For Leah Puryear, the past month has been a whirlwind. After former Charlottesville city councilor Sena Magill abruptly resigned on January 3, citing family needs, Puryear—along with 19 other candidates—applied for the job. On February 21, council unanimously selected Puryear, a former Charlottesville School Board member, to fill the vacant seat. Since then, she has been learning the ins and outs of city government—and catching up on the array of responsibilities she now has on council.
“I have always admired [Magill’s] work, and was sorry that she left, but understand that often we make decisions because of our families,” says Puryear. “I felt that the work she had done [and] that City Council was embarking on and needed to do, that I could play a role in helping them move that ball forward.”
The new councilor will finish Magill’s term—but will not be seeking another term. Former Charlottesville city councilor Bob Fenwick, wedding sales manager Natalie Oschrin, and city social services assistant Dashad Cooper have filed to run for the Democratic nomination for council. Mayor Lloyd Snook and Councilor Michael Payne are running for re-election.
“I have decided I do not wish to run for the permanent seat,” Puryear explains. “I’m just honored and thrilled that I was selected [for the job]. … I feel confident that the persons who will be elected will be able to continue the work that City Council has been charged to do.”
In 1980, Puryear moved from Washington, D.C., to Charlottesville to join the University of Virginia’s Upward Bound program (now known as Uplift @ UVA), which helps university-bound high school students from central Virginia develop the skills required to graduate from college. Working with these first-generation students and their families inspired Puryear—who directed Upward Bound for nearly 40 years—to run for the Charlottesville School Board in 2006.
“The students in that program are 150 percent of poverty. … [They are] very bright, articulate, and intelligent—but because of their zip codes, socioeconomic backgrounds, or ethnicities, a lot of people don’t feel that they have value, or able to achieve things,” says Puryear, who sat on the school board for 16 years. “I didn’t believe that, [and] felt that [the students] needed to have an advocate.”
Throughout her decades in local government and education, Puryear has performed many of the duties she now has on council, from managing multi-million dollar budgets to developing strategic plans, which has made acclimating to her new job easier. She is also grateful for her fellow councilors and city employees, who have been “extremely patient” and supportive, and have answered her many questions since taking office.
Education and workforce development are among Puryear’s top priorities.
“We want people to be able to live in our city, [and] afford to live [here]. What do we need to do to make sure that those things happen?” she asks. “The people who live in our city deserve an opportunity to be educated, whether it’s through workforce development [or] our public schools, [so] that they can become independent individuals and productive members of Charlottesville.”
The new councilor is also concerned about the health and wellness of Charlottesville’s residents—and of the city’s government. “Do we have services to help support [residents’ health care needs]? … Do we have the funds to make sure that we are solvent [and] our departments are still able to do what they need to do?” she asks.
Since the fall, gun violence has spiked in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, sparking community concern and outrage. The city has seen six gun-related homicides this year—the highest number since 2017. Puryear applauds new Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis’ recent efforts to prevent and stop shootings, including engaging and building relationships with community members. Since starting the job, he has held weekly walk-and-talks in different neighborhoods, knocking on doors and speaking with residents about their concerns. And in February, he hosted a community forum on gun violence, which more than 150 people attended.
The community and police must work together to examine and address the root causes of gun violence, and propose and implement effective solutions, Puryear stresses.
“Gun violence has become overwhelming,” she says. “Police and fire have taken these jobs to protect. But what do we need to do to protect? Do we need additional mental health [professionals] to go along with the police? Do we need to have discussions like Chief Kochis is doing?”
A mental health crisis response team will eventually come to Charlottesville, thanks to Virginia’s Marcus-David Peters Act, named in honor of a 24-year-old Black high school teacher who was killed by a Richmond police officer during a severe mental health crisis in 2018.
Passed in 2020, the law initially required localities to create a 988 number for mental health crises, and to develop protocols by July 2022 for when behavioral health experts, instead of law enforcement, will respond to crises related to mental health, substance use, and developmental disabilities. But last year, the Republican-majority General Assembly passed a bill allowing localities with populations of less than 40,000 to opt out of the system, and giving those with more than 40,000 residents until July 1, 2028, to implement the system.
In 2020, the city’s Marcus Alert work group began exploring how to develop the new system, and last year the city allocated funds for it. While it remains unclear when it will be implemented in Charlottesville, Puryear vows to support the critical reform.
“I think when people use the phrase of ‘defunding the police,’ I don’t think it’s defunding the police so that there’s no police department—[but] looking at how the funds may be reallocated to take care of all of the issues that could potentially be involved [in cases],” she says. “Or putting more money into that department for those particular issues, like mental health or emergency medical services … so that it’s not the responsibility of someone who doesn’t have a particular training.”
Regarding Charlottesville’s ongoing rezoning process, Puryear stresses the importance of listening to—and implementing—community feedback. The draft zoning ordinance proposes increasing housing density across the city, aiming to significantly increase affordable housing development and supply.
“[We need to] make certain that the citizens in Charlottesville—regardless of their zip code— understand [rezoning] and the implications of that, but also hear what they have to say,” says Puryear, “[and] whatever their feelings are, assure them that they are being heard.”
“We don’t want people to feel that, because you live in low-income or subsidized housing, that you’re being discounted,” she adds. “Or that because your home is valued at $100,000, it’s not as important as someone’s home that’s valued at $1 million. Both of those homes have value.”
Due in part to a lack of affordable housing, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Charlottesville area has been rising, reports Charlottesville Tomorrow. This winter, the demand for overnight shelter beds was nearly double the amount of beds available, according to local shelters. To address and prevent homelessness, the city must tackle its root causes, and “not just put a Band-Aid on it,” says Puryear.
In January, Charlottesville formally adopted its Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030—and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. To slash the city’s emissions, Puryear supports planting more trees, electrifying the city’s buses and vehicles, and educating residents on how they can reduce their carbon footprint, among other measures.
“To a lot of people, [the climate action plan] may seem like a lofty goal,” says Puryear, “but if we follow the steps, it can be achievable.”
As for the city’s schools, Puryear is hopeful that recent pay raises will help solve the bus driver shortage. She is also “excited” about school reconfiguration, which will move fifth grade from Walker Upper Elementary—currently home to fifth and sixth grades—back down to elementary schools, and sixth grade up to Buford Middle School. For the first part of the massive project, the city is slated to spend $71.4 million to renovate Buford Middle School. “We are very hopeful that everything will come to fruition,” says Puryear.
Under interim city manager Michael Rogers’ leadership, Puryear is optimistic the city will solve its staffing shortage, and leadership turnover. And she hopes to help keep the city on the right path, and maintain “direction and stability.”
“I hope that at the end of December,” she says, “I am able to say that I did a good job.”