Construction contractor Blake Caravati has worked in local government since taking a seat on the Planning Commission in 1989. After losing a Council race in 1996, he won two years later; voters re-elected him in 2002. During that time Caravati earned a reputation for a sharp mind and a sharp tongue—both instilled, he says, by the Catholic Jesuit priests who schooled him in Richmond. Now that he is set to retire from Council at the end of this month, C-VILLE sat down with him in hopes of getting a few more good quotes before he’s gone. Here’s some of what he said.—John Borgmeyer
C-VILLE: You always say politics is no joke, yet you often seem to be having fun on the dais. Is politics a game?
Blake Caravati: It is definitely not a game. It is about truth and assembling the facts to make a decision. I ask hard questions, and some people see that as aggressive. The unfortunate part of elected office is that we’re too serious. We’re all human. We all make mistakes. Humor takes the edge off.
Do you make decisions quickly, or do you agonize over them?
My style is to hear a first run-through of the evidence, and my gut says, “Here’s the answer.” But I know I have to ask questions, reach out to people and other Councilors. Sometimes on the night of a meeting I’ll change my vote on the spot after hearing some public comment.
One of the worst things about politics is that people are too into sound bites, but the decision is not a sound bite. It is always gray and always complicated. Then you have to go to the grocery store the next day and see the people you voted against. Like the Meadowcreek Parkway—I ran against it in 1996 and ‘98, but I eventually voted for it.
Are you going to run for other offices?
I have no plans right now. Clearly, though, politics is in my blood. My wife has been my biggest supporter in this, and right now I have a 16-year back-up on my “honey-do” list.