Perrow announces candidacy for Ward IV seat

Lynchburg City Councilman Turner Perrow kicked off his re-election campaign Wednesday, touting his professional expertise as an engineer, fiscal conservatism and ability to build bridges with what he termed council’s “liberal majority.”

“Today, I tell you that our work is not yet done,” he said. “… We can do it, but I need your help. Send me back to serve Ward IV on City Council, and send me back with a conservative, fiscally minded majority.”

Perrow, 37, is seeking his second term as council’s Ward IV representative. He runs as an independent, but he’s a member of the local Republican committee and is often seen as aligned with councilmen Jeff Helgeson and H. Cary, both Republicans.

Cary was on hand for Perrow’s campaign announcement as was: Clerk of the Circuit Court Eugene Wingfield, Treasurer David Thurman, Campbell County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul McAndrews and former Ward IV Councilman Joe Seiffert.

Perrow, a Lynchburg native, is the first candidate to announce for May’s local elections. He said he was “humbled” to be able to serve Ward IV. “I am grateful for the countless lessons and values this community granted me over the course of a lifetime working and growing in the Hill City.”

Perrow said he’s built a “proven track record of leadership” in his four years on council, including opposing tax hikes, lobbying for more efficient and “business-minded” school management, and supporting public safety needs.

But the centerpiece of his campaign announcement was Heritage High School, whose future reconstruction or renovation will cost the city millions.

Perrow — who served on last year’s Heritage High School task force — said it is the biggest project the city will have undertaken in his lifetime. He held his announcement outside the school.

“I have more than 15 years of professional experience as a civil engineer, dealing with major design and construction projects,” he said. “And I will put that experience to work in moving forward with a fiscally responsible, architecturally appropriate and structurally sound building.”

Through his work on the task force, Perrow said he concluded Heritage could remain on its current site and be substantially rebuilt with a few pieces, such as the auditorium and football fields, preserved.

This approach could yield “considerable savings” over an entirely new building on a new site, Perrow said, a key consideration as he does not support raising taxes to finance the work.

“It has been argued at City Council that this project may only be accomplished with a tax increase,” he said. “I say no, and I have a plan to complete the project while holding our spending on debt service near current levels.”

During a council budget retreat Tuesday, Perrow proposed an alternate debt dispersion structure. If feasible, it could help the city bankroll nearly $20 million of Heritage’s costs.

Councilman Michael Gillette proposed an alternate debt structure with the same goal. City staff is studying both models and will return with a report.

Gillette — who chaired the Heritage task force and is also up for re-election — is one of the council members Perrow tagged as the “liberal majority.” But Gillette rejected those types of distinctions as recently as last week.

During a council debate, Gillette said he genuinely considers himself an independent on local issues and said public perceptions about a 4-3 split are not supported by council’s voting record, given most measures pass near unanimously.

“On City Council, I don’t think those labels make any sense whatsoever,” he said. “I don’t believe there are Republican and Democratic issues when it comes to local governance.”

Wednesday, Perrow said he feels it’s “very clear” there is a divide on council among those who are fiscally conservative and those who “tend to be more free with spending.”

Perrow appealed to the city‘s voters to put a conservative majority in office. When asked if he was thinking of specific candidates, he declined to give names, but said he was aware there are people considering a run.

“I look forward to hearing from them,” he said.

Perrow, a vice president with engineering firm WW Associates, is married with two daughters, ages 4 and 2. He and his wife, Holly, are expecting their third child this year.

Council’s four ward seats are up for election. The seats are currently held by Gillette of Ward I, Vice Mayor Ceasor Johnson of Ward II, Helgeson of Ward III and Perrow of Ward IV.

The deadline for candidates to file their election paperwork is March 6.