Helgeson challenged at city forum

By Alicia Petska

Published: April 17, 2008

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

The event, organized by the League of Women Voters of Lynchburg, started with three questions written by league members and presented to all candidates. It then moved on to audience-submitted questions, most of which were directed to one particular voting ward.

Of five questions given 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 reflected a “reluctance to accept 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 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 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 in the custody of two white police officers.

More on what Ward III candidates Jeff Helgeson and Nat Marshall said at Wednesday’s election forum:

Question: City Council discussions concerning funding for schools and public safety this week reflect a reluctance to accept responsibility for public education. Offer an idea or solution that is supportive of schools.

Marshall said he considers education a priority and believes schools need the appropriate resources. “We have to put all the funds we can in education,” he said.

Helgeson said there’s been a 3.3 percent decline in enrollment at Lynchburg schools, which suggests additional employees there are unnecessary. “Let’s not consider adding folks (to the school system) when we have pressing needs in public safety,” he said.

Question: Why doesn’t City Council take action to increase school enrollment?

Marshall said the city can do its part to increase enrollment by attracting new families to the city — not by attempting to offer lower tax rates than neighboring counties but by providing superior services.
Helgeson said falling enrollment figures highlight the need for school board members who are willing to ask difficult questions about the school system’s performance.

Question: In an April 10 statement printed in The News & Advance, why did you relate issues of law enforcement and safety to a question about the Community Dialogue on Race and Racism?

Helgeson said, “It (the dialogue) came about because of an incident folks wanted to blame our police officers for, and I didn’t like that quite frankly. Police are there to protect us and protect our citizens (and need to make quick decisions). Why are we better Monday morning quarterbacks? Why can we judge these folks? I feel sorry, frankly, for some of these people getting sued” by the family of Clarence Beard Jr.

Marshall said, “It just goes to show there is still racism out there, but it’s very, very subtle.” He added police need be “effective” and hoped the new chief would be willing to work with all groups within the community. “Then I think we can be a better place, a better city,” he said.