"Bern Ewert, the latest candidate to enter the race for Charlottesville's City Council, draws a fine distinction: He plans to run on his record, not on his 30 years of government experience.

What that means, the 59-year-old Democrat said last week, is that he'll do more than point to a long resume. He'll point to a tangible series of accomplishments from his years as Prince William County executive, Roanoke city manager and, in the mid-1970's, deputy city manager in Charlottesville.

In Charlottesville, those achievements include the Downtown Mall and the McGuffey Art Center, which Ewert championed from their infancy. In Roanoke, they include downtown revitalization, an undertaking that led a local magazine to name him 'Man of the Decade' in 1985.

In Prince William, where he was the county's chief executive from 1997 to January 2000, Ewart advanced an ambitious and controversial plan to shield land in a 'rural crescent' at the county's western end from development.

Shortly after leaving that job amid tension with the county's Board of Supervisors over his management style and the growth-control measures, he started a private consulting firm in Charlottesville, where he and his wife have owned a house since 1994.

Now, Ewert believes he can make city government more efficient and more accessible to residents. 'I'm the only candidate that has run large organizations and knows the detail to get into this organization and make it accountable,' he said in an interview, armed with an knapsack full of binders and folders.

'I think we need to know how the citizens feel about government and how they feel about what we're doing,' he added. 'That's the whole issue of firm management and leadership, and that's particularly important as the economy goes south on us and revenues shrink.'

Charlottesville, 'like every other city in this state, has got a serious financial problem,' Ewert said. For example, he said, the council typically directs only about half the money it should toward capital improvements - large-scale repairs to public roads, parks and buildings.

He calls the Jefferson School, a historic building that many city officials contend will be too expensive to renovate for continued educational use, 'a perfect example of our problem.'

Despite the cost, Ewert believes the preschool in the building should stay there, so long as city research finds that keeping the school's students in one central location is best for their development.

'We owe it to these 3- and 4-year-olds to meet their needs first,' he said. 'This is their first and best shot at having a good educational experience.' As for the importance of developing the property for business, 'I have to tell you, it's not even close,' Ewert said. 'It's not even in the same room.'

Repairing the school would cost money, as would building up the capital improvement fund to the level Ewert would like. Ewert admits he doesn't know were that money will come from, though he points to his experience in economic development: During his time in Prince William, the county worked out deals with AOL to build two $500 million data centers there.

Ewert cautioned, though, that the City Council should act carefully and pay attention to the details of new development proposals or risk worsening what he calls serious traffic problems in the city.

He supports the two-lane version of the Meadowcreek Parkway approved by Albemarle County and endorsed by a narrow majority of current councilors, arguing that it will divert traffic from the city's Park Street.

Ewert met last week with members of the Democrats for Change, a group that supported two of the 2000 election's eventual winners - Councilors Maurice Cox and Kevin Lynch - during the party's nominating process.

Though the group has opposed the parkway, Ewert believes other elements of his platform - including proposals for housing rehabilitation, work force integration, job training and mass transit - will appeal to its members.

What sets him apart, he believes, is his history of guiding localities through good and bad times. that includes a stint as interim city manager in Galveston, Texas, where Ewert helped the city avoid bankruptcy brought on by a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall.

It also includes Charlottesville, though Ewert concedes that things have changed since his last day working in City Hall. 'We have other challenges now,' he said, 'but I'm able to deal with new challenges and come up with a program that works'" (Bob Gibson, The Daily Progress, January 13, 2002).