Entry 72 of 338
By Confounded in Christiansburg On April 11 at 1:07 PM
All six candidates, and over thirty audience members (including candidates' spouses, hosts and the press) attended last night’s Town Council Candidate Forum in Christiansburg. The League of Women Voters, Montgomery County NAACP and the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy sponsored the event.

Although the candidates were less than comfortable due to the very warm temperature in the room, they all demonstrated more spark than at the previous forum. Candidates generally appeared more engaged and better prepared.

The event format was simple:

  1. Present opening statements, and answer two questions provided to candidates prior to the event.
  2. Answer questions submitted by the audience and vetted by reviewers from the sponsor groups.
  3. Closing statements.

Opening statements were quite weak overall; the main qualification of all candidates seems to be that they live in, or have always lived in, Christiansburg. Answers to one of the two advance questions provide an excellent surprise.

The questions answered in advance by candidates were:

  1. Do you think Christiansburg is a better place to live now than it was 5 years ago? (yes/no) Why?
  2. How would you control spending levels in response to the current nationwide economic downturn?

Pablum "yes" responses to Question 1 included raves about the future aquatic center
ad naseum, mention of the Town's parks, and lots of vague references to "new opportunities" and "new facilities" for residents.

Henry Showalter had the guts to answer "No" to Question 1. Mr. Showalter reiterated the good things about the Town -- that we have good housing, sewer and water service, the rec center and other services. But he pointed out what many residents feel: we haven’t improved some of the quality of life fundamentals like greenspace, historic preservation and keeping residents informed. How refreshing it was to hear a candidate that appreciates the good but is willing to point out -- and take on the challenge of fixing -- weak areas.

Audience questions covered a wide range of topics, including how to keep children healthy and safe in Christiansburg, household recycling and how to protect the Town’s historic districts and buildings (although most candidates could not correctly identify what or where these were).

The recycling answers prompted audience response and comments afterward. Predictably, the insiders were in favor of maintaining the status quo. Mr. Barber felt that the twice a year shredding party and big trash pick ups meet the "recycling" need. Mr. Chafin’s claim that recycling requires 4 trucks caused one audience member to vigorously shake her head "NO!" (Maybe that was the case 20 years ago.)  Mr. Huppert and Mr. Vanhoozier generally felt that three HYOS (haul your own stuff) recycling centers in town were enough, but that maybe resident education would help get folks to recycle more.  This education could begin with the town's communicating where the drop points are located.

The outsiders were more open to the idea of increasing recycling services in Town. Mr. Bishop mentioned that towns all over the country, including in this area, have successfully implemented household recycling programs. He mentioned that costs are involved, but felt that the Town should look into the possibilities. Mr. Showalter was cautiously in favor of household recycling, emphasizing that cost issues must be addressed.

Throughout the evening, worked into responses to many of the questions, candidates reiterated the need to keep the public informed. Regardless of who wins the May 6 election, we have some hope for more open goverment actively seeking to engage a wide segment of its residents.

Candidates' biographies and answers to the two advance questions may be found at http://civic.bev.net/lwvmc/08Cburg.pdf. (don’t use the www!)

Our reporting on candidates' answers to questions on moving Town elections to November will require a separate entry. Please check back for more on that and other topics covered at last night's forum.

Finally, mark your calendar for the remaining two forums:
Saturday, April 19 - Christiansburg Depot in Cambria at 2 pm
Sunday, April 27 - Coffee Depot, Downtown Christiansburg at noon.

Any bets on whether the paving will be finished by the April 27 event?

PS - Town Council meets next Tuesday, April 15, 7:30 pm, 2nd floor, Town Hall. That's at 100 East Main St. The agenda usually arrives about 3-4pm the Monday before meetings. A mere 27 hours notice to a very few folks about what will be discussed -- not what FOIA states as being minimum notice.  The agenda is expected to include an update on the benefits of the chamber's Tourism Development Council activities.