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Getting people to run for local elective office isn’t always easy. Committing to the time and energy it takes to serve in these mostly volunteer roles requires an incredible amount of dedication. In the most recent elections in November, there were numerous uncontested races and a couple in which no one filed to get their name on the ballot.
Lately, this has not been a problem in Buena Vista. Although Tyson Cooper was unopposed in his bid to succeed Bill Fitzgerald as mayor, there were seven candidates vying for three regular seats on City Council last fall. A vacancy on Council that was created by Cooper’s elevation to mayor prompted seven candidates this past week to seek this 10-month interim seat. That’s a remarkable amount of interest for a temporary seat of such short duration.
We commend these individuals for putting themselves out there in a very public way to give back to their community. All seven were quality candidates who had much to offer – Jody Fix, who recently retired from a dialysis center who formerly worked for the school system; Todd Jones, a retired attorney and former mayor and member of City Council; Tim Petrie, a member of the Planning Commission who formerly served on City Council and who recently retired from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; Stan Coffey, a retired wastewater treatment plant operator who served on City Council the past six years; Steve Baldridge, a local attorney and former member of City Council and the School Board who has served on various boards and committees; Jennifer Humphries, a retired nurse who was a candidate in the recent Council elections; and Michael Lonergan, a local Realtor who worked for the Peace Corps as a young adult.
Council interviewed each of the candidates in a public forum this past Thursday before going into closed session to talk about the selection. When they returned to open session, Council members unanimously chose Jones to return to Council after an absence of about 15 years. His decade-long service on Council, including three years as mayor, should be of benefit to the community. He has said he won’t be a candidate in the special election in November to fill the remaining year of Cooper’s term as a regular member of Council.
We encourage the other candidates who weren’t selected to stay involved in the community. At nearly every meeting there are vacancies on different boards and committees that Council must fill. Offer to serve on one or be a candidate in the special election this November or in the regular elections for Council and the School Board two years later.
Also, there’s one big event scheduled this spring in Buena Vista in which there will be numerous opportunities for community service. Approximately 150 members of a national Timber Framers Guild are coming to the city April 5-9 to erect a wooden pavilion at the town square property in downtown Buena Vista. Many supplemental roles, including serving meals to the workers, will have to be filled for this big community event.
As Kristina Ramsey, the city’s director of economic development, told City Council, this construction project is expected to “foster community engagement, local pride and proof that our city is vibrant and capable.”
