It looks like outgoing Councilors Rob Schilling and Blake Caravati are leaving City Council on good terms. At least Charlottesvillians better hope so, because Mayor David Brown just gave them keys to the city. The ever-jocular Caravati quipped: “Now that they’ve given us keys, they’ll probably change the locks.”
Judging from their farewell remarks on June 19 (their final Council meeting), changing the locks seems an unnecessary expense that neither would vote to approve. For the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Cavarati, who did not seek re-election in May, will no longer hold an elected or appointed position. But he says he’s not going anywhere, and will continue to crack jokes while serving the community.
Schilling, the only Republican on the Council, was ousted in the May 2 election. New to Charlottesville in 1997, Schilling joined the Council three years after he got to town. Those familiar with City government are well aware of his commitment to an elected school board and his (sometimes inadvertently) hilarious tit-for-tat with Democrats—especially Caravati. Schilling always framed his work in a specific way: He focused on listening to, and meeting, the needs of as many constituents as he possibly could. Perhaps he made such an effort because, as Caravati said, everyone knows where you live (or could easily find out), and City Councilors must deal with the repercussions of their decisions everywhere they go—not just in Council chambers.
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