Johnston calls for housing help from city

By Alicia Petska

Published: April 3, 2008

Ward II City Council candidate David Johnston is calling for more city tax credits as a means of promoting both economic development and neighborhood revitalization.

Johnston, 44, pointed to such financial incentives as key to attracting new business and refurbishing some of Lynchburg’s deteriorating homes.

Ward II encompasses many of the city’s oldest houses and includes all seven local historic districts. Johnston himself owns a circa-1916 home on Park Avenue he’s been renovating for 15 years — a pace that’s put him at odds with city building inspectors and landed him in court for housing code violations.

In a recent interview, he said he thinks his renovation troubles have made him a stronger candidate for city office.

“Going through this, hopefully people will know I understand what some of them face,” he said, noting other homeowners have similar problems keeping their aging homes up to code.

“Trust me,” he said, “I have a personal understanding of what the citizens of Ward II are going through.”

Johnston, a restaurant server/manager with a degree in finance, has pushed for a more business-minded approach to city governance in his
campaign.

If elected, he said he would only consider raising taxes and fees as a “last resort” in all cases. He also said he would be a more responsive representative for the people of Ward II.

“The attitude I heard from people (while collecting signatures to get on the ballot) was hey, we’re glad you’re running because we need a voice,” he said.

His opponent in the race, one-term incumbent Ceasor Johnson, has frequently said he’s always fought for the interests of his constituents and served as a voice for the most disadvantaged in the community.

His platform has emphasized the importance of continuing projects such as the rehabilitation of Heritage High School, maintaining competitive salaries for city employees, and continuing efforts to improve race relations in the city.

Johnston, who’s making his first bid for elected office, said he would work to promote economic development through the establishment of new tax credit programs. He did not put a limit on the type of business that should be targeted in such efforts.

“Any business is better than no business,” he said. “Let’s get that out up front. Obviously, technology jobs would be best, but we can’t limit ourselves to just that. … Something is better than
nothing.”

He also said credits should be extended to those renovating older properties, pointing to his own case as an example of how difficult such projects are.

“The city needs to encourage private money to come into these buildings, otherwise they’ll continue to deteriorate,” he said, stopping short of saying whether incentives would have made a difference in his own renovation efforts.

“It’s possible. I can’t say for a fact,” he said. “I don’t want to say I can’t finish it on my own without government help. That’s not the case at all.”

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