Category Archives: editorial

Last Night’s 5th District Candidate Forum Disappointing

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Last night’s 5th District candidate forum was fairly bland, with some candidate style revealed, but very little substance. The moderator reminded everyone that it was a forum and not a debate at the beginning of the affair, and while that may have helped civility, it did not do much for discussion.

Part of the problem seemed to be rather nebulous questions about ‘engagement’, Councilperson Agelasto’s controversial move and subsequent resignation, environmental protections for the James River Park, and helping small businesses. For the most part, specifics were lacking. And while the candidates gamely did try to give some different answers and stand out from each other, they were not exactly inspirational either. Their answers tended to be very conventional, at best, vague, at worst. ‘Supporting better transportation’ seemed to be the fall back position for many of them. Surprisingly, when it came to small businesses, no one tackled excessive taxes or fees. Lots of talk on ‘finding money’ in budgets, but very little on how to raise it other than going to the General Assembly.

As the evening went on, some candidates seemed to recognize that their comments on parking and the City’s permit office were not making up anyone’s mind and tried to interject other topics- Williamson brought up VCU encroachment in relation to Oregon Hill, Taylor briefly mentioned Monroe Park’s loss of trees, Richardson focused on the heart wrenching effects of drug addiction, and towards the end, many of the candidates tried to drum up some real passion for fixing Richmond public schools. But it was interesting that no one mentioned the Put Schools First movement by name, or would touch on the corporate welfare boondoggles that have historically taken so much money and attention from the schools. The coliseum scheme, the biggest story in Richmond politics right now, came up, but seemed to be just mostly hovering in the background.

In contrast, the Richmond Crusade for Voters forum on Tuesday sounds like it was a much livelier and informative event. George Copeland Jr. covered it in this week’s Richmond Free Press:

Whether because of the nature of the topics selected for the forum or the solutions raised by the candidates, the impact of the special election was frequently brought into focus.

Most notably, when asked how they’d vote on the $1.5 billion proposal to replace the Richmond Coliseum and develop parts of Downtown, five of the seven candidates said they would vote against approving it.

Mr. Richardson and Mr. Williamson were the exceptions, opting to not giving definitive answers because of what they said is a lack of information about the proposal.

…

While the forum drew a modest turnout of around 80 people, it also featured a number of former and potential elected officials, including former 5th District Councilman E. Martin Jewell; former Delegate Joseph “Joe” Morrissey, who is running for state Senate in November; Viola Baskerville, who formerly served on City Council, in the House of Delegates and as state secretary of administration; and Sheila Bynum-Coleman of Chesterfield, a candidate for the House of Delegates.

…

When candidates were asked if they would run again in 2020 when the term of office ends, Mr. Richardson was the only one to say he wouldn’t…

Hopefully, there will be more chances in the near future to question candidates and get more detailed, insightful answers before the election.

Don’t Fall For The Local Corporate Propaganda

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As expected, with Councilperson Agelasto’s removal, here comes the special election with a major question- who is running who will stand up to the Tom Farrell/VCU-backed “Navy Hill” coliseum scheme? Of course there are other important questions for the district that need to be asked, but as I have stated previously, the major backstory to ALL Richmond politics right now is this new corporate welfare/white elephant being pushed on the public.

Some of the local television stations have be pretty one-sided in their coverage, but the Times Dispatch is really taking the cake by launching a full-on editorial press. The “lay of The land” by Chris Gentilviso was laughable. It was full of the the ol’ ‘neglected’ land/great opportunity schtick that longtime Richmonders know all to well. Remember when Jack Berry waxed poetic about the ‘weed-strewn’ parking lots of Shockoe Bottom while pushing for a Shockoe Stadium? Of course, Sunday’s editorial did not mention the purposeful neglect/deliberate abandonment of the area.

And then today, the ‘Times Disgrace’ serves up a column from C.T. Hill and Pamela Royal: ‘Prioritize schools and a new downtown’. Again, longtime Richmonders have seen this baloney before, with the push for the Center Stage. Remember when Ukrops and supporters lined City Council chambers with school kids and told everyone that “It’s for the children”? At the time, citizens who questioned the meals tax increase and the sketchy deal were dishonestly labeled as ‘anti-art’ and ‘anti-human potential’. Never mind the broken promises and tax bail-outs that followed, never mind that despite these ‘we can chew gum and walk at the same time’ claims, school building maintenance was once again deferred for yet another ‘downtown project’ and attention had again been stolen from civic needs for the aristocracy’s wants, the ‘top’ had told the ‘bottom’ to shut up.

Right now there are boosters who claim that Farrell is being unfairly targeted for his role in the coliseum scheme (never mind all the pipeline building, fossil fuel exporting, and political lobbying that he does with his monopoly). They say it’s ridiculous to be suspicious about how Farrell inserted himself into Richmond school board politics before launching the coliseum scheme. They continue to gloss over his and others’ previous roles in Center Stage and other boondoggles. They refuse to acknowledge how Farrell “misconstrues” (how he lies):

“The chairman of CenterStage’s parent group, Dominion Resources Chief Executive Tom Farrell, told City Council that CenterStage is “probably the only public performing arts center in the country that pays for itself because of the way it’s been operated.”
In fact, the organization that he heads receives $500,000 annually from the city to support operating costs. The city also contributed millions of dollars to the renovation of both theaters the group operates, most recently $14 million for the renovation of the Altria Theater.”

This is the same Farrell gang that think they have a right to run roughshod over citizens and they are not shy about using the daily paper and other local corporate media as their mouthpiece in doing so. From a journalistic perspective, what’s probably more damning is how the ‘Times Disgrace’ is once again revealing its ongoing problems with the concept of disclosure. We have seen these previously with its coverage of VCU, Center Stage, and other matters, but more recently, Jason Roop of Style Magazine fame noted:

As you read new editorials from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, keep in mind that it has added the paid public relations spokeswoman and head of marketing and communications for the Chamber RVA — Bryanna Johns — to its Community Advisory Board.

As opinion page editor Pamela Stallsmith announced yesterday (August 24), the paper will rely on this board to help craft opinions for its editorials. This alignment isn’t completely out of left field — the Times-Dispatch is a “Partner Level Member” of the Chamber.

As you may recall, the Chamber was a staunch supporter of the Navy Hill project nearly instantaneously — many months before information was made available to the public and before the mayor presented his plan to City Council. The Times-Dispatch published a Chamber editorial pushing for the project without disclosing that more than 15 percent of the Chamber’s executive board stood to gain financially from the project.

While new Richmond arrivals may look askance at all these local goings-on and commentary, longtime Richmond citizens keep hoping we will see real political and media reform.
Many citizens pray that Goldman’s ‘Put School First’ movement and referendum can save the day, despite the corporate hegemony.

Mayor Stoney Dismisses 15,000 Richmond Citizens

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Remember what’s been written previously about “Richmond leadership that has been hostile to public demands”.

Yesterday, at his press conference on his proposed 1.5 (was previously 1.4) billion dollar coliseum scheme, Mayor Stoney was asked by a reporter about the ‘Put Children Before Costly Coliseum’ referendum, which over 15,000 City of Richmond voters have signed. His response was curt and dismissive:
“The project’s moving forward either way. I don’t have time to worry about political stunts.”

Its very clear that the Mayor and other leaders who ran and were elected on ‘Education’ platforms now champion the Tom Farrell/VCU coliseum plan IN SPITE OF the Put Schools First movement. They don’t care what citizens think. They don’t care about public ownership. They certainly don’t care about public schools. They just want their coliseum, period. And they are willing to skirt the law and use ‘fait accompli’ tricks to do it. This is straight from former VCU President Trani’s playbook.

Richmond’s citizens should be asking themselves and others how much public money and attention have already been wasted on just ‘the planning’ around the coliseum scheme? How many times have Richmond leaders broken promises surrounding these giant projects? Richmond citizens have heard the same sales pitch for years and years on project after project- they have all resulted over and over again in deferred maintenance for PUBLIC schools and parks while PRIVATE corporate welfare projects abscond with the taxpayers’ money. We now have the Put Schools First movement, which says enough is enough, invest in schools first, yet Richmond leaders dismiss it and continue to jam the same sales pitch down our throats.

This is the ugly, top-down, oppressive, corporatist culture of Richmond politics. It is anathema to true progress. Many Richmond residents keep hoping that new arrivals from other locales will recognize it and work to change it, instead of being indifferent and then eventually leaving. Citizens should unite in condemning this Mayor’s statement and actions.

Last Chance To Give Voters A Voice On VCU/Farrell Coliseum Scheme

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If Richmond citizens want to be able to vote on the VCU/Farrell/Stoney coliseum scheme, their last chance to do so may be decided in the next few days. Over 13,000 Richmond citizens have signed the petition for the “Choose Children over a Costly Coliseum“ Referendum, drafted by Paul Goldman, supported by the Sierra Club Falls of the James and others. Many of these signatures were done on Election Day last year, but the deadline to file the petition is coming up quickly (like in the next few days!), and more signatures are needed to ensure it getting on the ballot. If it does not make it on the ballot, citizens may be forced to live with and pay up for whatever the Mayor and City Council do with the $1.4. billion scheme, and it could effect City budgets for a decade to come. So, what’s it going to be? Schools or corporate welfare?

In the interest of informing the public, I am going to post the petition/referendum here. However, please ask yourself, why has local media not done so- again, over 13,000 Richmond citizens have already signed it. So why have Times Dispatch, Style, RVA Magazine, etc. mostly ignored this heroic grassroots effort? If you have been following along, including the latest FOIA struggle, things may be more clear. The Richmond Free Press and oregonhill.net have offered the most coverage on it.

The first Put Schools First referendum was fairly straight forward in demanding that Richmond leaders, especially the Mayor, come up with plan to modernize the schools first in the City’s budget planning. This second referendum, perhaps due to opposing nature, is a bit more convoluted, so here’s a quick explanation: it first states that citizens want schools to come before a new coliseum. It then includes a poison pill provision against using a TIFF (Tax Incremental Financing Fund) to finance the scheme by stating that a majority of the funding raised would have to go to schools first. It then ends with a measure to keep the schemers from going back to the meals tax for money.

If you are a resident of the City of Richmond and a registered voter, please take the time to sign this petition, even if you ultimately decide to not vote for it once it is on the ballot. 13,000 of your neighbors have already done so, don’t let them down! Give people a voice!

Tell Stoney To Release The Coliseum Scheme Documents

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The biggest backstory to Richmond politics right now is the VCU/Tom Ferrell/Mayor Stoney coliseum scheme. It’s been that way for a while, due to its collision course with the Put Schools First movement. Many Richmond citizens, including Oregon Hill neighbors, still believe that this backstory also had something to do with the upheaval regarding our beloved Councilperson Parker Agelasto.

For the last few months, one aspect of this whole thing has been the public right’s to know. Local attorney Paul Goldman has had to file Freedom of Information Act requests in order to obtain documents regarding the coliseum scheme. Even now, he is trying to get to documents that Mayor Stoney’s administration gave the Times Dispatch newspaper freely, but is refusing to give Goldman. According to him, the Mayor’s ‘crew’ is planning to hold up any more righteous disclosure with frivolous motions.

This is outrageous! It’s time for citizens to stand up to the Mayor and the VCU/Farrell corporate goon squad! And if there any 5th District candidate wannabe’s out there– now is the time to let citizens know which side you are on.

Tomorrow night, the Mayor has his “5th District Community Office Hours” scheduled from 6:30 to 8pm at the Randolph Community Center.

Questions For the 10th District Candidates

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Zachary Brown, Ghazala Hashmi, and Eileen McNeil Bedell are running in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 10 on June 11, 2019. There are no candidates on the ballot in the Republican primary at this time. Glen Sturtevant is the elected Republican incumbent.

This might seem a little late in the game, but here are some pointed questions for the Democratic candidates leading up to Tuesday’s primary. Oregon Hill is a key neighborhood of voters in the 10th. Hopefully candidates will take the time to leave answers in the comments on this post.

Since other neighborhoods (and countries) have received written commitments from the Virginia Commonwealth University administration, as our State Senator will you require a written agreement from VCU that they will not encroach further into our historic neighborhood? In other words, what will you do specifically to protect our neighborhood from VCU, a state institution that the City cannot or will not control?

Some background on this can be found here, here, and here.

Anyone who has lived in Richmond for any length of time knows or should know that the City government is ripping its own citizens off with its water utility. Despite all the conjecture and follow up attempts, the current City administration has not showed any interest in reform and points to state code that they say allows them to continue with the status quo. As State Senator what will you specifically do to address this gross environmental/economic injustice?

More Oregon Hill neighbors have expressed interest in adding solar to their roofs. As a candidate for State Senate, do you support eliminating the 1% cap on distributed solar?

Many neighbors view climate change as the most important environmental issue impacting not only our natural environment but our economy, our quality of life and our national security. As a candidate for State Senate will you sign the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter’s climate pledge and permit them to list you among the candidates signing the pledge?

Oregon Hill is not one of Richmond’s wealthier neighborhoods, and in fact, in part due to its student population, is technically an impoverished area. As State Senator will you support legislation to address any disproportionate economic impact that changes in energy and climate policy have on disadvantaged communities?

Oregon Hill is one of the City neighborhoods that has been redistricted in recent years. In the 2019 session, the General Assembly passed a redistricting reform resolution that would amend the Virginia constitution to significantly improve the redistricting process. Passage of the same resolution in 2020 is necessary in order to move this reform along as a Virginia Constitutional amendment subject to a referendum on the November 2020 ballot. As State Senator will you vote for and support in the 2020 legislative session the redistricting reform resolution that passed in 2019?

Again, I invite candidates to leave their answers as comments on this post.

International News: D.C. Embassy Under Siege

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I have not seen any local coverage of the D.C. embassy siege, so a quick post here-

Activists were invited in and have stayed at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington D.C. since about three weeks ago as the situation in Venezuela has deteriorated. With the C.I.A.-sponsored coup in Venezuela this past week, tensions have escalated around it this weekend, with opposition forces surrounding and actually breaking into the embassy. However, the American activists have prevailed so far. Again, this is happening just up the road in D.C.

The U.S. mainstream media has mostly ignored the situation or suggested that the activists are to blame for the unrest. At the same time, while ignoring the D.C. embassy situation, even the Times Dispatch editorial page has come out against more U.S. intervention.

Editor’s note: no, this is not neighborhood news in the least, so this is marked as editorial- Oregon Hill, and Richmond and the country in general, need better news coverage of important events like this.

Coliseum Vs. Schools II (Or Is It V?)

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And this issue keeps bubbling…

Paul Goldman responds to Richmond Public Schools superintendent Jason Kamras’ column in the Times Dispatch newspaper:

Dear Mr. Kamras, in response to your column which predictably starts by blaming white racism. Your open by saying opposition to the record taxes you and Stoney proposing to pay for huge new RPS spending is primarily rooted in a lack of “trust the money” as to how the money will be spent. The first reason you give for this lack of trust parrots the growing City Hall line Stoney aides post on FaceBook: “Some of that distrust has its roots in biases about race and class — conscious or otherwise — that still grip Richmond.” Mr. Kamras, with all due respect, if you want to know why people don’t trust, look no further than the bogus school modernization plan you, Stoney and Council championed. We now know it knowingly used $cost figures $hundreds of millions too low! In addition, 5 new schools where promised from the record meals tax hike: now we know we will be lucky to get 3. A 60% mistake! Sir, the people’s growing lack of trust isn’t caused by racism. But rather proven financial incompetence and knowing misstatements by you, the Mayor, Council on money matters.

By the way, Goldman recently entered a court petition that challenges the City on its secrecy surrounding the Farrell Coliseum redevelopment scheme. And a recent protest at Farrell’s appearance at the University of Richmond included prominent mention of the coliseum proposal. From the UR Collegian article:

The protesters, who are part of a group called The Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, were escorted out of the event. As they were escorted out, they chanted, “No coliseum, no pipeline, people’s lives are on the line!”

And one other thing… Virginia Business reports that Dominion Energy was among large corporations that paid no federal income tax for 2018 U.S. income.

Some previous posts about this subject:

CenterStage, Altria Theater Exempted From Real Estate Tax

Schools Before Stadiums!

Broken Promises: Richmond’s Leaders Don’t Want To Put Schools First

Coliseum Vs. Schools: Time For A New Referendum (I)

More Monroe Park Woes

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Neighbor and OHNA President Todd Woodson reports…

The audit of the 2019-2020 Budget and Strategic Planning- Capital Improvement Plan was released yesterday and $350,000.00 in Monroe Park renovation expenses were misclassified by the Finance Department as being School Construction funding. That means the Monroe Park “renovation” actually cost at least $350K more than we thought. WAY over $7,000,000.00 was spent for an environmental disaster…

Editorial: Will other local media report on this? Doubtful, since they have done such a horrible job already. Citizens continue to ask City Council when the Monroe Park Conservancy’s lease will be terminated and the park returned to the public.