"David Simmons, a registered nurse at the University of Virginia Medical Center, on Monday became the latest in an increasingly crowded field of candidates for Charlottesville's May 7 City Council election, pointing to his years of experience in grass-roots politics.

Simmons, 50, was a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2000 election, until he withdrew his name from consideration at a raucous party nominating convention. At the time and in an interview Monday, Simmons characterized his withdrawal as a move to halt party infighting.

As in the 2000 campaign, Simmons plans in his latest run to stress his inclusive style and his involvement in a host of community organizations, including the Quality Community Council's public safety and law enforcement panel.

He also serves on the city task force charged with distributing federal Community Development Block Grant money - an experience that he said has given him a feel for which areas of the city need money and attention the most.

'I think in order for one to say they want to be active and look at the city in terms of what direction it should go, one must be involved at the grass-roots level,' he said. 'What you hear in conference rooms certainly is not the full story,'

Simmons is the fifth Democrat to enter the council race. He joins Mayor Blake Caravati, business owner Joan Fenton, former Prince William County executive Bern Ewert and web site developer Waldo Jaquith.

The party, which has dominated council elections for more than a decade, is scheduled to choose its nominees for the two contested council seats on Feb. 23. No Republicans had entered the race as of Monday, though the party's local chairman has said at least two potential candidates are interested,

Simmons said Monday that one of his priorities on the council would be to help parents and the city school system cope with the impact of the Standards of Learning. He also listed economic development and increasing the amount of affordable housing in the city as priorities.

But just as important as specific positions, he said, is his experience on numerous boards and his ability to consider issues as they are presented.

'If I come in with pre-conceived ideas, I don't think I'm going to be very effective, because I've already tainted how I'm going to respond to some degree,' he said. 'I like to be open and I like to be flexible enough that I can address issues as they come up, stay focused on a few topics that are dear to me but know that I may have to put them aside.'

That flexibility may have been on display at the 2000 party nominating convention, where Simmons withdrew from the race to avoid a showdown between his supporters and those of incumbent Meredith Richards, one of the election's eventual winners.

Simmons chooses his words carefully when discussing, the move, which he calls one of the most difficult decisions he has made. 'I felt I had a. very good chance at winning last time, but there were some other issues there,' he said.

'Some of the people were voting for me for the wrong reason, and that was to unseat someone they did not like,' he added, referring to Richards - though he avoided using her name. 'This particular person had served quite effectively on council, but there was almost like there was a vendetta out there to eliminate her.'

Many members of the Democrats for Change opposed Richards in part because of her support of the controversial proposed Meadowcreek Parkway. Though many supported Simmons instead, he stressed Monday that he is not a member of the group, which also supported eventual winners Maurice Cox and Kevin Lynch for the nomination in 2000.

'Their platform, I think, is not that far to the left, as you'd say, of what most folks want,' Simmons said, referring to the group's positions from the last election, But he added: 'They seem to be polarized around one or two pieces, and that polarization sometimes irritates others. It's nice to have a lot of energy around one or two issues but you need to put that in a bigger context.'

In particular, Simmons said he favors building the parkway, though as a councilor he would review the facts and decide before voting.

To date, the only candidate to align himself closely with the Democrats for Change is Jaquith. The group does not plan to finalize its platform until Jan: 23 but its areas of interest have included open government, education and alternative transportation.

Simmons, a founding member of the local chapter of the National Black Nurses Association, is the only black candidate, but he brushed aside the notion that he might use a seat on the council to speak for the city's black community.

'The community speaks for itself quite well,' he said. 'There are people out there that, if they have a particular issue, they will not hesitate to let you know. ... I hope that the city is open enough to pick the candidate that is best suited for its governance, regardless of race,'

Simmons said his quiet, deliberate style is a byproduct of his years of work in caring for patients, an experience that has taught him how to approach people from all walks of life.

'I like to see myself as a consensus builder,' he said. 'Yes, I can be tough. Don't let the outward appearance fool you, that I can't handle myself. I think I can. But I think that to be abrasive is not helpful in the long run.'" (Jake Mooney, The Daily Progress, January 15, 2002)