Rey,

Thanks for your note and your call to stop the platitudes. But you know it is hard not to talk and think about a future vision of the City without dreaming and being somewhat naïve as to the realities of government. I certainly do it (just love to stretch), although my experience of the last four years on Council has tempered my action agenda toward solutions that can be realistically and creatively achieved.

In most ways the action of governance is one of defining priorities, making hard choices, and producing incremental progressive change that invests in the future. There is seldom room for a zero-sum game approach because of the very nature of diversity and civic participation in our City. Of course, we can occasionally score home runs, but in the end progressive changes come about through very hard work on building consensus, reordering priorities, funding the program or initiative, and then dynamically staying on course.

You are absolutely right that Democrats in Charlottesville are all for honoring the past, raising teacher salaries, cooperating with Albermarle, making our government more efficient by making its financial and human capital more responsive, preserving historic structures, reducing the gap between Afro-American and white student achievement, and ….

Our collective beliefs and principles define our character. But how do we act on the principles? How do we best choose the micro action to address the macro principle? If, you don't mind I will address two issues that are most important to me and I think the entire City: education and economic development. I will try to address the other issues that you raise over the next two weeks in similar fashion.

Public Education is Priority Number One

I am very proud to help make Charlottesville's public schools some of the best in the Commonwealth, with areas of excellence that are nationally recognized. I, as well as my fellow Councilors, have as priority number ONE our education system. But like the business of governance, the job of public education is never done, it is never satisfactory, it must always improve.

It was and is evident that in order for us to maintain and improve the education that is walking out of the front door each June, we must start with teachers. Four years ago, the crisis in teachers' salaries fell upon us with a dull thud. Being able to hire and retain diverse, dedicated, and dynamic teachers is the first and primary key. I have strongly supported and provided leadership for the plan and goals that were established by the community, School Board, and Council to raise salaries to a statewide competitive level and therefore serve to attract and retain the best.

My commitment to funding this plan in unswerving. In a time where the State refuses to fund their own obligations for teacher salaries, capital facility improvement, and the SOQ's, I and other Councilors have maintained a steadfastness and kept our eyes on the prize. That is why we are at or near the top in the State in per pupil expenditures and cutting edge programs. We are number one in the required state SOQ dollar match ( we match it 251% ). It will remain so this year and every year that I serve on Council. The funding source for this commitment comes from two primary areas: a dynamic economic development program in the City and constant review and adjustment to the efficiency (not just bottom line) of educational programs.

Business Economic Growth

For the past three years, there has been over $170 million dollars of new construction value in the City. This has yielded $1.7 million dollars in new tax revenue. That is above and beyond the inexorable rise in tax assessments. We must work very hard to appropriately maintain this pace. This is the money that pays teacher salaries and many of the initiatives in our schools. Small business creation and growth has also helped to provide the Council and Schools with resources to improve their programs.

In the last three years, by the way of aggressive policies on the part of Council, the level of business economic growth has been over 14%. That is an average of 4.5% a year, and this growth has brought an additional $1 million in new revenues - again a leader in the state for a city our size. The Council's determined efforts to reach out to small businesses to help them start and grow have produced 113 new businesses and seen many businesses grow at a rapid rate.

The City's investment in small business incubation and growth has been accomplished with more than just commitment of financial resources. Its success has been our public private partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce, the TJ Economic Partnership, the Small Business Development Center, the Workforce Investment administration, the Charlottesville Schools, the University of Virginia, and Piedmont Virginia Community College, to just name some of our partners.

In just these two areas of economic development we have done a superlative job and a major part of my agenda will be to build on this record and be more dynamic and creative in the next four years. I am determined to help lead Charlottesville and keep our city as a statewide leader in economic development, because it allows us the flexibility to make incremental and quantum leaps in education.

Capital Improvements Program

Another area that is very important to the School system and the community as a whole is how we invest in the future and the infrastructure of the City through the Capital Improvements program. Despite what some have criticized as an anemic Capital program, the facts show that we again lead the Commonwealth and most small cities in the country in the fiscally sound and creative manner that we have grown the Capital program. First, we have maintained an AAA bond rating through prudent and forward looking financial management. We are one of the few small cities in the country to attain this high honor and it has enabled us to plan for our financial future in an aggressive way. No other comparable county or city in the State has been able to achieve this status and flexibility.

As a typical urban City, we have a large percentage of families in poverty, but recent Councils have been able to attack the problems of poverty and education through well-planned and determined leadership in our Capital Improvement program. Since 1994, we have increased the amount of Capital expenditures as a ratio to general funds to an average of 14.4% per year. In the last three years with a growing economy this ratio has increased to an average of 15.75%. If I am elected I will remain concentrated on maintaining this trend and increasing investment in the future because it not only helps our public school system achieve great things (like the Jefferson school) but also facilitates and leverages an increasingly dynamic and balanced community economic growth.

Even in the hard economic times that we now confront, I will remained committed to investing in the future and confronting the aging of our school buildings. This will require hard choices in this year's budget. Other programs might have to be reduced or their expansion held off. We might have to significantly reduce increases in agency funding. And we will have to reveal additional sources of revenue. For example an increase in the trash sticker fee, the meal tax, a reduction of the fund balance amount, an increase in the auto decal fee are all on the table for me. I have proven that I am ready, willing, and able to make these hard choices in order to bring more success and improvement to the lifelong learning environment and appropriate economic growth of Charlottesville.

Working with the School Board

The other important way that teacher salaries and other improvements in the school system are attained is through consistent reexamination of the educational program. The Council by law plays only a guiding role in this area with the hard work being done by the School Board and staff. However, it is important that the Council appoint individuals to the School Board that have not only deep community and educational backgrounds but who are also willing to examine all options that might improve the outcomes of the diverse student population. I will continue to be very sensitive to this important power and add "the best" candidates to an already excellent School Board.

I have many ideas on how our City might improve the School system and will continue discussing these thoughts in an open dialog with the School Board and more importantly the community as I have for four years. The topics that most interest me are the Preschool and the large number of underachieving students. If, I am reelected I will look forward to having a community wide discussion about the expansion and centralized location of a preschool. I believe very strongly that a preschool in the model that we have seen at Jefferson must be expanded to capture the estimated need of 350 to 400 students.

It is clear that preschool education can make a profound difference in student achievement if it is comprehensive and is further empowered throughout the student's primary and secondary career. But in order to attain this goal, Charlottesville must confront the issues of efficiency of location, the financial viability of the program, and the need to intensify the educational program these students receive after the preschool experience. I am prepared to find the financial means through supporting a more dynamic economic development program, a reordering of city priorities to continue our support of the schools, and to help facilitate the hard choices in the School's facility and educational programs.

One topic of discussion that will on the top of my agenda for the next Council will be finding a solution to the over capacity of school facilities that the City currently maintains. It is clear that the school age population in Charlottesville is on a consistent curve down. Census projections I believe will be sustained and that we will see further erosion in the school age population. Although students from the counties enrolling in Charlottesville schools mitigate this fact, this will not solve the problem.

In the coming year I will advocate for a community discussion about the possibility of closing a school in order to create a great deal more efficiency in the School program. The siting of a new and expanded preschool will be a driving force for me in this discussion and therefore I am not willing to locate an expanded preschool at Jefferson until our city has looked at all the options.

I am committed to work closely with the School Board and community to address in a comprehensive manner how we can concentrate the power of all segments of Charlottesville to find solutions for underachieving students. In the past six months, I have begun discussions with other community leaders on a community-wide process to address this issue. If I am elected it will also be on the top of my agenda.

I believe that the solutions for underachievement we are currently supporting are not nearly enough. We must bring the entire community to bear on the issue. That means the churches, the Chamber, the University, social service agencies, the criminal justice system, and all segments of the City must rally around the concept that the schools cannot do it alone.

We should develop a much more efficient model of service delivery and help that is capable of reaching out during the school day or late at night to help the student and their family to overcome issues of poverty, health, and learning. If we don't do this then I am afraid we will continue to see many families mired in situations that are not productive to their future and the future of our city.

The funding and resources for this type of venture can be found by a reworking of the priorities of agencies and a call to the volunteerism spirit in Charlottesville. City and school funding will of course be important to create and sustain such an initiative. For this type of forward-looking program and the large gains that might be received from its success that I will consider the raising of the sales tax by 0.5 to 1% to derive additional revenues for education.

Accessibility

In my 23 years of civic service and particularly in the last four years of my Council service, I am most proud of the fact that I am absolutely committed to personal accessibility and belief in a wide public process. I believe that my actions of reaching out at all times and places to individual citizens and groups, as well as a constant effort to get the business of the City aired in the media has set a very high bar. My future service on Council will see a continuation of this personal agenda and I believe an increase in community contact and influence in the charting of our future. Listening is not enough for me. Understanding the aspirations and concerns of citizens is the most important ingredient to be an effective leader. I will stay strongly committed to this style and ethic of elected leadership. (Blake Caravati, electronic Mail, February 5, 2002)