Lynchburg Better Together City Council candidates Christina Delzingaro, Dave Henderson, and Nat Marshall have released a new summary of feedback gathered during a May 12 listening session with local business owners. The document, “What We Heard From Business Owners,” reflects a clear message from Lynchburg’s business community: local economic growth depends on more than business recruitment alone. Business owners want city leadership that understands the connection between strong schools, safe streets, vibrant public spaces, affordable commercial corridors, infrastructure investment, and opportunities for young people.

Nat Marshall, a lifelong Lynchburg-area resident, highlighted the dedication of Phyllistine Mosley and the other co-founders of the Juneteenth celebration for their 25-plus years of work on the event. Marshall, a candidate for one of the three at-large seats on Lynchburg City Council, commented about the diverse nature of the crowd at Saturday’s event, many of whom “are trying to learn and celebrate” freedom and Black achievement.

On Saturday, the state Republican Party’s governing body threw out the results of the Lynchburg Republicans’ May 30 nominating event for the city council on the grounds that it had violated multiple party rules. For those trying to understand the rest of what happened with the Lynchburg Republicans, and what happens now, here’s a full seven-point guide, one for each of the hills in the “City of Seven Hills.”

In a few weeks, my wife and I will have lived in Lynchburg for 50 years. Our children were born here, attended public schools, and both of them graduated from Heritage High School. We have spent the greater portion of our lives within the City of Lynchburg. Never in all those years have we witnessed the total dysfunction that is on constant display from our local Republican-dominated City Council. Temper tantrums (literally throwing objects to the floor), personal insults, campaigning against each other, allowing meetings to descend into chaos — perhaps fans of reality television, where toxic behavior is paraded as entertainment, are amused and entertained. I’m appalled and embarrassed. Fortunately, we still have elections and alternatives. I have met and spoken with Christina Delzingaro, Dave Henderson, and Nat Marshall, who are running as a ticket under the Lynchburg Better Together and Democratic banners.

Lynchburg Better Together City Council candidates Christina Delzingaro, Dave Henderson, and Nat Marshall have released a new summary of feedback gathered during a March listening session with Lynchburg City Schools teachers and staff. The document, “What We Heard From LCS Teachers,” highlights concerns raised by educators and school staff about teacher pay, staffing, classroom resources, curriculum, student support, building maintenance, and inequities across Lynchburg’s school system. Across the conversation, one message came through clearly: Lynchburg’s public schools need city leadership that treats student success as central to the city’s future.

For Lynchburg City Council candidate Dave Henderson, improving the quality of life for Hill City residents is his top campaign priority. From upgrades to the school system to continued improvements in downtown and other parts of the city to attracting mid-sized businesses, Lynchburg needs to keep the focus on investing in the quality of life, Henderson said at a candidate event hosted by the Central Virginia Young Democrats on Friday.

Lynchburg Democrats now know which candidates will be representing the party for the three at-large seats on city council in November’s general election. Because only three candidates filed paperwork with the Lynchburg Democratic Committee by the state’s deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday, the party will not need to hold a primary in August to pick who will be the party’s nominees. The three Democratic candidates — Nat Marshall, Christina Delzingaro and Dave Henderson — are the slate selected by Lynchburg Better Together to run for council. The trio held an event at Monument Terrace in January to announce their candidacies and explain why they are running for office.

The head pf the Lynchburg Republican Party criticized a City Council Conduct Pledge circulated by the group Lynchburg Better Together. Lynchburg Better Together, a group that has endorsed three Democratic candidates for the at-large council seats, released the pledge that outlines what it describes as baseline expectations for how city council should conduct public business. The pledge, which has been signed by more than 200 people, is focused on how members of council govern once in office, including how meetings are conducted, how rules are used, and how the public and staff are treated, along with how members treat each other.