Category Archives: editorial

North Carolina Election Scandal Deserves More Attention

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Another editorial venture to national politics…

Virginians who are weary of their own state leadership scandals may want to take a moment to read up on the latest political news from neighboring state North Carolina.

Recently uncovered fraud has lead to calls for a new Congressional election there. But the truth is that there is a much bigger picture to consider…

Readers of this community news site may recall previous editorials that have supported vote recounts and more investigation.

It’s worth revisiting some of the past questions and revelations, including leaked National Security Agency documents that the mainstream, corporate media only gave cursory examination. They were so busy looking for proof of Russian interference that they glossed over so much historic domestic fraud.

Virginia citizens should be thankful that state officials made the decision to go back to paper ballots in 2017. But in other states, the recounts and democracy activists have made all the difference. They should be celebrated. Sadly, the corporate duopoly’s response is to punish them instead.

Election integrity is so important right now and must remain a priority going forward. Americans should be free to vote for the candidates they believe best represent their values and know their votes will count.

James River Park Master Plan Meeting for 5th District This Thursday

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There is a meeting this Thursday to discuss a future master plan for the James River Park, sponsored by Friends of The James River and City Council representatives Parker Agelasto (Oregon Hill’s Council rep) and Kristen Larson. It’s being held at 6 pm at the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts (3411 Semmes Avenue, across the river).

From the meeting notice:

We want to hear from you! Attend this community meeting to share your input on the future of the James River Park. Registration is not required.

The James River Park is a crown jewel of the region, providing a unique natural wilderness for park users. As the number of visitors to the park increases each year, a Master Plan is needed to preserve, protect, and properly maintain the park for years to come. The plan will influence the future of the park within the overall framework of the park’s conservation easement.

Your input is valuable. If you can’t attend a community meeting, please take the online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JamesRiverParkMasterPlan

As Oregon Hill pretty much borders the James River Park and is a popular conduit to it, neighbors will hopefully have a lot of input that will be taken seriously.

As a bit of editorial, citizens should take a broad view of things, including protection of wildlife (and corridors for it), threats of light pollution (such as proposed signage at the high-rise at 2000 Riverside Drive across the river), and commercialization of this heavily-used park system. Nothing against the new superintendent of James River Park, Bryce Wilk, but it seems like more citizens should have been involved earlier in the hiring process. Having these master plan sessions after the hiring allows the suspicion that an agenda is already in place with a new Superintendent. That’s not necessarily the case, but…. What happened with Monroe Park should be a warning to all Richmonders.

Top Issues For Neighborhood

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I have been meaning to do this post for a while and the start of the year seems to be a good time to actually get it done… I have done a little bit of surveying with neighbors, but some things, frankly, have not changed…

1. Establishing an anti-demolition City overlay for the neighborhood- how to protect historic assets and character took on new emphasis and concern with what happened with the 800 block of W. Cary Street this past year. This could be a precursor for making Oregon Hill an official City Historic District.

2. Establishing a signed, binding agreement that VCU will not encroach into Oregon Hill any further. Note: VCU administration shamefully refuses, despite having agreements with other neighborhoods and even foreign countries. The disrespect is intolerable and distrust remains.

3. Encouraging more neighborhood contacts and social connections. Many neighbors, especially new ones, want better ways to get to know the people who live around them. Oregon Hill has traditionally been seen as very ‘tight-knit’, but it has also seen many residents come and go. More public events geared towards the neighborhood that are family friendly and inclusive- think block parties with performances and attractions. Who remembers the pony rides? How about an annual neighborhood-wide yard sale?

4. Advocating for brick sidewalk repairs. Yes, we need to make sure our historic brick sidewalks are brought back to acceptable standards and maintained that way.

5. Getting new trees for tree wells and elsewhere (including Monroe Park!)

6. Ending the lease for the Monroe Park Conservancy and returning the park to public (City) control. Despite all the changes, Monroe Park has historically been and will always be one of Oregon Hill’s parks. Let’s not allow anything like ‘the Conservancy’ to happen to any more of our parks.

7. Public trash/recycling receptacles. With all the foot traffic that the neighborhood gets with its proximity to the river, it’s important that more public trash/recycling receptacles are made available.

7. More litter clean ups. In the past, we have had volunteer neighborhood leaders work with the City and other groups like VCU Green Team and RVA Cleansweep to do community litter pick ups. We need new blood to step up to coordinate these efforts.

8. Encouraging more proper recycling. While I am confident that Oregon Hill has a better than average recycling percentage per household than many other places, we can always do better- part of that is making sure recycling receptacles are kept out of sidewalk right aways when not awaiting collection.

9. Potholes- despite the City’s efforts, there are still a few spots where potholes are a constant problem- especially in some of our alleys.

10. Neighborhood watch/porch pirate prevention- thankfully the neighborhood is relatively safe, but there are still very serious concerns about interlopers. One problem we have seen more of in recent years is porch piracy- the stealing of package deliveries and porch items.

Some other worthy topics:

Better traffic enforcement

More park renovations and improvements for parks, including Holly Street Playground

More enforcement of dog poop pickup

More engagement with landlords about rental properties

Bike lanes

More small businesses that cater to the neighborhood

Fire safety/disaster preparedness

And of course, I will put in a word for more solar in the neighborhood…

Two Important Activist Events This Thursday

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This Thursday evening there are two events that local activists may find enticing. First is a protest against the influence of money on our government from corporate interests, and in particular Dominion Energy.

From the event description:

Governor Northam is holding a fundraiser with Dominion Executive Bob Blue and Dominion’s Law Firm McGuire Woods (among other corporate interests) for his “The Way Ahead” PAC – this is corruption on display, and this corruption is the reason projects like both the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines, Tom Farrell’s Navy Hill proposal, and others that harm Virginia communities for private profit are allowed in our state.

PLEASE JOIN US for a demonstration outside of the reception to send a message to Governor Northam and any future candidates in Virginia: Corporate corruption in our government will not stand – The Way Ahead for Virginia will be free of corrupt money, like from Dominion, and free of corporate shills like Northam!

We will demonstrate outside of the McGuire Woods building (800 E Canal St – where the fundraiser reception is being held), from 5:30-7:30 (the time of the fundraiser). Bring your signs and banners to make the message visible (we will have some signs to share).

Come for all or part of the event and send a clear message to Northam and any future politicians – this type of corruption will no longer stand. Dominion’s days in our government are over!

#NoACP #NoMVP #NoPipelines #DumpDominion

One future possibility to consider is a constitutional amendment for both the Virginia and federal constitutions against corporate money, a la www.MoveToAmend.org It’s noteworthy that Mayor Stoney has evidently gone in an opposite direction- stating just this past month that he would continue to accept donations from Dominion Energy.

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A second progressive event that should also generate a lot of political discussion is a Ranked Choice Voting Info Session at the Richmond Main Library, hosted by FairVote Virginia. That begins at 6 pm.

From event description:

Our Richmond local action group is officially up and running! Join us at the Richmond Public Library to meet local FairVote supporters, debrief on our latest legislative efforts, and learn how you can help bring ranked choice voting to Virginia in 2019.

FairVote Virginia is VA’s chapter of the national FairVote movement to advance ranked choice voting. Visit our website at fairvoteva.org to learn more.

This community news site has brought up ranked choice voting before, including in relation to the City’s Mayoral election.

A Positive Step For School Modernization

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Local media are reporting about the announced school funding plan from Mayor Stoney that should satisfy the 2017 School Modernization Referendum. The WRIC report includes these highlights of the plan:

Successfully provides $800 million of school capital investment over 20 years;
Does not rely on any real estate tax increase;
Includes $150 million of school capital investment funding based on the recently enacted 1.5% meals tax that is dedicated to Schools;
Allows for full compliance with all of the city’s existing Debt Policy Guidelines;
Provides significant capital funding for general non-school projects over the same 20-year time frame;
Relies on 2% growth in the city’s debt service budget commencing in FY 2024, a rate that is below that of historic inflation and is a fraction of the city’s recent growth in taxable real estate assessed valuation.

Paul Goldman, who was the author of the Put Schools First campaign and subsequent referendum (as well as the new one!) had this say:

Media/Stoney/Council/Democrats/Chamber finally understand the citizen led 2017 School Modernization Referendum. The Referendum effort had and has only one public spirited goal: Getting long denied RVA children out of decrepit, intolerable, immoral buildings conditions and into clean, modern, worthy facilities necessary to teach a true 21st century education. I knew – as did Richmond Crusade for Voters and Sierra Club – that City Hall, City Council, editorial writers, columnists, and Chamber of Commerce would not do it without putting the proverbial political gun to their heads. And if in the end City Hall, Council, editorialists, columnists, Chamber, et al join together to do the right thing, I will be cheering the loudest for them and give them all the credit.

So, wishing good fellowship for the holidays. We shall see more of the details of the Mayor’s plan when he presents it to City Council on January 14th. Let’s hope it includes lots of vision on including historic preservation, green building, and solar for our ailing school system.

‘Single-Family’ To Be Removed?

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From a concerned Richmond citizen:

The Richmond 300 group is meeting this Wednesday, and I was told by Ms. Pechin that they planned on voting at this meeting on the new future land use categories that will next year be assigned to neighborhoods throughout the city. According to the Ms. Pechin, they will be removing the “Single-family” designations and replacing them with a blanket “Residential” designation.

“Residential” would include high-rises and the terribly inappropriate development underway on the 800 block of W. Cary. It appears that the City government is making a concerted effort to foist higher density on the historic districts, including Oregon Hill.

In a recent vote, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association voted that the future land use of Oregon Hill in the Richmond 300 plan should be designated as “Single-family” (medium density) with “Community/Commercial” on Cary Street. I am alarmed that the Richmond 300 group is removing the “Single-family” future land use designation for all of the neighborhoods. The Single-family designation is descriptive of the appropriate and desired future land use of Oregon Hill and is consistent with our R-7 zoning.

Coliseum Vs. Schools: Time For A New Referendum

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Well, this one has been bubbling for a while…but the Coliseum vs. Schools debate is about to rise to a new level. What? You say you don’t know what I am writing about? Click here for a quick refresher course.

Yesterday’s headlines made it pretty clear that Tom Farrell and VCU are going to play hard ball to make sure that their coliseum scheme comes first-

VCU Cancels University-wide Spring Commencement Ceremony

I was going to write a whole bit explaining this, but let’s allow Paul Goldman to do it:

Earth to RVA citizens: Why do think VCU is being denied use of the current Coliseum in May/2019 despite having used it for commencements since 1970’s? HINT: The Stoney/Farrell plan to use $500 million in PUBLIC RVA CITY money to build and finance a new Coliseum that will NOT be to owned by the city calls for demolishing the current Coliseum in March/2019! FACT: Farrell’s team is going around Richmond promising no-bid contracts to politically connected individuals if they will lobby the Council to ram thru this fiscally irresponsible Coliseum without giving RVA taxpayers a fair chance to weigh in. That’s why my citizen group is circulating the “Choose Children over Costly Coliseum” petition so you can sign it and put to Special Election vote as called for in the City Charter. Sign the petition! It’s your only way to truly be heard.

In other words, this is the ol’ fait accompli thing -“citizens can’t stop this new plan, it’s already been decided and in the works“…………. WRONG!

We can still make sure that the City of Richmond PUTS SCHOOLS FIRST! Before the coliseum. Before any other giant corporate welfare project.

What Goldman is referring to is his new City referendum effort to establish by law that the City has to put money from certain types of financing towards SCHOOLS FIRST. It will not be on the ballot this Election Day, but referendum supporters will be collecting signatures for a petition to get the new referendum on the ballot in 2019. It’s going to be interesting to see if a good coalition of grassroots can come together like the last time. Goldman is looking for more poll volunteers and donations for this new campaign.

And by the way, speaking of last time, that original PUT SCHOOLS FIRST referendum became law this year. Tick tock, Mayor Stoney, City Council, School Board. Citizens want to see a real school modernization plan come together before the end of the year- if the Education Compact can’t do it, then figure it on your own. Relying on increasing state funding only goes so far, when there is plenty of corporate welfare that should be cut anyway. Don’t be scared this Halloween, it’s time to lead and PUT SCHOOLS FIRST.

Ranked Choice Voting Meeting Thursday

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From FaceBook event page:

Looking for a concrete way to restore some sanity to politics?

Turns out there’s a better way to vote. It’s called ranked choice voting, and it’s spreading nationwide. In ranked choice elections, you don’t just vote for one candidate. You get to rank the candidates from most to least favorite: your 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on. These “instant runoff” ballots let voters back their favorite candidates while ensuring that winners still earn majority support.

Cities across the country — from San Francisco to St. Paul to Santa Fe — use RCV, and in 2018 Maine became the first state to use ranked choice ballots statewide.

Virginia saw its first ranked choice legislation nearly clear the House of Delegates last spring, and FairVote Virginia is hard at work to see it through in 2019. Join us at Union Market in Richmond to debrief on our latest legislative efforts and learn how you can help bring RCV to VA.

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM,
Union Market
2306 Jefferson Ave, Richmond, Virginia 23223

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FairVote Virginia is VA’s chapter of the national FairVote movement to advance ranked choice voting. Visit our website at fairvoteva.org to learn more.

This community news site has proudly editorialized in favor of ranked choice voting for years now.

American-Made Solar Prize, RVA Solar Tour, And Yes, Solar Schools

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Tonight, there is an event at HackRVA about the American-Made Solar Prize. This event is FREE and open to the public! Local nonprofit Indie Lab is entering the American-Made Solar Prize competition and is making a presentation on their entry. Wait, what is this? It’s a $3 million prize competition designed to revitalize U.S. solar manufacturing through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country. The American-Made Solar Prize is directed and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. Learn more here: https://americanmadechallenges.org/solarprize.html
See their presentation event, then help them put Richmond on the map for solar innovations! For those unable to be physically present, they will be streaming the event using Zoom. Please follow the link to connect: https://zoom.us/j/663212254
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Also, coming up this weekend, the RVA Solar Tour, part of the National Solar Tour. And yes, there is an Oregon Hill house on the tour. Here is a word from sponsor Virginia Sierra Club:

RICHMOND, Virginia – This weekend, the Greater Richmond Solar Tour will take place as part of the world’s largest grassroots solar event. Across the country, homeowners, businesses, volunteers, solar installers, public officials and grassroots organizations will welcome the public to learn more about solar energy. The tour, made up of energy efficient and solar-powered buildings, includes eight locations open for touring in the greater Richmond area this year.

The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, in partnership with the American Solar Energy Society and Solar United Neighbors of Virginia, will host the Greater Richmond Solar Tour. Information about the solar installations and the benefits of solar energy will be available to tour participants.

The kickoff event for the Richmond Solar Tour will be held at 10:30 a.m. at 4986 Burnham Road in Chesterfield, at the home of former Sierra Club Virginia Chapter director Glen Besa and Tyla Matteson, long-time advocates for solar energy. Attendees will have the chance to see solar installation in their own communities and ask direct questions of homeowners about the positive impacts to their lives and the environment.

The public is encouraged to stop by any of the featured tour locations on Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7 in area homes in the City of Richmond, Chesterfield and Caroline Counties. A full list of locations is available at https://nationalsolartour.org/tour-locations/

WHO: Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, American Solar Energy Society, Solar United Neighbors of Virginia. Speakers at the kick-off event will include: Glen Besa, Solar Advocate, Drew Gallagher, Richmond Sales Manager at Sigora Solar and Zach Jarjoura, Conservation Program Manager at the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter.

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 6, 2018

WHERE: The home of Glen Besa and Tyla Matteson, 4986 Burnham Road, North Chesterfield, Virginia 23234

For more information, contact Zach Jarjoura, 804-241-8226, zachary.jarjoura@sierraclub.org

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Last but not least, a bit of editorial- Governor Ralph Northam is trying to make up for his status as a ‘Pipeline Democrat’ by announcing an energy policy that includes more renewable energy, including more solar. The big picture is that the world is looking increasingly grim with climate change.

At the same time, Virginia knows it needs to modernize its schools. Richmond, of course, is an epicenter for this need. Why not look upon this as an opportunity to update, build, and renovate every school in Virginia for green building and solar?
Why not do what other states are doing, and turn ‘solar schools’ into emergency shelters for hurricanes and other disasters? This community news site will continue to advocate for using solar as a solution for emergency planning in the state.

#MeToo Revolt

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Quick editorial on national politics..(hey, the Times Dispatch does it…):

As expected, Russiagate has not resulted in much, and certainly not Trump’s impeachment, at least not yet. Real evidence of Russian election tampering has NOT come forward, despite all the past hoopla and promises by intelligence agencies (which should tell you something about the overall credibility of intelligence agencies). Furthermore, what evidence has come forward (at great cost to a few brave individuals) gives credence to groups like the Green Party, which steadfastly denies the Russian hysteria, and continues to press for needed election reform in the face of traditional, domestic (mostly Republican) voting suppression.

Meanwhile, you cannot listen to the news without hearing about Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh’s sexual assault accusations. Rightly so, this is starting to re-energize the #MeToo movement. This community news site endorses #MeToo and encourages it to go forth boldly (something candidate Trump did initially also, until it became clear he was being accused also).

What is curious is why it ever took a breather. Over a dozen women have accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault. Yet for the most part, media and ‘leadership’ have ignored them. Why? Are their stories not as compelling if not more compelling than Kavanaugh’s accusers’?
The American people should be demanding investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s sexual assaults NOW.

Centrists cowardly hide behind legalities and past cultural norms. Groups like ‘We The Resistance’ tell citizens not to be ‘gaslighted’, to #BelieveSurvivors and that ‘We have 3 days to #CancelKavanaugh’. But that’s it, no further. Not when new accusations cut close to their own. The current politicians don’t really want to challenge Trump or the overall power structure on sexual assaults or crooked business deals. While current politicians decide which sexual assaults they want to highlight and which ones they want to ignore, they are doing the same thing with wars. The fact is that we need the inherent, grassroots, leftist populism within #MeToo to counter the right-wing populism in power. Other countries are watching and hoping. #MeToo should not be kept under a moribund DNC leader’s leash.

Let’s hope #MeToo finds its independent voice again and inspires millions of citizens of all genders to take to the streets and demand real political change- meaning not just ‘draining the swamp’, not just forcing Trump out of office, but overturning the whole corrupt corporate duopoly that has brought this country so low. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Let’s hope it becomes more inclusive- not just about getting female, ex-C.I.A. agents elected but making sure other voices are not just heard but heeded, before it is too late. Don’t settle for #Resist, it’s time for a #Revolt.