Paul Long (I) Kristin Szakos (D)
Please describe your
Challenger Challenger
In three weeks, if God allows me to live, I am going to be 60 Well for my education, I went to Grinnell College in Iowa and
years old and the reason I say that is because I have been worked for a couple of years and then went to Graduate
past experience that
privileged to be a resident of Charlottesville for the past 11 School in Journalism at Northwestern in Chicago, and I think
years. I love the City of Charlottesville, it’s a great city. I am a that that was probably the best combination of education I
native of the City of Philadelphia which is another great city could have to be a City Councilor: a liberal arts education
qualifies you to be
just as historical as the City of Charlottesville. which prepared me for learning a lot about a variety of
things, and then a journalism education which prepared me
[For] 14 years I served as an unofficial watchdog for Tinicum
for really getting deeply into complicated issues and figuring
on City Council?
Township, which borders the City of Philadelphia….I was very
out how to synthesize them in ways that regular people can
active in preserving a bus route that was run by the
understand them and that I can understand them….I cer-
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and it
tainly wasn’t planning to go into politics, but when I started
was the Tinicum Township’s only access to the public trans-
thinking about running for City Council I thought those are
portation system in Philadelphia. And during those 14 years
very good preparation.
I had the opportunity to develop a knowledge of how urban
mass transportation systems work and I received an award Just civically in the community, I have raised my kids here. I
for community service from Tinicum Township from my serv- have two daughters who are 18 and 19 years old. I have
ice…. generally found myself getting involved in a lot of groups as
they have grown up. I was the President of the Burnley-
I also served briefly in the Tinicum Township board of health
Moran PTO for a while and I was active in the PTO council. I
as secretary and I was a certified addiction counselor in the
was on the board of a local NAACP when it was still the
state of Pennsylvania and served in various counseling ca-
Charlottesville NAACP. I am a second-generation NAACP
pacities and other capacities working with people who had
member. I am a Vestry member, which is the leadership
substance abuse problems. I believe that, that gave me an
board of my church, Trinity Episcopal Church. I was also the
insight into our [substance abuse problems] that exist cer-
volunteer coordinator for the Obama campaign for the last
tainly here in the greater Charlottesville area, but it also gave
year and a half before last November, and continue to be
me the opportunity to develop a lot of skills and how to deal
one of the local coordinators for Organizing for America.
with various different people, different ethnic groups and
how to be involved in conflict resolution and I think all of
these skills would be valuable to a person serving on
Charlottesville City Council.
Andrew Williams (I)
Challenger (Write-in)
Dave Norris (D)
Well this past year I was on the Piedmont Virginia
Incumbent
Community College Senate. It’s a group that’s comprised of
student senators, individuals from the faculty and staff and
I am an incumbent on City Council. I have been on City
some administration, and we carefully look at…the opera-
Bob Fenwick (I)
Council for three and a half years…and I do have a record
tions of the school, funds, and even issues such as do we
Challenger
that I am running to defend. I have learned a lot about a
want to change the sexual harassment policy.
whole variety of issues, been fully immersed in any number
Well when I was young,I served as an officer in the United of community concerns, challenges, opportunities--ranging
I was involved in various student governments. The biggest
States Army Corps of Engineers for almost 7 years. I had a from water supply, housing, education, environment, infra-
thing this past year was the Virginia Community College
tour in Vietnam. In Vietnam, I commanded a combat engi- structure, transportation, you name it. So I feel like I have
Strategic Planning Task Force. I was one of two students
neer company of up to 180 men and that was for seven had a good grounding. I feel like we made good progress in
state wide selected to contribute to their strategic planning
months. I was attached to an infantry brigade which was in the last three years on City Council….
process which will roll out later on this year and it will last
an infantry division. I was honorably discharged and started
for five years. All of those experiences have led me to be
a construction company soon thereafter as a general con-
We have done all of these things while holding a line on the
very enthusiastic about the idea of representation.
tractor in the state of Virginia.
tax rate and while reducing taxes for moderate income fami-
lies and we continue to be ranked as one of the best man-
For 33 years I have run the business and know very well the aged cities in the country. We have highest possible bond
importance of budgeting, customer satisfaction, and the syn- rating. So I feel like we are in good shape.
ergies between local and state governments and private en-
terprise.
However, there’s much work left to do to realize our vision of
a truly great place to live for all of our residents. We still have
I have been the Vice President of a cancer research corpora- too many of our families living in poverty. We have too many
tion and the video about breast cancer, which my wife kids dropping out of school. We have too many people who
Victoria and I made, can be seen by following the links on can’t afford housing. We have major issues to resolve on wa-
VoteBob.net. For 6 years I produced, wrote, directed and ter supply and transportation etc. So I am running because
hosted a television home improvement series along the lines there are a lot of issues yet to be resolved and addressed
of This Old House….Most recently besides continuing my and I look forward to devoting my energy and experience
construction activities I have been involved in activities to and time over the next four years in trying to make even
save McIntire Park. more progress.
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