Meet the candidates, get dinner and a flu shot on 9/19
Next Wednesday, September 19, 2012 the Westover Baptist Church (1000 Westover Hills Boulevard) is hosting a 4th and 9th District Candidate Forum from 7 – 9 p.m. There will be a free dinner from 6 – 7 p.m. and during that dinner hour a nurse from IVNA will be available to administer flu shots at a cost of $28 per person (Medicare B recipients are covered). Proceeds from the clinic help fund IVNA’s charitable efforts in the Richmond area. All these events are sponsored by the Westover Hlls Baptist Church. List of candidates expected to attend below.
Candidates for 4th District School Board:
- MARY BLANCHARD
- PATRICIA CHURCHILL
- VANESSA EASTER
- KRISTEN LARSON
- RICHARD SAVAGE
Candidates for 4th District City Council:
- KATHY GRAZIANO
- JOHNNY WALKER
Candidates for 9th District City Council:
- DOUG CONNER
- MICHELLE MOSBY
Candidate for 9th District School Board:
- TICHI PINKNEY-EPPES
Some questions for the City Council candidates:
The Sierra Club has a petition with about 1300 signatures asking that the City of Richmond lower the minimum monthly water/sewer service charge to no more than $15 per month. The current minimum monthly service charge for water and sewer service is $49.40 per month, which is the highest in the country. This outrageous service charge is unfair to low-income residents and to those who conserve water. As a candidate for City Council, will you endorse lowering the city’s minimum service charge to $15 per month, which is line with other localities?
In his 2011 State of the City Address, Mayor Dwight C. Jones said that “While we will take advantage of good opportunities which present themselves, we are going to grow this City by design and not by default.” The City’s fundamental land planning document is the Master Plan which is implemented through the zoning ordinance. During the current 2009-2012 term, City Council has approved 67 special use applications which waive zoning rules for applicants on a piece-meal basis. Do you think that is good planning; is that “growing this city by design?”
An open government is essential to a democratic government. The public must have access to government information and access to the decision-making process. A study undertaken by City Hall Review evaluated the City of Richmond on 105 criteria. The study found that the City failed to meet 101 of the criteria. The Richmond Open Government Project is sponsoring a petition to “Make Richmond City Hall an open government equal to the best in Virginia.” Four candidates for City Council have signed the petition (Agelasto, Delp, Diradour, and Shewmake). Will you sign the petition and pledge to “Make Richmond City Hall an open government equal to the best in Virginia?”