One more candidate wants to compete for one of three seats on City Council. Paul Long, who unsuccessfully ran for Council in 2009, has been collecting signatures to become the fifth Independent candidate to enter the race, along with Andrew Williams, Brandon Collins, Bob Fenwick and Scott Bandy.
Long tells C-VILLE that he waited to declare his candidacy because he wanted to study the platforms of each of the 11 candidates. Ultimately, he says, the Democratic Party is not being as progressive as it should be, and is catering only to the middle class.
In a letter to the editor that appeared in the Daily Progress last month, Long argued the same point.
"The party of William Jennings Bryan, Huey Long, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson had a proud record of fighting for the interests of the working class, the poor and the defenseless," he said. "Ever wonder why there are usually no Republican candidates for City Council?"
Long’s personal platform includes using local money to fund homeless shelters throughout the year. He also wants to expand the hours and routes of city buses to run until late on weekends and during holidays—something he brought up in his unsuccessful 2009 campaign and to City Council multiple times since the elections, he says.
“Nothing has been done,” says Long.
Paul Long