The Christiansburg Town Council candidates showed up for another forum this past Saturday. All six candidates graciously attended this third event, pausing in their canvasing of neighborhoods in search of support and voters.
Hosted at the Christiansburg Depot in Historic Cambria, depot owner and county planner Meghan Dorsett served as moderator. The first question was hers:
What do you see are Christiansburg's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This is known as a SWOT analysis and is a standard beginning point in planning or project management.
Generally, candidates felt that Christiansburg residents were its greatest strength, while
several stated there were no real weaknesses. Candidate Bishop stated he felt a weakness may be in not fully engaging the community. Candidate Showalter expressed concern about the aquatic center becoming a financial drain for citizens, because actual costs and projected revenues remain unclear. Later in the forum, one question on information for the aquatic center's revenues and expenses sparked some lively debate between an audience member and a candidate, while also touching on the recent
FOIA issues.
Opportunities focused on the obvious -- the aquatic center as a possible economic engine for the town -- to more subtle things like improving communication between the town and its residents. Opportunities also included the convenience of retail options, per Candidate Bishop, with tax revenues benefiting both the county and the towns.
Threats included items such as balancing growth and the associated costs that come with rapid development. Candidate VanHoosier, a 3-year planning commission member, stated he thought perhaps the town had seen recent growth happen too rapidly and may need to "catch up" with itself.
Two county residents -- who support the town in various community capacities and contribute to the tax base by shopping locally -- asked candidates about steps they would take to
ensure town personnel doesn't remain "lily white" -- to represent a broader spectrum of the community. Related questions pressed candidates on ideas for retaining young and minority students after graduation from area colleges.
Another question challenged candidates
to
think about balancing inflationary forces with tourism initiatives while also increasing tax rates, by asking about their own personal spending habits. Candidate Barber stated he preferred increases to "user taxes" (such as meals or cigarette taxes) over property tax increases, noting the county's tax increase exceeded the town's current real property tax rate. In full disclosure, it should be noted that while Candidate Barber does not smoke cigarettes, he does use other tobacco products which are not taxed.
This forum was
disappointing in that most of the participants were candidates, candidate spouses and friends, or event sponsors. Many citizens had called in advance to express various concerns or opinions to event planners,
yet failed to make a personal appearance themselves. Afterwards, as participants and candidates mingled and talked about subjects one-on-one, questions continued to be tossed at the candidates and ranged from the quality of life, holding developers accountable for building to submitted plans, community engagement and tax sources.
The forum was recorded so audio could be provided to elderly citizens unable to attend, and can be provided to any resident who wishes a copy.
Candidates and residents are invited to downtown's Coffee Depot next Sunday, April 27th from noon until 2 or 3 pm -- good conversation, relationship building (and the best gourmet coffee in the NRV) -- will be provided for all who attend.