It’s that time of year again. Here’s my SouthsideCentral endorsements for the Danville City Council election on May 1st
We’ve got five candidates for four available seats. John Gilstrap isn’t running for reelection but James Buckner, Alonzo Jones and Gary Miller are. Sheila Baynes is making her second run for office and Adam Tomer is trying to get back on council after a long absence.
We’re going to run down the field in order of endorsement levels.
James Buckner: Buckner is completing his first term and he’s done a great job. He’s led the charge to get some of his initiatives enacted. He’s also shown great learning ability and his accessibility to the citizens is amazing. I can’t really find anything to put in the negative category for him. James Buckner is definitely worthy of a second term in office.
SouthsideCentral gives James Buckner our highest endorsement. We strongly urge you to vote for him in the upcoming election.
Alonzo Jones: Jones is the current Vice Mayor and is seeking his third term on council. He’s always got that Showtime personality and he represents the city well. But there’s more to Jones than just a smiling face. Jones has developed himself into a councilman who knows exactly what’s going on, both visibly & behind the scenes. I used to think of Jones as someone who would follow along with the group, but I’ve watched him go out and take opposing stances when the need arises. I continue to be impressed with Jones, and he definitely deserves another term on council.
SouthsideCentral gives Alonzo Jones our highest endorsement. We strongly urge you to vote for him in the upcoming election.
Adam Tomer: I was always an Adam Tomer supporter in his original council run because of two reasons. First, his knowledge of all things financial. His accountant career pays off when it comes to budget time. Second, I enjoyed his willingness to say exactly what was on his mind. Watching him blast Sherman Saunders for a flip-flop budget vote was both needed and entertaining. He kept a fire to Jerry Gwaltney when he was city manager, and Tomer was instrumental in exposing the Coleman Marketplace deals. Even though he’s been out of the city loop for a while, I have no doubt that he will be up to speed instantly. I want him back on city council, and you should too.
SouthsideCentral gives Adam Tomer our highest endorsement. We strongly urge you to vote for him in the upcoming election.
Gary Miller: If it wasn’t for a bizarre election campaign, Miller would have been up at the top of the list. His campaign has tied him to issues that council has no control over like gun control. His campaign manager issued a horribly pandering proposal to erect a big American flag downtown. Huh?
I’ve had my issues with Gary Miller, having called him out directly for a horrible lie in a speech before council. He’s been on the other side of my positions on many issues. But I also know that he’s got the best interests of the city in his mind. He’s a good ambassador for the city and is worthy of reelection.
SouthsideCentral endorses Gary Miller for Danville City Council. We ask you to vote for him in the upcoming election.
Sheila Baynes: Baynes is making her second run for council. She ran a decent campaign two years ago but was caught in the big field of challengers, never standing out. I’ve been at her turnaround over the past few years. She’s developed a great knowledge of how things work and her dedication to community service just adds to her resume.
But there was a big problem during this campaign that hit her hard. Now that she’s is a formidable opponent, somebody (I think I know who, but will never be able to prove it) did opposition research on her and discovered some really off-the-wall positions she had stated many years ago. I did what I could to help her and strongly urged her to set the record straight, but she didn’t. You can’t ignore the past when it comes to politics, and especially not in local politics. I think I’m sure where she stands now, but I can’t endorse a candidate that won’t clarify past remarks. That being said, she’s extremely qualified for the job.
If Baynes does win a seat on council, I’ll be one of her strongest supporters. She’ll do great and is still worthy of your vote.
I want to make it clear that I have worked with and/or offered consulting advice to multiple candidates in this election but have not been paid by anyone.
So there you go. You’ve got my SouthsideCentral endorsements. I hope you take them into consideration when you vote.
It is a shame we have someone (I think we we all know who) has introduced IMHO slimeball political tactics in a local government race. We all know this person has higher aspirations, so I’m guessing this scumbag is simply practicing for that day…
And those tactics could have been easily reversed by simply coming out and confronting them.
I completely agree. It should have been done at the start of her campaign.
Full Disclaimer: I advised her to challenge it, noting that even a flip-flop can be justified with the defense of “I’ve learned so much between now and then that I realize that I was wrong.”
Vogler?
“. . . she’s extremely qualified for the job.” Yes she is Southside Central. Let’s not let the “Ole Boys” continue to dictate all the rules. Vote for Sheila Baynes for City Council.
Not a city resident so my vote is in the county.
From this list, two stand out as highlights.
James Buckner – Seemed to start off slowly but appears to have found his groove and is currently my absolute favorite Council Member. One clear victory is the food truck ordinance and now food truck events. This is a clear improvement to our city that cost next to nothing.
and
Adam Tomer – Past results show that he is willing to challenge other members and present new ideas. That is rare in our recent city council history.
As for the rest, they are fine options for empty slots but we need leadership right now. We need bold ideas, people willing to stand up against just doing the same thing as we have been. We need people willing to question opinions and even “facts” and most importantly, we need people with good ideas (even if they throw out hundreds of bad ones) because we need ideas to grow and improve.
There has been way too much rubber stamping by most of the current city council members and the previous fresh blood have not delivered the new ideas we need.
There are hundreds of things we could be doing right now to improve and grow but most or all city council members seem focused on doing nothing so they won’t upset anyone.
Danville has so much going for it but it is time to rock the boat for change!