Norris rallies support behind his picks ahead of primary

In a nigh unto the last minute rally, three Charlottesville City Council candidates backed by Mayor Dave Norris urged supporters to talk up Saturday’s Democratic Party primary to friends and neighbors in hopes of increasing voter turnout.

There are seven Democrats vying for three seats on the City Council with five independents also in the mix. The primary will determine the Democratic slate of candidates for the November general election, a slate that is most often voted into office because of the party’s dominance of city politics.

“About two or three thousand people will determine the election,” said Norris, who sponsored the Thursday night rally at Escafe on the Downtown Mall. “We need to get the word out to anyone you come in contact with and really push [the primary] for the next 48 hours to get these people elected.”

“These people” are candidates Dede Smith, Brevy Cannon and Colette Blount. The first-time candidates each took the opportunity Thursday to thank their supporters and encourage them in the race to the wire.

“Charlottesville is a very wonderful place and I’m committed to staying in Charlottesville and working to move it progressively, philosophically and safely into the future,” said Blount, who left the rally early to attend a back-to-school night at Burley Middle School, where she teaches.

The party primary, often an exercise in apparent unity, has seen two factions arise with a slate of candidates being supported by Norris and another slate finding support from Councilor Kristin Szakos. Szakos has backed incumbent Satyendra Huja and candidate Kathy Galvin.

Norris said that, while his three candidates have much in common in the political views, they would not likely form a voting block with the mayor on city issues.

“They do have similar interests and views on human resources, natural resources and education, but they are definitely independent,” Norris said. “I believe they will be the kind of advocates we need for the next four years.”

Smith and Cannon agreed with Norris.

“We come from different places and have had different influences and we have our own strong ideas about policies,” Smith said. “We’re independent thinkers. We just share a lot of the same views.”

Cannon said the three disagree on the Meadow Creek Parkway and on the regional water supply plan.

“We are very similar in our ideas, but that doesn’t mean we are going to vote alike all of the time,” Cannon said, noting that he supports building the parkway so that time and energy can be spent on the future of McIntire Park.

He said he also supports Norris’ compromise water plan that supports dredging the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and, if determined necessary, increasing the size of the Ragged Mountain Dam and the amount of water in the reservoir.

“We would all prefer to preserve 200 acres of forest at Ragged Mountain, if we can,” Cannon said. “But when it comes to making sure we have enough water for the future, if the way to do that is to flood Ragged Mountain, that’s fine. But first we need to make sure that we look deeply into the issues and determine the costs and whether we can delay some of those costs and save money. We need water to provide a vibrant community for our children, but we must be careful about how much debt we put on the backs of existing taxpayers.”

The Democratic primary will take place at Burley Middle School on Rose Hill Drive on Saturday. Ballots will be case between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Registered voters who sign a pledge to support Democratic candidates are eligible to vote.