Council OKs anti-war resolution; Galvin abstains

The Charlottesville City Council earned a standing ovation Tuesday night after passing a “peace resolution” that calls on the U.S. Congress and the White House to end foreign wars and refrain from military action in Iran.

At the urging of many members of the public in attendance, the council voted 4-0 to pass the resolution with only minor amendments to the wording, essentially leaving the document intact.

The resolution calls on Congress and the president to “end foreign ground and drone wars” and “refrain from entering new military ventures in Iran” and redirect military spending to domestic priorities.

Councilor Kathy Galvin proposed amendments to make it clear that the council supports both the troops and the office of the president, and she also suggested that the resolution should not specifically name Iran. Galvin abstained from the vote after her changes were disregarded by other councilors.

In my view, I was strengthening the document, not just simply limiting it,” Galvin said. “… By being so prescriptive, the original resolution seemed to presume that our local government really did have access to national intelligence … We don’t have that. We don’t even have executive powers at the local level … I felt it was making it much more of a broadly supported document because of the people who have given their limbs and lives for what they believe is right.”

Galvin, attending her second meeting as a councilor, originally registered a no vote, but made it clear that she actually wished to abstain.

Mayor Satyendra Huja said he supported Galvin’s changes, specifically highlighting the proposal to take out mentions of Iran.

“It seems a bit far-reaching,” Huja said.

Despite his concerns, the mayor ended up voting for the resolution, saying he supported the overall sentiment.

After pushing for the inclusion of the Iran wording, Councilor Dave Norris explained why he felt it was “critically important” to the resolution.

“That’s where the warmongering is happening now,” Norris said. “I think for us not to name it, we’d be shirking our responsibility.”

Councilor Kristin Szakos said she saw no reason to change the resolution’s text.

“I am very supportive of this resolution,” Szakos said. “I’ve been working on issues of war and peace since I wrote my first protest song when I was 7.”

The meeting’s public comment period was largely dominated by residents urging the councilors to pass the resolution.

Local author and anti-war activist David Swanson, who wrote an early draft of the resolution, was the first up to speak. After offering the council a potted “peace lily,” Swanson asked everyone in the council chambers who supported peace to stand up, and a large majority of the audience did.

“If this is not relevant, why are there so many people here and why did they just stand up?” Swanson said. “You and I are threatening Iran, unless we say otherwise … Let’s begin to end the institution of war.”

The contingent of attendees at Tuesday’s meeting interested in the peace resolution was large enough that councilors swapped the order of items on the agenda, addressing the wording of the peace resolution before a critical hearing and vote on the 50-year water supply plan.