Friday, March 28, 2008
Editorial: Cutler for the Roanoke council appointment
City council picked four fine candidates to fill a vacancy on council. Applicant Rupert Cutler stands out as the best choice.
From the RoundTable blog
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If it seems as though Roanokers have moved easily beyond Alfred Dowe's disgraceful resignation from city council, one reason could be this: There was no shortage of qualified, outstanding people who stepped forward to serve the remainder of his two-year term.
Mayor Nelson Harris and the remaining council members did a commendable job in narrowing the field of 22 applicants to the final four: former councilman Rupert Cutler, former school board member Alvin Nash, community activist Vivian Sanchez-Jones and former assistant city manager Earl Reynolds.
Each has much to recommend him or her and would serve the citizens well. However, council on Monday can select just one. That choice should be Cutler.
In interviews with the editorial board, all the candidates spoke of the need for a more open, responsive government and stronger neighborhoods. All possess assets that would benefit council.
Reynolds' career in government lends him the know-how and experience to plan and execute city projects. Sanchez-Jones, a relative newcomer to Roanoke, has immersed herself in the community and would provide a desired connection to the city's growing Hispanic population. Nash demonstrated that he is a capable leader during his service on the school board.
Cutler, though, brings so much more to the table: intimate knowledge of Roanoke, its people, neighborhoods, and natural and cultural resources; proven leadership during a prior term on council that withstood the test that the Victory Stadium controversy posed.
Cutler is his own man. Consider that even as he seeks the appointment, he's been critical of the mayor's manner of phoning for consensus prior to public meetings and for discussing behind closed doors projects that are of prime importance to the public.
By appointing Cutler, council would signal it understands the need for public involvement.
Cutler will speak his mind, even if what he says is unpopular.
No one could ever doubt Cutler's environmental credentials. He was a founding director of the Western Virginia Land Trust and spent a lifetime advocating for the environment and continues to work to get Carvins Cove and the Mill Mountain slopes under protective easements. Cutler was green before green was cool. Yet, he's shouldered much criticism for supporting Valley Forward's plan to build a restaurant on Mill Mountain.
He lent that support only after doing much homework, which shows he bases decisions on facts rather than emotion.
In choosing Cutler, council would have a knowledgeable, capable colleague ready to, as he says, hit the ground running.
