Who Won the Debate?

I don’t have a dog in this fight, but Parker Agelasto shows a lot of poise for a first timer and also got the endorsement of the Richmond Crusade for Voters.

I no longer have a dog in this fight either because I now live in another district so I’m curious as to why I keep seeing comments that Lee should backout.
Why her? Why not Agelasto? Lee has lived in the City longer and has been a civic minded resident. Agelasto doesn’t seem to have the same background so why is he getting more support? I have not met either candidate but from what I’ve read I don’t get it.

Interesting how some people love to comment on things they know nothing about. I have actually had a vibrant campaign running since last year, when I started attending neighborhood meetings and events. Mr. Agelasto was not present then, because his epiphany to public service arrived two days before the filing deadline. I would encourage voters to truly vet the candidates. Not on the fluff and stuff of race, gender, home location or dollars in a campaign fund, but on actual experience, productivity, and knowledge. Only when this happens can we avoid having goobers in elected office. Mr. Agelasto has continually proved his ability to parrot resident concerns, but has failed to show his ability to get to the root of an issue. Example: Agelasto says we need to focus on middle schools because families leave the city or opt for private school when their children are about to enter this education level. True? Yes. But it is a superficial analysis at best. As the parent of a 7 year old who has actually spent a great deal of time in RPS schools for the past 2 years, I know that the core issue is the insufficient number of high performing elementary schools. Since several elementary schools feed into a single middle school, challenges increase in maintaining achievement when high and low performing schools funnel to a single school. Elementary school is where the foundation for learning and the core skills needed to learn are acquired. When we can adequately prepare all children in elementary school, we will alleviate the middle school issue. I am supportive of expanding the middle school IB program because every child who qualifies to participate should have a slot, not as the magic wand fix for middle school challenges. The latter position is mere pandering and the equivalent of putting a band aid over a severed artery. Currently, Munford is all but closed to out of zone students and Fox and the charter school are close behind. Waiting lists are the new norm. My point here is that we are swiftly approaching the point that the coveted high performing elementary schools will be unable to service the number of people wishing to use them. So in the near future, we will begin loosing families pre-elementary instead of pre-middle school, especially if we manage to actually expand the tax base by adding new residents. As a city, do we want to install a quick fix for a couple of hundred people or do we want to eradicate the problem altogether? Richmond has a history of top coating things our leadership lacks the ability to truly address. I would like to see this end. I do have a long record of civic leadership. When I held my first meeting as President, I invited the police to attend and received a call back inquiring where the neighborhood was located. I am serious. Today, all of city hall knows where Woodland Heights is as do many residents across this city. I took over a defunct and broke association and produced a coordinated machine that now funds local churches, schools, the library and parks as well as neighborhood and community wide events. We have a logo merchandise line, website, storage facilities and 501c3 status. I led the neighborhood to victories against inappropriate ABC licenses and development issues. I chaired the committee that brought Federal and State historic designation to the 80 city blocks of the neighborhood, the largest volunteer effort in state history and served as a consultant for the second largest effort for the Forest Hill neighborhood, located in 4th district. Under my leadership all 80 blocks were inventoried for tree loss and we worked with the city to see 250 new trees planted in a single year. The crossing guard at Patrick Henry, the infrastructure work at the school entrance on 34th st, the traffic circle on W 32nd St are all my projects and I haven’t even gotten to my other leadership posts. Now let us look at my opponents. Mr. Jewell: main roads were repaved in 2008. Mr. Agelasto: When challenged at debates by Mr. Jewell over his zero participation in community leadership (note the irony here), Mr. Agelasto replied he had tried to participate by contacting Marty but never received a call back. Really. Wow, I am blown away by that level of initiative.
As for how much money a candidate has, are we not currently embroiled in talks about campaign finance reform? Who thinks that will ever happen, if people vote based on that criteria. Elected officials spend money like they spent money as candidates. Does our current economic situation not scream that a change is needed? And let us look at our current representatives across government levels, most of whom received the most contributions. Happy with the group? Do you feel Congress truly represents the best and brightest we have to offer? Do you all love Eric Cantor who leads Wayne Powell in money by a huge margin? I will give you some insider information. I just bought another 5000 door hangers for $238.00 including shipping. There are about 22,350 people in 5th district, about 15,000 registered voters, many of whom are at a single address. So when you see a candidate with loads of money, you should be asking what it is for. I have a website (www.ElectLee.com), door hangers, business cards, vehicle magnets, signs & holders, large banner, etc. Instead of sitting back and asking for you all to pay for these, I cultivated relationships with providers who donated the campaign items. The point is, the power to change things rests with the voters. The way you vote reflects your values. Please remember that the surrounding regions and delegates across this state that have historically had a low opinion of our leadership choices are watching this election. The level of assistance we receive over the next 4 years will be affected by those who are seated in January. Since my family has been involved in county politics for decades, I can assure you they are vetting candidates on substantive criteria and they are watching to see if you all do the same. So, please Mr. Woodson, if you feel compelled to talk to a candidate about dropping out then go and talk to Parker. Clearly, you are desperate enough to be rid of Marty that you would vote for anyone regardless of qualifications, but I am running and being supported by people who see no point in replacing a do nothing man with another do nothing man. In the next 2 weeks, my team and I will complete visiting every door, church and business in the district. I walk with people who give testimony to my service and skills, as we did in Maymont yesterday, where my signs were added to the line up. If we have not seen you yet, we will see you soon. I can always be reached by email ShewmakeLee@yahoo.com or by phone 230-7684 or 212-6847. Thank you for reading my lengthy post.

No offense Todd. We both want to see new leadership, we just vary on the where the bar is set for the successor. Laying out the differences between candidates in the substantive areas of work history, community leadership, etc. is just part of the political process. I wish you the best the best as well.

It’s amazing the Lee has the time to monitor and respond to these boards to such length. Perhaps, a better use of time is to walk the neighbors like Park.

Dear IS,

Was out this morning, back out this evening. See you soon.