Question: As a member of Council, how will you use that position to promote the arts in schools in ways that are not already being addressed?

Answer: First of all, as someone who has been involved in performing arts for over twenty years and education over a period of five years, I not only value the place of the arts in education I am knowledgeable about the advantages of arts literacy. When students learn through and about the arts they learn how to communicate and think in complex nonverbal and verbal ways, to work creatively with discipline and focus, and to evaluate and appreciate quality. All of these are important for success in our fast-paced, visually-oriented, and diverse 21st century world. In addition, there is a positive correlation between students' exposure to the arts and their increased cognition in mathematics, reading, writing and other subjects. For all of these reasons, the arts should rightly be considered the fourth "R." My personal experience and knowledge regarding the arts compels me to be a voice of leadership in this area.

The nationally renowned music program at Charlottesville High School is a strong example of what is possible to accomplish in all of our city schools if Council advocates, as I propose, a concerted focus on arts literacy. As a Councilor I will focus on involving the support and participation of the community, city government and school personnel working in tandem for mutual benefit. I plan to promote arts in the schools through advocating and facilitating the development of strong community-government-school networks that will work toward increasing the level of arts literacy in all of our schools K-12.

* How Rob Schilling distinguishes his role as Councilor in his promotion of arts in the schools from the role of the community, city government, the school board and school personnel and how he would fund such an initiative is unclear.

Question: You have said that social promotion is a problem in Charlottesville city schools. Is ending the practice something for Council to address?

Answer: Absolutely, among other educational ideas. Especially in the absence of an elected school board, Council is the most visible and voter accountable platform for promoting educational initiatives in the city. However, education is and always will be everybody's business. I believe that strong schools result from strong community, parent, and government involvement. My personal experience in and knowledge of schools leads me to conclude that support for key educational issues is critical to the future of Charlottesville and is something I will continue to advocate as a candidate and as a councilor.

* Without knowing how Rob Schilling defines his role as Councilor with respect to the school community, it is difficult to assess what impact he may have in ending social promotion - apart from making this a central issue in the selection of the school board.

Question: Your comment at Friday's press conference about the direct election of the school board is that it would "make the members accountable to the people." One concern is that, since most people do not get involved in school board elections, groups with extreme views are in fact the ones that promote their interests, and that appointment of boards makes that prospect less likely. Comment?

Answer: Currently, many people do not get involved in Council elections, which is unfortunate, but no one would say the City Council should be appointed. That being said, in looking at our closest neighbor, Albemarle County, I would not say their elected school board is "extreme." In a democracy, government should be the voice of the people-elected officials bring government closer to the people.

Question: You attack traffic calming, saying that what is needed is "traffic flow." Do you favor going forward with the Meadowcreek Parkway as presently planned, an alternative routing, or no to the parkway?

Answer: The city's plan rightly promotes continued development of the downtown area. My expertise in fiscal matters leads me to say that this policy must be continued if Charlottesville is to maintain and grow a sound tax base for its future. Consequently, there must be easy ingress and egress to downtown. The initial parkway plan was done many years ago. I favor using common sense to reevaluate the current plan, consider various options such as that proposed by Bern Ewert, and then optimizing the design for the needs of 2002 and beyond. Ultimately, I favor building the best Parkway possible.

Question: "Raising taxes ... hurts some groups ... and there must be some areas for cuts." Can you be more specific?

Answer: I don't believe I am the only candidate on record as saying that the current city budget is virtually incomprehensible. I refuse to believe that the government is operating at its optimum efficiency level as a result. Common sense would tell you that when you do not know what you are spending there is a tendency toward overspending and duplicate spending. This is unacceptable. Fiscal responsibility to the citizens demands careful stewardship of public dollars-city government should never forget that budget funds represent the hard work of each and every one of Charlottesville's residents and businesses. My promotion of a budget process that utilizes five-year planning, annual revision, more detail, and greater public accountability will facilitate less fiscal waste and more economic efficiency in city management.

* Is the assertion here that city councilors do not know how city dollars are spent and are lax in their responsibility for the stewardship of public expenditures? If so, it is not clear where this is the case and whether such instances constitute a recognizable pattern?

Question: Do you have any specific recommendations for the city's emergency response to terrorists?

Answer: A primary purpose of government is to ensure citizens' public safety. It is this feeling of security that allows us to go about our daily lives and routines. Unfortunately, in the post September 11 world, we have all come to realize our vulnerabilities. Consequently, our city government must prepare for events that were largely unthinkable just six months ago. Whether a disaster is man-made or of natural origin, we must be prepared to make a timely and successful response. Briefly stated, my plan for public safety would encompass: threat analysis; evaluation of vulnerabilities; delineation of response capabilities and available resources; the clear establishment of a chain of command; and the coordination of city, county and university resources. Once defined, the city's safety plan must be tested, evaluated, retested, finalized and disseminated to parties responsible for its implementation. Our city residents deserve no less.

* It is unclear about how Rob Schilling's City Emergency Response Plan differs from that already in place and where the current plan is inadequate.

Question: The city has a personnel policy prohibiting employees from possessing (otherwise legal) weapons in the workplace. Do you favor that policy? Do you have a position on the desire to prevent members of the public from carrying (otherwise legal) weapons in city venues such as rec centers, municipal offices and meetings?

Answer: I'm not familiar enough with this policy to comment.

Question: What is the focus of your proposal to counter graffitti?

Graffiti is a blight on any community. If left unchecked, graffiti results in lowered property values and a negative impact on our environment. This has been the case in many cities, and it's something that I, and many residents, do not want to see happen in our beautiful city of Charlottesville. Therefore, as a city councilor I plan to work in concert with law enforcement agencies to take a proactive stance in regard to this issue. Specifically, I propose increasing the fines and penalties for graffiti, advocating increased reporting of graffiti for clean-up, and promoting graffiti clean-up as a community service option. Although George used a picture of the CHS parking lot to illustrate my concerns, this mural is not the problem to which I refer.

* It is not clear here what kind of graffiti Rob Schilling objects to, what instances of graffiti in Charlottesville would be subject to graffiti abatement and what costs might be associated with a graffiti abatement program apart from those covered by fines.

Question: One report said you moved to Charlottesville from California three years ago-is this correct? When did you first register as a voter in the city?

Answer: Actually, my wife Joan and I moved from California to Virginia in August of 1998. We first lived in Fluvanna County and it was there that I registered to vote for the fall election. We bought our house in Charlottesville in the spring of 1999, and I changed my registration thereafter.

Question: What funds have been raised so far for your campaign, and from what sources?

Answer: That information will be available in the first election report.

* The next financial filing deadline for candidates for the Charlottesville City Council (running from January 1, 2002 to April 26, 2002) is on April 29, 2002.

Question: Did Yoko Ono have anything to do with the breakup of The Sneaks?

Answer: Well, no, but our drummer, whom we affectionately called "Mercibeate," did have a Yoko-esque girlfriend at the time. She, too, was vocally challenged.