At one point, I thought Councilpeople Bill Pantele and Marty Jewell might aspire to the title, but I am afraid they have turned their back on citizens too many times. Every now and then I see a bit of the ol’ Jewell, the committed community activist, but more and more all I see is the same confused look. Pantele has always been funny, but now its pretty clear he has sold out.

So now it is 2008 in Richmond, and everyone is looking past Wilder’s term. Candidates are starting to throw their hats in the ring. Even Dirtwoman. So the question is, who will be the Green candidate?

We have a long way to go before we can brag like Richmond, CA. In Virginia, party labels are not really allowed at the municipal election level. But usually its pretty clear who hangs out with who. Unfortunately, though we have a wide net of friends, the Richmond Greens do not have a member who has the commitment, experience, and pull to be a serious mayoral candidate YET.However, endorsements are certainly possible, and right now the local Democratic Party is trying to figure who they want, on many levels. The Richmond Greens would be wise to do the same. I have given some thought to the City’s environmental agenda and I have tried to share that.

Of the current mayoral candidates, I have spoken most with Paul Goldman. He is a longtime Democratic operative who has not quite given up his New York accent. He is also a former advisor to Mayor Wilder who can legitimately take credit for not only Wilder’s successful campaigns, but also the new Mayor at Large system. Goldman promises he is not a straw-person for Wilder and is running as a true independent. The intent of his press releases sound great.Is he “the Green Mayor” we want? Maybe. We need to stay engaged and involved to make sure. In years past we held some great candidate forums in conjunction with the local Sierra Club and the Richmond Crusade for Voters. We need to start planning for this year’s.