Interview with Suffolk, VA Mayoral Candidate Deb Wahlstrom

Like any good political figure, Deb exudes extroverted energy. She is totally a people person. I felt immediately comfortable with her, even though our crazy schedules required a quick meeting. And this time, I remembered to take a picture! We got right down to business, starting with transparency. For my crunchy-Suffolk community, transparency is THE issue of this campaign.

Dr. Wahlstrom (she earned her doctorate in Urban Affairs from ODU) has had personal experience with the opacity of City Government. For the past 18 months, she has regularly attended Council meetings and noticed that Council members do not take the time to speak with citizens prior to the meeting being called to order. There is a chance for Council members to mingle before the meeting comes to order, but this chance is wasted.
"Council needs to extend the same interest and courtesy to everyday citizens that they do to bond raters."

As with each candidate I interviewed, I pressed about specifics. What specifically is Deb Wahlstrom going to do to increase transparency in our Council? Deb had three suggestions.

1. Follow up on all citizen contact to Council. For example, a citizen sends an email or makes a phone call to Council. What happens to that message? And how does the citizen know what happens? Deb would like to see follow up to those contacts, especially complaints.
   "Citizens need to get something concrete back. A phone call or an email, that tells them exactly what is being done to address their concerns. Something that says 'here is what we have done to meet your needs.'"
2. Council meetings, EDA meetings, etc. should be available via webcast.
   "Not every citizen has access to cable, and not every citizen can arrange to be present at council meetings. Those citizens should not be left out of the loop."
   Making meetings available via the web ensures that every citizen can access meetings via public library computers.
3. Council agendas for each session should be available online.
   "Citizens cannot see who is going to say what. They should get that information before meetings so that they can prepare their questions."

And then there is the question that comes to mind when we hear the term "write-in." What is the deal with that? Why the write-in status? Suffolk requires a Mayoral candidate to have 500 signatures, all from registered voters, to be included on the ballot. Deb had the right number of signatures, but it turns out not everyone who said they were registered was in fact registered. Deborah's research suggests that many elected officials in Virginia's May elections were write-in, but I could only find two: Fluvana County Town Council, and Carrol County Town Council.

Unlike those other write-ins, Deb. Wahlstrom has one very big stick: the official endorsement of the Suffolk Republican party. With so many candidates on the ballot, voters could be drawn to this endorsement. Card carrying Republicans can look at that and know that Deb's values mirror the values of their party. And this could be an edge in a race with so many choices.

Regarding public schools, Dr. Wahlstrom says, "Teachers are the heart of teaching. And we need to ask them what they need to meet their AYP goals." She suggests focus groups and individual meetings with teachers to define needs. With 52% of our city budget going to the schools, their dismal performance is clearly not a financial issue.
"The Suffolk Superintendent of Schools is the most powerful person in Suffolk. He gets over half the budget and has no accountability."
She explained to me how the school district and the City have duplicate offices, such as purchasing and capital improvement. This dual system results in poor leadership and duplicate billings, and Deb Wahlstrom would like to see the school district absorbed into the City management structure. Her official position on homeschooling: "I'm all for it. Parents are a child's first teacher, and parents have flexibility to meet their children's needs that cannot be reproduced in a classroom."

Of all the candidates, Dr. Wahlstrom has the most specifics available about her plan. Her website details every aspect of her plan, which specific suggestions, time lines, and measures. Her goals are ambitious and clearly outlined in a strategic plan that covers every aspect of City operations.

Some other innovative ideas that Wahlstrom shared were using natural gas engines for City buses and City vehicles, finding out why exactly the conference center at the Hilton is not running in the black, and reinstituting traditional town hall meetings.
"If we cannot speak with the citizens of our City, and they cannot speak to us, how can we meet their needs?"

You can read more about Deborah at her website, www.DebWahlstromforMayor.org.

Deb will be participating in the debates tonight, which I may miss due to the hurricane.


UPDATE 09.26.2008
Deborah was just informed that the LWV has uninvited her to the Mayoral Forum. She also sent me her research regarding write in victories, which was far more thorough than mine.

Across the state, eleven City Council seat were won by a write-in candidate, not just the two that I found in my brief search. Scott County, Dickenson County and Loudoun County all elected their Mayors via write-in. You can look up election results for your city/county at the handy Virginia State Board of Elections Result Reports.

I was impressed that Dr. Wahlstrom took the time to read my post and send me her research. Now THAT is what I call transparency.