By Sean Tubbs
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Thursday, April 9, 2009
 Candidate John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller) |
North Garden resident John Lowry has officially announced his intention to run for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors as an independent candidate. He says he has enough signatures to qualify to appear on the ballot for the Samuel Miller District seat being vacated by Supervisor Sally Thomas (I).
Lowry is the Chairman of the Economic Development Authority.
For 31 years he worked in the securities and investments sector and retired in 2008 as investment counselor for Old Dominion Capital Management.
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Lowry made his campaign announcement at the County Office Building South on 5th Street Extended as a symbol, he said, of how government can leverage its resource to get good deals. The facility was paid for by a bond issued by the Economic Development Authority. Lowry gave credit to County Executive Bob Tucker for maintaining the County’s AAA bond rating.
Lowry said he is running to provide “better government” in Albemarle County. He said he has been preparing for this run for three years, and has learned a lot about how to accomplish his goal.
“There are many issues that face the county,” Lowry said. “Affordable housing, keeping good government employees, the water issue, the safety of our citizens.” Lowry said his campaign would focus on quality of life, education and transportation. He said if elected, he would work to preserve the County’s green spaces, and would investigate ways to raise more money for transportation.
“We need to have a reasonable means to get around the County. We need to have better roads, new extensions, we need new connectors, we need parallel roads and to finance these, we need to have the monies available,” Lowry said. He said that the state is not doing enough to maintain existing roads.
“Either the state needs to reassume its fiscal responsibility, or they need to give to the counties the ability to raise money to fund our projects.”
When asked why he was running as an independent, Lowry responded that he had attended a recent Democratic candidate training event, and that he also “might be interviewed” by the County Republicans.
“I’m waiting to hear from them,” Lowry said. “I’m not going to completely close the door, but I will run as an independent as of June [9th].” That’s the deadline for candidates to file with the County registrar
Lowry’s previous government experience includes serving as chair of the Joint Board for the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport. He’s taught at Piedmont Virginia Community College, served as Chair of the March of Dimes Board of Directors, and plays with the 41st Virginia Regiment Company of Fifes and Drums.
Madison Cummings (D) has also announced he will be running for the Samuel Miller seat. Cummings is a part-time pharmacist at the University of Virginia Medical Center and currently serves as the County Democratic Party’s Chair for the Samuel Miller District. County Democrats will hold a caucus on May 11, 2009 to nominate their candidate for the Samuel Miller seat on the Board. The Jack Jouett and Rio District seats will also be on the November 2009 ballot.
Local political parties will officially nominate their candidates between May 8, 2009 and June 9, 2009. Independent candidates have until June 9th to collect necessary petition signatures to get on the ballot.
See Charlottesville Tomorrow’s
Election Watch page
for complete coverage of the County’s 2009 elections.
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