Differing Views At BV Forum

Candidates Share Similar Thoughts On School Options

Judging from their statements at last week’s candidates forum, Buena Vista’s mayoral hopefuls have very different views on how the city is doing.

Incumbent Mayor Tyson Cooper sees progress on multiple fronts – a downtown on the cusp of revitalization, new businesses, resurgence in industry, much-needed investments in infrastructure.

His challenger, Jesse Lineberry, views the city as being in a state of decline – failed policies, missed opportunities, a disregard for the concerns of citizens.

Also during the forum, sponsored by the local chamber of commerce and held in the Parry McCluer Middle School auditorium, all of the candidates for City Council expressed varying degrees of support for transforming the now-vacant Mountain Gateway Community College’s school building on Vista Links Drive into a middle school, at least temporarily, despite the school facilities’ committee seemingly moving away from this option.

The three candidates for Buena Vista sheriff also spoke at the forum, with each emphasizing an open door policy so as to be accessible to citizens and offering thoughts on how best to respond to citizens they encounter who are dealing with mental illness.

Cooper, seeking his second two-year term as mayor, described Buena Vista as “an ideal place to live and raise a family. “Amazing things are happening,” he declared. “We’re getting new businesses. We’re improving our infrastructure.” After going many years without any streets being repaved, during his tenure, he said, “We’ve repaved 10 percent of our streets.”

Vying for elective office for the first time, Lineberry said he’s been “deeply engaged in the community, working behind the scenes with citizens” – whom he deemed “the backbone of the community.” He said he’s an advocate for the “real hard-working stakeholders in the community.” Critical decision have been made by City Council in the past decade, he asserted, “that have not served us well.” He promised to be “bold, innovative,” in helping the city “break free of outdated practices.”

The forum was held last Tuesday, Oct. 7, one day after the school facilities committee opted to move forward with studying a plan to add a middle school wing to Parry McCluer High School, rather than pursue the idea of transforming the former MGCC building on Vista Links Drive into a middle school.

Asked about what option they preferred to replace the aging PMMS building, which was just recently approved for inclusion in the Virginia Landmarks Register by the Commonwealth’s Board of Historic Resources, each of the seven candidates for three City Council seats said they wanted to explore the former MGCC building, at least as a temporary solution.

Pamela Camden said the former MGCC building “is the best option for a middle school.” She alluded to comments teachers had made during a tour of the building, as reported in this newspaper. Those teachers described this option as a “no brainer.” She said the school would still need a gym and a music room but expressed confidence in the city manager being able to find grants to help defray the costs.

“The city cannot afford a new K-7 school that costs $65 million,” said Stanley Coffey, referring to cost estimates for a proposed merged elementary/ middle school that would be built next to the high school. He described the costs, which had doubled in recent years, as “outrageous … We already have a solution with Mountain Gateway.” He noted that the city is continuing to make payments on this building, and additional costs would be minimal.

Amy Gilliam said the city is learning about the MGCC option but, “The first step is to look at [city’s] overall financial health. We need a tighter budget, more oversight. We need to eliminate waste and make sure that we meet our needs.” She suggested pursuing grants with Virginia Power to “gain more energy efficiency.”

Melvin Henson said MGCC “sounds like a good idea.” He recalled how non-load-bearing walls were used in construction, which would make it easier to move the walls and reconfigure the building. Because the current middle school has just sixth- and seventh-graders, with only about 100 students, the MGCC building could easily accommodate the student population, he reasoned.

Frank Huffman described MGCC as a “good temporary solution.” He said he didn’t want to lose sight of the idea of re-using the PMMS building in the future, with the historic landmark register status making restoration more feasible with the use of historic tax credits. “It’s centrally located,” he pointed out. “This opens up a lot of possibilities.”

Stephanie Noel Branch said “there is a clear and recognized need” to replace the current aging middle school. “We need to explore all of the available options. [MGCC] would be a temporary solution. We need a comprehensive facilities study to determine the best option.”

“Mountain Gateway is definitely the way to go,” said Vice Mayor Danny Staton. “At this time Buena Vista cannot swallow a $60 million project. You have no idea how high taxes would go up if we went with this. We need to utilize what we have right now. Then step back and look at everything.”

In response to a question about how law enforcement should respond to incidents in which individuals with mental illness are encountered, incumbent Sheriff Randy Hamilton said, “Mental illness is not a crime. It’s important that we recognize this and reduce the stigma. We can direct people to the available services. We can handle these situations with professionalism, dignity and respect. Humanity guides our actions. We need to recognize signs of distress and be trained to de-escalate situations. Safety remains our top priority.”

Chris Wheeler, one of Hamilton’s two challengers, said, “We’re seeing more substance abuse [issues] – drugs and alcohol – [which are related to] underlying mental health issues. … The point is to direct people to where they can get help. Education reduces the stigma. We need to learn how to identify the signs and symptoms.” Over the course of his 30-plus years in law enforcement, he said, he’s learned to have more “empathy.”

“Drug addiction is one of the biggest mental illnesses that we have,” said Alan Buzzard, the other candidate for sheriff.” Law enforcement officers receive training in how to deal with individuals with drug addictions and mental illness, he noted. Sometimes such individuals have to be handcuffed for the safety of the public and the officers. Officers need to conduct research to be more educated on these issues, he suggested.

All three candidates for sheriff touted their accessibility to citizens. “We’ll get out with the citizens of Buena Vista and be seen,” said Buzzard. “Call me anytime. I’ll answer any questions citizens have.” Wheeler said, “We’ll have public meetings, partner with the police and schools. We’ll participate in events in the community.” Hamilton said he practices “visibility, accessibility. People call me at all hours.”

The mayoral candidates were asked their ideas for promoting growth and providing infrastructure to support it. Cooper said the city has a strategy for this that’s being carried out by a very capable staff – “leadership and employees who are fantastic. Council supports these individuals.” He cited as tangible results of these efforts Modine Manufacturing’s expansion, MGCC’s Wilson Workforce Training Center, the Virginia Innovation Center, the creation of Magnolia Square and a study of what to do about the Georgia Bonded property.

“Trust is the foundation of everything,” said Lineberry. “We must have transparency and include the citizens in our decision making. Fill the table so that everyone has a seat.” He suggested eliminating the three-minute time limit for citizens speaking at City Council meetings, and to open up dialogues between citizens and Council members at meetings. “Here’s where people think government drops the ball.” Council, he said, needs to lower taxes and “get our house in order.”