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475 concern about this change, and he thinks we should proceed very deliberately. He said we have a year and a half in which to proceed and he looks forward to having that discussion with the community. He said he has not decided whether at large, mixed at large, or wards alone would be best, but will not rush forward. He said the issue has been politicized in the last few days. He said this is a serious change in the City's constitution and he hopes we will approach it in a very deliberate manner. Dr. Brown said he was accurately quoted by Mr. Schilling about his concerns about maintaining diversity, and would be concerned if there was any implication that he was being anything less than straightforward in those comments. He said while appointed systems may have had a shameful history in some areas, they do not in Charlottesville where diversity has been maintained. He said he appreciates the public's comment tonight. He said he came into the meeting leaning towards a mixed system, but wants to explore other options. He said it is an important fact that the submission to the Justice Department is not an expression of preference, it is just us following the law. He quoted from Mr. Carter's Glass's submission letter to the Justice Department "If the City Council decides as a policy matter that it would like some or all School Board members to be elected from districts, it could seek a Charter amendment or a change to the general law. As indicated above though, it would not be feasible to obtain and implement such changes in time for the May 2006 election, but they could be in place for the next election." He said he thinks this is solid advice from a highly skilled attorney. He said it does not preclude us from moving to a mixed system as supported by a majority of speakers tonight. He said it is his understanding that Council does not have to take action tonight in order to have a different system in a year and a half. He said Council could have community meetings, not just have the public come to Council meetings. Mr. Brown said it is his opinion that seeking a Charter change in 2007 would leave adequate time to make the change prior to the November 2007 election. Dr. Brown encouraged people to send research they have on the matter to Council. Mr. Schilling said there was a comment made that this Charter change would lock us into something, and he asked Mr. Brown to comment on that statement. Mr. Brown said it does not require us to approve a ward system, but provides that option. Mr. Schilling made a motion to include the enabling legislation for the authority to have a ward/mixed ward and at large system in the City's Legislative Package. Mr. Schilling's motion died for lack of a second. Dr. Brown said he is not prepared to move on the legislation at this time. Ms. Hamilton made a motion that all comments about the Charter amendment be submitted with the City's application to the Justice Department. Mr. Schilling seconded the motion, noting they should be verbatim. Mr. Lynch said he would like the opportunity to have a discussion with the community and provide an opportunity for questions and answers. He said there is a lot of misinformation in the community, some intentional, some not, but some things need to be cleared up, and he would like to move forward and resolve this in a way that gets the community moving forward. Dr. Brown said he thinks creating some forums for discussion would be an excellent idea. Delegate-Elect David Toscano, 628 Evergreen Avenue, said that if the comments made at the meeting are to be forwarded to the Justice Department, he wants to make a clarification. He said a reference was made by Mr. Schilling that he would carry specific legislation forward, but he wanted to make it clear that he made no such representation.