City hopefuls tackle questions at forum

By Alicia Petska

Published: April 17, 2008

Ward III incumbent Jeff Helgeson faced some frosty questions during Wednesday night’s election forum.

The event, organized by the League of Women Voters of Lynchburg, started out with three questions given to all candidates and then moved to audience-submitted questions, most of which were directed to a particular voting ward.

Of five questions given only to Ward III candidates, three alluded to recent statements made by Helgeson concerning schools and local race relations.

The first suggested a recent City Council debate over funding for schools and public safety showed a “reluctance to acceptance responsibility for public education.” In that debate, which occurred last Tuesday, Helgeson proposed taking funding from the city schools in order to pay for additional police officers.

Helgeson, a one-term incumbent running against challenger Nat Marshall, was not named in any of the questions. League officials pre-screened all questions to avoid personal attacks.

In his closing statement, Helgeson recognized some “difficult questions” were asked, but said he hoped his integrity wasn’t being called into question.

“You can ask about questions and motives, but don’t question integrity because that is critical,” he said.

Two other questions referenced recent statements from the city councilman. One alluded to his comments last Tuesday concerning declining school enrollment and asked why city officials don’t take action to boost those numbers.

The other referred to the Aug. 10 installment of an ongoing candidates’ survey being published by The News & Advance. The question that week was built around the Community Dialogue on Race and Racism and, in part, asked candidates to explain what role was played by city government in issues of racial inequality.

The question at Wednesday’s forum asked why Helgeson’s response referenced the need to maintain a strong police force.

Helgeson noted the dialogue was sparked by the death of Clarence Beard Jr., a black man who died during a struggle with two white police officers.

See how City Council candidates answered questions related to the School Board, development and Liberty University:

Question: What qualities do you feel are important for a School Board appointee?

Ward II
Ceasor Johnson said School Board members needed a willingness to learn and a personal investment in the public school system. People who send their children to private school have no place on the board, he feels.

David Johnston, Johnson’s Ward II opponent, did not attend the forum.

Ward III
Nat Marshall said board members needed a “deep conviction and love of” public education, and should commit to visiting schools in-person.

Jeff Helgeson said board appointees should be more than just “cheerleaders” for the school system. “The people who I like push for public accountability,” he said. “… I want somebody who’s going to press and ask the difficult questions, because the future of our children is critical.”

Ward IV
Marie Waller said she wanted a “well-rounded” person who was active in both school and community activities, and also sent their own children to the public system. “I think it’s important that person understands schools are more than just numbers and test scores,” she added.

Turner Perrow said the board needed a combination of business-minded people capable of handling the school system’s large budget and career educators who knew the challenges and priorities of the school system.

Ward I
Jim Martin said successful candidates should know the issues facing the school system and have their own children or grandchildren in public schools. He also felt some board members should have a business background.

Tom Shahady said his priority would be putting good teachers on the board. He also wanted candidates who would be strongly supportive of athletics and other after-school activities.

Mike Gillette said he wanted to see board members who take a thoughtful approach to the issues before them. He also said the board as a whole should reflect the diverse makeup of the overall community.

Question: What do you think are the issues creating conflict in matters of growth and development?

Ward IV
Marie Waller said she thinks conflict can arise at several points, but compromise should always be a goal.

Turner Perrow said the biggest challenge facing Lynchburg was the fact it’s a “landlocked” city unable to grow its borders. He said officials needed to pursue “smart growth” and stressed his own background as an engineer.

Ward I
Mike Gillette said the conflict facing the city exists between its need to grow in order to expand its tax base and the need to preserve the community’s “authentic character.” He added felt both needs can be satisfied, referencing ongoing initiatives such as the big-box ordinance.

Tom Shahady said conflict arises when the city fails to follow the “blueprint” for development laid out in the comprehensive plan. If elected, he said he would apply the vision of that plan to all rezoning requests.

Jim Martin said citizens sometimes even object to developments supported by the comprehensive plan. While he also would like to see some areas kept free of construction, he said, the city needs new development in order to expand the tax base and lessen the burden on existing residents.

Ward II
Ceasor Johnson said conflict was “inevitable,” but the city should make it a priority to pursue smart growth that was also business friendly.

Ward III
Nat Marshall said specific conflicts and trouble points change over time. The city’s responsibility was to pursue smart growth, he said, and keep in mind “the decisions we make today affect our children tomorrow.”

Jeff Helgeson said they needed to maintain the city’s quality of life and prevent dense, large-scale developments from going up next to “peaceful, serene neighborhoods.” “That’s where the conflict arises,” he said, “and rightfully so.”

Question: Should Liberty University have to pay taxes on its recreational amenities, including a new park being planned that would offer a ski slope and roller coaster?
Note: Forum organizers broke with their previous format at this point and did not require all candidates to answer or to answer by ward. The below candidates are listed in the order in which they spoke. Candidates Jim Martin (Ward I), Ceasor Johnson (Ward II), and Marie Waller (Ward IV) did not offer a response.

Jeff Helgeson (Ward III) said the city should consider all LU has already contributed to the community. “Rather than saying, ‘Oh, they’re so bad,’ let’s recognize and appreciate what they do for our economy,” he said, specifically referencing the upcoming graduation that will draw tens of thousands to the area.

Turner Perrow (Ward IV) said he would like to see the city’s existing “amusement” tax, which claims 7 percent of the intake at all ticketed events, suspended for nonprofits in order to help groups such as downtown theatres improve and perhaps one day achieve self-sufficiency.

Mike Gillette (Ward I) said tax law provides for distinctions to be made between the university’s educational and non-educational uses. Non-educational uses should be taxed fairly and he would be “happy to give it careful consideration.”

Tom Shahady (Ward I) said the proposal was a “slippery slope” and questioned how it would affect other local colleges. “I’d hate to see something like that (applied) to all schools,” he said. “I think that would be very difficult.”

Nat Marshall (Ward II) said the amenities should be taxed if they qualified as business enterprises. “Fair is fair,” he said. “If it’s a bona fide business, it should be treated as such.”

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