For those willing to expand their definition of drinking local, Fine Creek Brewing is one of many destinations that offers enticing beverages outside of Charlottesville. Publicity photo.
The greater Charlottesville area is overflowing with beverage producers who make delicious products. But if you’re up for a scenic drive, there are additional treasures to be found not too far away. In part one of our day-trip series, we head east toward Richmond to taste Virginia-made beer, wine, spirits, and cider.
Cunningham Creek Winery, in Palmyra, is about a 30-minute drive from Charlottesville. Opened in 2016, the winery features lots of outdoor space, including a deck and picnic tables with umbrellas. Adirondack chairs are spread generously across the property, and there’s a dog park too. The winery’s pooches, Corky and Crush, are the official greeters, and make the rounds to get a look at each new visitor. The wines are high quality and it’s not surprising that the 2017 Meritage and the 2017 Estate Petit Verdot were gold medal winners in the 2020 Virginia Governor’s Cup competition.
Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard in Louisa is another winery worth a visit. Formerly known as Cooper Vineyards, Fifty-Third got a name change in 2015 from new owners Dave and Susan Drillock, who wanted to reflect the fact that the winery was the fifty-third bonded winery in Virginia back in 1999. The Drillocks have steadily increased the quality of their wine, and winemaker Chelsey Blevins is a rising star. Their bright and high-toned albariño, a variety that is still relatively rare in the state, shows why this grape is generating increasing interest from many area winemakers.
For beer lovers, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is located on a 290-acre farm in Goochland County. The brewery prides itself on small-batch releases of innovative recipes that feature ingredients that are either grown on their own farm or sourced from other nearby farms. With numerous and frequent new releases, Lickinghole has something for everyone to enjoy. I recommend the Juicy IPA Series, which features a new release every month and is currently on recipe number 25.
Fine Creek Brewing is just a bit farther away in Powhatan and is similarly a farm brewery that focuses on limited production, small-batch recipes that rotate frequently. With a deck and plenty of outdoor space, the property has 13 small cottages so guests can stay overnight. While Fine Creek offers a handful of cans and bottles for sale, most of the interest is in beers on tap, which can be purchased in growlers to take home. On a recent visit, the Kornøl Norwegian Farmhouse Ale with Juniper was an eye-opener, full of herbal and pine flavors combined with a lingering dry finish. The Helles Lager on tap was an excellent example of this classic and refreshing style that features biscuit flavors and an abrupt and slightly bitter finish.
Not far from Fine Creek Brewing, Three Crosses Distilling Co. became the first legal distillery in Powhatan County when it was founded approximately three years ago. This is truly small-batch distilling, done with one 250-gallon still and one 150-gallon still. They source as many ingredients as possible from the local area—both the corn for the moonshine and the rye for the whiskey are grown in Powhatan County. With a core list of six spirits, Three Crosses also offers limited releases every few months. One of the current options is Noble Hound Dark Rye Whiskey, which is finished in port barrels following two years of oak-barrel aging. This additional finishing step tames the spicy character of rye and results in a smooth finish. I also recommend the gin, a recipe developed in-house to highlight floral and citrus characters with a subtle juniper flavor.
Cider lovers also have something worth traveling for at Buskey Cider, located in Scott’s Addition on the west edge of Richmond. While this is the farthest destination from C’ville, the high-quality and interesting flavors are worth the trip. Launched in 2016 and using only Virginia-grown apples, Buskey features classic styles as well as more experimental recipes with added flavors. I was the first customer to taste the new Thai Tom Yum cider on tap. The subtle flavors of lemongrass, lime, and ginger, along with a whisper of chili heat, certainly made an impression.
We hear a symphony: Beyond the wealth of live music that brings us outdoors in the summer, we have top-notch theater and opera folks who like to get outside too. Charlottesville Opera launches an exciting run of shows with Broadway in the Park, which features some of musical theater’s leading voices. Jennifer DiNoia has played Elphaba in Wicked more than any other singer in the world, and Allison Semmes starred as Diana Ross in Motown: The Musical, and currently works with Stevie Wonder.
Friday 6/11 & Saturday 6/12, $15-20, 7pm. IX Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. charlottesvilleopera.org.
Play dead: Picture this truly interactive Deadhead experience: listening to “Black Muddy River” next to a (considerably less black and muddy) river and then singing along to “Ripple” as the late-evening sun dapples the water. Grateful Dead cover band The ’77z performs at the June edition of The Front Porch/Rivanna River Company’s Rivanna Roots.
Friday 6/11, $10, 5pm. Rivanna River Company, 1518 E. High St., frontporchcville.org.
Continuing education: Willie DE’s musical education spans from busking on the Downtown Mall to studying jazz guitar at VCU. When he takes on a genre, he owns it, showing off his stuff with funk, blues, folk, and even some new wave, à la Elvis Costello. Along with his substantial knowledge of covers and fan favorites, Willie DE has a vast catalog of original songs, marked by his thoughtful lyrics, soulful voice, and ear-catching progressions.
Sunday 6/13, Free, 1pm. Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, 5022 Plank Rd., North Garden. pippinhillfarm.com.
The Judy Chops return to play SummerStage with new songs and lots of love. Publicity photo.
Get your love: Like so many of us during these past 14 months, The Judy Chops had questions, both candid and existential, about where the world was headed. The seven-piece band of family and friends channeled their uncertainty into music, and emerged to reintroduce Love Is the Answer, an upbeat record with deep Southern roots and irresistible grooves originally released in 2018. Horn-heavy tunes jump from soul to funk to rockabilly, and there’s even an a cappella take on the title track during which the band slows down to catch its collective breath. Cut loose with the Chops outdoors at the SummerStage series.
Friday 6/11, $30-100, 6pm. The Blackburn Inn and Conference Center, 301 Greenville Ave., Staunton. blackburn-inn.com/summerstage.
Chamomile and Whiskey headlines Fridays After Five on June 18, when it returns to the newly christened Ting Pavilion. Photo: Chris Pecoraro.
After over a year of empty stages, music lovers finally have something to look forward to. Last month, Governor Ralph Northam lifted all social distancing and capacity restrictions, meaning live music will soon be back at several Charlottesville venues.
On June 18, the newly renamed Ting Pavilion will reopen with the return of Fridays After Five, featuring performances by Chamomile and Whiskey and Shagwüf. The free outdoor concert series will run every Friday from 5:30-8:30pm through September 17.
“We’re hopeful that it’s going to be the same experience that people have always remembered,” says Kirby Hutto, general manager of the venue, which now has a five-year partnership with Ting. “It’s an opportunity not just to hear live music, but also to socialize and meet your friends.”
The Jefferson Theater and The Southern Cafe & Music Hall are also “scrambling” to open up their doors as quickly as possible, says booking manager and show promoter Danny Shea.
“We’re trying to rebuild with a new ticketing system, new staff, new everything,” says Shea. “We had hopes of being able to open this month, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen or not.”
Like venues across the country, the coronavirus completely “paralyzed” the Jefferson and the Southern, says Shea. With no end to the pandemic in sight, all in-person shows had to be postponed indefinitely, forcing the two theaters to lay off employees to stay afloat. “Uncertainty has been the only thing we can count on,” says Shea.
The pavilion hasn’t hosted any shows since the pandemic started. Hutto considered a partial reopening with socially distanced pods this summer, but plans quickly changed when Northam lifted pandemic restrictions on May 28, two weeks earlier than anticipated.
“I don’t think any of us expected [the lift],” says Shea. “It just accelerated a lot of things, and we’re working through other projects to try to get ready.”
In addition to Fridays after Five, the Ting Pavilion will host the Charlottesville Opera for the first time ever on June 24 and 26. More show announcements will roll out over the next few weeks—from August through November, the plan is to have around 10 shows, according to Hutto.
John Paul Jones Arena has also started announcing events, with country duo Dan & Shay on the calendar for September. (JPJ did not provide comment for this story.)
Shea says there are likely “a ton” of acts who would love to perform at the Southern or the Jefferson soon, but it has been harder than expected to find performers who haven’t already booked shows at outdoor venues, under the previous coronavirus restrictions.
The biggest challenge for the venues, though, has been bringing on new staff members.
“Some of the folks who’ve worked with us for years and years in the past have either moved elsewhere, or taken other positions,” says Hutto.
Once all three venues reopen, only unvaccinated people will be required to wear masks and social distance, in accordance with Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
That won’t be easy for venues to enforce, however. “If we can’t verify somebody hasn’t had a vaccine it’s hard for us to institute anything,” says Shea.
“But I hope that anybody who comes has gotten the vaccine,” he adds. “You can’t love live music and not opt in for the vaccine right now.”
The number of people getting vaccinated in Virginia has dropped significantly in recent weeks. Graph: Virginia Department of Health.
In April, the United States began offering the coronavirus vaccine to anyone age 16 and older, and right away millions of people lined up outside stadiums, schools, and other mass vaccination centers, relieved to finally get the life-saving shot.
But now, nearly two months later, vaccination rates have plummeted across the U.S. The country is giving out less than 1 million shots per day, compared to more than 3 million at its April peak, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Many people who want the vaccine have already received it, leaving it up to governments to reach out to the millions still hesitant to get the jab.
In Virginia, the average daily doses administered per day has fallen from 85,000 in April to 23,000 this week, even though 44 percent of the state has yet to receive a single dose.
Since early May, coronavirus cases in the Blue Ridge Health District have been in the single digits, thanks to high vaccination rates and warmer weather. The many people who continue to wear masks in public spaces and practice social distancing—despite Governor Ralph Northam’s lift on all pandemic restrictions—have also helped keep transmission low.
But local vaccinations have slowed down “to some extent,” says health district spokesman Ryan McKay.
“We did see a period where really first-dib appointments for Pfizer and Moderna dropped off,” he says. “We saw a little bit of an uptick when Pfizer was made eligible and approved for 12- to 15-year-olds [on May 12], but then we’ve seen that plateau hitting us here.”
In Albemarle, 55 percent of residents are fully vaccinated. In Charlottesville that number is 48.
However, in other counties in the health district, such as Louisa and Greene, less than 40 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
“There is hesitancy and uncertainty about the vaccine…so [we need] to give people an opportunity to get educated on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine,” says McKay. “But also we’ve been asking people to come to us to get vaccinated. Those people who really want to go out and get it have done so.”
“Now we need to sort of change that approach, and we need to now go to people,” he says. “We have to be a little more mobile and thoughtful about heading to neighborhoods, going to schools, [and] getting out into the community to provide education and outreach to give people more access and remove some of those barriers.”
BRHD plans to continue to work with community leaders from demographics with lower vaccine rates, particularly Black and Latino communities, and host pop-up vaccine clinics in underserved neighborhoods like Friendship Court and Westhaven.
“You have to rely on those trusted community leaders [to] help with delivering the message,” says McKay. “And to tell their own story about why they got vaccinated and their experience to help get over hesitancy.”
According to census tract records obtained by Charlottesville Tomorrow, predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city like 10th and Page and Fifeville have vaccination rates below 35 percent, while predominantly white neighborhoods like North Downtown and Greenbrier have rates between 55 and 65 percent. To date, around 31 percent of Charlottesville’s white residents are fully vaccinated compared to 24 percent of Black residents. (About one-third of vaccinated people did not report their race.)
The health district has also partnered with UVA Health to send community health workers and vaccinators door-to-door in underserved neighborhoods, allowing residents to voice any questions or concerns they have about the shot and, if they choose to, get it right on the spot. In the near future, the district plans to create a mobile vaccine unit and host additional pop-up clinics at places of employment.
“Through that outreach, we’re really able to convince people that this is a good thing,” says McKay. “And if there are people who want to get vaccinated, but for whatever reason it doesn’t fit into their schedule, we want to try to accommodate that.”
Other states have tried to encourage vaccination by offering prizes to those who get the shot. States like New York and Oregon are offering jab-getters a chance to win millions of dollars in cash or scholarships, while West Virginia is doling out custom rifles, shotguns, and trucks. This week, Washington started giving adults who get the vax pre-rolled joints, on top of incentives like lottery drawings, tickets to sporting events, and gaming systems.
Such drastic measures haven’t been necessary in the health district, says McKay.
“We’re really trying to focus on education and outreach,” he explains. “In Charlottesville and Albemarle we already have some of the highest vaccination percentages in the state…[so] at least for right now we’re not really entertaining the idea of offering incentives.”
The district ultimately hopes to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70 percent of adults receive at least one dose of the vaccine by July 4.
“We need to continue to work on mitigation strategies until we can give everyone access,” says McKay. “There’s still risk, and people who can still get sick, and we just want to be mindful of that as we’re heading into summer.”
UVA closer Stephen Schoch turned in a memorable performance on the mound this week, striking out five Old Dominion batters in a crucial postseason win for the Cavs. But Schoch’s postgame press conference was even more entertaining than his pitching.
“Does anything make you nervous?” the interviewer asked. “Caves, mainly,” said Schoch, looking around the field. “Nothing really. I don’t see any caves out here.”
“I heard a fan offer free Dippin’ Dots if I blew it,” Schoch continued. Citing the high price of Dippin’ Dots, Schoch said he thought for a second about throwing the game, but quickly decided that picking up a win would be more valuable.
“This is just a game. There’s gonna be way harder things in life,” the sixth-year pitcher concluded. “I think I’m a cool guy. My dogs think I’m awesome. My teammates like me, and my friends like me. So I’m going to go out and attack and win.”
At press time, UVA was in the midst of a rain-delayed contest against Old Dominion. A win would send the Hoos to a Super Regional, the next phase of postseason play.
City reserves $4 million more for Belmont Bridge
On Monday, City Council appropriated an additional $4,280,739 for the replacement of the Belmont Bridge, pushing the project’s total cost north of $35 million. Last August, council approved a budget of $15.3 million for the long-awaited revitalization of the bridge, but rising materials and labor costs, coupled with a shortage of contractors, caused the price to spike.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has identified about $4.3 million in state funds from State of Good Repair, which provides money for “structurally deficient” bridges, to help cover the price hike from the previous budget. Federal and state funding will pay for the majority of the bridge’s replacement cost, with the city paying around $13 million.
According to the Belmont Bridge website, the current bridge is in significant disrepair, scoring 40 out of 100 in condition ratings.
An updated schedule on the website says construction will take place between 2021 and 2023. When the bridge is completed, locals can look forward to protected, 10-foot-wide bike lanes, a protected pedestrian lane, a new pedestrian underpass under Ninth Street, and opportunities for public art installations.
“It seems like every shot he shoots is going in.”
NBA superstar Blake Griffin, talking about his teammate, UVA alum Joe Harris, who is averaging 14 points per game in the playoffs for the Brooklyn Nets.
In brief
Garage nixed
City Council passed a resolution formally halting the construction of a proposed 300-spot parking garage on Seventh and Market streets. Council first initiated the project in 2019, but after significant community feedback, and a work session last week, it declared the city is no longer interested. For more info, check out last week’s C-VILLE story.
Mueller on Mueller
Robert Mueller. File photo.
Robert Mueller will help teach a class on The Mueller Report at UVA law school this fall. Mueller’s famous investigation into then-President Donald Trump found several examples of Russia interfering with the 2016 presidential election, but ultimately the special counsel did not charge the former commander-in-chief or his associates with a crime. Students hoping that Mueller assesses their papers with similar leniency should know that he only plans to appear during one of the course’s six meetings.
W&L keeps its Confederate name
Washington and Lee University will remain Washington and Lee University, as the school’s board of trustees voted 22-6 to keep Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s name atop the university’s brand. The school then released a statement saying, “Our goal is to build a more diverse community [and] enhance inclusion for everyone at W&L.” Yeah. Good luck with that.
Democracy donation
UVA received a $50 million check to kick-start a new institute for the “study, teaching and promotion of democracy,” the university announced this week. Megadonors Martha and Bruce Karsh, who made their fortune through “global asset management” and who are part-owners of the Golden State Warriors, are the namesakes of the project, which will include the construction of a new building on Emmet Street.
The Robert E. Lee statue will finally be removed from Market Street Park at the beginning of July. Photo: Skyclad Aerial.
On Monday night, Charlottesville City Council unanimously voted to remove the statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson from the city’s public parks.
“Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Council of the City of Charlottesville, that the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee shall be removed from Market Street Park, and the statue of Confederate General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson shall be removed from Court Square Park,” reads the beginning of the official resolution.
The vote marks a major step forward in the years-long battle over the statues’ fate, though the saga is not yet complete. Council hasn’t decided what will become of the statues once they’ve been removed from the parks.
According to a 2020 state law regarding the removal of monuments, the city must now wait 30 days before acting further. It is required to offer the statues “for relocation and placement to any museum, historical society, government, or military battlefield,” but does not have to accept any bids. Beginning in early July, the city “shall have sole authority to determine the final disposition of the monument or memorial.”
Monday’s vote comes more than five years after then-high schooler Zyahna Bryant started a petition to remove the Lee statue and rename Lee Park. A few months later, in February 2017, City Council voted 3-2 to take the statues down. Shortly after that, a collection of Confederate admirers sued the city over that vote, in a case that went all the way to the state Supreme Court. In the summer of 2017, the statues served as a rallying point for white supremacist violence when the deadly Unite the Right rally unfolded in their shadow.
In 2020, the General Assembly passed a new law allowing localities to remove or recontextualize memorials like these statues, and earlier this year, the state Supreme Court ruled on behalf of the city in the original 2017 case, clearing the path for removal.
The new state law requires localities to hold a public hearing before moving forward with removal or recontextualization of monuments. That hearing took place at the end of Monday’s council meeting, and the community turned out in force, delivering more than two hours of public comment, almost all advocating for the removal or destruction of the statues. Many speakers emphasized that simply relocating the monuments to another location would not sufficiently undo the harm the monuments had caused.
“The community has certainly spoken,” said Councilor Heather Hill before the vote. “It was a clear message to this council,”
“I will be very proud to take a vote to remove these, and to reimagine our public spaces in these areas,” said Councilor Michael Payne.
Mayor Nikuyah Walker spoke last, before the council moved on the resolution. “The statues need to go,” she said. “But we also need to remember that the work isn’t complete at that moment…I feel the stories that my grandmothers told me. I feel them so deeply and so strongly. Once these statues are destroyed, there is so much more work to do in our community.”
Giving Voice
More than 50 community members tuned in to Monday night’s virtual City Council meeting to share their opinions on the statues. Out of the dozens of speakers in attendance, just five expressed support for keeping the monuments in place. A selection of comments from the meeting are excerpted below.
Larycia Hawkins: “I am Sally Heming’s ghost, here to haunt City Hall, to remind you that racial and economic progress do not proceed by hiding these ignominious symbols…They deserve to be destroyed, because that’s what reparative justice, and restorative justice, would look like.”
Don Gathers: “There is no gray area on this. There is no middle ground. History will judge what we as a community and you as a council do on this night. It’s past time for those things to come down. Please don’t send this problem somewhere else. Those things are like the bat signal for white supremacists. Have someone transform it into a rainbow arc, in all the beautiful pride colors, and watch white supremacist heads explode.”
Amanda Moxham: “We are tired of performative unity. We are ready for transformative healing. We owe it to our children, and the many generations that are not born yet. We owe them spaces where white supremacy is not the default.”
Miranda Elliot Rader:“When we remove them, the space of their absence will hum with meaning.”
Sarah Kelly: “I’m 80 years old…I remember passing the Lee statue as a child, and being told get to stepping because I was on the wrong side of Charlottesville…I would love to see the horse riding in to a melting pot. They’ve brought nothing but pain to us Black people.”
Walt Heinecke: “These are symbols of hate, pure and simple, and you can’t contextualize hate. How many statues of Hitler are there in Germany that are contextualized?”
Gregory Weaver: “The figures are white supremacists. They were installed by white supremacists…The Lee and Jackson statues must be completely destroyed. We cannot sell them. We cannot allow them to become someone’s perverse trophies.”
Daniel Miller: “I’m a white, ninth-generation Virginian. My family moved to Virginia 35 years before it became a state…Removing these statues isn’t destroying history, it’s making space for a real accounting of our past, by correcting a lie.”
Kathryn Laughon: “Be courageous and visionary in what happens to that statue. Our toxic waste cannot go to another community. We need to think of a way to transform so they cannot ever again be a rallying point for white supremacy.”
Kat Mayberry: “The statue attracts violent, radical extremists from all over the state and all over the country. They come here specifically to the Lee statue, and they come here armed. There is a public safety reason to take these statues down as soon as possible.”
Kori Price: “From an artist’s perspective, the statues don’t offer any artistic value to our city. Not only are these statues symbols and idols of white supremacy, but they are eyesores. They do not belong in Charlottesville’s vibrant arts scene, nor in any part of any community.”
Brad Slocum: “As a survivor of violence in August 2017, I still get a fight or flight response walking by the corner where I was stabbed in the stomach with a flagpole. These statues continue to be a rallying cry for [the far right.]…They need to be melted down.”
DeTeasa Gathers: “As a girl, when I was growing up, approximately 10 years old, I remember walking by that monument with my grandmother…The only thing I can recall is walking by there and her actually saying we don’t go over there. That was History 101…Take them down for the next 10-year-old girl.”
Lashundra Bryson: “I don’t think they can be repurposed. They should be taken away in the night with no announcement or fanfare. It is fitting and poetic justice that they would disappear into the night like countless enslaved African Americans that Lee and Jackson fought to keep enslaved. The statues aren’t needed to remember history. Just ask Black people.”
From left to right: Carl Brown, Brian Pinkston, Juandiego Wade. Photo: File photos
By Geremia di Maro
Charlottesville’s government faces a wide array of big issues: A housing crisis. Ongoing criminal justice system inequities. A bureaucracy that’s had difficulty getting on the same page.
This summer, three candidates are competing in the Democratic primary in hopes of securing the party’s nominations to run for two contested seats on the Charlottesville City Council in the November general election. Juandiego Wade is a member of the Charlottesville School Board and chair of the Board of Directors for United Way of Greater Charlottesville; Carl Brown is a lifelong city native with a background in youth mentorship, consulting, and nonprofit work, and Brian Pinkston is a UVA project manager with a Ph.D. in philosophy.
In the fall, the two winners will run against independents Mayor Nikuyah Walker and entrepreneur Yasmine Washington.
Juandiego Wade
How would you address Charlottesville’s housing crisis and the rising cost of living in the city?
My position on affordable housing is that you have to take a multi-pronged approach. You have to continue to support nonprofits, like Habitat for Humanity and AHIP [Albemarle Home Improvement Program], which are out there building homes or fixing up homes to allow people to stay.
One of the things that I would do is to get the localities to collaborate more. Charlottesville is doing most of the pulling, and we can’t do it alone. Additionally, the University of Virginia needs to have a role in this, and I think that they have, with the announcement that they’re going to be building some affordable housing I think over the next 10 years or so.
What is the role of UVA in ensuring affordable living conditions in the city?
Transportation is vital. I did transportation planning for [Albemarle] County for 20 years. Housing is so expensive here that many of the lower-wage workers have to commute in. But all that causes congestion on the roads. You need to provide more alternative transportation, whether it’s free bikes, preferential parking if you carpool, incentives if someone walks to work. And you also need to work with VDOT, the county, and the city.
What changes would you make to the city’s criminal justice system and system of law enforcement?
I am for accountability, not for micromanagement. I think that there is definitely a need to bridge the gap between the police department and particularly for communities of color that I believe was widened after the Unite the Right rally.
The police can do more things like community policing, and getting to know the residents outside of emergencies. And I think that the community realizes this is a very difficult job that police officers have. One of the things that I would do if I’m elected is just to have some real, honest conversations and say, “It’s okay to disagree.”
What role do you think the city’s Police Civilian Review Board should play in ensuring accountability for law enforcement?
I think that we need to have the Civilian Review Board. I think that they need to have the power to review complaints, and that they need to have a diverse and wide range of representatives on that committee. I just don’t want the CRB to be telling the officer or the police chief, “We need to do A, B, and C.”
If elected to council, what would be your top priority upon assuming office?
Criminal justice reform, affordable housing, continuous support, public education, economic development, and climate justice are what I would focus on if I’m elected. We, as councilpersons, would have to be rowing in the same direction, and I think it is vital to get to know them.
What are your thoughts on the function of City Council in recent years?
I understand that people are very passionate about whatever issues that they’re talking about, and I don’t want to quell that in any form or fashion. All that I ask of everyone is that we respect everyone’s opinion. I think that that will go a long way. I think that we all love and care for the city and want what’s best for it, and with that foundation, we can move forward.
Carl Brown
How would you address Charlottesville’s housing crisis and the rising cost of living in the city?
I’ve been working in the [city’s] public housing, and I think, more than anything, we need to be able to provide them with resources and support within their community. Hubs where youth are able to excel in the classroom, or have that opportunity within their community. Zoning is going to play a major part, but I think that’s another conversation.
What is the role of UVA in ensuring affordable living conditions in the city?
I see UVA as a major player in this. I think creating incentives for our public schools and things of that nature to connect with UVA—those kinds of things haven’t been done before. I currently have UVA students from Charlottesville that I support and work with, and so I know that there are different things that can be done in this community.
What changes would you make to the city’s criminal justice system and system of law enforcement?
[I hope to have] programming in the jails that’s going to be more catered to less incarceration, which is what we’ve been working on by providing more technical and vocational training and by being more supportive.
De-escalation training has been something that’s been major. So when I see the budget breakdown, that’s what I’m really looking for. And if you don’t have that, that’s something that should be incorporated. I am totally for looking at [the police budget] and reallocating money to those areas in need.
What role do you think the city’s Police Civilian Review Board should play in ensuring accountability for law enforcement misconduct?
I think it needs to be a little more representative and a little more balanced. I think they’re going in the right direction. There are a lot of people in this community who have been working in that entity for a long time. I think it’s a work in progress, but I think it’s going in the right direction.
What would be your top priority upon assuming office?
The most important aspects from my standpoint are leadership, trust, respect, creativity, and excellence. I’m going to bring that to the table. This is not a situation where my aspirations are to be a politician. The direction the city needs to go in is one where we have stability, accountability, and transparency. Individuals from the community suggested that I do this for the good of the community. So I’m not doing it for me—this is much bigger than me.
What are your thoughts on the function of City Council in recent years?
My personality as a whole, I can be very straightforward. But my objective is to make City Council meetings boring when you come in, because we’re doing the work. You have to have that commitment. Coming from coaching sports teams, I understand what that brings. I’m not coming in to dominate, I’m coming in to be a part of it.
Brian Pinkston
If elected to council, how would you address Charlottesville’s housing crisis and the rising cost of living in the city?
It’s affordability up and down the scale. The super rich don’t have to worry about finding a place to live, but the rest of us do—even folks who make a good salary like myself. We’ve considered moving, for various reasons, but it’s a fraught proposition, particularly if you want to stay in the city.
Then when you include the factor of equity, and the glaring inequities of the past like redlining, how the zoning that we have reflects specifically racist covenants, and then the lack of investment over decades—now we’re faced with a really significant crisis. Then you add to the fact that you’ve got a world-class institution here that’s going to continue to be this magnetic pole for folks from all over the world, and the university can pay people enough to live here, so it’s a very complicated problem.
Now we’re getting into the [Comprehensive Plan] land-use map and zoning changes, and that’s where the rubber meets the road. We should start seeing these things like the land-use map and Comprehensive Plan as living documents as much as possible.
What changes would you make to the city’s criminal justice system and system of law enforcement?
I’m for reforming the police, or transforming, or whatever verb we want to use…I think that the high level feedback that we got last summer, with the protests after Mr. George Floyd died, really needs to be taken on board. Particularly in a Southern city like this with a history of racism in general.
I support the Police Civilian Review Board—I think it should have teeth—understanding that the General Assembly has [expanded its possible powers] due to laws that were recently changed.
I want to err on the side of transparency. I want to err on the side of us being really clear about what’s in the police budget. I think that knowing what the police are tasked to do is very much within our rights as citizens. I would love to see some of the services that police are paid for put over to community services for Region Ten.
And it’s important that we listen to actual persons of color that live in Tonsler precinct or live in some of these housing projects. I have a young Black man on my campaign helping me, and I asked him what he thinks, and he said, “Well, we need the police. We want police in certain places, and at certain times.” I think it’s important that we listen to the people actually affected, and not just do progressive wish fulfillment.
What would be your top priority upon assuming office?
The main thing I want to do is inject—people don’t like the word civility—but a level of collegiality into the council. I’m grateful to the current mayor for shining a strong light on our city’s past, and ways in which we thought we were so great but really weren’t. I think that she’s done an admirable job in that. I do think she’s struggled, for whatever reason, to create the positive change that she’s wanted, and I’m hopeful that the next council can do that.
What are your thoughts on the function of City Council in recent years?
The City Council needs to function well. This turmoil we have on council spills over to social media, which has been really disruptive. It affects actual operations, because people may or may not want to work for a city that has that level of instability at the top. I want to [build] strong working relationships on council, so that people who work for the city know that we’re a credible body, that we’re going to make decisions to stick with them, that we care for them and care for their careers.
On the money
In May, The New York Times asked each candidate for mayor of New York City to tell it, from memory, the median sales price for a home in Brooklyn. The guesses ranged widely, and some candidates wound up with egg on their face. Investment banker Ray McGuire said “It’s got to be somewhere in the $80,000 to $90,000 range.” Maya Wiley, a former aide to Mayor Bill de Blasio, said $1.8 million. The correct answer is $900,000.
With rising real estate prices an important topic in town, we put the same question to our council candidates. No googling allowed: What is the median home price in Charlottesville?
Juandiego Wade: “I would say it’s about $300,000 or $400,000. A couple of weeks ago there was only one house on the market under $250,000.”
Carl Brown: “Probably around $360,000.”
Brian Pinkston: “The median home price in Charlottesville is about $375,000. I know that because my home is worth about that much.”
The correct answer: In the first quarter of 2021, the median home sale price in the City of Charlottesville was $397,000, according to the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors. Congrats, all—that’s a much better showing than the New Yorkers.
