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Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Charlottesville’s Democratic primary election is June 20, one week from today. I know we keep making this point — but this primary election will most likely decide who will be our next City Councilors. No other party or independent candidates have decided to run, and the window for them to do so is rapidly closing.

So, if you want a say in this race, vote next Tuesday! (You don’t have to be a Democrat to do it.)

There are a couple options for casting your ballot. You can vote early at the elections office at City Hall Annex, 120 7th St. NE, Room 142 through this Saturday, June 17. Or, simply show up to your polling place. If you’re not sure where that is, this website can help. Also, you don’t have to register in advance to vote. Virginia now does same day registration at the elections office or on Election Day at your polling location.

If you’re not sure who to vote for, we have some information that can help. Last week, we sent a matching questionnaire to each City Council candidate. All five responded. 

Credit: Photos provided by candidates

City Council Voter Guide: Charlottesville candidates lay out their stances on zoning, transportation, taxation, and public safety.

The questionnaire is fairly long. We sent seven questions and gave each candidate about 200 words to answer. You can learn a lot by reading through the entire thing. But, if there’s a particular issue you’re most concerned about, you can jump straight to it. These are the questions we asked, in the order that we asked them:

  • Vision: What is your vision for Charlottesville 30 years from now?
  • Zoning: Do you support proposed changes to Charlottesville’s zoning laws?
  • Housing: Do you believe we need more affordable housing? If yes, how specifically would you propose to address it?
  • Gun Violence: What is Council’s role in reducing gun violence in Charlottesville? What would you propose doing?
  • Public/pupil transportation: Charlottesville Area Transit manages public transportation and City Schools buses. The department does not have enough drivers to fill all the routes. Is fixing this a priority for you? If so, how would you begin?
  • Taxes: What is your position on raising or lowering tax rates in Charlottesville?
  • UVA: The University of Virginia pays no local taxes. Do you support implementing a program to collect money from the university?

As City Schools begins rebuilding Buford Middle School, the superintendent wants it to have a new name

And, finally, construction on Buford Middle School begins this month. City Schools hosted a groundbreaking ceremony last week, and Superintendent Royal Gurley announced his desire to rename the school. The School Board will vote on Gurley’s proposal June 27. We’ll find out then if Buford becomes Charlottesville Middle School.

Thanks for reading!

Jessie Higgins, managing editor

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I'm Charlottesville Tomorrow's managing editor and health and safety reporter. If there’s something you think we should be investigating, please email me at jhiggins@cvilletomorrow.org! And you can follow all the work we do by subscribing to our free newsletter! Hablo español, y quiero mantener a la comunidad hispanohablante informada. Si tienes preguntas o información que debo saber, por favor, envíame un correo electrónico a jhiggins@cvilletomorrow.org.