[ATrain]

http://www.wset.com/news/stories/1009/673228.html

In other news, Bert Dodson is not seeking re-election.

[Cider Jim]

This could get interesting...

Brent Robertson, Student Running For Council - "Students, quite frankly, are looked at as dollar signs, and they're not looked at as an authority in the city, which they should be."

The last office the 20-year-old held was on the student council at his high school, but he hopes to draw support from college students across Lynchburg.

[LUconn]

I wouldn't vote for any 20 year old. You don't know enough about anything until you're like 23 or 24. 20 is a dangerous age because you don't know how clueless you are.

[Liberty4Life]

I wouldn't vote for any 20 year old. You don't know enough about anything until you're like 23 or 24. 20 is a dangerous age because you don't know how clueless you are.

23 or 24 is certainly being generous.

[Cider Jim]

You don't know enough about anything until you're like 23 or 24.

Just a guess...is that how old YOU are now?

[bigsmooth]

love the initiative, but he will not win. he will make some comments that any 20 year old would make and will doom him.

[Cider Jim]

I can hear the locals now: how can they vote for a candidate who still has a CURFEW?

[SumItUp]

I can here the locals now: how can they vote for a candidate who still has a CURFEW?

Cider, you just killed his campaign.

[PAmedic]

I can here the locals now: how can they vote for a candidate who still has a CURFEW?

[flamesbball84]

This could get interesting...

Brent Robertson, Student Running For Council - "Students, quite frankly, are looked at as dollar signs, and they're not looked at as an authority in the city, which they should be."

The last office the 20-year-old held was on the student council at his high school, but he hopes to draw support from college students across Lynchburg.

Good luck with the whole college students across Lynchburg thing. He won't even get much support from many LU people, much less LC, Randolph, or CVCC students...

[matshark]

Whether he has a curfew or not, there are two big issues:

1. The locals are not necessarily thrilled about LU being involved in local politics (although the students certainly have a right to be because they pay local taxes)

2. he is asking locals to make a 4 year commitment to a non-local who has not even been here for 4 years and most likely would not be staying if he were not elected, and there's no guarantee that he would stay even if he WERE elected.

IMO, while i applaud his enthusiasm, he has neither the connections nor the platform on which to win and he would need AT LEAST 6000 votes and from what I'm told $20k+ dollars to win. He would only get 4000 IF EVERY registered LU student voted (which they wont) and voted for him (which they may or may not do). That leaves him roughly 2500 votes short (being generous) and about $20k shy of what he needs to have a chance.

As far as viable candidates go, Scott Garrett may or may not be back on City Council (pending his Delegate race - which I think he has a VERY good chance of winning depending upon LU turnout) and Bert Dodson has declared he will not run again - most likely because he knows he wouldn't win given the disasterous past year that he and his other 3 buddies on the Gang of 4 have given us with un-needed traffic circles, publicly funded private hotel ventures and trying to cut police and fire pay after raising property taxes and assessment values in the middle of a recession. Add to that the rumor that Mayor Foster possibly will not run again (I think she loses if she does depending on the field - granted you know they will get all the votes from Ward 2 - they vote in mass based on what the Lynchburg Voters League tells them to do - and lots of votes from Ward 1) and you get the very real possibility of both a WIDE OPEN field as well as taking a 5-2 advantage on City Council.

Jr. is loaded for bear, as well he should be in a bid to stop the unfair treatment of the University everytime it wants to build something - property rights anyone? - and LU students will have a MASSIVE impact on city council especially b/c they will in school when the election is held (otherwise... out of sight, out of mind...)

It will be interesting to see what happens, and hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen, the Lynchburg political scene is about to get exciting!

And for the record, I despise politics, but Freedom isn't a spectator sport.

[rogers3]

I doubt that Jerry would even support a student running for council. Personally, I'd rather have a local wacko wasting my considerable tax contributions to the city than a 20 year old student who isn't from the city. I appreciate the influence that LU will gain with voting students, but I don't think that they will have quite as big of an impact as some LU haters fear.

[matshark]

I doubt that Jerry would even support a student running for council. Personally, I'd rather have a local wacko wasting my considerable tax contributions to the city than a 20 year old student who isn't from the city. I appreciate the influence that LU will gain with voting students, but I don't think that they will have quite as big of an impact as some LU haters fear.

heck, we already have 4 of them...

[JDUB]

It is not a good idea for an LU student to run. That is going to split the vote and make it more difficult to get a pro-LU candidate in. This was a poor decision, and someone trying to get into politics should know enough about this kind of thing to have enough sense to see that.

[matshark]

honestly its not a good idea for an LU student or an LU employee to run. despite the fact that it will split the vote, even IF they win, they then have to abstain from every vote regarding LU. (correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't that defeat the entire purpose?)

also, given the relatively low voter turnout from LU (roughly 25% of registered voters), someone without the above disadvantages will have to run that the majority of LU students can get behind and be excited to vote for (and hopefully can carry that support for two other friendly candidates on the ballot as well)

[ATrain]

And here's the follow-up:

http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/lo ... ion/24583/