Bob Fenwick, founder of savemcintire.com and member of the Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park, is asking Mayor Dave Norris to “immediately commit the reserve fund for the present fiscal year in the City of Charlottesville budget, the ‘rainy day fund,’ because in Charlottesville today it is not just raining, it’s pouring, economically speaking,” he said at a press conference.
Fenwick, who said he will be making a political announcement in the coming weeks, contends that with that money, the city can hire 41 city residents who are currently unemployed to keep up the “neglected” city maintenance.
“Carpenters, carpenter helpers, attendants, plumbers, teacher’s helpers. These jobs will help fill in the gap until we, the entire city, can start to turn the economy around,” he said.
According to Fenwick, who has set up a new website for the cause, www.demandjobs.net, basic city maintenance has been neglected for at least 15 years, and the “decay” that results, he said isn’t addressed by City Council.
“We can act, and we can act now,” he said. By adding needed jobs, the city residents could regain some confidence lost to the recession.
Bob Fenwick, in front of his home, is demanding Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris to create maintenance jobs for the unemployed.