View source for Colette E. Blount

{{Infobox Officeholder
| name = Colette E. Blount
| photo = ColetteBlount.jpg|250px|Colette Blount]]
| caption = 
| office1= Member<br/>[[Charlottesville School Board]]
| district1 = 
| party1 = 
| election1 = 
| term_start1 = 2008
| term_end1 = 2011
| preceded1 = 
| succeeded1 = 
| office2= Member<br/>[[Charlottesville School Board]]
| district2 = 
| term_start2 = 2012
| term_end2 = 2015
| preceded2 =
| succeeded2 = 
| office3 = 
| district3 =
| term_start3 = 
| term_end3 = 
| preceded3 =
| succeeded3 =
| birth_date = July 9, 1964<br/>Age {{age|1964|07|09}} 
| date_of_death =
| birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri
| place_of_death =
| spouse = 
| children = Jo
| residence = Barracks/Rugby
| alma_mater = Wellesley College, 1986<ref name="announcementvideo">{{cite web|title=Colette Blount announces candidacy for Charlottesville City Council|url=http://vimeo.com/25791611|author=|work=|publisher=Charlottesville Tomorrow|location=|publishdate=29 June 2011|accessdate=29 June 2011}}</ref><br>College of William & Mary, M.Ed. 1994<ref name="announcementvideo" />
| profession = Teacher
| religion =
| website = [http://www.blountforcouncil.com Campaign Website]
| vpapid =198764 
}}

[[Colette E. Blount]]  is a teacher in [[Albemarle County Public Schools]]. She was a member of the [[Charlottesville School Board]] from 2008-2015. She also ran for [[Charlottesville City Council]] in 2011.

==Election history==
===[[2011 election]] for City Council===

On June 29, Blount announced that she would seek the Democratic nomination for a seat on Charlottesville City Council.<ref>{{cite web|title=Colette Blount launches campaign for Charlottesville City Council|url=http://cvilletomorrow.typepad.com/charlottesville_tomorrow_/2011/06/blount.html|author=|work=Article|publisher=Charlottesville Tomorrow|location=|publishdate=29 June 2011|accessdate=5 July 2011}}</ref> However, she came in fifth in the voting<ref>{{cite-progress|title=Recount confirms Democratic Council noms|url=http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2011/aug/22/recount-confirms-democratic-council-noms-ar-1255060/|author=Graham Moomaw|pageno=|printdate=August 22, 2011|publishdate=August 22, 2011|accessdate=August 23, 2011|cturl=}}</ref> and announced she would seek a second term on the School Board. <ref>{{cite web|title=Colette Blount Becomes School Board Candidate|url=http://www.wina.com/Colette-Blount-Becomes-School-Board-Candidate/10713077|author=|work=|publisher=Newsradio 1070 WINA|location=|publishdate=|accessdate=August 24, 2011}}</ref>

===Campaign announcement===
<vimeo>25791611</vimeo>

===Democratic Primary Video===
{{#widget:YouTube|id=7xQy9S0l40A}}


====Endorsements====
In August 2011, the [[Piedmont Sierra Club]] officially endorsed Blount and [[Dede Smith]]'s candidacy.<ref name=sierrablountsmith>{{cite-cville|url=http://www.c-ville.com/Piedmont_Sierra_Club_endorses_Blount_and_Smith_for_City_Council/|title=Piedmont Sierra Club endorses Blount and Smith for City Council|author=Chiara Canzi|publishdate=August 4th 03:26pm}}</ref>

====Positions====
Questions and answers published in [[The Daily Progress]] on August 14, 2011.<ref>{{cite-progress|title=Democratic hopefuls weigh in on the issues|url=http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2011/aug/13/democratic-hopefuls-weigh-issues-ar-1237089/|author=Graham Moomaw|work=|publisher=The Daily Progress|location=|publishdate=14 August 2011|accessdate=15 August 2011}}</ref>

'''Do you support construction of the Meadow Creek Parkway in the city?'''
:Following my “nea” vote on School Board three years ago to grant right-of-way for parkway construction, I asked council to reconsider moving forward with an outdated 40-year plan. I contended that localities were better served by an eastern bypass, which would divert“traffic” and alleviate the present-day snarl at Pantops. Pending legal activity to determine the feasibility of VDOT/Army Corps of Engineer protocol around the federal regulatory process, the proposed two-lane road, with approximate speeds of 35 mph, will not only ignore traffic woes, but will splinter our city and forever alter a vibrant green space. Just as with steep slope ordinances, deliberate policy is required when piecing up whole pieces of Charlottesville’s landscape.

'''Do you support the approved water supply plan or a different approach?'''
:Dredging is an environmentally sound approach to handling the movement of silt over time. The current water plan does not give due credence to the fact that with dredging and dam maintenance, we address our current water needs in an economically feasible manner. We have current data that shows that while there has been an increase in population,water consumption has declined. By either designing more efficient tools or through making personal shifts to recycling/reducing, we can step more lightly. It is not prudent to ask citizens to shoulder a $140 million cost based around outdated data, a cost that will be passed on through increased rates.

'''What is the most important thing the city can do to create jobs?'''
:Charlottesville must devise a strategy for job creation.Comprehensive, measurable endeavors like Many Plans, One Community, being overseen by TJPDC, work toward this goal.I will move to create an Economic Strategic Team consisting of employers, educators, unemployed persons, Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development and the City Economic Development Office, et al to:
::a. ensure people are educated for emerging job sectors;
::b. protect/expand small business using lending partnerships for capital; and
::c. identify viable businesses that match targeted goals, send team to recruit them to the city, and create policy around employment of local citizens and commitment to other infrastructure needs

'''Does the city have an affordable housing problem? What should council do?'''
:The city is losing a lot of its housing stock to the university. Larger cities may not have this concern, but Charlottesville’s limited square mileage constrains what it is able to secure for its current citizens and those who work, but don’t reside here. I support the use of mixed-use/mixed-income development, and ordinances that would ensure all new developments needing rezoning contain a mixture of housing types and costs. City Council must follow the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Residents’ Bill of Rights and continue to support projects like Habitat’s Sunrise Park, which aims to incorporate, not displace, current residents in the mixed-income, affordable units.

'''What should the city do on the issue of addressing poverty'''
:Poverty is a multifaceted phenomenon.In undertaking the task of breaking the cyclical nature of poverty, City Council needs to focus its efforts on formulating a comprehensive, citywide approach encompassing: education (children/adults), the job market, transportation and affordable housing. The university is the city’s largest employer; however, the lack on the part of the university to offer its employees a living wage hampers any viable effort at breaking the cycle.Charlottesville needs a job market capable of sustaining the economic and housing needs of its citizens, especially the thousands of underemployed.The city must have industry capable of addressing this vast need.

'''What is the city’s biggest challenge in transportation?'''
:The manner in which we transport our goods and ourselves through our community is not effective. Charlottesville must have affordable, timely and costeffective transportation to serve the diverse needs of the community.UnJAM 2035,Many Plans, One Community’s long-range transportation planning, outlines straightforward measures for moving our citizens through and around our city, taking into account safety (sidewalks/bike lanes), fiscal responsibility, environmental preservation and innovation.Given the geographical limits, it would be prudent of us to consider such ventures as park-and-ride; benefit packages for ridesharing, biking, or walking; expansion of bus services, including express service; and the use of light rail options.

'''What will be your top priority if elected?'''
:My top priority on council will be in the area of job development.This has far-reaching implications for both the adults and children of our community.Toward this end, we will need to bring together the community around: clarity of vision, shared decisionmaking, implementation of city priorities, measurable strategic goals and related accountability. In support of job development, we must offer our children access to the future by way of apprenticeships/internships. Our transportation and economic development infrastructures must support the needs of our burgeoning community. Jobs open the door to dignity and respect, essential components in civic engagement.

===2011 election for School Board===
{{2011 election/CitySchoolBoard}}

===[[2007 election]] for School Board===
{{2007 election/CharlottesvilleSchoolBoard}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/cvilledems#p/u/2/7xQy9S0l40A Youtube video promoting city council candidacy].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blount, Colette}}
[[Category:Democratic party members]]
[[Category:Current Charlottesville School Board Members]]