Lynchchburg residents and college students filled the University of Lynchburg’s Hall Campus Center’s Memorial Ballroom to hear where city council candidates stand on both local and statewide issues. All nine candidates for the three at-large seats on city council participated in the forum, which was moderated by Pat Simon, an anchor at WSET and David Richards, chair of the University of Lynchburg’s international relations and political science department.

Personal animosities and competing visions for Lynchburg’s governance boiled over on Tuesday night as nine city council candidates transformed the Memorial Ballroom stage into a high-stakes political battleground. Moderated by WSET ABC13 anchor Pat Simon and political science professor Dr. David Richards, the debate exposed deep divides on how the Hill City should be governed. The three Democratic candidates, Dave Henderson, Christina Delzingaro and Nat Marshall, are running together as Lynchburg Better Together. For Liberty University alumna Brianna Falwell, supporting the Lynchburg Better Together ticket is directly tied to her morals. “Being a Falwell, a lot of my morals come through my politics and I think Christianity is more aligned with the Lynchburg Better Together candidates and their vision for Lynchburg,” said Falwell, dubbing this platform as the new Moral Majority.

Nine Lynchburg City Council candidates are vying for your vote in the upcoming election. They are competing for three at-large seats on the council. The three democrats, Henderson, Delzingaro and Marshall, are running together as 'Lynchburg Better Together.' According to their website, their goal is to "reset the tone of city leadership and return to competent, respectful governance focused on quality of life, economic opportunity, and responsible budgeting. Our approach is simple: when we expand opportunity and grow our local economy in practical, measurable ways, our entire city moves forward."

I’ve been saddened by the continual partisan, divisive actions that City Council has become, which are so at odds with Lynchburg's character. I believe that what most people want in their community, and especially from their leaders, is respectful collaboration and kindness. Lynchburg deserves it. When I moved here in 2014 to retire, I knew I had made a good decision, and now I want that decision back to confirm it. That is why voting for Christina Delzingaro, Dave Henderson, and Nat Marshall is the right choice for the At-Large seats. All three are very active, dedicated leaders across all facets of our community and extremely qualified for these seats.

Given the past four years of dysfunction on our Republican-dominated City Council, one might have thought that the four candidates running as Republicans would have been on their best behavior at the recent Candidate Forum hosted by the Lynchburg Voters League, the NAACP, and the League of Women Voters. Sadly, no. In a time when LCS has fallen to 126th out of 131 Virginia school systems and when our poverty rate exceeds the state average by more than 8 points, with inflation up and jobs down, the Republican candidates fell short of offering any new ideas for our struggling city.

Nat Marshall, who recently retired from a long career at BWXT Technologies, is running for an at-large seat on Lynchburg City Council in the Nov. 3 general election. Marshall, a Democrat, is running against eight other candidates for the three at-large seats on city council. He is running as a team with fellow Democratic candidates Christina Delzingaro and Dave Henderson. If elected to council, Marshall said education, jobs, health and wellness, and public safety will be his top priorities.

Dave Henderson, a small business owner, is running for an at-large seat on Lynchburg City Council in the Nov. 3 general election. Henderson, a Democrat, is running against eight other candidates for the three at-large seats on city council. He is running as a team with fellow Democratic candidates Christina Delzingaro and Nat Marshall. Alongside helping to build strong schools, Henderson said his priorities if elected to the city council will be growing the city’s economy, supporting public safety and improving the quality of life.

Christina Delzingaro, co-founder and CEO of Community Access Network, is running for an at-large seat on Lynchburg City Council in the Nov. 3 general election. Delzingaro, a Democrat, is running against eight other candidates for the three at-large seats on city council. She is running as a team with fellow Democratic candidates Nat Marshall and Dave Henderson. If elected to council, Delzingaro said one of her goals will be working to make Lynchburg a place where people and families can thrive.