If the Times-Dispatch has it right, last night's mayoral debate at Thomas Jefferson High School meandered slightly closer into an engagement around issues facing Richmond. It's arguable whether the issues addressed rank high in voters minds, but it's a start.
All of the candidates said they expect Richmond to get a baseball team to replace the Class AAA Richmond Braves, but they differed on the type of team that could be coming.
Jones suggested the city aspire to get a major-league team, but Grey said that's unrealistic, given the proximity of teams in Washington and Baltimore.
Pantele expects a Class AA team and said that the next mayor will need to repair damage to the city's reputation from the loss of the R-Braves. Goldman and Williams said the city should prioritize schools over baseball.
On addressing homelessness in the city, Jones said the city needs to conduct an audit of current services to see what else needs to be done. Pantele said the community already knows what's being done and is needed and he suggested the city start a pool of day laborers and pay a living wage.
To improve regional transportation, Williams suggested making the expansion of bus service into the counties part of talks about the new baseball team for the area.
Grey chided Pantele for the City Council not providing more money to operate the GRTC Transit System. Pantele countered that the council increased the system's spending by $1.7 million.
Maybe City Council could start holding its meetings on GRTC buses, driven by players from Richmond's new major league baseball franchise. And funded by CenterStage.
Missing, at least from the coverage, was serious debate about the state of Richmond's schools; our decaying public infrastructure; affordable housing and poverty; Richmond's role in regional issues.
Posted by: Scott Burger | September 05, 2008 at 09:33
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