Two more shoot for Ward I council seat

Alicia Petska / Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: March 3, 2008

Two new challengers have emerged in Lynchburg's City Council race - both in Ward I where incumbent Mike Gillette has already confirmed his intention to run for re-election.

On Monday, retired car dealership owner Jim Martin and environmental science professor Tom Shahady filed papers with the registrar to get on the spring ballot.

Both are running as independents.

Shahady, a professor at Lynchburg College, is a member of the city's Natural Resources Advisory Committee and the Greater Lynchburg Environmental Network. He's been a vocal critic of the city's past handling of development and environmental protection.

Martin, 64, is the former owner of Jim Martin Pontiac Buick GMC, which he sold last month after 12 years in business. He's also a member of several community groups, including Lynchburg's Noon Rotary Club, of which he is president.

In 2004, his wife, Marie Martin, ran unsuccessfully for the Ward I seat against Gillette and then-incumbent Julian Adams. This year, after discussing it for several weeks, he said he decided to throw his hat into the ring.

"I said, 'Well, I think I can do some good,'" he said.

Martin added he would make a formal announcement outlining his platform after the registrar confirms his paperwork is in order.

Shahady, 46, said his top priorities were undoubtedly development and environmental preservation. He's been before City Council numerous times to raise concerns about both issues.

"If I was on City Council, I'd be in a lot better position to address these concerns I have and people in the community have," he said. "… I'm hoping to get the environmental message out."

Shahady said the city needs to put new development under greater scrutiny, specifically mentioning a proposed big-box ordinance that would require all large-scale commercial projects to secure a special use permit - a process that involves public hearings before the planning commission and City Council.

"This doesn't mean they can't come in," he said of the suggested law. "It just allows for public hearings that would let the people have their say. If you're not in support of that, then that's a real concern."

Last year, City Council sent the big-box proposal back to the planning commission for further review. A stakeholders' meeting involving the commission, developers and environmentalists is planned for later this month. Shahady is among the invited participants.

Gillette, 44, is finishing up his first term in office. He said Monday he felt the issues facing the city were much the same as they were four years ago, specifically citing "smart development" and the preservation of the city's quality of life among them.

He said he welcomed the opposition in the election, calling it the way the system was meant to work.

Gillette, a self-employed bioethics consultant, runs as an independent.

The deadline to file for the City Council election is today. So far, three of the four wards have contested races. Only Ward II, where incumbent Ceasor Johnson is seeking re-election, has no challenger.