I believe very strongly that it is important to act in the best interests of the Democratic Party at the same time we are trying to do the right thing.  There are lots of tensions in politics and we try to balance these things out.

I just want to be very clear about this.  I don't think that anyone in Virginia can claim to have done more for the Democratic Party in 2006 than Lowell, Josh and myself.  The three of us were also heavily involved in the successful campaign of 2005.  The people who attack Charlie Hall or his supporters are just trying to cover up their own failings.

I sincerely welcome anyone who wants to support an advocate of open government such as Charlie Hall.  All politicians should be public servants.  The door should be open to all  constituents.  I have principles and among them are listening to people I don't agree with.  I want more politicians who believe in open, inclusive government.  It starts at the local level.  Fairfax County has not been a model of open government. It is about much more than listening at pro forma meetings.  It is about action on behalf of our stressed neighborhoods.  That action or representation (a more explicit concept perhaps), of course, begins when a candidate takes office.  You don't wait for an election year to declare yourself "Green" or "opposed to sprawl."  We were not born yesterday.  Seeking better leadership than we've gotten from Connolly and Linda Smyth, who I assume is a nice person by the way, does not make me any less of a Democrat.

You recently resigned from the Fairfax County Democratic Committee and you have repeatedly attacked our county's top Democratic officeholder who doesn't even have a primary opponent. (You can call Gerry a lot of things, but Republican isn't one of them.)

Furthermore, you are supporting a candidate -- Charlie Hall -- who sought advice on how to beat a Democrat from Republican congressman and strategist Tom Davis, and Hall freely admits he also contemplated running as an independent.

Hall should run as an independent in November, just like Gail "The Rail" Parker.  He doesn't belong in a Democratic primary any more than you do.

Of course, the rest of us Democrats who worked our butts off for Tim Kaine and Jim Webb and also support Linda Smyth's reelection as Providence supervisor learned from your posting tonight that we are not worthy to stand in your shadow since you and your two amigos did more for the Democratic Party in 2005 and 2006 than anyone else in Virginia.

I think this line will be one for the history books... "I don't think that anyone in Virginia can claim to have done more for the Democratic Party in 2006 than Lowell, Josh and myself.  The three of us were also heavily involved in the successful campaign of 2005.  The people who attack Charlie Hall or his supporters are just trying to cover up their own failings." -- Lee Diamond.

But the citizens only get three minutes and no chance for rebuttal unless offered by the Board. I have never seen this courtesy extended to anyone unless their position is favorable to that of the Board's. More times than I can count, a citizen has completed their testimony and a Supervisor launches into an attack on them. If that person tries to rebut or correct a mischaracterization, they are sternly told that they have no rebuttal and they are to sit down. Then the berating continues in earnest. Several times citizens have been threatened with being removed from the chamber by the police. This has happened even when they were not out-of-line.

Linda Smyth and Gerry Connolly are particularly guilty of all of this. So just because you support someone who carries a label of "Democrat" doesn't means you're supporting the ideals of the Democratic Party.

We feel that it is our turn to finally get the true revitalization that we have been awaiting ever since moving to this area. It is not in the cards with the current makeup of the BOS. Instead Tysons Corner, Reston and other areas of western Fairfax are slated to get the financing and budgetary support for a makeover while the Mount Vernon Route 1 corridor remains a tawdry, crime plagued, traffic choked, eyesore. Many of us are fed up with our local elected officials in their fealty to BOS Chairman Connelly and the development community that is principally focused on western Fairfax. Any candidate that has a chance to knock off those in the BOS that can change the dynamic of how the entire Board functions and bring about some budgetary and redevelopment equity to Fairfax County gets my support. I sincerely hope that Charlie Hall clobbers Linda Smith and sends a clear message to the Chairman and to the other District Supervisors that citizens are the ones they serve, not the developers.
Martin 

We can no longer sit on the sidelines and be blinded by:  "Did Charlie talk to Tom Davis or did he not."  So what if he did.  Does that make Charlie any less of Democrat than Smyth who voted in Republican primaries?

Sure the statement about biting off Connolly's head was probably  "not so good" comment when Smyth made it.  But it is at the bottom of the heap of bad decisions made by  Smyth.  Lets look at it....the statement about biting off Connolly head does not result in gridlock at every intersection.  Aren't we concerned that for these big developments green roofs are counted as open space.  What about some on site open spaces where these young new residents can through a frisbee or play soccer?

Lets move on to the real issues.  We are ready for a change.  Vote for Charlie Hall on June 12 and we can elect a Supervisor who will listen to his constitutents.

Chairman
  Clark Tyler

Arts Council
  Jo Hodgin

Braddock District
  Janyce Hedetniemi

Chamber Commerce #1
  Michael Lewis

Chamber Commerce #2
  Brenda Krieger

Chamber Commerce #3
  Kohann Whitney

Countywide #1 (Vice-Chairman)
  George Barker

Countywide #2
  Stephanie Mensh

Countywide #3
  The Honorable James M. Scott

Dranesville District #1
  Wade H.B. Smith

Dranesville District #2
  Irv Auerbach

Dranesville District #3
  Carrie Lake

Dranesville District #4
  The Honorable Stuart Mendelsohn

EQAC
  Stella M. Koch

Federation of Citizens Association
  Douglas Denneny

Hunter Mill District #1
  Frank A. de la Fe (ex-officio)

Hunter Mill District #2
  Bruce Wright

Hunter Mill District #3
  Michelle Krocker

Hunter Mill District #4
  Hank Chao

Lee District
  J. Douglas Koelemay

Mason District
  William Lecos

McLean Chamber
  Pamela Beck Danner

Mt. Vernon District
  Kahan Singh Dhillon, Jr

Providence District #1
  Kenneth A. Lawrence (ex-officio)

Providence District #2
  Scott Monett

Providence District #3
  George W. Lamb

Springfield District
  Philip Sparks

Sully District
  Irfan Ali

TYTRAN #1
  Eric Bahr

TYTRAN #2
  John Harrison

TYTRAN #3
  Keith Turner

Town of Vienna Planning Comm.
  Edward Chase

Tysons Neigh. North of Rt. 123
  Sally Liff

Tysons Neigh. South of Rt. 123
  Amy Tozzi

Tysons Neigh. Westwood
  Thomas Parke

Vienna - Tysons Chamber
  Willard "Billy" Thompson
 

After reading through this post and another recent post concerning the Providence race, I saw a number of comments discussing (more like arguing) about smart/high density growth and NIMBY. 

To help clear up these arguments (I hope), can you discuss your position and definition of smart growth, how it relates to the MetroWest project, and how/why you feel Linda Smyth isn't practicing this vision of smart growth.

Fairfax Citizens for Responsible Growth, Inc. (FairGrowth) supports the concept of "Transit Oriented Development" - TOD, or "smart growth" - which encourages residents to live, shop, work and play in a pedestrian-friendly environment that reduces the need to use cars.

FairGrowth is concerned that the Metro West proposal for the former Fairlee development at Vienna Metro is being portrayed as a TOD project, when in fact it violates many core TOD principles.  There are many reasons why Metro West, which would place roughly 5,000 new residents on Route 66, just one exit from the Beltway, is likely to fail to live up to its pedestrian-friendly portrayal, resulting in another townhouse/condo canyon that would be the complete opposite of transit-oriented development.

Source:  FairGrowth website

Also, would you advocate a tunnel?  What if a tunnel is not affordable?

Why is this traffic impact data important in terms of the redevelopment of the 1700 acres in Tysons Corner?

It seems the projects are being approved by Smyth one by one with no thought of the cumulative impacts of traffic generated by each.

How would  you organize the Tysons Corner Task Force to be more inclusive of residents whose neighborhoods would be directly impacted by the proposed development?

Or do you think these residents should even be on the task force?

Although I remain disappointed by Linda's ongoing reluctance to face open questions from the public, I will do everything in my power to contribute to a dignified, thoughtful discussion of issues that many Fairfax citizens are deeply concerned about. There will be no publicity gags, like empty chairs or blow-up photos. I want to welcome everyone to attend, including people who consider yourselves to be supporters of Linda Smyth.

Elections are a rare opportunity for the public to directly step in and state their values. I believe all candidates, including incumbents, have a duty to interact as freely as the public as they can, to help voters make fully informed choices. I hope to make openness and accessibility to voters' questions a hallmark of the next four years.

And now for the questions. I'll try to shorten my answers to get to as many as I can. Thank you for your interest.

I think that pretty much sums it all up right there.

Thanks for a great question.

In my first Raising Kaine, posting, I referred to Jim Webb's eloquent State of the Union reply, especially his comment on the economy.

As Webb said, "In the early days of our republic, President Andrew Jackson established an important principle of American-style democracy ¬that we should measure the health of our society not at its apex, but at its base. Not with the numbers that come out of Wall Street, but with the living conditions that exist on Main Street. We must recapture that spirit today."

Being a reform Democrat at the local level means capturing the best spirit of the national and state parties.
Here are a few that come to mind:

Looking out for the average guy, in the face of special interests.

Open debate, and acceptance of differing views.

Increasingly, I'm happy to say, fiscal responsibility, as Mark Warner showed so ably as our governor.

Concern for the less fortunate.

Accountability.

Running against Linda Smyth does not mean I oppose every program and priority of the current board. But as I talk with voters in the community, I hear a great deal of unrest and dissatisfaction. I hope to get to most of these before the night is over, but it has to be a cause of concern that so many Fairfax residents believe the board is far more deferential to developers than to the general community. I have never questioned the personal honesty of anyone on the board, but there is a crisis of trust in Fairfax right now. A recent Post article showed that Gerry Connolly gets nearly 40% of his donations from the land use industry. He told the Post that the numbers show the diversity of his fund-raising, but many in the general public read it very differently. The perception of developers being too strong a special interest is even reflected in the discussions of this race, and one core goal I have as a reform Democrat is to restore a widespread perception of an even playing field when it comes to land use questions.

How would  you organize the Tysons Corner Task Force to be more inclusive of residents whose neighborhoods would be directly impacted by the proposed development?

Or do you think these residents should even be on the task force?

It seems to me that the BOS had "learned" from the Hunter Mill Special Study to make sure a study group/task force is stacked against local residents.

As supervisor, would you call for a transportation study to identify the cumulative traffic impact generated by the 4 major land use projects in Providence?  (Vienna Metro West, Merrifield, Dunn Loring, and Macerich.) 

Why is this traffic impact data important in terms of the redevelopment of the 1700 acres in Tysons Corner?

It seems the projects are being approved by Smyth one by one with no thought of the cumulative impacts of traffic generated by each.

I'm going to this question because it's the most urgent issue before Fairfax.

Linda and I both "prefer" a tunnel, but that's just scratching the surface of this discussion, and it gets to the heart of our very different styles of leadership.

Right now, the state won't even consider a tunnel proposal, and right now it won't insist on competitive bidding on a $4 billion project, turning this vast job over to the company (Bechtel) that gave Boston the Big Dig.

On June 18, the board is scheduled to vote on whether to commit local funding to Tysons rail, allowing it to move forward. As of this moment, that means committing us to funding an elevated train through Tysons.

TysonsTunnel.org has urged the board not to put up its money, unless the state relents and agrees to competitive bidding and allows a tunnel proposal. I strongly agree. Where does Linda stand on this? If she votes yes, it means her "preference" for a tunnel is basically, and sorry for the harsh word, a wimpy, empty gesture. Her vote, her real action will be for the elevated train.

I think the community couldn't be clearer on this issue. The overwhelming number of voters I talk to think a 4-mile-long through the heart of Tysons is a disaster, and so do I. We must do everything possible to get a tunnel, and if we fail, it's far preferable to refuse the elevated alternative.

I've heard people say we'll never get the federal money again, but I believe the need for a functioning transit system is to great in the nation's capital. It's better to wait a year or two and do what is right. You don't just keep steaming toward an iceberg because you think you're in a hurry, and that's what Linda and her fellow supervisors appear ready to do right now.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

I used to think I felt deadline pressure as a newspaper reporter. It's nothing compared to answering so many thoughtful questions within an hour. I apologize for the typos, and it's possible that I'll have to send a revision or two if I accidentally mistate a thought.

Thanks for your understanding.

We are so grateful that  you are responding to our frustration that have been beaten back for 4 long years.  You not only listen, you hear, and you respond. 

Bottom line is it's a high-risk strategy. Communities like Arlington that did it right can get huge payoffs with broad community support. Do it sloppily, or by cutting corners to appease developers, and you can destroy your road network and other core systems. That, not NIMBYism, is why voters I talk to are so concerned.

My earlier posting:

"We're Not NIMBYs"--Charlie's thoughts on transit growth (0.00 / 0) 
You can find this entire discussion in www.notlarrysabato.org, but I was answering a note from Doug of Mount Vernon that was similar to what you've read already in this discussion.
Dear Doug,

I appreciate your comment because it gives me a chance to set the record straight on a big piece of misinformation that has been widely spread in recent years.

I have never opposed transit-oriented development, nor has a group I helped found called FairGrowth. If you look at our extensive writings on the subject, we have always supported the concept. I think you'll also find, if you look at www.charliehall2007.org, you won't find anything that is anti-development, and certainly nothing that promotes the sprawl-development strategy you outlined above.

At MetroWest, we urged less density to allow, among other things, more ground-level greenspace. At MetroWest, at least 10 acres of trees will be cut needlessly to allow maximum density, and much of the open space is up on fifth-floor balconies. Even Manhattan has parks, and it's vital to the ground-level living environment. Fairfax's new high-rise projects generally have minimal greenery on the ground level.

We also had grave concerns about the county's lack of any meaningful enforcement on traffic strategies. It's nice that the developer promises to cut morning rush hour traffic by 50 percent, but it's never been done in a suburb like this, and the county still has no staff to enforce such programs.

Please be aware that as a newspaper reporter covering Arlington County, I had many opportunities to learn about the history and function of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. When done right, with extensive community involvement, adequate infrastructure and a full mix of uses, it can create a wonderfully vital environment. Done wrong, as a developer-driven process that ignores community needs in the name of maximum density and profit, it can do real damage to our community.

My hope, as supervisor, is to help Fairfax incorporate the best of the Arlington model, where transit-oriented development was so successfully pioneered. Many of us from FairGrowth encouraged the county to establish a countywide policy defining transit-oriented development, because it had none at the time of MetroWest, and we worked many hours to develop that policy in a committee masterfully led by Planning Commissioner Walter Alcorn.

When the Board of Supervisors approved this policy earlier this year, it included many citizen contributions, including language on community involvement that I jointly wrote with a land-use attorney.

Arlington proved that there is no contradiction between community-based planning and well-crafted urban development.

I'm very proud of the citizen contributions in moving Fairfax toward a better model of doing transit-oriented development.

One of my great disappointments was that a thoughtful, positive dialogue was often detoured by inaccurate labels like "Nimby." Another is that the current Board of Supervisors was so grudging, and at times hostile, in acknowledging any validity to concerns that many citizens treat as self-evident.

As supervisor, I hope to make it easier on citizens to be positive and active contributors to our county's future.

My goal is balanced development, with working roads, schoools and parks. I hope this answer clarifies the concerns that citizens have raised in recent years.

Best regards,

Charlie

I attended some of those meetings and I want to set the record straight....although there was disagreement, I never heard anyone from the development committee or special interest group call anyone NIMBYS. 

What I saw, however, were people from different interest groups work together.

No need for an answer.

Good luck.

Sam

Charlie:  Linda Smyth touts her record as an environmentalist, and she has done some good things.  What do you think of her environmental policies and achievements, and what would you do differently as Supervisor?

As I said at last week's debate, the good news is that there's no one in this race who's against protecting the environment. Linda is emphasized this in her efforts, and I honor her for that. Likewise, the county has started some promising programs, like Cool Counties and the tree initiative formally announced on Earth Day.

Funding these of course will be a big challenge, but the greatest challenge is simply a commitment to follow through at all levels, including the regulation of developers.

For instance, even as the county agrees to plant new trees, decisions Linda directly or indirectly approved have threatened the needless destruction of more than 15 acres of mature trees (at MetroWest, Nottoway Park and along the W&Od trail and within the Wedderburn project). These mature trees, including a beautiful walking trail at Nottoway, are precious resources that should not be lightly jeopardized.

Likewise, all local jurisidictions have fallen hopelessly behind in implementing regional efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay.

It is not acceptable that we have not started necessary watershed management for Accotink Creek, which lies entirely within Fairfax County and is our responsibility. The City of Fairfax has already commenced independent action to help protect the headwaters of Accotink Creek within its jurisdiction, but it is past time for the County to take the lead. As Providence District Supervisor, I would make this a priority.

Finally, of course, is the relationship between gridlock and air pollution. As the Post reported in the last month, Northern Virginia's output of greenhouse gases grew 18 percent from 2003-05, about THREE times the national average.

Turning ourselves into the Los Angeles of the east is not helping that situation. We need to take every step to emulate the single greatest achievement of Arlington's Rosslyn-Ballston corridor--the fact that 70% of the residents there have 1 or zero cars. It's a huge task to replicate that further in the suburbs, but we have to try.

Do you believe that this is an important component of transit oriented development and what would you do about it?

Also, democracy does take time. It doesn't always happen in the three-minute segments that citizens get at the board meetings. That's why I place such a strong emphasis on town hall meetings and other community get-togethers. A supervisor is a very local representative, not a congressman or a senator or supreme court justice. As often as possible, we should be out in the community. That's been my experience over the past three years, and I believe it would be very exciting to make this part of the fabric of our government, not just our every-four-year campaigns.

The other side can say they're open and responsive to the general public, but to be honest, I'm not sure I see the willingness in practice. I hope in the near future that Linda and Gerry will open themselves to this type of experience. I'll go another half-hour because this has been very rewarding.

In another diary today, someone called me a one-issue candidate. I don't believe that's true at all, but in truth, our board of supervisors has failed egregiously in the area of development, traffic and protecting our vital infrastructure.

Some questions: where do I differ from Linda Smyth? The community has continually asked the county to do basic infrastructure assessments, such as impartial traffic studies, before voting to change the comprehensive plan. For those lucky enough not to be land use junkies, this is the first, very-hard-to-reverse step that sets greater development in motion. The county historically does only very limited traffic studies, paid for by the developer and presented in a form that is all but meaningless to citizens, in a very limited area around the development, AFTER they have already committed to new density.

It is manifestly an inadequate, broken system, unless you love gridlock, but our supervisors, very notably including Linda, keep approving new development in this way without ever batting an eyebrow.

Is there a positive here? Only one. The citizens and voters I talk to know this is wrong, and that's a powerful engine for change. This issue probably stirs more anger than any other, and more suspicion about the board's motives.

I was asked what I think about counting fifth-floor terraces in high-rise condo projects as open space.

At MetroWest, supposedly 35 percent of the project is open space, but the little patches of grass at the ground level are generally tucked into private courtyards. There is no sense of a big recreational park. At Merrifield, in one proposed high-rise project, the ONLY "open space" is a second-floor terrace. The only ground level "open space" is an asphalt road.

People actually laugh when I explain this. But the unfunny truth is that when you pack a 1000 or 5,000 residents into a complex, they need places to play, and shop, send their kids to school and walk their dogs.

And speaking of schools. They are crowded in Fairfax. We have 700 stand-alone trailers. I've seen elementary school lunches start as early as 10:30 and high school lunches start as early as 9:45 a.m. Where I come from, that's called brunch, or even breakfast. But it's necessary right now because the only way to feed so many kids is in shifts.

At Mosby Woods elementary, a principal was asked how more kids might affect their 10:30 am lunch hour, and she said, "I guess we'll have to start lunch earlier."

I would end this answer with a plea to those who ridicule opponents of such excess by labeling them as NIMBYs. These are someone's kids who are being educated in deteriorating conditions. These are our parks. If you start breaking down these jewels of our community, just to allow the maximum, maximum density on a site, what public interest are you really serving?

I am grateful that citizens did protest, and demand that the county call for balanced communities that protect our basic infrastructure. Citizens are the experts on how new development will affect their quality of life. All books on "Smart Growth" say that weighing such citizen concerns is vital to the success of transit development.

One of the most worrisome things is the way our development-friendly board has sat in silence as citizens got dissed and dismissed over the last four years for trying to speak up for their community. As supervisor, I will listen to and honor any suggestions made to improve our county's future.

I'm down to three answers tonight, including one brief final thought on development.

I've been asked even by people who agree with me, how I'd hold my values if I got elected. It's by doing this. If I stay in regular contact, you'll let me know if I drift off course.

I mentioned town halls above. Another idea I've played with is doing at least one drop-in session every month where people can talk to me without an appointment.

But blogging is new to me, and it's a great tool because it puts me on the record. I may misstate something, and have to correct it, but I can't just pretend I didn't say it. I think my forearms would fall off if I tried this every night, but if Providence voters honor me with this job, I will add this to my regular mix of tools.

Until the last few weeks, it never occurred to me that anyone would think I was a Republican--certainly not my next door neighbor at the American Bar Association who is an ardent member of the GOP, and who has never offered me a membership application.

So I was disturbed a few weeks ago when I learned that volunteers working for Linda Smyth were telling my supporters as fact that a) I'm a Republican; b) I'm working as a Trojan horse for Tom Davis; and c) all my considerable campaign funding is coming from Tom Davis.

Late last week, I learned from a Washington Post reporter where the ultimate source of these rumors was coming: Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly. As the Post reported today, in a story listed elsewhere on RK, Connolly personally approached reporter Bill Turque last Thursday night and pressed this claim upon him.

It's tempting to duck the question above about my party label, but I want to respect those who genuinely fear some kind of subterfuge.

As the Post article noted toward the end, I did participate in one meeting with Tom Davis early in the year, and I'd like to flesh out the background of what I told Bill Turque, so that there are no misconceptions.

I am not a career politician. Three years ago, before I and several others formed Fairfax Citizens for Responsible Growth (FairGrowth), it never occurred to me I'd be a candidate for office. As it became clear I was on a short list of people willing to consider running against Linda, we were filled with many uncertainties, because FairGrowth had never operated as a political entity and remains nonpartisan today.

It was always my instinct to run as a Democrat--if I ran at all. Others familiar with the 2003 firehouse primary remain convinced that it would be difficult or impossible to win in such a process and worked very hard to persuade potential candidates, including me, to run as an independent.

One necessary piece of information in even evaluating this recommendation, which was made fervently and in good conscience by a number of people, was knowing whether any Republicans were planning to run. It was a question that only a Republican could answer.

I think the more interesting question that some folks don't seem very curious about is what happened after that meeting. I never met with Tom again. I never contacted anyone on his staff. Nor have they contacted me. As I told the Post, Gerry Connolly has spent far more time in Tom Davis's company than I have.

More importantly, there is no relationship between Tom Davis or his staff and my campaign.

For a whole host of reasons, my unease with the independent route grew to the point where I made it clear to my supporters that, whatever their fears, I would only run as a Democrat. And that's where we are today.

As the Post pointed out, neither Linda and I have the classic party-activist histories. She actually voted in three Republican primaries, emerging with clear memories of one of those votes, and she did not join the Democratic committee in Fairfax till 2003, the year she ran for supervisor.

What is the significance of all this? I'd like to say it's overblown. I believe we have two authentic, present-day Democrats in the race.

But I do believe real Democrats tolerate differing views. It's unfortunate that the current party has tried to ostracize its opponents as Republicans. There was a terribly misguided attempt to force Becky Cate out the county Democratic Party after she ran against Linda in 2003, and Connolly all but called FairGrowth a Republican front from the moment it gained public attention.

I think there are plenty of legitimate issues to discuss. I'm disappointed that anyone--whether it's Linda's volunteers, Gerry Connolly or some of the posters above--would casually tar a fellow Democrat to gain an advantage in an election.

I have no reason to think Linda is personally behind this, or was even aware of it until today's Post article, but I hope she will step up and call on all her supporters to set this aside as a non-issue for the rest of this campaign. And in the absence of any evidence beyond the much-discussed Davis meeting, I hope the rest of Linda's supporters will accept that I am a Democrat whose thinking reflects that of many Democrats in Fairfax County.

That's why we're holding this Democratic primary on June 12, and not as an election in November.
 

I want to return to a question that underlies much of tonight's discussion.

I said at the debate that on the big issues of the last four years, I found Linda Smyth to be a passive leader, almost an invisible leader.

I know her supporters will dispute this, but I do believe campaigns reveal the real people beneath the PR image. One aspect of Linda the candidate strongly resembles Linda the supervisor whom I've known since 2004: She truly seems unconfortable with the give-and-take dialogue we urgently need to help Fairfax citizens adjust to a host of historic changes.

I first noticed this with the elaborate negotiations and heavy restritions that attended the League of Women Voters debate. Later it continued with the RK invitation for both of us to jointly appear on the blog's talk show. As one of the hosts noted, Linda became the first Virginia official to refuse to appear on the show. On Thursday, I hope Linda will adjust her schedule and attend the candidate forum, but at present she won't be there. And I would love to see her and the other board members take advantage just one night of this kind of live blog exchange.

I believe, very simply, that Providence District can be a model of interactive citizen democracy; that volunteers, not hand-picked committees, can help me sort through land-use cases and develop policies to adjust to the many cultural changes our community is experiencing. By throwing open the doors of our government, we can tap into the diverse wisdom and values of our citizenry.

Win or lose June 12, I've been honored to have the opportunity to model this more open approach for a few weeks of this campaign. And tonight has felt like a very special beginning to what we can accomplish over the next four years.

Thank you again, and good night.

Charlie

When Mr Hall takes office I hope he will offer a tutorial on the art of communication to those who could use it.

Sam