City Council Candidates On the Issues: Sal Gandolfo

As we get closer to the April 3 election, Patch is reaching out again to candidates to ask them for their approach to concerns raised by residents in recent weeks. We'll be posting responses as they come in. 

County Councilman Sal Gandolfo says, if re-elected, a top priority in his next term will be fire protection. Gandolfo was a strong supporter of the Crowfield Boulevard fire station and wants to move ahead with the city's fire protection plan. 

First, the city will be building a new headquarters near the Walmart on St. James Avenue, and it will renovate the aging Brandywine fire station that currently serves as the HQ. "We're trying to keep everyone in our area safe," Gandolfo said.

Other fire station plans include Liberty Hall and Carnes Crossroads, but the city will first have to determine how to pay to build and staff those sites.

A recent 4-3 vote by the council tabled proposed deed restrictions on the Crowfield Golf and Country Club. Mayor Michael Heitzler wanted the restrictions to keep future councils from subdividing the property if the city-owned golf course fails.

Gandolfo said the council sometimes has to agree to disagree, but a compromise is possible on the mayor's proposal. 

"We still haven't received enough information to move forward," he said, but the council is in agreement that the golf course is an invaluable asset.

"Why would we want to sell it?" remarked Gandolfo. "If I'm on council, they'll never get my vote to sell the golf course."

A complaint often heard from residents involves road issues, due either to traffic concerns or a lack of sidewalks. For the Brickhope residents who will soon see the expanded Henry Brown Boulevard run down Montague Plantation Road, it's both.

The city has no control over the roads, but Gandolfo said the council has to start flexing its muscle. "We need to step up to the plate and start talking with our legislators and senators," he said. "It's our obligation to help our citizens."

Another issue came up recently when a developer proposed putting an IGA grocery store at the entrance of Woodland Lakes and Braemore. The communities opposed the project on the large wooded commercial lot and the developers pulled out.

But residents raised the question of whether the city could purchase the land for a park. Gandolfo pointed out that the city already has park property it hasn't done anything with.

He also pointed out that limted city cash requires priorities. "If we had the money to buy that property, we could build the fire stations tomorrow," he said.

Gandolfo closed by saying he is still an honest voice on council. "We're still one city," he said.

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