Graham has vision for city

By The News Virginian Staff

Published: April 27, 2008

Second of two parts announcing The News Virginian’s endorsements in the City Council’s two contested races:
Strange must be the forces that compel one to exchange an online reporter’s hat for that of local politician, but Chris Graham has shown dexterity in making the transition. A former reporter at this newspaper and the owner and editor of online and print magazines, Graham is one of three candidates seeking the Ward B City Council seat being vacated by Mayor Tom Reynolds.
The others are Greg Bruno, the owner of a local computer consulting firm and a former member of the city Planning Commission, and former city policeman Bruce Allen. The election is May 6.
Political allegiances run deep in this town, as they do in most places, and that’s decidedly the case in Ward B. Graham is linked to the council’s majority faction, now made up of Reynolds, Vice Mayor Nancy Dowdy and Councilwoman Lorie Smith. He also is strongly tied to the Wayne Theatre Alliance and Chairman Bill Hausrath, having served on the group’s board of directors.
Few subjects in Waynesboro inspire the ire associated with the Wayne Theatre. The city has invested $300,000 in the project to refurbish the facility and has agreed to pour in another $700,000 in taxpayer money over the next decade, provided the theater meets a series of performance benchmarks. Graham is an ardent supporter of those initiatives.
Not so his opponents.
Allen is an ally of the council’s minority faction, made up of Frank Lucente and Tim Williams. Like those two, Allen opposes funneling city money into the Wayne. Also like the council’s conservative bloc, Allen prefers keeping government’s hands out of development, leaving the task of revitalizing downtown to entrepreneurs. Bruno bills himself as the independent voice among the three, but is a staunch opponent of funding for the Wayne.
On these points, the arguments of Graham’s opponents have merit. The crucial question is whether the Wayne can play the part of economic engine, or is more likely to fill a lesser role in downtown growth. We tend to think the latter is the case, which raises significant concerns about the wisdom of pushing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars into the effort.
Where Graham is particularly distinguished from the other two, however, is on the subject of economic development. He vows he’ll move Waynesboro beyond the tired manufacturing model and pull research and development and high-tech firms into the city, taking advantage of our strategic location between Harrisonburg, home of biotech research giant SRI International, and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
In addition, Graham recognizes the necessity of Waynesboro building on its amenities, starting with the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, two slices of Americana with ends touching the city’s doorstep. Transforming Waynesboro’s sagging east end into a gateway to a vibrant downtown, populated by high-tech companies and high-end, mixed-use residential development, would provide the city with economic stability for decades to come.
The fiscal conservatism and common-sense thinking of Allen and Bruno make them worthwhile choices. Further, Graham inspires valid concerns over the influence of his friends at the theater alliance and others who would accelerate government spending to the breaking point.
These worries notwithstanding, only Graham displays a vivid understanding of what needs to be done to help Waynesboro realize its true promise as a gem in the Valley. For this reason above all others, Graham gets our nod in Ward B.