not field a candidate in this year's election. As there are currently only three vacancies on Council, these totals represent a Democratic sweep of the election.
In the past 21 years, there have only been two Republican city councilors in Charlottesville. Additionally, an Independent candidate has never been elected in Council's history. Though this is cause for celebration for some of the Democratic Party faithful in Charlottesville, others are still cautious of the party's local dominance.
"I hope that the Republicans will gain strength and really run vigorous campaigns with good chances to win, because I think it's better for the community," Charlottesville Democratic Party Co-Chair Russ Linden said. "We had six years of one-party rule in this country. Most Americans are not pleased with what happened. That can happen with any party. You get lazy, you get a little arrogant."
Though Democratic winners expressed a desire to work with all members of the Charlottesville community, regardless of political affiliation, the two losing Independent challengers remain skeptical. Haskins' campaign centered around the issue of city spending, which she argued has recently grown out of control. After her loss, she still expressed concern about Council's future.
"I'm not sure they care about reaching out to other people," Haskins said about the all-Democratic Council. "When there is no opposition, you become less concerned about other people's point of views. It's a total monopoly, and I think their spending decisions reflect that."
Kleeman's campaign, on the other hand, focused on encouraging government transparency and citizen involvement. Brown said he expects Kleeman to continue to pressure Council on these issues in the future. The fact that Kleeman, a lifelong Democrat, decided to run as an Independent should be a wake-up call for city Democrats, according to Linden. Kleeman expressed a desire to continue his civic involvement as a concerned citizen and Council watchdog.
"It just seems that citizens are frustrated by the fact that they don't get the information they need to make good decisions to be a part of the decision-making process," Kleeman said. "I encourage and will continue to encourage the newly elected councilors that they need to include -- early on in all of these projects -- responsible citizen voices."
Despite these criticisms and inner-party concerns, election night belonged to the Democrats. Huja, a 31-year city planning veteran and adjunct faculty at the University's Architecture School, finished with the most votes in the general election. He also garnered the most votes at the Democratic Party's nominating convention in the spring.
"Where else but in America can you have a guy with a beard and a turban with a slight Virginia accent be a City Council person?" Huja asked, noting the diversity of the newly elected councilors. "Only in Charlottesville."
Edwards, a research scientist at the University's Nursing School, joins fellow University employee Huja in her first foray into public office. Brown was the only incumbent in this year's race. He was elected to Council in 2004 and has been selected by his fellows councilors to two consecutive terms as mayor.
Considering the new University connections on City Council, Brown said he hopes for better relations between the University and the City of Charlottesville.
"The city has an interest in the University being a top-level institution, and the University has a strong interest in the city being a vibrant place that top faculty will want to move to because it's a great place to live and students will want to come to because it's a cool town and it's safe," Brown said. "The key to relations with the University is for us to communicate well."
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