Council Candidates Have Casual Introduction

By Desiree Parker Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The five candidates for Williamsburg’s two city council seat had a chance to speak for a few minutes to a few dozen city residents Monday evening at a not-too-formal public meeting.

Hosted by the Williamsburg Democratic Committee as part of their monthly meeting, the relaxed forum gave the greener candidates a chance to practice their rhetoric and all a chance to share their experiences of the city and plans for its future. No questions were taken during the meeting, but afterwards people were invited to stay and speak with the candidates at their leisure.

The sparse crowd, which filled about a third of the Stryker building’s small council chambers, was comprised mainly of Democratic Committee members along with a few residents, students and (after an evening budget meeting) some city council members.

Below are some highlights of the speeches; check out WYDaily’s profiles of each candidate to learn more about their platforms.

Doug Pons
Current Planning Commission Chairman Doug Pons was first to speak, and he spent a few moments talking about his current home near William and Mary’s old fraternity row and about his business, the Quarterpath Inn. He told the audience he’d just refinanced his property and he aims to “breathe some life into this old property.”

His vision for the city, he said, was for it to continue to be a “uniquely timeless community… but also adaptable in changing times.”

Though clearly not too comfortable selling himself to an audience, Pons warmed to one of his favorite topics, the local tourism economy, and had no trouble keeping his eyes off his notes when he told people his thoughts on the issue.

A solid economic foundation is critical to the economic well-being of the city, he said, but “our cash registers aren’t ringing.” Why aren’t more businesses locating in the city, he asked, and why are room and meal taxes declining?

Pons pointed out that while he was president of the Williamsburg Hotel Motel Association, his group worked on taxing itself to generate more funds for the tourism industry. By successfully lobbying the General Assembly, the WHMA helped get a new tax law passed to pay for tourism marketing. Pons wants to “bring that spirit of collaboration and cooperation to the table” when it comes to solving the current tourism problem.

The city is a small, tight-knit community that needs to work together to get things done, Pons said. He wants to bring “full transparency” to local government and start a dialog about important issues, he said.

Scott Foster
Foster, the William and Mary senior running a fierce online campaign for council, told the audience about his earliest memories of Williamsburg, which included a field trip to the city when he was in kindergarten. He bought a tricorn hat, he said, and liked it so much he wore it to school. Kids teased him about it, he joked, which drew some chuckles from the crowd.

His neighbors in the Walnut Hills neighborhood made him feel right at home, he said, and one couple in particular have become like an adopted set of grandparents. Hearing about his neighbors’ experiences with college students made him realize “I had my niche to fill” in the city, Foster said – to work as a bridge between students and residents.

Foster, with his slow, southern drawl, seemed to relax as he made his way through his points (and when his notes fell to the floor during the talk, he remained unfazed).

He told the audience that the economy and economic development were some main challenges facing the city, and to overcome them he would support collaboration between the city’s main drivers (Colonial Williamsburg, the college, the government) and he’d suggest more use of the college’s tourism potential (keeping college visitors in town).

He said he would bring energy to the table if elected, and that his youth afforded him objectivity. Also, he joked that he’d already logged a lot of hours in the municipal building already meeting city staff, which drew more laughs.

Sean Driscoll
Also a member of the planning commission, Driscoll was clearly one of the candidates more comfortable speaking in public. One of two who didn’t refer to notes, Driscoll also talked a bit about his memories of the city – including being a part of the Fife and Drum corps, working at a Colonial Williamsburg tavern, mowing lawns and delivering papers.

“I spent my time riding bikes, too,” he joked.

Challenges Driscoll, a financial advisor, sees for the city include the fast growth in the nearby counties and the recession. “This is the worst economic downturn in 40 years. I see it on a daily basis,” he said.

He also talked about “ramping up tourism,” which local destinations are doing now by changing up and extending their marketing campaigns this season.

“Today we need to have a vision,” Driscoll said, about the future of the city in years to come. He promised the audience he’d aim to maintain the quality of life and bring strong fiscal management, transparency, and communication to the city if elected.

David Dafashy
A quick and flamboyant speaker, Dafashy also didn’t need notes while discussing his thoughts about the city.

He spent a few moments commenting on how knowledgeable and committed residents are, and he stressed that one vision alone wasn’t what the city needed, but ideas based on collective input.

He also used his job as a physician at the college as an extended metaphor, explaining that many of his skills in the clinic would be useful to the city council – such as listening, understanding how systems work together, and knowing when to seek someone else’s expertise.

Dafashy said maintaining green space and the aesthetic beauty of the city, along with “restoring vibrancy to empty storefronts” were some ways to help tourism by improving a visitor’s experience in the city.

He also made reference to the rift among the big tourism players, saying that to make the city a “consummate tourism destination” groups need to “see each other as allies, not competitors.”

Keeping with his flair for metaphor, Dafashy likened the city’s budget issues with a family tightening its belt – spend less when you can, cut out luxuries, and make a priority list were some of his suggestions, along with not increasing taxes.

Bobby Braxton
Incumbent Bobby Braxton was the candidate most at ease speaking to the audience – but he stuck more with his script than the others.

After making a few jokes to loosen up the crowd, Braxton shared his six priorities for the city in the near future, and how he had applied the ideas to his first term.

First was communication in government, which he said expanded over the last several years with the new online government forum and various online tools.

Second was fiscal responsibility (especially important in tough budgetary times). The new, consolidated emergency operations center and tax deferments for seniors were ideas he supported that fell in this category.

Concern for the environment was a big push in the city, he pointed out. Examples he gave were various environmental awards the city has won, along with the LEED certified municipal expansion.

Neighborhood preservation made his list, too, as did workforce development (and affordable housing) and economic development.

Braxton said he’d supported many new developments that were (or will be) boons for the city, including the Tioga project (which brought green space), City Green condos, Quarterpath shopping center, Riverside Hospital (not yet built) and High Street.

Two challenges that faced the city in the near future, Braxton said, would be maintaining quality of life while being fiscally responsible. He’d just come from a budget meeting, though, (which had made him late for the candidates meeting) and he said he had two words to share with the audience: “cautiously optimistic.”