Why I am breaking a pledge and supporting Brandon Collins for Charlottesville City Council

When voting in the local Democratic primary, I had to sign a pledge promising to support the final candidates, even if they were not the ones I voted for. Now that the results are in, I find that I will have to break that pledge. This is a critical election and may well determine the fates of many important issues in our town. The main dividing line in this community is between what proponents like to call “smart growth” and sustainability.

Although I agree that growth does need to be smart, it is clear to me that our town first needs to look at better utilizing our existing resources. To me, this is what the arguments about damming versus dredging, or building roads and private buildings on public land, really come down to. It’s a vision for the future of Charlottesville.

I cannot in good conscience support all of the Democratic City Council candidates. I have looked at the Independent candidates running for council, and I think that Brandon Collins in particular speaks very well to many critical issues facing our community, particularly poverty, social justice, and environmental responsibility. Also, he’s a Socialist, so this will absolutely drive the teabaggers mad!

I urge all of my fellow Charlottesville citizens to listen to Brandon and all of the other candidates, and to vote intelligently.

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