City says no to election forum

By Alicia Petska

Published: March 16, 2008

The League of Women Voters of Lynchburg has to reassess plans after learning its customary election forum won’t be aired on public television this year.
League officials expected that the new Lynchburg government channel would pick up their biennial City Council forum after the dissolution of local public access, where the event was previously
carried.
City officials rejected the request, however, citing a policy that prohibits political content on the government channel.
“We assumed City Council would continue covering our forum because it is a matter of vital interest to the city,” League President Molly McClenon said. “We don’t see it as (a political message). It is part of the political process, but it’s also informational. I think it would be too bad not to air it.”
The league, one of a small handful of community groups that host forums for Lynchburg’s council candidates, scheduled a meeting for later this month to explore its options.
City Council elections are May 6.  Each of the city’s four wards has contested races, with nine candidates running altogether.
Last month, Lynchburg’s public access channel went dark after 30 years, under the terms of a new cable franchise contract approved by City Council.
The city, which previously used public access to air council meetings, took over the channel’s studio and set up its own all-government station. Political content is barred under a governing policy also approved by City Council.
“That’s to ensure we stay nonpartisan and nonpolitical,” Communication Director JoAnn Martin said. “We don’t do any promotion of any public meeting like that in order to avoid a conflict of interest.”
Martin, who oversees the new channel, noted it could be particularly tricky to cover campaign events involving incumbent council members. This year, three of the City Council seats up for grabs have incumbents running.
“We just stay out of that whole world,” Martin said. “We’re not covering any political events.”
The women’s league is a nonpartisan voter advocacy group. McClenon said it works “very, very hard” to maintain impartiality and does not endorse candidates.
During the 2006 city election, the league moved the forum from its traditional location at the library to the City Council chambers in order to accommodate a growing audience. Broadcasting the debate on television, as well, has proved useful to the public, McClenon said.
“We know people are watching it because they’ve talked about it,” she said.
At-large City Councilman Scott Garrett, who’s not up for election this year, said he felt content decisions concerning the government channel should be left up to city staff. Garrett has taken an interest in the new station, suggesting programs ranging from gang prevention education to spotlights on positive happenings within city neighborhoods.
He said he recognized final programming choices were not his to make, though.
“I don’t think it’s going to be our call at all,” he said. “I think it’s going to be JoAnn’s call and (City Manager Kimball Payne’s) call.”
He added he felt there was value to broadcasting election forums, but questioned if the city should air only the women’s league event and not others.

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