Dede Smith, perhaps best known for her opposition to a new earthen dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir and her equally vocal advocacy for restoring Rivanna Reservoir capacity through dredging, officially announced her City Council candidacy on Monday at Forest Hills Park.
|
|
/DedeSmith.jpg)
Dede Smith has announced she will run for the Democratic nomination for one of the three open seats on City Council in November’s elections. A vocal supporter of dredging, Smith says the water supply plan is only one of the issues facing the city.“I have been encouraged for years to run for City Council, because of my involvement in so many civic and education systems,” she told C-VILLE in an interview prior to her official announcement. Smith will compete with nine other candidates for three open seats on Council, and will run as a Democrat.
Smith, a member of Citizens for a Sustainable Water Plan (CSWP), said that Charlottesville currently faces “a lot of 20th century challenges…for which we need to really be thinking in terms of 21st century solutions, rather than just rehashing the same bad decisions that were made before.”
Days before Smith’s announcement, local developer Paul Beyer unveiled his campaign for council. Beyer said that revisiting past council decisions on the community water supply plan and Meadow Creek Parkway would distract from other, more pressing city issues.
In response, Smith said that any councilor should evaluate the city’s best interest “in environmental terms as well as financial terms.”
“It is absolutely imperative that the role a city councilor plays is to protect city assets and the city’s future,” said Smith.
Smith, a resident of the Fry’s Spring neighborhood for the past 30 years, has served as the Director of the Ivy Creek Foundation for 14 years. During her tenure, the foundation created the Ragged Mountain Natural Area and managed the Ivy Creek Natural Area, now jointly owned by Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville.
During the last year, debates over the costs, environmental consequences and long-range goals associated with the 50-year community water supply plan and Meadow Creek Parkway strained dialogue between city and county officials, who were required to collaborate on the efforts. Smith was the only member of the public to speak against the water supply plan when City Council first approved it in June 2006.
However, she said, “I have a good understanding of where cooperation between the city and the county can work.”
“I think city and county already have a dialogue on specific programs,” says Smith. “There is a lot of cooperation that doesn’t get talked about, because [it involves] positive things.”
Smith is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she received her undergraduate degree in microbiology. She also served for six years on the city school board.
