Category Archives: politics

#NeverJoe and #NeverJack

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With only days left in the election and very little time left for candidates to make an impact with voters, here’s an editorial I did not want to write:

I am still undecided on who I want to vote FOR Mayor.

I already know who I do NOT want to vote for- the two frontrunners, Joe Morrissey and Jack Berry. While I do admire Morrissey’s willingness to speak truth to power (and wish other candidates would learn from him), I can’t get past his tawdry personal history. Yes, I know the media is laying it down thick, but that does not mean I can excuse it either, regardless of whether or not the latest professional allegations prove true or not.

I hope everyone recognizes what Jack Berry represents- corporate hegemony with disregard for citizen concerns. The fact is that Berry, head of Venture Richmond (and previously Richmond Renaissance) has long been behind persistent efforts to put corporate welfare projects ahead of the needs of Richmond schools and neighborhoods, from 6th Street Marketplace to the Redskins to the Shockoe stadium scheme. The local corporate media, as far as I can tell, is sold out and dares not say anything too negative about Berry, lest they incur the wrath of Venture Richmond’s powerful board. The Times Dispatch and other outlets shamefully support Berry without any disclosure of the partnerships with Venture Richmond.

THIS historic neighborhood has particular reasons to distrust and fear Berry as Mayor. He still has not made any amends for breaking promises to community and government. In my humble opinion, Berry represents a bigger threat to THIS neighborhood than Morrissey, and anyone who cares about it will know to vote AGAINST Berry, who long ago labeled Oregon Hill ‘an edge zone’ to downtown, along with other less wealthy areas of the City.

As I have said elsewhere, if we do go to a runoff election where Morrissey and Berry are the only choices, I will vote Morrissey without hesitation. Blame the ‘business community’ that backs Berry if that happens. I find the frontrunners in both the Mayoral and Presidential elections to be extremely unpalatable, and it has not been unexpected in that regard. I can’t help but wonder how different these elections would be with reforms like ranked choice/instant runoff voting.

Let me add right here the old disclaimer that I do NOT necessarily represent the opinions of all my neighbors. A few landlords have been putting a lot of Berry signs up. But people should remember that for a small neighborhood, Oregon Hill residents do vote. And because we are visible in the 5th District, the Central District, our opinions do matter and should be listened to, as we will have a lot to do with who is elected Mayor.

In the past week we have seen a lot of door-to-door canvassing for candidates Stoney and Baliles. Pine Street neighbor Stephenie Harrington wanted me to remind you all that there is still time to RSVP and attend her event for Baliles this Friday, which is now also open to City voters outside of the neighborhood.

Most if not all of the candidates say they want to work for all the neighborhoods. While I may ask candidates about everything from the water to the sun, ultimately my questions zero in on what they can and will do for THIS neighborhood. It’s important to exact promises now, especially given the existing threats and still-existing threats. Hopefully Stoney and Baliles can help me make up my mind between them.

I think everyone can agree that this election year has been especially difficult, and I am sorry to say, things are likely to get darker before there’s a turn for the better. I am thankful to our City Council candidates for serving as a better example. (Where are the 5th District Richmond School Board candidates?) Chins up and keep the brave faces.

Water Rate Issues Resonate For Fifth District Candidates

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The Times Dispatch asked the 5th District City Council candidates some questions. Here’s one:

Outside of citywide concerns about schools and basic services, what is the biggest issue facing your district? How do you hope to address it?
Agelasto: We need to create good-paying jobs that are accessible to all our neighborhoods. The city can help cultivate many small entrepreneurial businesses in areas like Hull Street. Carytown has over 4,000 jobs. Let’s spread that success to other areas rather than relying on incentives to corporations.
Magruder: I plan to address the increasing water rates by first requiring the disclosure of the PILOT fee and seeking a possible legal challenge to it. I’ll also seek reductions in the base service charge for unmetered homes as it’s heavily regressive to the poor.
Sawyer: Water utility rates. City of Richmond residents pay more than surrounding counties. In 2013, we saw an increase of $1.63 per CCF of water to $3.21. Waste water changed from $2.59 per CCF to $5.82. We must reduce the service charge in line with other communities and raise the CPU of water.

How Many Candidates Have Signed The Declaration of Solar Rights?

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So the local Chamber of Commerce (ChamberRVA) is holding a Mayoral candidate forum tonight at the nearby Altria Theater.

It is free and open to the public (get there before 6:30 pm), and will be broadcasted live on NBC12 television at 7 pm.

By the way, you may notice that ChamberRVA has moved on from promoting the Shockoe stadium scheme to pushing for doing something with the Richmond Coliseum. Anyway, I suspect that the Coliseum will come up in the questions, but there is one question I doubt will come up, though it should:

As someone running for Mayor, have you signed the Virginia Declaration of Solar Rights?

Solar energy empowers Virginians to harness clean local energy, creates jobs, and enhances our energy security. Sadly, Virginia’s current laws violate our right to invest in and benefit from solar energy by limiting consumer choice. This fall, the General Assembly will hold a special session to review solar policies that will help all Virginians fairly access solar energy. This is a great opportunity for Richmond leaders and citizens to let our state senators and delegates know there is broad, bi-partisan support for legislation that will enable all Virginians to go solar.

There is more detail here:
http://www.vasun.org/declaration-of-solar-rights/

5th District City Council Race Is A Cause For Celebration

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This past Thursday I attended a City Council candidates forum at the Binford Middle School auditorium.
After the 2nd District candidates left, many people left also, leaving a rather sparse audience for the 5th District candidates.

As I watched and listened to challenger Montigue Magruder and incumbent Councilperson Parker C. Agelasto (third candidate and challenger Garrett Sawyer did not attend) take questions from the newscaster turned moderator, I was glad I stayed, and I was struck by how lucky the 5th District is to have these fine candidates. They both champion better schools, more financial responsibility, and increasing transparency. Agelasto shows off considerable experience and knowledge of his position, while Magruder does a great job of speaking up for different perspectives of race and economic status and doing so with passion. There are moments of real debate and clashing of ideas, but what is truly magnificent and deserves special commendation is the way that Magruder and Agelasto carry on with each other, both on and off the stage, sharing information and treating each other with mutual admiration and respect.

I told one of the other attendees that I wish both Agelasto and Magruder could be on City Council, and I meant that. This season, take heart in the 5th District’s politics and celebrate them.

(There is another 5th District City Council candidates forum this Tuesday, sponsored by the Woodland Heights Neighborhood Association. It happens at the Woodland Heights Baptist Church, 611 W 31st St., at 7 pm.)

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Can’t Get Enough Politics?

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You want more politics? You got it.

Tonight there is a Mayoral candidate forum at Diversity Thrift at 6 pm.
From the FaceBook event page:

ALL CANDIDATES HAVE CONFIRMED !!!
RICHMOND MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM Moderator Clovia Lawrence
Sponsored by:
A Philip Randolph Institute ~~~ Advocates for Equity in Schools ~~~ Alliance for a Progressive Virginia ~~~ Brown Virginia ~~~ Diversity Richmond ~~~ Latinos and Amigos ~~~ Mothers and Others of Va ~~~ Senior Center of Greater Richmond ~~~ Sierra Club- Fall of the James ~~~ Virginia Organizing ~~~ Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance ~~~ Women-Matter.org ~~~ WRIR 97.3 media sponsor

Also tonight, from 8:00PM ET to 11:30PM ET, independent news hour Democracy Now! will host special live coverage of the first U.S. vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Tim Kaine from Longwood University in Farmville, VA.
8:00PM-9:00PM ET: Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! will host a group of experts, scholars and activists for pre-debate discussion and analysis.
9:00PM-11:30PM ET: They will “expand” the vice presidential debate by giving third party candidates a chance to respond in real time to the same questions. Green Party VP nominee Ajamu Baraka has already agreed to participate and they have also invited Libertarian VP nominee William Weld.

Photo of Green Party nominee Ajamu Baraka speaking at VCU last night–
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You can tune in right here:
http://www.democracynow.org/live/expanding_the_debate_october_4th_vice

They will also be streaming the complete coverage live on their Facebook page, and they invite you to share the live FB video as well, starting at 8:00PM ET. They are taking questions on Twitter and Facebook for their pre-debate discussion using the hashtag #expandingthedebate.

In addition, the City of Richmond sent out this important news release:

Important Information Regarding November 8 General and Special Elections

Richmond, VA – City of Richmond Residents are informed that the General and Special elections will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 for the U.S. President and Vice President, U.S. House of Representatives, Two Constitutional Amendments, Richmond City Mayor, Richmond City Council, and Richmond School Board. Polls will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Please visit richmondgov.com/registrar/upcomingelections to view sample ballots.

(Ed. note: Click here to see sample ballot for 5th District)

Any qualified resident of Virginia who will be 18 by November 8, 2016 may register and vote in this election. The deadline to register to vote in this election is Monday, October 17, 2016.

A photo ID is required to vote at the polls. Please verify your voter registration, polling place, and the types of photo ID that are acceptable BEFORE election day by visiting elections.virginia.gov. Free photo ID’s are available to persons who do not have an acceptable form of photo ID.

Persons with a DMV issued ID can now register to vote, update their voter registration, or apply for an absentee ballot online at elections.virginia.gov. Residents may register in the Office of the General Registrar between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Applications are in all city post offices, libraries, and DMV, or will be mailed upon request. Voter registration applications must either be postmarked or in the Office of the General Registrar by 5 p.m. on the deadline date.

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot through the mail is Tuesday, November 1, 2016. The deadline to apply and vote an absentee ballot in person is 5 p.m., Saturday, November 5, 2016, except in the case of certain emergencies or military personnel. The Office of the General Registrar will also be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 29 and November 5, 2016 for absentee voting.

The City of Richmond also needs persons to work at the polling places on election day as Officers of Election. Apply online at elections.virginia.gov or call 646-5950.

The City will be implementing new voting equipment and residents can learn how it will work by visiting Richmondgov.com/Registrar/VoteratthePolls. Voters may also ask for a demonstration from the election officers at the polls.

If you have questions or need more information, please call 646-5950.

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