The Roanoke Times endorses Anderson, Sutphin, Newcomb, and Bush
Check out the Roanoke Times endorsement of four excellent candidates. These four understand the importance of regulating development in order to promote sustainability and preserve all that is special about Blacksburg. From the endorsement:
On many of the issues confronting the town, the positions of the candidates we recommend overlap. They all believe the town must work with Tech on getting the school to pay the town meal and lodging taxes, though not on student meal plans. None would rush into growth and development for its own sake. And all believe in open government informed by and accessible to the people.
What this election is really about
The last five years have seen an amazing growth in citizen involvement in land-use decisions in Blacksburg. These issues were once the domain of real-estate developers and their friends on Town Council. But citizens are now more informed and more involved in decisions that effect the quality of life for all who live in our town. Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth was just one part of this trend.
As citizen involvement widened, some developers have pushed back. They tried to stop passage of Ordinance 1450 through full-page ads and unwelcome phone calls. They fought the town in court for almost two years when it tried to enforce the new law.
After losing those battles, they are now trying to use their resources to influence our Town Council election, by spending unprecedented amounts to promote the pro-developer slate of Krisha Chachra, Greg Fansler, Frank Lau, and Tom Rogers.
You may have seen a letter that was left at the door of many homes in Blacksburg, supporting those four candidates. Its signers include the organizers of "Citizens against Ordinance 1450," and two of the attorneys that represented developers in the Virginia Supreme Court Case. Some of the other names on the list were obtained under false pretenses from people who had no intention of endorsing that slate.
While these four candidates may be well-intentioned and sincere, they represent a concerted effort to roll back what thousands of citizens have achieved over five years of democracy in action. Because they cannot win among well-informed voters, their supporters are putting large amounts of money into deceptive handouts, TV ads and signs so big that they violate town ordinances. The amount of money being spent on this race is an indication of the much larger sums they think they'll make if town council puts their interests before those of our downtown, our neighborhoods, and sustainable growth.
This election is critical for Blacksburg's future. Please help get the word out. And please vote on November 3!
Do you know where to vote?
Remember, since the Town Council election has been moved to November, to coincided with state-wide elections, there are many more polling places. You can check here if you are not sure where to vote.