There was a new face on the dais at City Council’s first meeting of 2024.
Natalie Oschrin, a Charlottesville native, ran for council on a platform focused on improving transportation, planning, access to housing, and the relationship between the city and UVA. As she settles into her new role, Oschrin says she’s excited about what’s to come.
“I am thrilled and grateful to be a part of the team,” she says. “The staff and fellow councilors have been so helpful throughout my orientations, so I felt welcome from the beginning. We have several meetings to make sure we’re getting the budget and Capital Improvement Plan in order, and pages of reading to prep for those meetings. I’ve been watching from the sidelines for a while now, so while I still have a lot to learn, I’m also prepared to do the job.”
January is typically a slow month for City Council, but Oschrin’s first meeting packed in many key priorities, including the election of the new mayor and vice-mayor, budget presentations, board and committee assignments, and funding for Premier Circle, a homeless shelter run out of the former Red Carpet Inn.
Several of the new councilor’s board and committee assignments correlate with her priorities, including positions on the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Regional Transit Partnership, Community Scholarship Program, and more.
Oschrin hopes to facilitate progress by looking at how various priorities and initiatives can be used to advance each other.
“For example, by keeping the mantra of bike/ped/bus going in all matters, I hope to … [build] better infrastructure, and to make my expectations clear that I want others to consider bike/ped/bus potential in what they bring to the table,” she says. “Better bike/ped/ … bus infrastructure improves quality of life in other areas, by making streets safer and quieter, reducing traffic, pollution, and car dependency, and saving folks time and money. These improvements will also allow more people to live in the city, closer to their jobs and activities without increasing car traffic and parking concerns.”
Though Oschrin is confident in her agenda, one hurdle she foresees is scheduling. Charlottesville City Council is a part-time job, and pays accordingly. Oschrin will be balancing her work for the city with her job as a full-time wedding sales manager.
“It is an overall structural problem with the low pay/‘part-time’ nature of City Council, and why there are not more women, young people, and lower-income people as representatives,” says Oschrin. “I would welcome a serious discussion with the state about changing that to allow wider participation.”