Downtown Is in the Crosshairs

By: The News & Advance | The News & Advance
Published: September 30, 2011

We understand how a political candidate, out on the stump, can get wound up at a campaign event and “misspeak,” so to speak.

Still, when a whopper of a misstatement gets thrown out, someone has to call it for what it is.

Such was the case Wednesday when State Senate candidate Tom Garrett spoke at a campaign event in Amherst.

Garrett, a Republican who’s running against Democrat Bert Dodson for the 22nd District Senate seat, slammed Dodson for a “litany of taxes” passed while he was on Lynchburg City Council. He also turned up the heat for Dodson’s purported advocacy of a downtown Lynchburg parking plan that, he said, “increased plywood on Main Street.”

First, the “litany of taxes.” Yes, local governments across Virginia have had to find revenue somewhere to pay for the litany of unfunded mandates Democrats and Republicans in Richmond have foisted upon them. That’s in addition to the millions of dollars the past Democratic governor and the current Republican governor have demanded localities give Richmond to create the appearance of a balanced state budget.

Second, the “plywood on Main Street.”

We’re not sure which “parking plan” Garrett is talking about — there’s one in the news now, but its passage by City Council is far from certain. We’ll cut him some slack, though, as he’s not from these parts.

But the claim of “plywood on Main Street”? Please.

Yes, there are some empty storefronts, but we are in the midst of an economic downturn. There is, however, a myriad of small, locally owned businesses downtown that are thriving. An Indian restaurant that’s been written about in The Washington Post. The headquarters of the region’s largest locally owned bank. Businesses that have been family-owned for generations. An internationally known dealer of antique globes. A maker of high-end, handmade furniture. A vibrant community fine arts center located in a century-old theater in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation. Hundreds of folks who call downtown home. Get the picture?

And honestly, we’ve not seen any buildings forlornly covered in plywood, except for construction and renovation purposes.

So the next time Tom Garrett’s in town for a campaign swing, we invite him to go downtown with us. It is, after all, part of the district he wants to represent.

Perhaps he’ll get to know Downtown Lynchburg and love it as much as we Central Virginians do.