George,

One name which deserves to go to the head of the list for the State Senate seat vacated by Emily Couric's untimely death is Nancy O'Brien.

Nancy was Charlottesville's first woman mayor. For four years she served on City Council as a major consensus builder encouraging neighborhood and citizen participation.

The State Senate seat represents more than Charlottesville and Nancy as Executive Director for sixteen years of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District again built consensus among very disparate local governments and communities. She brought them together on roads, economic development, environmental concerns and workforce development.

While I honor and respect our members of City Council none has the breadth of experience which Nancy O'Brien has. She would represent our new Senate district in a way which would continue to make us proud. Furthermore, her wide circle of contacts in the Counties will help mightily in winning the seat, not just the nomination.

Charles Perry (electronic mail, October 28, 2001).