Six months after Charlottesville residents voted for it, they voted against it. Three years after a Democrat espoused it, a Republican has taken up its call. The NAACP rallied for it the same year some black residents opposed it, and even this newspaper s editorial page has changed its opinion over the years.

The issue of council elections, or non-issue, depending on the perspective, has again been thrust into a council campaign as advocates figure out which way the wind is blowing this year.

Republican Councilor Rob Schilling is the latest to revive a decades-old idea of dividing the city into four sections and having each section, or ward, elect a representative to the City Council. Three other councilors would be elected at-large, creating a mixed-ward system.

The plan succeeded in a non-binding 1980 referendum, but failed months later in a second vote called for by the Democratic council. It was revisited at least twice in the 1990s, once by Mayor Maurice Cox.

Arguments for and against the change are largely the same as the ones used years ago. Schilling said wards would get more people to run for council and give voters a greater stake.

The reasons people are not willing to [run or vote] are because of the walls we re throwing up in front of them,  he said.

Schilling said the answer could be three changes: direct election of the mayor rather than appointment by the council, moving to a mixed-ward election, and adding two councilors to make seven.

These changes, he and others have argued, reduce the campaign area, assure neighborhood representation, and bring more public accountability to the mayor.

Opponents have said there is no underrepresentation, and if there were, changing the elections would not improve it.

The city elected its officials by ward from 1888 to 1922, when it switched to an at-large system. Over the years it has had as many as 12 and as few as three representatives. The council uses four city wards to appoint School Board members.

Obviously we think there is some merit for this, because this is what we do,  Schilling said.

A task force commissioned by the City Council in 1980 recommended that the city be divided into wards, but that the mayor remain appointed by the council. A referendum in 1980 came to the same conclusion, though by a narrow margin of 2,642 to 2,418.

But the council called for a second referendum, saying the vote was not decisive enough for any action. The issue was defeated 3,382 to 2,453 in 1981.

Proponents in 1993 tried to put another referendum on the ballot. They abandoned the issue in the face of discussion of reverting Charlottesville to a town in Albemarle County, which would have enacted a ward system, anyway.

Cox said in 1997 that wards would improve representation, using some of the same arguments as Schilling. There are so many diverse needs and opinions that you don t end up representing anyone,  Cox said in his second year on the council.

Cox said last week that he does not recall being a proponent of wards.

I made that statement as a neocouncilor much like Rob,  he said. But having governed for the past seven years, I certainly see the value now of being forced to represent the larger interests of all residents as opposed to a few. 

He dismissed the ward system as a political ploy. He s just trying to secure a permanent seat for Republicans on council,  Cox said of Schilling.

I think there is a fear of a decentralization of power in this community,  Schilling said. He said campaign cost discourages people from running, and that most councilors have come from the city s northern neighborhoods.

Cox said that he does not think southern neighborhoods are underrepresented, citing funding for continuing education, community policing and housing subsidies. A ward system would not be the answer to assuring neighborhood representation; rather, he said, the city should assure that neighborhoods have a mix of incomes so that those with more free time can advocate for those without it. Cox lives on Ridge Street, traditionally a black neighborhood.

I m not convinced that serving on council is a job that is easily adaptable to people who have to need this as an income,  he said. He cited boards such as the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Weed and Seed and other lower-income targeting groups as opportunities for people with children, multiple jobs and other responsibilities.

Cox said he is, however, willing to look at direct election of the mayor. It s a question of who do you feel beholden to, the four councilors who ve elected you as mayor or the thousands of residents who ve elected you as a mayor. 

Republican candidates Ann Reinicke and Kenneth Jackson have pledged to investigate the system if they are elected. Their candidate information on the GOP s Web site lists the ward issue immediately below basic introductions and before taxes and public safety.

Incumbent candidate Kevin Lynch said wards are not a good idea and he had not heard convincing evidence otherwise.

I m not opposed to studying the idea,  he said. But I really doubt I could be convinced it s in the best interest of anyone except for an incumbent who wants to keep a safe seat. 

Democratic candidate Kendra Hamilton said she also is willing to study the issue, but sees it as an attempt for Republican representation since blacks and women have been on council consistently. She said the Democratic candidates, including David E. Brown, plan to officially announce their position early this week.

The council will on March 15 discuss whether to study the mixed-ward, mayoral election, and seven-councilor issues - a charge similar if not identical to the one studied in 1980.

Contact Elizabeth Nelson at (434) 978-7245 or enelson@dailyprogress.com.