I'm starting to see signs in yards! Mostly they are for the US Senate & House races that will be decided this fall. For the local races – by way of recap – we have 2 democrats – Ken Elston & Patricia Richie-Folks running for Council and 2 Republicans – Sheryl Bass and Marc Aveni also running for Council. I have seen on the Manassas GOP facebook that they have done a few door knocking events and had a table or booth at one of the city events. I'm not sure what the democrats are doing but I have seen a couple of their local volunteers door knocking. The School Board folks are running unopposed.
This is shaping up to be a possible "change" election in Manassas. I think both groups are working hard and the results could have significant impacts on city politics. Mr. Aveni is a staunch social & fiscal conservative whereas Mrs. Bass is more along the center-right lines. I chatted a bit with both of the democrats and my impression is that both are center-left-ish folks when it comes to City politics. I don't think anyone is in for any surprises in terms of positions when it comes to these 4 but the 2 democrats will certainly bring a new viewpoint on City matters if they are elected. We'll have at least one democrat in any event. I also haven't seen any campaign websites or lit for any of the 4 so I'm not sure what they're leading with.
It's my view that the left leaning folk, after being dormant for many years, are beginning to throw off their stupor and get positively engaged. The school leadership (left leaning or no) also seems to be united (or very nearly so) in purpose and they clearly are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and try to go get what they believe is best for the schools. I think this a pretty positive development for 2 reasons: the first is that the more people who vote, the better. There will always be concerns about people voting on things they don't understand but there is little that can be done about that and I don't think it's changed at all in the past 50 years. Certainly a local paper would help but only a fraction of the electorate ever read it anyway. The second is that it's always good to see a group get organized and go after what they want. The social conservatives have been doing this for years when it comes to the abortion clinic in Manassas. They've been very successful in driving both electoral politics and city policy for a number of years now. They may continue to be successful but who knows? However, if these other groups decide it is time for a change, it could be tough sledding for the social groups as they both compete for finite resources and votes. I hear from a lot of different folks and, from my perch, I'm glad I'm not running. My observation 6 months ago that politics in Manassas are getting nasty seems to be spot on. People are pulling out all the stops. I'm considering sending all of the candidates a questionnaire and posting the results. Don't know yet.
Now, here's something a bit unexpected: it is well known that Senator Colgan is not running for another term. Once that announcement was made all of the machinations started. This is a state level race so I don't know what the timing looks like but evidently first-term Councilman Ian Lovejoy has decided that he does and filed to run for the seat! I'm a bit surprised by Ian's decision but it's a free country and he's entitled to give it a whirl! However, this may be a tough seat for a tea-party republican to get elected in. I don't recall what percent the district leans but the last few elections it has returned solidly Democrat results. I haven't heard from anyone else on this seat yet although one hears a lot about Mr. Parrish and Mr. Miller on the republican side. Don't know if any of the PWC guys are interested. Got no idea about the democrats in this district either. I'd guess that guy who ran against Marshall might be in this district and maybe Mr. Torian down in the other end of the county? It'll be interesting to see what happens!
August 14, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Sorry to see you won't be running, Andy. I always felt like you were a straight-shooter who wanted the best for the city. What will you fill your free time with now? 🙂
August 14, 2014 at 4:43 pm
Oh, this and that….
August 14, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Check it out (in alphabetical order)…
Marc Aveni: https://www.facebook.com/marcaveni
Sheryl Bass: https://www.facebook.com/sheryl.bass.5?fref=ts
Ken Elston: http://kenelston.org
Patricia Richie-Folks: http://www.pat4citycouncil.com
August 15, 2014 at 9:39 am
Its unfortunate that Mr. Lovejoy was able to win election in Manassas after being a part of the community for only two years. Now he wants to represent a large part of PWC after living here only four years?
August 15, 2014 at 10:17 am
Be kind with your comments. The rules will be enforced. This ain't one of those other blogs.
August 16, 2014 at 6:09 am
I'm glad there are options for voters this fall. I think the republican party in manassas is stagnant. I think the city has stopped making progress and it is time for a change.
August 16, 2014 at 2:23 pm
Julie, I agree with you. I watch the City Council meetings and I am sorry to say and Andy please do not take this personally but it seems that the Council is there physically and that is about it. What really bothered me the most is that several council members did not know that the magnet school had been scrapped and also now only is becoming concerned about traffic issues in that area with the new school. Where have they been????????????????? There is no connectivity at all and personally all of you look tired and bored. Sorry but that is my perception. We need new blood and more discussion on the issues. You all are probably having to face the new reality of our modern times is that no one wants to speak up and tell things like they are. I miss the Maury Gerson, Jim Payne, Bob Oliver, days when things were discussed. Now Council just goes down the list of agenda items.
August 16, 2014 at 2:38 pm
Mary Ann: I'd only point out that the City gets the leadership that the citizens elect. The makeup of the Council and Mayor only makes possible a pretty limited agenda. All the new blood in the world won't help if there aren't the votes to prosecute a more aggressive agenda.
August 19, 2014 at 6:56 pm
Long time reader, first time poster.
I wanted to take a moment and offer some clarification. I will not be running for senate. Several folks contacted me about it. It was something I pondered quite a bit. In the end, while it would have been a great adventure, I was elected to serve Manassas and plan to continue doing so.
To that end, I will add that the Your Manssas App has over 500 users and can be downloaded by visiting http://www.YourManassas.com or searching "your manassas" in the iphone app store. And yes, a droid version is coming.