Coffee Talk Favors Jewell in 5th

The political talk at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream on Forest Hill Avenue was all Obama and, to some surprise, City Councilman Marty Jewell.

The 5th district coffee shop, in the shadow of the proposed Patrick Henry charter school, was “like a busy Saturday,” says co-owner Will Herring, adding that his informal browsing turned up a few interesting tidbits.

Perhaps surprising, there was little discussion about the mayor's race in a district that many see as a tossup between Dwight Jones and Bill Pantele. “Nobody seemed to have a clue about [the] mayor,” he says, adding that some voters, even those just retuning from the polls, seemed confused.

As for Jewell, who some think is in serious jeopardy of losing his seat on City Council, the talk seemed indicate he was safe. Jewell is fending off challenges from Mark Brandon and Lee Shewmake, but Herring says the coffee talk favored Jewell.

“Almost to a person, the general feeling seemed to be that Mark and Shewmake would split the vote [against Jewell],” he says.  — Chris Dovi

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