Charlottesville has a single Republican City Councilor, Rob Schilling. The guy’s lazy, likes to stir up trouble (but can’t follow it up and turn it into anything substantial), and at the first hint of shouldering his share of the burden, he turns tail. Which is why I got a kick out of Liz Nelson’s story in today’s Daily Progress:
“Charlottesville’s City Council has urged the General Assembly to pass the Senate’s $60 billion budget as soon as possible so the city can rely on state funding and get on with its own budgeting.
“Councilor Rob Schilling did not stay at a meeting long enough to vote on the resolution, which passed 4-0. Councilor Blake Caravati proposed it at the end of Wednesday’s budget work session. Schilling was present when the resolution was introduced, but left seconds later saying he had to be elsewhere. He could not be reached later for comment.”
That is so Rob Schilling. It’s his second time around with the annual budget, so he knows full well that the city, like all Virginia municipalities, is not receiving the state funding that it is supposed to be getting. But he won’t dare vote on a resolution supporting the General Assembly to do the right thing — if he votes in favor, then Republicans can paint him as pro-tax, in the future political career that exists only within his imagination. If he votes against, then he’ll be correctly painted as delusional, and lacking understanding the budgetary process. If he abstains, then he’ll be shown as weak-kneed. So what does he do? He bails. He turns tail and runs. The guy’s got no cajones, plain and simple.
Feh.