(Last update – Danville City Council Race – Update #3)
We’re about one month away from the general election for Danville’s City Council. So, has anything changed? Any big moves? Any buzz out on the streets?
The answer to those questions is “Not really.” but the next few weeks should get things moving. The Danville-Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce is holding a candidate forum next Tuesday and the Danville Ministerial Alliance has one coming up the week after that. We’ll be watching these closely to see what happens.
Let’s go to each of the candidates…
Incumbents:
- Adam Tomer – Tomer’s been very quiet so far in this race and is the only one that I haven’t seen signs for. With him being in a relatively safe position, that’s not a bad strategy at this point in the race.
- Gary Miller – Miller has also been quiet in this race so far and just like above, the power of his incumbency supports that strategy. As one of the top doctors in this area, Miller could use that angle in regards to the budding Lifepoint/Centra Health competition controversy to stand out from the rest of the field. But as for now, he’s playing it safe.
Challengers:
- Alonzo Jones – Jones is now running local TV commercials that are well done and his signs are appearing all over Danville. His first TV appearance of Jessica Griffith’s “Danville Tonight” show was met with mixed reviews but that hasn’t seemed to hurt his campaign at all.
- John Gilstrap – Gilstrap is also running local TV commercials that look good and he’s got signs appearing. Gilstrap has some detractors from his days over the Danville Parks & Recreation department but they haven’t had much of a negative impact on his campaign. His campaign’s website is horrible, although he appears to be the only candidate with one (a very surprising fact).
- Thomas Motley – Motley’s advertising so far has been signs. His first appearance on Jessica Griffith’s show cleared the air on his “refusal to talk about the past”, but he’s still got to show more positions on the issues besides Danville Utilities. His idea to build a hydroelectric plant on the Dan River to produce low-cost is quite bizarre. Motley has got a way to go to have a competitive chance in this race.
Updated OddsMakers of winning the election:
- Adam Tomer – 100% (No change but if we could go higher than 100%, it would apply here.)
- Gary Miller – 96% (Slightly up)
- Alonzo Jones – 98% (No change)
- John Gilstrap – 83% (Up)
- Thomas Motley – 23% (Down)
Recap: I have to wonder how much the rest of the Danville voters actually care about this election. There’s very little talk from the public so far. We’re looking to these upcoming candidate forums, but I wonder if others will attend or watch? Time shall tell…
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I recall John Gilstrap standing in my driveway one evening staring at the city-owned disaster that is the Coates Community Center. As the rap music thundered from the abomination, he turned to me and said, “Jim, I can’t do my job.”
And this clown has the gall to run for Council?
[…] Danville City Council Race – Update #4 | SouthsideCentral […]
It is unfortunate that more citizens are not involved in local elections. The house, senate, govenor and presidential elections may garner more excitement, but rhetoric does not solve issues or explore growth possibilities. Decisions about how your taxes are spent locally is implemented by locally elected officials. Talks about sewer lines, garbarge pick-up, zoning issues, may not be pretty or exciting, but they are absolutely relevant to the viability of a community. The city can not shut down. To keep it running effectivly, citizens must be effectively involved. Get to know the candidates in these local elections, and vote for the candidate that best mirrors your concerns.