The College of William and Mary was founded in 1693 and stands as the second oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The College has educated some of the most prominent figures in U.S. history, leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall and Jon Stewart. The City of Williamsburg, Virginia, was founded twenty-nine years later in 1722 by royal charter. In the 288 years since the founding of the City of Williamsburg, the students of the College of William and Mary have not had direct representation in the Williamsburg government. William and Mary students currently make up 47% of the city's population and have no elected representatives serving on the Williamsburg City Council. That all could change today, as Scott Foster attempts to be the first William and Mary student ever elected to the Williamsburg City Council.
Since entering the race, Scott Foster has been the presumptive front runner. Scott has put together one of the most qualified, experienced and professional campaign staffs in the history of Williamsburg politics. That staff, comprised entirely of students, has worked tirelessly for the past five months, running a campaign that employs the best aspects of grassroots political organizing. Running against four older, more seasoned opponents, Scott has consistently led the field in overall fundraising, total number of contributors, and volunteers. Rather than run an incendiary, student-based campaign, Scott has tried to cast as wide a net as possible, courting both city and student votes with equal energy and focus. Scott has knocked on nearly all of the more than 8,000 doors in the City of Williamsburg, and has been endorsed the area's only daily paper. He was also the only candidate willing to admit that he is a Democrat.
Scott has consistently defined the tenor and character of this election. By entering the race first, Scott's issue platform has been the basis of discussion since mid January. Every single candidate has moved towards Scott's positions, advocating policy that seek to preserve the integrity of the City of Williamsburg, while pursuing long term solutions to student concerns. Perhaps most importantly, Scott's very candidacy has forced all of the other campaigns to actively court the 2,200 registered student voters. This has forced the discussion and debate of the student issues that many within the city are all too happy to ignore.
It is worth noting that this would not have been possible even four years ago. It wasn't until 2006 that the Williamsburg registrar allowed students to register at their dormitories. Instead, students were required to jump through a series of hoops- including registering a car in Virginia, get a Virginia Driver's License- in order to vote in local elections.
Even if Scott comes up short today, his efforts will not have been in vain. He has mobilized the students of one of the nation's most storied universities and forced a city of oftentimes hostile residents to think critically about the symbiotic relationship of town and gown. Please keep Scott and the Foster campaign in your thoughts today. If we can win, we can demonstrate the value of a big tent approach to politics, and afford a voice to those who have been silent for far too long.