Former student takes on teacher for City Council seat

Alicia Petska / Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: February 13, 2008

Self-employed Lynchburg engineer Turner Perrow announced Wednesday he will seek the Ward IV seat on City Council, pitting himself against retired teacher Marie Waller.

Perrow, 33, touted the benefits his professional expertise would bring to the city as it grapples with mounting development issues.

If elected, he said he would prioritize "smart growth, fiscal responsibility, excellent schools, and a continuing commitment to public safety.

"What I am hearing now is the need to curb wasteful spending, and I will fight to keep real estate taxes and business taxes from increasing while promoting efficiencies in government spending," Perrow said from his office on Church Street, where he was joined by family and supporters.

"As a young man, I am working for the future of my growing family and for the families of our generation," he said. "Looking ahead, we must continue to provide our current quality of life and work to guarantee it for future generations."

Perrow is the youngest of the six people who've thrown their hats into the spring City Council race so far. The next youngest are Ward III incumbent Jeff Helgeson and challenger Nathaniel "Nat" Marshall, both of whom are 42.

Fellow Ward IV candidate Waller, 68, announced her candidacy on Monday.

A long-time government teacher, Waller retired from E.C. Glass High School last year. She spent a total of 45 years in education and at one time counted Perrow, an E.C. Glass graduate, among her students.

"I think it's great," she said Wednesday upon hearing his announcement. "That's what I taught these kids to do all along. Get involved."

In her own announcement, Waller included downtown revitalization, environmental stewardship and scrutiny of development among her priorities. She said City Council has to work to make Lynchburg a place both young people and senior citizens are glad to call home.

Both Perrow and Waller will run as independents. Perrow, who noted Wednesday he now has 303 petition signatures, more than twice the needed amount to get on the May ballot, said he remembered Waller as a "fantastic" educator and tough teacher.

Both Ward IV incumbent Joe Seiffert, who's retiring, and at-large Councilman Scott Garrett attended Perrow's announcement.

Seiffert, who reached out to Perrow and encouraged him to run, said he felt a responsibility to his constituents to ensure there was a "viable" candidate ready to take his place.

"Now you can see why I'm so excited," he said of Perrow. "The enthusiasm he brings and the knowledge he has. He's bright and he's articulate. He's a VMI grad. He's top-notch."

Perrow graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1996 with a degree in civil engineering. He opened his own business, Perrow Consulting Services, in 2001. Local projects he's worked on include the combined sewer overflow upgrades, the Riverfront master plan, the Ninth Street renovations and the Academy of Music, now the Academy of Fine Arts.

His community service includes sitting on the city's Natural Resources Advisory Council and on the board of the Virginia School of Arts. He's married with a 3-month-old daughter.

Waller recently was lauded for her years of service to Lynchburg Schools, which included co-founding the Advanced Placement program at E.C. Glass, coaching the Academic Competition Team and heading her social studies department. She's received teacher of the year awards from Lynchburg City Schools, the Virginia Daughters of the American Revolution and the Virginia Council for Social Studies, among others.

Ward IV snakes through the middle of Lynchburg and includes the Sandusky, Wyndhurst and Richland Hills neighborhoods. Perrow and Walker are the only candidates so far to announce in that district.

In Wards I and II, only incumbents Mike Gillette and Ceasor Johnson, respectively, have confirmed their intentions to run. In Ward III, Helgeson is facing off with challenger Marshall, a human resources director for the Babcock & Wilcox Company.

The deadline to enter the City Council race is March 4.