Drawing a line
Was this poor taste or simply poor judgment? On page 9 of the June 7 edition you debased the article about Dr. Jonathan Moreno [“Dr. Moreno’s House call,” The Week] with the quote of the week from a heroin addict. That quote would have been fine in the article about heroin [“Road to recovery”] but if I were Dr. Moreno (and I don’t even know the man) I would have been really offended to see that quote above my picture. I think many of your readers feel the same.
Gail Raymaker
Charlottesville
The party that likes to party
Your last issue noted how well food and politics go together under the headline “How to join a political party” [How To, June 7]. We libertarians, given how adverse we are to most politics, feel that the addition of beer to any political discussion is also very helpful. I would greatly appreciate you mentioning to your readers that if they would like to meet other area libertarians, they can join us at the Mellow Mushroom on the second Thursday of each month from about 5:30pm to 7pm for beer and pizza. They can also visit www.JALibertarians.org for exact dates of our next happy hour.
Arin Sime
Crozet
The road and the race
Interesting parallels can be made between your recent coverage of the June 14 Democrat primary race for the 57th District Delegate seat [“Primary colors,” The Week, May 31] in which you note David Toscano’s largest donor is the real estate/construction sector, and something printed in the C-VILLE a couple of months ago. In the earlier article, City Councilor Blake Caravati complained he would “raise hell” when co-Councilors Kevin Lynch and Kendra Hamilton insisted on sticking to their promise to not support the Meadowcreek Parkway if it doesn’t come with an interchange, suitable replacement parkland, and some more roads in the county [“Hell hath no fury,” The Week, March 29].
Who is Caravati kidding? This whole Meadowcreek Parkway fiasco could have been over in 2000 when Lynch and Maurice Cox were elected on a strong anti-Parkway platform—as was Caravati in 1998. But instead Blake flaked and flip-flopped and is now raving that we should build the road at any cost. What could account for this strange behavior?
Politicians like Caravati, Meredith Richards and Toscano use the city as a springboard while pandering to the Albemarle suburbs and development interests with this cherry of a sprawl subsidy in hopes of securing votes and campaign contributions toward future runs for higher office. They cultivate an image of being progressive Democrats while seeking to spend the bulk of Charlottesville’s share of State transportation funds that we have stored up (and funds for years to come) on a road that would actually increase traffic within the city by making a cut-though out of our downtown and central park.
These millions should be spent on a convenient transit system to meet the needs of Charlottesville residents, not gifted away by ambitious politicians looking for favors.
During their campaigns, Councilors Lynch and Hamilton indicated they would consider voting to cancel the Parkway if the public demonstrates we’d rather have the money spent on public transportation. Well, the official VDOT count showed more than two-thirds of those responding during the public hearing last spring were opposed to the road in any form. Now would be a great time for Lynch and Hamilton to ask Caravati to return to his original position and join them in setting up a conservation easement for McIntire Park, which would effectively kill the road.
If those voting June 14 want a State legislator who will work for his constituency instead of sprawl developer dollars, Rich Collins, a dedicated, life-long activist
for ecological health and social justice, is the one.
Stratton Salidis
Charlottesville
Fear factor
To all whom may live in Charlottesville and fear Westhaven, let me be the myth buster [“Rebuilding Westhaven,” April 5]. Westhaven may not be as bad as reported. There is crime in every part of the city but the microscope is always focused on Westhaven. I do not get upset any more or defensive when talking to others about where I live. I know for a fact that Westhaven folks are loveable, fun to be around and love their neighborhood. So, if the people of Charlottesville do not realize that Westhaven is an all right neighborhood to visit, you are welcome to visit.
Harold Folley Jr.
Westhaven Association President
Charlottesville