Democratic candidates for City Council, Charlottesville Mayor Blake Caravati and Alexandria Searls, will face only one major opponent in the upcoming May election.
Charlottesville General Registrar Sheri L. Iachetta said only one Republican candidate had met the filing deadline yesterday. The Republican candidate, Rob Schilling, entered the race last Thursday.
The solo candidacy hurts Republican chances of ending the Democratic dominance on Council. Democrats now hold all five seats.
"People tend not to single-shot their vote. If they vote for one Republican they tend to use their other vote for a Democrat," Council member David Toscano said.
Votes cast by Schilling supporters for a Democratic candidate will couple with votes by Democratic candidates and likely will put the Democrats ahead, Toscano said.
Iachetta said one Independent candidate met the filing deadline. Stratton Salisdis, who ran unsuccessfully for Council two years ago, will run again this year.
Commonwealth names Case Industrialist of Year
The Commonwealth of Virginia and the Science Museum of Virginia have named AOL-Time Warner Chairman Stephen M. Case Virginia's Outstanding Industrialist for the year 2002.
Case co-founded America Online in 1985 in Vienna, Va. AOL grew over the years into a dominant Internet service provider now holding over 30 million customers.
The Science Museum of Virginia cites AOL as helping fuel Virginia's technology boom in the 1990s.
- Compiled by Michael Loatman