Category Archives: politics

Silver Gets Results

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Oregon Hill resident Silver Persinger, running a write-in candidacy for Mayor, held the City Council’s Finance Committee accountable last week for making information available to citizens.

Listen to Silver’s comment by clicking here.

The good news is that the Richmond Open Government Project is having an effect. City Council candidates Delp and Baliles have included Open Government comments in their campaigns. The City has begun putting committee meeting presentations on-line (Click here for link). This really opens the door to much more information.

Some of the issues in the presentation binder for the NEXT Finance Committee meeting:

– COS Staff Report & Supplemental Information
– Stormwater Utility – Delinquent Account Collection Strategy and Timeline Presentation
– Boulevard Redevelopment Plan and Citywide Economic Development Strategies Presentation
– Boulevard Redevelopment Preparation Project
– Community Development – Financial Statement Report
– BPOL Tax Relief Fiscal Impact Statement

Silver Persinger To Announce Write In Campaign For Mayor

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Oregon Hill resident Silver Persinger is at it again, this time putting forward a write-in campaign for Mayor.

From press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SILVER PERSINGER TO ANNOUNCE WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN FOR MAYOR OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
Citizen-Activist Will Announce Write-In Candidacy From Steps of City Hall at Noon

Long-time City Council gadfly, Silver Persinger, will announce his write-in campaign for Richmond Mayor in the upcoming November 6 election. This is Persinger’s eighth attempt at running for office since 2002. He has appeared on the ballot in three previously elections for City Council, State Senate, and House of Delegates; and 4 other times as a write-in candidate for City Council, Lt. Governor, for Mayor in 2004, and U.S. President in 2008.

The press conference will begin promptly at 12:05 PM Thursday afternoon on the front portico of Richmond City Hall.

Persinger will open with introductory comments lasting between 5 to 10 minutes then he will be happy to answer any questions posed by media or citizens present.

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If you would like more information or to schedule an interview with Silver Persinger, please call Silver at 804 683 7845 or email Silver.Persinger at gmail.com

“Is the U.S. preparing to attack Syria & Iran?”

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Is the U.S. preparing to attack Syria & Iran? This is one of the questions that will be brought up at an upcoming forum at the William Byrd Community House.

From the Facebook event page:

Is the U.S. preparing to attack Syria & Iran?
Is it preparing to intervene in the West African country of Mali?
Can we stand by as the lives of millions more people are put at risk?
If there’s no money for a public jobs program, how is there money for more wars?
What’s really behind the developing crisis, and what can we do about it?

On the 11th ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. WAR ON AFGHANISTAN, you are invited to a PUBLIC FORUM:

“U.S. HANDS OFF SYRIA, IRAN & MALI! We need JOBS not WAR!”

6:30 pm – SUNDAY – OCT. 7
William Byrd Community House, Richmond, Virginia
224 So. Cherry St. (2 ½ blocks south of West Cary & 3 blocks west of So. Belvidere)

FREE – CHILDREN WELCOME – LIGHT REFRESHMENTS – DONATIONS APPRECIATED

PROGRAM:

BEHIND THE HEADLINES: THE TRUTH ABOUT U.S. DESIGNS ON SYRIA & IRAN
An analysis of the developing crisis by:
PHIL WILAYTO – Editor, The Virginia Defender
Board Member, Campaign Against Sanctions & Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII)
Author, “In Defense of Iran: Notes from a U.S. Peace Delegation’s Journey through the Islamic Republic”
Coordinating Committee Member, United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)

WHAT’S BEHIND THE UNREST IN MALI?
An analysis of the recent coup, civil war and the threat of U.S.-backed military intervention by:
ANA EDWARDS – Host, DefendersLIVE! weekly radio program
President, Virginia Friends of Mali
Chair, Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project
Coordinating Committee Member, United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)

& A SPECIAL REPORT on a meeting of U.S. peace & social justice activists in New York City with
IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, by a meeting participant

PLUS: A SHOWING OF THE AWARD-WINNING FILM
“BAM 6.6”

This acclaimed documentary explores the humanity of the Iranian people through the prism of the devastating 2003 earthquake that struck the ancient town of Bam in southeastern Iran. Through the experiences of two young American tourists, one of whom is a Jewish woman, viewers witness how a natural disaster can overcome religious and political barriers, dispel stereotypes and unite disparate members of the human family.

Continue reading →

Week Long Protest Against Dominion Starts Monday

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From CCAN’s public sign-up page:

Even though Dominion Power hasn’t invested in a single wind or solar power facility in Virginia, the company is receiving $76 million in extra profit for its supposed renewable energy investments.

Monday, October 1, through Friday, October 5, join us for a sustained week of action outside of Dominion’s Richmond office to protest this huge rip-off and call for wind and solar power in Virginia. We’ll also send in a representative each day, asking for a personal response from Dominion’s CEO, Tom Farrell.

And every day we’ll highlight a specific way that Dominion’s actions are harming Virginians, from increased extreme weather from climate change, to mountaintop removal coal mining and fracking for natural gas, to health impacts of the company’s pollution. Then we’ll cap off the week with a rally on Saturday, October 6.

Fundraising in 5th District City Council Race

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The Times Dispatch has an illuminating article this morning on the big fundraising going on in this year’s City Council election contests.

In regard to the 5th district race, the article says the following:

The biggest gain was reported in the three-way 5th District race between freelance museum consultant Parker C. Agelasto, incumbent E. Martin Jewell and Woodland Heights civic leader S. Lee Shewmake, who were scheduled to face off in a candidate forum at Woodland Heights Baptist Church on Thursday night.

Agelasto raised $15,004 in July and August, the most of any City Council candidate during that period, according to the latest campaign finance reports compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project. Jewell reported just $200 in fundraising during that period while Shewmake raised $2,700. Agelasto also finished the period with the most cash on hand as of Sept. 1. He had $7,333, compared with Jewell’s $5,261 and Shewmake’s $685.

Richmond Water Rates Protest On Monday

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There is a water rate protest planned for this coming Monday outside City Hall before the formal City Council meeting. The All the Saints Theater troop, the same group that organizes the Halloween Parade in Oregon Hill, is planning to attend with puppets and posters.

From the Facebook Event page:

This is an important demonstration to be held at Richmond City Hall at 5:00 p.m on Monday Sept. 24th to protest the city of Richmond’s outrageous minimum water/sewer service charge of $49.40, which is the highest in the nation. This is a real burden for every social security grandma and other low income residents to have to pay $592 annually just to be connected to the water supply. The city utility raises over $30 million annually from this residential water/sewer service charge, and almost half of this, $12 million is, paid directly into the city’s general fund. This is the most regressive means possible to raise general funds for the city– putting an outrageous service charge on the most basic necessity — water. Furthermore, Richmond’s water rate does not promote conservation because the city utility gets more than half of its revenue from the minimum service charge instead of the volume charge.

This protest is part of campaign that has seen over 1300 people sign an online petition that demands the City adopt the rate schedule used by Henrico County, which buys water from Richmond’s water utility.

From the petition:

Henrico’s water/sewer rates are equitable and promote conservation. Henrico’s minimum monthly water/sewer service charge is about a third of Richmond’s. To encourage conservation, Henrico offers a volume use discount for customers who use 6 ccf or less of water, while customers using over 6 ccf pay a premium water/sewer volume rate. Richmond can receive the same total revenue from its water works by slashing the minimum monthly service charge, eliminating the high volume discount, and charging a premium for customers using over 6 ccf of water/sewer.

The City of Richmond has a long-term financial incentive to adopt Henrico’s rate schedule. By giving customers genuine incentives to conserve water, Richmond will reduce the need for future treatment facilities and reduce pollutants downstream.

Neighbor Charles Pool is scheduled to speak on the water rate issue during the Citizen Comment period at the City Council meeting. The campaign to reform the CIty’s water rates goes back at least five years.

School Board Candidate Forum

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From the flyer:

Richmond School Board Candidate Forum

This November, elections will decide who will represent you. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the candidate’s vision for education.

September 20th 7:00 PM
VCU Student Commons Theater 907 Floyd Ave
(Between Main and Floyd at Cherry)
moderator Dr. Kim Allen

Sponsored By
L Douglas Wilder School of Government in partnership with
A Philip Randolph Institute – Richmond Alliance for Progressive Values – Coalition to Stop Gun Violence – People of Faith for Equality – RePHRAME – Richmond NOW – Sierra Club – Fall of the James Southerner on New Ground S.O.N.G. – Unite Women-Va – Virginia Organizing – Virginia New Majority – Central Virginia Chapter

For more information roland.winston@gmail.com

City Council Candidate Forum

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From the flyer:

Richmond City Council Candidate Forum

This November, elections will decide who will represent you. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear where candidates stand on critical issues facing our communities such as health, equality, education, and urban planning.
September 13th 8:00 PM
VCU 500 Academic Center 500 N Harrison (former Ukrops)
moderator: Dr. Kim Allen

Sponsored By
L Douglas Wilder School of Government

in partnership with
A Philip Randolph Institute – Richmond Alliance for Progressive Values -Coalition to Stop Gun – Violence – People of Faith for Equality – RePHRAME – Richmond NOW – Sierra Club Falls of the James – Southerner on New Ground S.O.N.G. – Unite Women-Va – Virginia Organizing – Virginia New Majority-Central Va Chapter

for more information: roland.winston@gmail.com

Note: All three Council candidates from the 5th District have indicated they will attend.

City Council Candidate Shewmake Challenges Rival’s Ballot Certification

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The Times Dispatch has a very interesting article this morning on 5th District City Council race and the government’s election process. Click here to read entire article.

From the article:

In the latest challenge to Richmond’s candidate-certifying process, a City Council candidate’s attempt to have an opponent removed from the ballot was denied last week by Richmond’s voter registrar and the city’s Electoral Board.

The request by S. Lee Shewmake, who is running for the 5th District seat, said a review of the signatures on the petitions filed by one of her opponents, Parker C. Agelasto, revealed numerous “errors and irregularities.”

The article goes further to delve into recent controversies regarding the City’s voter registrar.

It was the latest complaint involving how the registrar’s office reviews signatures on candidate petitions in city elections. And the fact that Showalter reviewed Agelasto’s signatures at all raised the eyebrows of the lawyers who have successfully sued the registrar to get a School Board candidate on the ballot and are in litigation to get a review of a would-be mayoral candidate’s petition signatures.

Richmond Open Government Project

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Perhaps inspired by other local online petitions, the Richmond Open Government Project launched theirs recently:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/684/909/771/make-richmond-city-hall-an-open-government-equal-to-the-best-in-virginia/

Knowledge comes from unfettered access to information. Currently the City of Richmond lags far behind the other six most populous cities in Virginia (Alexandria, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Virginia Beach) in terms of the information that is made available to its citizens and their ease of acquiring said information. The City of Richmond impedes the public’s access to information and participation in many ways. A short list of what the City does not do is below. For a complete list of the comparisons between the seven cities go to: http://cityhallreview.com/opengov/index.html

City Council does not post meeting agendas on its website.
City Council does not broadcast meetings at which most deliberations occur.
City Council does not hold public hearings at convenient times
City Council does not post meeting videos on its webpage.
City Council does not provide for downloading its meeting audios.
City Council does not archive meeting audios on its webpage.
City Council does not post all reports or presentations on its webpage.
City Council does not report deliberations in its minutes.
City Council does not report public comments in its minutes.
The Planning Commission provides very limited meeting information on its webpage.
The Board of Zoning Appeals provides no meeting information on its webpage.

People who want public accountability and the opportunity for meaningful participation in the City of Richmond government can and must change the status quo. Armed with information and the opportunity to participate, the public can be a watchdog, an agent of change and a collaborative partner in the decision-making process. As the Capital of the Commonwealth and the epicenter of the development of America’s popular government, the City of Richmond should be at the top of the list for offering unfettered citizen access to public information. The people can open city hall through a united and relentless demand for change. The Richmond Open Government Project intends to start this demand for change with the following petition to City of Richmond’s government leaders:

As a citizen, stakeholder, or candidate for political office in the City of Richmond, I pledge to call for, support, and vote for the following:

That the City government, in accordance with state law, immediately begin to publish City Council minutes that include a summary of the discussion on matters considered.

That the City government broadcast live all regular public meetings on the City website; and

That the City government commit to raising its open government standards to a level that meets or exceeds those of the other six most populous cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.