Category Archives: editorial

Governor Northam Signs The Bill – Put Schools First

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From the Times Dispatch:

Gov. Ralph Northam has signed Senate Bill 750 from Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Richmond, which requires Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney to present a fully funded school facilities modernization plan to City Council by Jan. 1, 2019, or say it can’t be done.

The bill — structured as a change to the city’s charter — passed both the Senate and the House of Delegates without a single vote in opposition.

Like other pieces of signed legislation, the charter change takes effect July 1. That gives Stoney six months to present a plan. If the mayor presents a plan, City Council would have 90 days to take action on the plan.

This is a welcome result for the 85 percent of Richmonders who voted for the referendum this past November.

Oregon Hill’s State Senator Sturtevant deserves credit for bring the bill forward and nursing it through the General Assembly.

Rumors of Russian Collusion Rock City Democratic Party

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While international news has been filled lately with diplomats being expelled from various countries, a new crisis is emerging locally in Richmond City Democratic Committee.

It’s worth noting that Richmond has already made the news nationally in regard to ‘Russiagate’ with the arrest of Former Trump campaign aide and West End resident Rick Gates.

Late last month, in a surprising move, the committee was temporarily shut down and its current officers removed after an arm of the state Democratic Party nullified the recent election of officers. While exact connections are unclear, suspicions have now emerged surrounding gift-giving and election influence.

No one has called McCabe or Comey yet (ed. note: and I still have not collected on my bet), but now wild tales are circulating about influence peddling involving everything from illegal James River sturgeon caviar to RVA Magazine online ads, from kegs of various area microbrewery beer to Richmond Kickers tickets.

There is even speculation about Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s previous Cossack beard, including whether it will make a return this coming Fall as a sign of his international socialist brotherhood allegiance.

Some residents are wondering about stories about Russian officials’ attendance at last year’s meetings between Agelasto, Libertarian restaurateur Jay Crocker, and Green Party candidate Montigue Magruder, but many people are dismissing those as more dishonest attempts to smear third party leaders. Magruder, hearing about these outrageous claims, dismissed them wholeheartedly, saying that he wished the Kremlin, FBI, CIA, or NSA would just go ahead and pay his mobile phone bill.

Russian rumors swirl around all sorts of local matters, including the successful Put Schools First campaign, the debates around meal and cigarette taxes, Virginia Medicaid plans, the Chesterfield “mega-site”, and Joe Morrissey’s law license. If that was not enough, Democratic activist and former state chair Paul Goldman reportedly offered to negotiate a call between Russian president Vladimir Putin, former Governor Douglas Wilder, and former VCU president emeritus and professor Eugene Trani in order to ‘fact-check’.

С первым Апреля!

Notably, as the media continues to hype this and other controversies, Washington D.C.’s local government just passed a significant Fair Elections Bill. And Trump just declared April National Sexual Assault Awareness Month while both sides of the corporate duopoly largely ignore the allegations against him.

Correspondent Of The Day- “Hoping developers blend new and old”

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From today’s Times Dispatch…

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

It was with great interest that I recently read the news story about the protest by Oregon Hill residents over the planned development of the Paragon property on Cary Street.

Being a native of Richmond, Oregon Hill and the 600 block of Cary Street both hold a special place in my heart because my great-grandfather, Lewis Jacob, was born in the Jacob House in 1828. He lived with his brothers at various places in and around Oregon Hill and the early Fan during the 19th century.

Understandably, I was most disturbed — as were many others — to see the Jacob House moved in 1995 to its present location. However, in retrospect, the carefully planned addition of modern townhouses which developed behind it tastefully complemented its setting and today stands as a testament to a blending of the old with the new.

I sincerely hope that the developers of the Paragon property will take note that these buildings are living monuments to the people who made Richmond and that they have an opportunity to prove that the past can live with the present.

Robert J. Crouch.

Richmond.

Letter To The Editor: New structures in Fan should fit architecture

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Richmond resident Nancy Everett has a ‘Correspondent Of The Day’ Letter To The Editor in today’s Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper:

Here’s part of it:

Certainly to each his own, but it seems the city should be concerned with preserving the style of architecture that attracts so many to Richmond. A case in point is the proposed structure on the 800 block of Cary Street.

It saddens me that historically significant buildings are not protected and preserved, but it horrifies me that there is no requirement that they be at least replaced with a building that fits the style of the surrounding neighborhood. I venture to say that, as has been the case historically, whenever a building is put up in the Fan that meets the current taste, it becomes an extreme regret 10 to 20 years down the road. The city should consider how it can preserve the unique architecture and vibe of our historic districts rather than risk them in the future.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, March 2, 2018

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From press release:

The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, by unanimous vote of its membership, has passed a resolution supporting the conservation of the buildings on the 800 block of W Cary St that are threatened with demolition by Richmond developers looking to erect an apartment building on the footprint. These buildings, the oldest being circa 1840, are listed as contributing structures to the National Register of Historic Spaces and serve as a gateway to both the Oregon Hill Historic District and to Downtown Richmond. We have offered to meet with the developers and see how we can come to the table and figure out an alternative to tearing them down. It would be tragic to lose these valuable historic resources.

C. Todd Woodson, president
Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, inc
302 S Cherry St
Richmond Va 23220
804-783-8829

Councilperson Agelasto Proposes Cigarette Tax For Schools

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With the Mayor and City Council having successfully jammed through a meals tax increase this past Monday, it will be interesting to see if Councilperson Agelasto receives support from the rest of City leadership for his upcoming attempt at implementing a cigarette tax, something that has not passed before. After all, it’s also ‘for the children’ and has the support of the American Heart Association.

In the meantime, the original Put School First referendum is still in the Virginia General Assembly. Oregon Hill’s state senator, Glen Sturtevant, was able to navigate it through the senate side quite easily.

More Depressing Local Politics – Taxes & Water

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An email has been circulating which reportedly calls for a boycott of restaurants that are resisting Mayor Stoney’s meals tax increase proposal. I would hope that Mayor Stoney would disavow this email and tactic, but perhaps he does not recall how bitter the last meals tax increase debate was. The Virginia Performing Arts Foundation and Center Stage backers told City Council that they would personally lobby to rescind the increase once the Carpenter Center was fully renovated. They dishonorably lied, and on top of that, the City has had to continually bail out that private project. Now, once again, citizens are being told it is ‘for the children’ and must hurry and approve a meals tax increase.

We were hearing about an impending tax increase this past October, but it is becoming more obvious that this current proposal is more about distracting from the original Put Schools First referendum, which received overwhelming support from Richmond voters. I urge folks to continue to support the referendum in the General Assembly.

Sadly, there are still dishonest people spreading disinformation about the original referendum. Two very important points for people to understand- One, If the referendum had included language about raising taxes, it would not have been allowed on the ballot. Two, the referendum language does require the City leadership to first come up with a plan to modernize ALL the schools without considering a tax increase in their budget wrangling, HOWEVER, that does not preclude the City leadership from coming up with a second plan that does include a tax increase.

What’s even sadder is that the City leadership continues to ignore other income sources. Consider the Larus Park deal. What a waste of an opportunity to fairly increase revenues. Why is Mayor Stoney going to lease park land to Chesterfield County for only $1.00 per year? Why is the Mayor not willing to increase the mark up on the water sold to the counties from 5% to 10% (from $0.035 per ccf to $0.07 per ccf). So what if Chesterfield has to raise it’s water cost to $1.88 per ccf, Richmond residents are paying $4.04 per ccf. We have covered the need for water utility reform here before, yet City leadership would rather we hurry up and support another(!) ridiculous meals tax increase.

Speaking of the Larus Park deal, its worth watching City Council Monday (if they can get their microphones to work this time) and see how they handle it. The deal is a lose, lose, lose, for City parks, water reform, and residents, but evidently it is a City leadership priority that Chesterfield County get its cheap water.

A scorecard of sorts:

There are five ordinances and one resolution (some are relatively good and some are bad) regarding the Larus Park issue that are to be considered at the special February 5th City Council meeting:

Ordinance 2017-208: this ordinance authorizes utility PILOT money for the purchase of the 18 acres

Ordinance 2017-209: this is the “stinker” ordinance that allows Larus Park to be leased to the county, along with the lease agreement that is unfavorable to the city

Ordinance 2017-221: this is the ordinance that declares a public necessity to purchase the 18 additional acres

Ordinance 2017-253: this is the “stinker” ordinance that states that “not withstanding” city code section 8-2 (c) [which specifically prohibits leasing Larus and other parks] the city is leasing Larus Park

Ordinance 2017-254: this is the “stinker” ordinance “notwithstanding” city code section 8-2 (c) AND city code section 8-57 granting easements by the county to work in Larus Park [passing this ordinance would mean that all of the city parks are just one vote away from being sold]

Resolution 2017-R097: this is the “excellent” resolution to authorize the conservation easement on Larus Park.

Support Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)

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I have mentioned ranked choice voting before on this site. The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association uses it to elect officers when there is more than 2 people running for a position. Now’s the time to further this important voting reform in Virginia.

From FairVoteVa.org:

Delegate Nick Freitas (Culpeper) has submitted HB 553, which would establish ranked choice voting in elections for Virginia’s statewide offices and General Assembly, along with Virginia’s members of the U.S. House and Senate. A similar bill was tabled in committee during the 2017 session.

Delegate Patrick Hope (Arlington) has also submitted HB 932, which would authorize Arlington County to use ranked choice voting in its local Board elections.

The 2018 session began on Wednesday, January 10. HB 553 will start in the Campaigns subcommittee of the House Committee on Privileges and Elections (P&E). We’re especially eager to recruit FairVote supporters in P&E members’ districts. You can visit Who’s My Legislator to search for your local delegate or check this map to see if you live in one of the committee’s districts.

Thank You, Shamin Hotels

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On bitterly cold mornings like this, most Americans are fortunate to have warm beds and functioning sources of heat for their homes. And while Oregon Hill homeowners have seen their property values climb to precipitous levels in the last two decades, residents here tend to be not as wealthy as those in some other places. For many of us, most of our personal financial value is tied up into our modest two story homes, with their warm beds and functioning sources of heat.

So it is very disturbing for us to read in the local newspapers and hear and watch on local radio and television about households that are lacking in functional sources of heat at this time of year. I am referring to news reports about the roughly 50 families living in Creighton Court apartments with broken heating systems. The owner of these apartments, the public Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA), knew back in October of the failures (and that emergency clauses in Virginia housing code allows for quicker actions if needed). In comparison, when a boiler failed at City Hall, it did not go months with space heaters; a temporary system was installed in under a week.

Like many other locals, I contacted RRHA management and City Council members about this matter, demanding relief for these poor people. Our 5th District Councilperson Parker Agelasto quickly wrote back with a good, thoughtful response. In his conclusion he wrote,

I am sorry that this was not better anticipated and work scheduled more timely. What’s most telling about this situation is that the old infrastructure is failing and needs to be replaced soon. This is a matter of public health and safety. City Council is doing its best setting aside funding for public housing replacement. The issue with RRHA is that they fall under HUD rules and HUD has not provided sufficient maintenance funding. Currently, RRHA receives $750 per year per housing unit for maintenance. The HUD budget doesn’t look to get any better. This is why public/private partnerships appear to be the option to move forward with providing affordable housing.

Of course, I wrote back, thanking Agelasto for his response and asked what private entities are stepping forward to be possible partners. He replied with ideas about real estate developers and amending tax abatement programs in order to gain more affordable housing. Again, very good and thoughtful, but what about the immediacy of Creighton Court families going without proper heating systems at this time of year?

I am very happy to learn that a local hotel owner offered free rooms to affected families yesterday. Shamin Hotels, lead by CEO Neil Amin, generously donated rooms in their Richmond Airport Hotel. They also said they would help with meals if needed. It’s not a perfect solution and some residents may still be reluctant to temporarily leave their homes, but it is certainly a welcome offer for many cold people.

As a citizen and as a grassroots media outlet, I will continue to criticize undue corporate influence on our government and declare ‘corporate personhood’ an abomination, but that does not mean I cannot also celebrate and praise private sector members that step in when the public sector has so clearly failed. On that note, thank you Shamin Hotels. You are helping many Richmonders sleep better, and not just the ones from Creighton Court.

VCU Commonwealth Times: “We’re talking about someone’s life”: VCUarts adjuncts plan a day of action to demand equitable pay

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Excerpts from VCU Commonwealth Times article:

VCUarts adjunct professors will stage a day of action Dec. 8 to demand fair pay from the School of the Arts. They plan to hold a rally at the Compass, deliver a petition with more than 900 signatures to the Board of Visitors meeting and demand to have their wages raised for the upcoming semester.

An estimated 120 adjuncts in the No. 1 public art school in the country currently make $750 to $850 dollars per credit hour taught. They are capped at teaching two classes per semester, which means they would make an estimated $9,000 to $10,200 per year, before taxes.

The federal poverty line in the United States sits at $12,082, according the Census Bureau.
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For example, in the 2016-2017 academic year, the school had a total budget of $33,659,043. Of that, VCUarts allocated more than $32 million on educational and general expenses. The school distributed $890,000 of restricted university funds, which consist of gifts to the particular departments, investment earnings and more throughout the school.

The organization argues the school should use other funds in the school to properly pay their adjunct faculty rather than turning to raising student tuition.

The organization presented Brixey and other VCUarts administrators with research examining the average cost of living in Richmond and the federal poverty line in the United States — this led them to their suggestion of $2,000 per credit hour taught for adjuncts.

According to Trepanier, Brixey said the school will raise adjunct pay to $1,000 per credit hour for the upcoming semester by tapping into reserve funds, per approval from the Board of Visitors. However, it was never clarified whether the funds were primarily from VCUarts or from the university.
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“This is an urgent crisis. The Dean is moving into a new house, but there are a lot of adjuncts that have been homeless within the last year,” the adjunct said. “When we’re talking about equity issues, we’re not just talking about what’s fair and unfair, we’re talking about someone’s life and where they’re going to sleep at night.”

The adjunct also raised the concern of not being able to dedicate enough time to students because of the various jobs art adjuncts often work to pay bills.

“In terms of budgeting time, when a lot of us are working three jobs or have to drive to Virginia Tech the next day to teach, a lot of that does take a toll on the classroom,” they said. “I don’t think it’s fair to the career development of the students.”

Trepanier spoke out because she does not plan to return to VCU after her contract ends in December. She also has other forms of income she relies on, but said that’s not that case for all of her colleagues.

“People are terrified to speak up because they don’t want to lose that little bit of income that they do have,” Trepanier said. “If you eventually want a full-time job, and you go on record and they see that out on media, then schools won’t hire you because you’re a troublemaker.”

From FaceBook event page:

What: VCU Adjunct Fair Pay Rally and petition drop

When: 9am December 8th, 2017

Where: In front of the VCU Cabell Library (bring signs, wear t-shirts) From the front of Cabell Library we will walk as a group and deliver the petition to the VCU Board of Visitors.

If you haven’t signed the petition yet please do so at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/vcuarts-adjuncts-deserve-fair-pay