At a September 24 forum on environmental issues organized by the Sierra Club, the six Albemarle Board of Supervisors candidates weighed in on a few of the most notable issues in the county.
Democrat Norman Dill, independent Lawrence Gaughan and Republican Richard Lloyd, who are running for the Rivanna seat, White Hall incumbent Supervisor Ann Mallek, who is unchallenged, and Scottsville District candidates Rick Randolph, a Democrat, and Republican Earl Smith were in attendance.
Moderator Jessica Gephart asked what local government could do to assure that all residents have convenient and affordable access to a system that processes their solid waste materials in a safe and sustainable way.
“The burden should not be on the county,” Gaughan said. “Private business is the answer, not more government.” Though Dill asserted in his response that single stream recycling doesn’t work, Gaughan said it works in Los Angeles County and it can work in Albemarle, too.
Randolph, who has been on the county solid waste committee since it was created in April 2014, sparred with Mallek over the logistics of the Ivy transfer station while Gaughan made boxing motions a few chairs over.
Smith answered that transfer stations will work, but should be manned by volunteers to help people sort their trash because, he said, “You’ve got to make it bulletproof for people to go take their [trash].”
When the moderator mentioned rainwater runoff, one candidate seized the opportunity.
Lloyd stood and, handing one side of a large poster to Gaughan, unraveled it to reveal several photos and a bold caption that read “Who Killed the Moormans?” He said no one seems to care for the rivers and someone must be held accountable for their bad health.
For Dill, who shares Lloyd’s passion for keeping the county’s waters healthy, “The Rivanna watershed is the No. 1 treasure that we have here and it needs to be protected,” he said.
When it came to promoting the health of young people, the candidates seemed to agree it was a good idea. Dill said children can grow immensely by immersing themselves in nature, even if just lying in the grass and watching ants. Randolph spoke highly of bike riding and reading classics such as Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Mallek spoke of supporting the Leave No Child Inside initiative in county schools, which she says is more important than SOL testing, and Lloyd said people should be forbidden from spraying chemicals like certain mosquito sprays, which children could get on their bodies. Smith said he wants to promote an outdoor program for kids to spend more time on the James River because “they’ll learn more on a four- to five-hour trip down the James than a trip to D.C.,” and Gaughan, who supports the farm to table movement, expressed concern about students on free and reduced lunches still being subjected to “processed crap.”
To end the forum, audience members submitted five rounds of questions about issues such as fluoridated water and cell phone towers popping up next to schools. Although candidates differed on several issues, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was something everyone could agree on.
With a no from Mallek, “ditto” from both Randolph and Smith, “no no no no no no” from Lloyd, “I completely agree” from Dill and a one-minute response with the same outcome from Gaughan, the candidate forum came to a decisive conclusion.