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Christian Trejbal

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• Making sense of local elections
• Voters have only themselves to blame
• Money flows freely to local candidates
• Candidates contemplate a little big-box store

• Column archive

From the RoundTable blog

• Editorial: Election hiccups in Montgomery County
• Editorial: Don't cut out the public
• Editorial: Carilion's charity care
• Radmacher: No hope for Virginia's roads

News that Blacksburg won its case before the Virginia Supreme Court spread quickly. The developers of the First & Main project must seek council permission if they want to build a big-box store, the court said.

Citizens who had mobilized against a large-format retailer next to Margaret Beeks Elementary School rejoiced. Members of Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth shared joyful e-mails and did not skimp on the exclamation marks.

BURG had formed to oppose the project widely believed to be a Wal-Mart Supercenter. The group quickly donned the veneer of smart-growth advocates and environmental stewards, but at its core, it existed to fight the big box, spending tens of thousands of dollars doing so.

BURGers convinced town council to require developers to receive a conditional use permit before building large stores. Thanks to the Supreme Court, that requirement will apply to First & Main.

After the litigation, BURG ended up $8,000 in the hole, but spirits remained high.

For a day.

The day after their victory, one of the BURGers dropped a bombshell on the group. "In talking with a town council member, they expressed that the current council is split 3-3 on the Wal-Mart issue," she wrote in an e-mail to the group. "The work is not done."

Maybe Wal-Mart -- or whatever big-box store -- is not dead after all. If four council members were to vote to approve a permit, construction could begin. The key is that fourth vote, which would come from someone council will appoint to fill the vacancy left after the death of Councilman Derek Myers last month.

The big-box store could become a litmus test. Congress has abortion; Blacksburg has Wal-Mart. If council splits 3-3 on the appointment, the decision would fall to a judge.

Members of BURG won't take that risk. They mobilized quickly and bombarded council with thoughts on who should -- and more importantly, who should not -- replace Myers. They especially do not want to see former Councilman Paul Lancaster back in office after they worked so hard to defeat his re-election bid a year ago.

BURG's fears are based on a delusion. Council is nowhere near evenly split on a big-box store. Voting to approve a conditional use permit in the current environment would almost certainly be political suicide.

Just to be sure, I asked council members where they stood on the issue. Understandably, none wanted to go on the record before the developers have even submitted an application. Nevertheless, each danced close enough to the edge to leave little doubt how it would fare.

"I can't imagine the big box that would work there," Leslie Hager-Smith said.

"They can expect we will have to take into consideration what the public thinks," Don Langrehr said. "I have concerns about projects that large."

"We look forward to working with them to achieve their original vision of a quality mixed-use development," Mayor Ron Rordam coyly shifted away from the big box.

And so on.

No, the First & Main developers might as well save everyone the trouble and talk to the town about what else they could fit on the property.

Council members seem little interested in playing along with BURG's big-box litmus test, either. They recognize that the town faces many important issues. Elevating this one above the rest when it no longer is even particularly controversial makes little sense.

Independent thinkers would better serve the town than special-interest council members.

"There are so many issues we have this year that revolve around the budget and are community issues that are really important and have the potential for long-term community impact," Tom Sherman said. "I would not want to see someone appointed to council who comes into it with a dogmatic, 'I know everything there is to know about that issue' view."

Langrehr also does not want to turn the appointment into a political battle. "I'm all for letting the elections sort it out," he said. "I want to avoid creating a pre-campaign campaign."

Perhaps the best way to do that would be to appoint a placeholder, someone who knows the issues but has no interest in running come November.

"I think that we have a situation that we are going to use our best judgment on who should fill that vacancy regardless of our feelings," Al Leighton said.

That is all anyone should ask.

Trejbal is an editorial writer for The Roanoke Times based in the New River Valley bureau in Christiansburg.