Changing city council may tip water plan

The city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County may have moved toward consensus on how to build a new dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir, but opponents say the issue is far from settled and expect it to be a major factor in the upcoming City Council election.

At council meetings, the water supply plan still dominates the public comment period, even when it’s nowhere to be found on the agenda. Mayor Dave Norris, who isn’t up for re-election until 2013, said the passion behind the issue will have a clear effect on the election.

“It is inevitable that there’s a motivated, energized base of voters who are going to support candidates who pledge to affirm the council vote in September, which was a 5-0 vote in favor of a smaller dam and of dredging,” said Norris, who championed that plan only to see it undone by a series of 3-2 votes this year in favor of an all-new earthen dam.

With three out of five at-large seats up for grabs this year and only one incumbent running, the council will undoubtedly have a different look and feel in 2012.

Dredging advocates won’t say if they’ll make a coordinated effort to capture the council, but Norris expects a deluge of pro-dredging candidates.

“The way it’s looking now … there may be a plethora of candidates who are in that camp, which may actually dilute their effectiveness,” Norris said.

Rebecca Quinn, a vocal member of pro-dredging group Citizens for a Sustainable Water Plan, said she can’t say the group has an official position on any declared or potential candidate, but members feel that the council “veered off the rails” in recent water-supply votes. Quinn said her group wants to see councilors who will “fight for city resources.”

“A lot of people think the issue is a done deal. We, obviously, do not,” Quinn said.

In 2006, both the City Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors approved a $142 million plan to ensure an adequate water supply to the area for the next 50 years by building a concrete dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir that would raise its pool by 45 feet. A bloc of city residents insisted that dredging the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and making incremental improvements to existing infrastructure would accomplish that goal without the need for a costly new dam.

The roiling controversy came to a head early this year when, in a set of split votes, the council approved a plan for an earthen dam that would raise the existing reservoir by 30 feet.

Construction on the new dam could begin as early as mid-October, but the political battle over the issue doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

“There hasn’t been a single shovel put in the ground yet,” Norris said. “There’s nothing to say the council couldn’t switch its vote back in January.”

The council has been weighing the issue without taking all relevant information into account, Norris said.

“One of the major pieces that has been lacking has been accurate projections of water demand for the next few decades,” Norris said. “By this November, we have to submit revised projections based on current data. So it’s incumbent on elected officials — once that data is compiled — to make sure that those findings are factored in.”

Councilor Satyendra Huja is the only supporter of the larger dam — and the only incumbent — to run for re-election this year. Councilor David Brown announced he won’t seek another term and Councilor Kristin Szakos won’t face re-election until 2013. Councilor Holly Edwards, who sided with Norris in opposition, will also not seek another term. Five candidates — three independents and two Democrats — have filed election paperwork with the city registrar’s office, but that number is expected to rise in the coming weeks.

The deadline for filing a candidacy for the Nov. 8 election is Aug. 23.

Huja said he looked at the community’s long-term interests in deciding to vote for the dam, and its construction shouldn’t be stopped once it has begun. When asked whether the issue would be a factor in this year’s election, Huja answered: “I’m not sure. It could be.”

Szakos, who also voted for the dam, said there will be plenty of candidates this year who don’t focus all their energy on the water supply.

“I’m sure it will be an issue. I wish that it weren’t,” Szakos said, pointing out that there are plenty of other important issues that the city should keep in perspective.

All five announced candidates have indicated they would have voted against the construction of a new dam.

Independent candidate Bob Fenwick, a well-known dredging activist and former council candidate, said if the water plan isn’t a major election issue already, he intends to make it one.

“These things, they drag on for a reason, and it’s usually because information is being hidden, or it’s incomplete or people don’t feel like they’re being heard,” Fenwick said. “If you don’t get justice legislatively, you have a right to have a judicial review.”

Fenwick said that even though some councilors want to get the dam started before the election, he won’t be bound by any previous council action if he’s elected.

“We’re just getting a runaround on a very important item that’s going to affect us for very many years,” Fenwick said. “My way of looking at it is, it’s never too late to stop a mistake.”

In an email, Democratic candidate James Halfaday said he would’ve voted to dredge first, largely due to the environmental impact of a new dam.

Self-described Socialist Party candidate Brandon Collins, running as an independent, lists his position as “Dredge the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir now, don’t dam” on his campaign website.

Independent Scott Bandy said he’s “torn” on the issue, but he probably would have voted against the earthen dam.

Another rumored candidate is Dede Smith, a former Charlottesville School Board chairwoman who publicly took the council to task after its 3-2 January vote in favor of a larger dam.

Smith said the water plan will be an “important discussion point” in the coming months.

“It’s an interesting window into how city councilors will protect the assets,” Smith said. “That’s been a real fundamental issue in this debate, the fact that there are so many city assets at stake.”

Smith acknowledged that her name is “out there” as a potential candidate, but said she has yet to make a decision about running.

“I think there’s still plenty of time for any number of candidates to step into the race,” Smith said.

While most of the early announcements have come from independent candidates, the Democratic Party primary will be the first major milestone.

The party caucus has usually occurred in May, but it won’t be held this year until Aug. 20, a Saturday on the weekend that University of Virginia students return.

Party co-chairman Jim Nix said he’s a little worried about traffic, but hopes for a “good turnout” of 2,000 to 2,500 people.

The party will again hold a “firehouse primary,” an all-day event in which anyone signing a party pledge can vote by ranking candidates in order. In order to win the nomination, candidates must earn more than 50 percent of votes ranked 1-3. If three nominees aren’t selected in the first round of counting, an instant runoff takes place in which any clear winners or the lowest-performing candidate is removed, ranks are shuffled accordingly and votes are counted again.

Norris said the newer primary format, which the party first used in 2009, opens up the process by allowing a broader group of people to determine who the Democratic nominees will be.

“It’s going to be a free-for-fall,” Norris said.