Collegiate Times

With Election Day coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Collegiate Times caught up with the candidates running for seats in the Blacksburg Town Council to hear their thoughts on local issues.

The seven members of the Council serve staggered four-year terms and are the legislative body of the local government. The Council passes new ordinances, makes rules about land use and long-term planning, and sets all tax rates.

This year, five candidates are running for three open spots — John Bush, Leslie Hager-Smith, Melvyn Jay “Mel” Huber, Paul Lancaster and Michael Sutphin.  

Each day this week, the CT will feature one question posed to all candidates, so readers can compare their answers and learn more about them. Today’s question deals with Blacksburg issues:

What is the biggest problem that will affect Blacksburg in the next five years?

John Bush

The development of the old middle school property is one — that it gets successfully developed. 

The town would like to purchase that property for fair market value after the high school building is demolished. Perhaps add recreational facilities and a new rescue station on that property. I think there are opportunities for senior housing. Perhaps more force on what’s termed low- to moderate-income housing both on the middle school and perhaps the high school property. We need to do a better job of providing first homes and starter homes for people who work in the town and aren’t able to afford some of the properties.

Leslie Hager-Smith

It continues to be true that we need to have our sights set on sustainable development and high quality community planning. I hesitate to call this a problem.

If several hundred thousand people pick up and decide this is a cool place to live, they’re coming, that’s it. We need to be ready for that. The point is to be ready and have some control over how we grow. That will be where we will experience points of tension. Christiansburg grew by 25 percent, that growth is a reflection of how much Virginia Tech (and) the Corporate Research Center keep expanding, and spin-off companies such as Modea, can hardly find space quick enough.

Paul Lancaster

It really is trying to get the business base reestablished in town. Right now, there’s about 3.4 percent of all the town in Blacksburg dedicated toward commercial. That’s a small number, and a lot of that is vacant.

Secondly, we need to look at the possibility of other commercial options in town. Again, way down on South Main, maybe we can bring some office businesses downtown that employ 100 to 200 people. It’s going to take some time and the recession doesn’t help. 

(Also), I want to establish a comprehensive tree policy in town. I’d like to have more things to highly restrict (tree chopping). 

Michael Sutphin 

Economic development is the one thing I’m focusing a lot on. Working to recruit businesses, especially things that are high tech in Blacksburg, so young people are able to have jobs and stay in the area and contribute to our economy (and) create a sense of community to help improve Blacksburg.

In small towns like ours, land use issue (are) big. We’ve had great success in approving, between the county and the town, the old Blacksburg Middle School property master plan. In the coming years, the other school issues, like the creation of the new Blacksburg High School and what we’re going to do with the site, will become (bigger).

Melvyn Huber

Melvyn Jay “Mel” Huber was unavailable to comment.

He worked as a lawyer for 56 years with the Wagner & Huber law firm in Blacksburg.

Huber has served on the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, the Republican County Committee and the Rotary Club.

He served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1947-58 and was on active duty during the Korean War.

For more information on Huber, go to HuberForBlacksburg.net

A version of this article appeared in the Nov 4 issue of the Collegiate Times.