. . . but if you read between the lines of this e-mail blast, it sounds as though Richmond City Councilman Bill Pantele is resigning from public life and joining a monastery:

A Special Message from Bill Pantele

Now is the time for Richmond to move on, to recapture its place as a Great Capital City—our home, where we are proud to live, visit and raise a family. Now is the time to come together to invigorate this City’s energy and to inspire the imagination.

We share a vision of what Richmond can be, and what it must be. To move forward, we need competent and committed leadership to take us there.

I would be very honored if you would join me on this journey.

I will be making a major announcement about my plans for 2008 in the very near future. In the meantime, I would greatly appreciate your support at The Renaissance on the evening of Wednesday, May 28. 

Fundraising Reception for Bill Pantele

Please join the Friends of Bill Pantele at a special celebration!

The Renaissance
107 West Broad Street
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
5:30 - 7:30 pm

Patron: $1,000
Sponsor: $500
Friend: $250
Individual: $100
Student or Senior: $50

. . . .

Please make checks payable to:
Friends of Bill Pantele
1312-A West Main Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220.

Paid for and authorized by Friends of Bill Pantele

Doesn’t it?

The mayoral race shouldn’t be a popularity or beauty contest.  We’ve already experienced what can happen if we elect a “rock star” personality. 

Who has the best qualifications?  What do we want in a mayor—or from any leader for that matter?  Judging from the lousy turnouts for the so-called “School Superintendent Search,” either people don’t care or they have been convinced that it doesn’t really matter what they want because this school board is going to do whatever it (or Deborah Jewell-Sherman) wants.

Goldman has been putting out press releases that do a good job of giving his views and initiatives and challenging other candidates. The Times Disgrace is not really interested in covering them though.

http://scfoj.tumblr.com/post/33989375/green-mayor-for-richmond

It wants Pantele or Grey to win.

Quick!  Name three reasons to elect Pantele? Jones? Goldman? Grey? What accomplishments can they offer as evidence that they know how to lead?

What do these fellas stand for—or against?  Besides fighting with Wilder (Pantele, Jones), siding with Wilder (Grey) or trying to keep Wilder focused and on message (Goldman), what difference will it make in the quality of life in this city?

“Being mayor of Richmond is to mayors what the Times Dispatch is to journalism”

Precisely. Telling people what they need to hear instead of feeding them the sugar that rots their brains and soothes their ignorance.

“we used to cringe at the City Council. Now the Council is acting relatively sane...”

And who would have dreamed of making such a statement even 10 years ago? Maybe his “Dougship” has served a purpose after all?

Being mayor of Richmond is to mayors what the Times Dispatch is to journalism.
Not much. So far, Doug Wilder has set a standard in being mayor that few, if any,
could duplicate. we used to cringe at the City Council. Now the Council is acting relatively sane while the antics of his Dougship have possibly surpassed the Old City Council.

I guess this is better than having other Councilpeople accept bribes, but isn’t the Renaissance one of Louis Salomonsky’s developments?

Personally, I have had enough of ‘Bosnia Bill’.

Look, Richmond truly was a great capitol city when it commanded the Confederacy. Losing the war set us back two centuries.

Who says we don’t have a heroin addict on city council now too ?  Or two or three.

I don’t see anything wrong with the message. I don’t see anything wrong with Pantele. I don’t see anything wrong with him running for mayor. I don’t see anything wrong with the subtle plug I just read.

I do however wonder why mayor of Richmond is such a plum it requires massives amounts of campaign funds in order to secure the election. Since when was mayor of Richmond a political plum. Next thing you know a former mayor will run for governor. Hah, that could never happen...Next thing you know a former governor will run for mayor...Hah, now I’m getting downright silly. Never happen.  Never.

Why can’t I just contribute my usual two cents (literally) or just complain I don’t give a rat’s patootie.

Oh maybe that’s why we ended up this way to begin with…

Richmond was a great capital city??? It can be—don’t get me worng—but I don’t think it ever was before. At least not by national standards.

And this what we need to do: Think BIG (for a change). Stop using old Richmond standards to gauge our current progress. Our old standards were junk to begin with. ‘15 years we ago we had a heroin addict on city council; today we don’t. Therefore that means the current administration has really turned the city around!’

Puh-leez. That’s a very weak argument. Let’s think big for a change. Now that u-no-hoo isn’t running for re-lection, maybe we can! My fingers are crossed.

Sounds like somebody’s running for Mayor.

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