Charlottesville City Council voted to increase members’ pay for the first time since 1996.
Photo by Eze Amos.
At its August 19 meeting, Charlottesville City Council delved into a number of hot-button local issues, including council salaries and ranked-choice voting.
Under new legislation from the Virginia General Assembly, city governments can now vote to increase salaries, with pay limits determined by locality population size.
A proposed salary ordinance would increase councilors’ annual pay from $18,000 to $34,000 and the mayor’s salary from $20,000 to $37,000.
“It seems to me that [this] sends a very unwelcome message to people, and I don’t think it’s a wise idea,” said City Councilor Lloyd Snook. The councilor has been vocal in his opposition to the salary increase, citing the bad optics of raising pay amid continuous tax hikes by the city.
Councilor Natalie Oschrin rebutted Snook, arguing an increase in pay would allow more people the financial opportunity to serve on the council. “I think that’s actually an interesting choice of words, ‘unwelcome,’ when, from our perspective, it would be more welcoming for more people to be able to join this board,” she said.
Councilors at the August 19 city council meeting ultimately voted to increase council salaries effective July 1, 2026 by a vote of 4-1, with Snook the sole dissenting vote. This is the first pay increase for the council since 1996. The next round of city council elections will occur prior to the implementation of the raises.
Moving down the agenda, councilors considered an ordinance adopting ranked-choice voting for the Charlottes—ville City Council’s June 2025 primary elections.
“With our equipment that we have in Charlottesville, [voters] will be able to make up to six rankings for candidates,” said General Registrar and Director of Elections Taylor Yowell.
Two council seats will appear on the ballot next June, meaning candidates need to obtain 33.3 percent of the vote if the ranked-choice system is adopted. The percentage needed to declare a winning candidate or candidates in a ranked-choice election is determined by the number of available seats.
Several community members spoke in favor of the ranked-choice voting ordinance during the community matters portion of the meeting, including former delegate and founder of Ranked Choice Virginia Sally Hudson.
“Charlottesville has a long history of being proud to be a cradle of democracy, and there’s a long history of ranked-choice voting activism in this community,” said Hudson. “Ranked-choice voting started in Charlottesville more than 20 years ago when UVA students first adopted ranked-choice for their student council elections. And while that may not sound like a very big deal, roughly 5,000 students cast their ballots for student council every year on grounds—which is almost as many people who vote in a Charlottesville city council primary.”
Councilors voiced both questions and support for the voting system, but the decision on implementation is still up in the air. The second and final reading of the ranked-choice voting ordinance, along with the council’s vote, is slated to appear on the consent agenda at the next Charlottesville City Council meeting on September 3.
For more information about the ordinances or to watch the full council meeting, visit charlottesville.gov.
In November, newly appointed Charlottesville City Manager Marc Woolley quit the job—the day before he was supposed to start work. It was the low point in a three-year period that had seen five people, not counting Woolley, serve as the city government’s lead executive. In response, City Council addressed the desperate situation by hiring a management firm until it finds a permanent city manager.
This month, Charlottesville signed a contract with the Robert Bobb Group, which has decades of experience serving local and state governments across the country. Last week, council interviewed three potential candidates—all members of the Robert Bobb Group—to be the interim city manager.
After meeting for over an hour in closed session, councilors officially appointed Michael Rogers during Tuesday’s meeting.
“I look forward to engaging with the staff and becoming a part of the team and leading the team so that the citizens of Charlottesville are proud every day at the level of service that their government provides,” said Rogers. “A government that will listen, is open and transparent, that’s my style. That’s what I look for.”
Rogers has previously served as Washington, D.C.’s city administrator, and executive director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, as well as chief operating and financial officer of Petersburg, Virginia. He has also held senior positions in the New York City government, and with the Minority Business Development Agency.
Following his appointment, Rogers said he looked forward to “hitting the ground running” and working with council to address a plethora of issues facing Charlottesville. He also shared his connection to the area—early in his career, he met Cole Hendrix, who served as Charlottesville’s city manager from 1971 and 1996.
“I can still remember the excitement and joy in [Hendrix’s] voice when he talked about his city of Charlottesville,” said Rogers. “So that impression of that city has always stuck with me.”
Mayor Lloyd Snook said he was drawn to the new manager’s passion for mentorship.
“One of the things that I remember particularly about [Rogers’] interview is that [he] enjoyed mentoring and teaching younger, deputy city managers, people who are middle managers in city government,” said the mayor. “That’s something we really need.”
“Investment in staff development and building cohesive teams has been a staple of my career,” replied Rogers. “That’s how you build succession planning.”
Vice-Mayor Juandiego Wade said he was impressed by Rogers’ previous accomplishments, especially in regard to finances. In 2016 and 2017, the Robert Bobb Group helped the City of Petersburg climb out of millions of dollars in debt.
“We’re going to need to be able to hit the ground running with the budget process,” said Wade.
Councilor Michael Payne expressed his appreciation for Rogers’ commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“How do we ensure that there’s real diversity in class and race in the rooms that we’re in, and incorporating that into every decision we’re making—I’m just really excited to have that approach, along with your breadth of local experience,” said Payne.
Rogers’ contract will last for six months, unless Charlottesville hires a permanent city manager within that time period. In the meantime, the Robert Bobb Group will help address other urgent needs, including creating the fiscal year 2023 budget.
Councilors will continue to work with the group to find a permanent city manager and police chief. They hope to hire a new person to lead the city by June.
Charlottesville has gone through a lot of city managers, but Marc Woolley has set the record for shortest tenure: He resigned before his first day. Photo: City of Charlottesville
Marc Woolley was introduced as Charlottesville’s interim city manager on November 5. During a virtual press conference that day, the former Harrisburg and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, bureaucrat claimed he was used to “high-stress environments” and was not fazed by Charlottesville’s recent high-profile departures. “I’ve been doing this for many, many years, and I’ve been in almost any type of situation,” he said.
Last Tuesday, Woolley resigned from the position, the day before he was supposed to report to City Hall to start working. He would have become the sixth city manager to lead Charlottesville since 2018, but his 11th-hour withdrawal has once again left the city without a boss. On Friday, the city published a request for a consulting company to take over management duties—there is an “emergency need to contract with an established firm that can provide management services to the City on an interim basis,” the formal request reads.
City Council announced Woolley’s withdrawal after a three-hour emergency closed meeting. Mayor Nikuyah Walker explained that Woolley told her November 21 that he would no longer be taking the job for “personal reasons.” Two days later, Woolley sent an official letter to council announcing his withdrawal.
“This was not an easy decision for me, and I want to thank the Charlottesville City Council for the opportunity and wish the residents of Charlottesville all the best,” Woolley wrote. In a later interview with NBC29, Woolley emphasized that the frequent instability inside the city government was not the reason behind his withdrawal. “The councilors, the City of Charlottesville, all welcomed me with open arms and I appreciate that, but it just turned out to be not a good fit for my spouse and my kids,” he said.
Though council wanted to alert the public of Woolley’s withdrawal before Thanksgiving, they were not able to do so, said Walker.
“We apologize to the community for that confusion,” said Walker after the closed session. “This was the first opportunity for us to get together to explore other options, and to kind of just brainstorm where we are and where we’re headed.”
Woolley has left previous jobs under duress. After serving as the business administrator of Harrisburg for four years, he resigned from his position at the end of October without giving an explanation. Woolley was also named in multiple lawsuits against the Philadelphia Housing Authority, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
Council had considered Woolley for Charlottesville’s deputy city manager of administration. Following Chip Boyles’ resignation in October, City Council went back to Woolley and appointed him interim manager. Woolley initially said he intended to apply for the permanent manager position when Charlottesville began a search in April 2022.
The city will hear pitches from management firms until December 14. “In addition to the vacancy in the City Manager position, the City’s human resources and police departments are without leaders at the director level,” the request reads. “Between the date of this RFP and April 2022 the new City Council (who will be seated January 1, 2022) will need to establish a strategic plan for the government and capital improvement and general fund budgets for Fiscal Year 2023.”
The city still hopes to hire a permanent manager in the second quarter of next year.
Correction, 12/11: Woolley was initially considered for the deputy city manager of administration job, not the deputy city manager of operations as was initially stated.
The mustard-colored areas in the Future Land Use Map are designated medium-intensity residential, meaning this is where the city might be able to support increased density. Concern from some citizens and councilors over the inclusion medium-intensity residential wasn’t enough to delay the passage of the Comprehensive Plan. Photo: City of Charlottesville
City Council voted unanimously on Monday night to approve a new Comprehensive Plan. The plan, which has been in the works since 2017, will guide Charlottesville’s growth and development in the years to come. The most controversial element of the plan is the Future Land Use Map, which shows the neighborhoods in the city that might be able to support increased development.
The map’s path to this point has been long and controversial, with some community members advocating for even greater increased housing density across the city, and others arguing the map’s changes go too far. The last year has seen multiple rounds of amendments to the map, coalitions of residents formed to advocate their positions, letter-writing campaigns and the circulation of petitions, and even a full-page advertisement in The Daily Progress, taken out by a group hoping to delay the process.
At Monday night’s public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan, 71 community members addressed council, with 41 speakers expressing their support for the immediate adoption of the plan.
The hearing began with a presentation from Jennifer Koch and Ron Sessoms, planners at Rhodeside & Harwell, the consulting firm retained to oversee the process.
In his presentation, Sessoms addressed what would become the evening’s central point of contention: The map designates some lots that are currently zoned for only single-family homes as “medium-intensity residential,” allowing up to 12 units to be constructed. Sessoms emphasized the “up to” in the “up to 12 units” designation, saying that those areas “support a variety of housing types and scales.” The adoption of the Land Use Map will give way to a lot-by-lot zoning rewrite, which will set more specific, binding rules for what can be built where.
That didn’t stop some public commenters from expressing their concerns with the designation. Early in the evening, caller Tracy Carlson ran through a skit of sorts, in which a theoretical homebuyer and realtor have a conversation about the possibility of a 12-unit building being built on the street. (Later, another commenter called the skit “ludicrous.”)
Charlotte Meadows opposed the plan because she felt it was “increasing density just for the sake of increasing density.” David Aller said he was against the plan because the vacant lot next to his house, which he currently uses as a tomato garden, is designated medium-intensity residential, meaning the next owner of the lot might be able to build apartments there.
Those who supported the map cited the need to make the city less car dependent and more environmentally friendly, and the need to undo the legacies of segregation that are still built in to the city’s streets.
Matthew Gillikin, an organizer with pro-density housing group Livable Cville, spoke in favor of the plan. He noted the wide variety of organizations that signed on to a letter of support from Livable Cville, including a dozen religious congregations, Charlottesville DSA, and the UVA Student Council.
Miranda Elliot Rader, an employee at Bodo’s, also was in favor of the plan. “Most of my co-workers live outside of Albemarle County. Most people who work at Bodo’s commute 45 minutes to an hour to work there,” she said. “I would like to continue to commute by bicycle, and I think this plan would help.”
Carmelita Wood, president of the Fifeville Neighborhood Association, spoke in support of the plan, arguing that it would help fight the long history of segregation in the city. “It addresses so many of the problems we have in the city, past and present,” Wood said.
(Some commenters didn’t make pointed remarks either way. One began by saying, “I am speaking for all species that are sharing Charlottesville, and also cannot find shelter here,” such as “birds, bugs, bees, butterflies,” and more. Another said he “would like to speak on behalf of the humble sidewalk,” and asked for better sidewalks all around.)
After three hours of public comment—and after 11pm—City Council members got a chance to talk over what they’d heard.
Councilors Heather Hill and Lloyd Snook both expressed reservations about the placement of medium-intensity residential lots, and suggested pulling those sections out of the map, with the intention of adding increased density in certain areas later during the zoning rewrite.
Councilor Michael Payne suggested a better course of action would be to move forward with the map as is. “We’re more likely to retain medium-intensity residential in some capacity if we keep it in there, and through the zoning rewrite process chisel it down,” he said.
Payne repeatedly pointed out that the zoning rewrite process is going to take more than a year, and will involve more specific market analyses and data. “This is not the final word by any means,” he said.
Eventually, the council unanimously voted to approve the Comprehensive Plan.
Longtime affordable housing resident Joy Johnson spoke at the very end of the public comment period. “We’ve really been working hard on this since 2017,” she said. “I urge all of the supporters on this call tonight to keep your eyes on it. The real work is in the implementation.”
Since 2018, Charlottesville has had a total of five interim or full-time city managers. Photo: Skyclad Aerial
Earlier this year, Charlottesville City Manager Chip Boyles was brought in to stabilize a shaky local government, but after eight months on the job, he resigned last week.
Following a closed session with City Council, Boyles said he believes he shored up city leadership and boosted employee morale during his tenure, but that his process was “disrupted” when he fired former Charlottesville police chief RaShall Brackney last month.
“I continue to support my decision taken on this matter,” wrote Boyles in a letter to City Council, “but the public vitriol associated with this decision of a few vocal community members and the broken relationship with Mayor Walker have severely limited my ability to be productive toward the goals of City Council.”
Boyles claimed the backlash against Brackney’s termination—along with Mayor Nikuyah Walker’s pushback—negatively impacted his personal health and well-being. “Continuation of the personal and professional attacks that are occurring are not good for the City, for other City staff, for me, or for my family,” he wrote.
In an additional email to the city staff, Boyles explained that he had planned to stay in his position “much longer,” and believed Charlottesville was going in a “collective positive direction in morale.”
During his brief stint as city manager, Boyles hired several senior-level officials, including Deputy City Manager for Operations Sam Sanders and Deputy City Manager for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Ashley Reynolds Marshall.
Since 2018, Charlottesville has had a total of five interim or full-time city managers. Last September, Tarron Richardson resigned from the position after just 16 months on the job, claiming he had been restricted and disrespected by city officials. A search firm was hired to find a new city manager, but the firm’s manager told Councilor Lloyd Snook that he had “never seen a level of dysfunction as profound as what he was seeing here,” and that it would be impossible for the firm to recruit a high-quality candidate.
Chip Boyles has resigned as city manager. Photo: City of Charlottesville
Following a series of emergency closed sessions, council appointed Boyles, the former executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. The councilors emphasized that Boyles would bring much-needed steadiness to local government until they begin a public city manager search.
In a Facebook live after Boyles’ resignation, Walker said Boyles’ actions surrounding Brackney’s firing should have been cause for his termination. She also criticized other councilors for casting blame on her for the manager’s resignation, and not holding him accountable.
“No one is speaking up. Everyone is okay with everything that’s happening. And the only issue is the Black woman who is the mayor,” she said. “They qualify that I’m the issue by saying there’s other Black people in this community who have an issue with me.”
“Chip is not the only issue,” she continued. “There were other issues in the city’s attorney’s office, his office, communications, the police department—there were all people who played a role, and who are protected by at least three of my colleagues and the silence of Councilor Payne,” she added.
Walker defended herself and her record, claiming she has never lied and has stayed committed to her values. She accused Boyles of wrongfully blaming her for the city’s internal issues, and said the city attorney should have alerted her about Boyles’ letter before it was published.
“You all should be ashamed that you are more concerned with your whiteness, white privilege, and upholding those systems than peoples’ lives being changed for the better,” she said.
However, Snook says he is “really disappointed” in Boyles’ resignation.
“He has been doing an excellent job of trying to get senior level management hired,” like Marshall and Sanders, he says. “He got Lisa Robertson on board as the city attorney—all good moves.”
“I saw us heading in the right direction, and then all of these little fires turn into big fires, and all of a sudden everyone’s attention gets turned away from governance,” he adds.
Snook still supports Boyles’ decision to fire Brackney, citing the fact that some of the officers she hired, including Black officers, have left the department.
“We have created in Charlottesville in the last few years…a really toxic culture of what I call the politics of personal destruction,” says Snook. “Any mistake is made, all of sudden [it’s] a cause for termination, heads must roll. We just can’t function that way.”
If any more critical city staff decide to jump ship, Councilor Michael Payne is afraid the city will “reach a point where we can’t maintain even basic functions.”
“City government is in a state of crisis,” he says. “In my less than two years on council, I’ve counted turnover in 20 top leadership positions alone.”
After the city finds an interim city manager and begins the process of hiring a permanent manager, Payne says council will need to work with the city manager’s office to list critical policy priorities—including affordable housing, school reconfiguration, public housing redevelopment, zoning rewrites, and a climate action plan—and create a strategy to get them implemented.
Council is deliberating interim city manager options. Boyles’ last day is October 29.
The Future Land Use Map will be a guiding document for the city as it figures out which neighborhoods are fit for denser housing. Photo: City of Charlottesville
Map moves ahead
The process of rewriting Charlottesville’s Comprehensive plan—and, subsequently, reevaluating the zoning for the entire city—took a major step forward last week, when the Planning Commission unanimously recommended that City Council approve the most recent draft of the Future Land Use Map.
The Future Land Use Map shows which areas of the city could be sites for denser housing. The map has been under discussion throughout the summer, drawing thousands of comments from residents who have ideas about how Charlottesville should grow.
The Planning Commission’s recommended map would allow for increased housing density in many neighborhoods. In the new map, much of the city is designated General Residential (bright yellow, right). General Residential areas allow four units per lot, on the condition that the fourth unit is affordable.
In some other corridors, plots that are currently zoned R-1—allowing for only one unit—will be designated Medium Intensity Residential (mustard yellow, right). On Medium Intensity Residential lots, builders will be able to construct buildings of up to 12 units, as well as detached accessory dwelling units and townhouses. If your street is colorful, it doesn’t mean the city is going to come seize your house and tear it down to build an apartment. The map is a loose guide to what could be allowed in the future.
In earlier drafts, some residential areas had Mixed-Use Nodes, which would have allowed for small chunks of commerce amidst the houses and apartments. Many of those nodes have been removed. Additionally, sensitive community designations have been added, meaning in some areas developers will have to build a higher percentage of affordable units.
City Council will decide whether or not to move forward with the map at its November 15 meeting. Watch this space for additional coverage of the Comprehensive Plan process throughout the fall.
Art from war
Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue was removed from Market Street Park on July 10. Photo: Eze Amos
Confederate statues, once removed from their pedestals, present a tricky problem. Where do you put the unsightly hunks of bronze? Do you leave them in storage forever? Do you donate them to a person or organization that wants them and might allow them to live another life as a rallying point for hate?
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center has an innovative answer to these problems. It’s submitted a bid to take ownership of the recently removed Robert E. Lee statue. Then, it’ll melt the monument down.
The project, Swords into Plowshares, will call upon an artist-in-residence to repurpose the bronze material to create a new public art installation.
Dr. Andrea Douglas, executive director of JSAAHC, said in a press release that she views SIP as “Charlottes-ville’s opportunity to lead by creating a road map that can be followed by other communities that wish to impact history.”
The project will invite input from the descendants of enslaved persons who were disenfranchised by Virginia’s constitution, which entrenched Jim Crow rule. It will seek to represent the community’s desire for ”value-driven, socially-just objects in our public spaces,” Douglas says.
Swords into Plowshares has already raised over $500,000, and is supported by many local and national organizations, including Descendants of Enslaved Communities of the University of Virginia and the Equal Justice Initiative.
The city has received numerous offers from organizations that wish to claim the Lee and Jackson statues, which were taken down on July 10. City Council has until January 13 to make a decision.
In brief
Couric’s confessional
Katie Couric. Photo: Yahoo news
UVA’s prized alum Katie Couric found herself in hot water recently, when it was revealed that her new autobiography includes first-person accounts of multiple less-than-flattering moments. Couric confessed that she withheld inflammatory remarks from a 2016 interview she conducted with the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, concerning Black athletes’ decision to kneel during the National Anthem.
It was previously published that the justice called the gesture “dumb and disrespectful,” but Couric said this week that Ginsburg also said the athletes showed “contempt for a government that has made it possible for their parents and grandparents to live a decent life.” Couric admitted she intended to protect RBG, because the sitting Supreme Court justice was “elderly and probably didn’t fully understand the question.”
Back to the well(ness)
UVA’s new student health center on Brandon Avenue has received more than just a face lift: In fact, the building itself is said to have healing powers. According to Jamie Leonard, director of the Office of Health Promotion, the building was designed to “help physiologically change somebody” as they enter it. Natural wood, hues of blue, and plenty of sunlight offers “a significant mood-booster,” according to a UVA Today article about the space. The four-story building includes a revamped Department of Kinesiology and a pharmacy as well as a wellness suite, reflection rooms, and designated quiet spaces for introverted students. The space even features a state-of-the-art testing kitchen, where students can go to learn how to make healthy meals. Are you feeling better yet?
After years of heated debate and public backlash, Charlottesville City Council seems to have decided to shelve a proposed multi-million dollar downtown parking garage, opting to explore cheaper—and potentially greener—options.
During a May 25 work session, the councilors discussed how the city should fulfill a 2018 promise to provide 90 parking spots to Albemarle County courthouse employees and visitors. Because of a perceived parking shortage, the county had previously considered moving its courts out of the city.
The proposed 300-space garage would be located at the corner of Ninth and Market streets, the current home of Lucky 7 and Guadalajara Mexican restaurant. Ninety spots on the ground level would be reserved for county court employees and visitors during regular court hours, while the rest of the garage would be available to the public. It was expected to cost a whopping $11.3 million.
But there are several other ways the city could keep up its end of the deal, explained Director of Economic Development Chris Engel during the meeting. The city could instead construct a smaller parking garage with 140 to 200 spaces at the same proposed location, costing an estimated $6 to $8 million. Or to drastically reduce costs, it could build an approximately $1 million surface lot with 30 to 40 spaces.
Though the proposed surface lot would still require the city to set aside parking spaces for the county at an additional location, councilors agreed that it was the safest option, in light of the abundant parking already available downtown.
“I haven’t seen a lot of data to back up [the idea] that there is a severe parking shortage,” said Councilor Michael Payne. “Even before COVID, there were always spaces available in the Water Street garage when the Market Street garage was full.”
“[Market Street Garage] only reaches peak capacity occasionally during midday on weekdays, so we’re spending $15 million to address a problem that exists for a couple of hours, which could always be resolved by someone going to the Water Street garage,” he added. “That’s in addition to all of these other private spaces.”
Payne also urged the rest of council to find a way to build the surface lot without demolishing Guadalajara and Lucky 7, which would only add eight parking spaces.
Councilor Lloyd Snook emphasized how the pandemic has reduced downtown parking demand. Many employees continue to work from home, and may do so permanently.
“Particularly at a time where we have a lot of crunch in our capital budget, it seems to be a good time to not commit to spending that money,” said Snook.
Mayor Nikuyah Walker added that rideshare, along with diverting people from the criminal justice system when possible, should be a priority for the city and county.
While Councilor Heather Hill agreed that the pandemic could have a lasting impact on downtown parking, she pointed out that the 46-year-old Market Street garage would need to be replaced soon.
Regardless of parking demand, City Manager Chip Boyles said the county still needs 90 spaces for the new joint general district courthouse, but would likely be open to alternatives to the proposed garage, such as designated surface parking.
During public comment, local residents echoed council’s concerns over the garage, especially given that the city has promised to drastically cut down on carbon emissions over the next decade.
“[Data] strongly suggests that with better parking management, there’s all the parking we need downtown,” said Jamelle Bouie. “Do we want our children or grandchildren to have a downtown Charlottesville that is dominated by looming parking structures, in a time that we know we’re transitioning away from car centric development?”
City Planning Commissioner Rory Stolzenberg pointed out that over 500 private parking spaces will be added downtown with projects like the Center of Developing Entrepreneurs. Instead of building more parking, the city should incentivize more employees to park in the Water Street garage, he said.
However, several downtown business owners wanted to move forward with the 300-space garage, pointing to the parking spaces that have been or will be lost to projects like the Belmont Bridge replacement.
“This [garage] is going to replace the parking that’s being lost,” said Joan Fenton, owner of Quilts Unlimited and chair of the city parking advisory panel. “If you talk to any one of the [entertainment] venues, they’ll all say that they see the need for additional parking.”
Paramount Theater Executive Director Chris Eure said the venue recently sold out a comedy show within a few hours, proving “downtown will be coming back.”
“Frankly, hearing the conversation that the parking garage isn’t going to be built, it’s almost like a kick in the stomach after working so hard to remain open during this crisis and do what we can for the downtown area,” added Eure.
Construction on a parking lot must begin no later than May 1, 2022, and be completed by November 30, 2023. If council decides to scrap the project, the city must provide 100 spaces at Market Street garage to the county during court hours, or give it exclusive control over the surface parking lot currently at Seventh and Market streets.
Council will vote on an official resolution during its June 7 meeting.
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.
Charlottesville Fire Department Captain Lance Blakey was the first to receive a coronavirus vaccine at the Blue Ridge Health District’s new vaccination facility in the Kmart parking lot last week. The city continues to move through phase 1A of vaccinations, which includes doctors, nurses, EMTs, pharmacists, social workers, and other frontline health care personnel. As of Tuesday morning, 9.2 million doses of the vaccine had been distributed in the U.S. In Virginia, 191,000 people have received their first shot, and 15,000 of those people have also gotten a second shot, which is administered around a month after the first. Virginia ranks 36th out of 50 states in the percent of the population that has been vaccinated, according to The New York Times. So far, 3,893 Albemarle County residents have been vaccinated, and 3,643 Charlottesville City residents have been vaccinated.
Freshman lawmaker Bob Good is facing calls to resign after voting to contest the 2020 presidential election. PC: Publicity photo
Off to a no-Good start
That was fast: Bob Good has been in congress for less than two weeks, and he’s already facing calls to resign. The Republican was one of the members of the House of Representatives who voted last week to formally contest the results of the 2020 presidential election in six states. That vote came on the heels of Wednesday’s deadly attack on the Capitol—later, when Democrats began the process of impeaching President Trump for his role in the insurrection, Good released a statement calling the effort “destabilizing and offensive.”
Indivisible Charlottesville held a rally outside the county office building on Friday, calling for Good to step down after his vote to contest the election. And last week, the editorial board at the Danville Register & Bee penned an op-ed to the same effect. “We hope you have taken time to watch the video of how Wednesday unfolded,” the board writes. “We hope guilt has seared a hole in your soul.”
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Quote of the week
“All of the people surprised by the events of yesterday live
outside of Charlottesville. I promise you, we knew.“
—Activist Don Gathers in a tweet about the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
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In brief
Home schooling
The Charlottesville school board voted last week to postpone in-person classes until at least March 8. Earlier in the winter, the district had hoped to return to in-person learning as early as January 19, but moved the start date back as local COVID cases continue to rise. Albemarle’s school board will meet this week to make a decision on how to handle the next few weeks.
Chased out?
Virginia state Senator and 2021 gubernatorial candidate Amanda Chase was among the seditionists on the scene at the Capitol attack last week. Soon after, the Virginia Senate’s Democratic Caucus called on Chase to resign, saying she “galvanized domestic terrorists.” Many Republicans are sick of Chase, too—former Republican representative Barbara Comstock was among a handful who called on the Virginia General Assembly to expel the lawless lawmaker.
Virginia state Senator Amanda Chase joined the march to the U.S. Capitol that resulted in a riot last week. PC: Publicity photo
Vaccines for inmates
Virginia announced last week that people in state prisons and local jails would be included in Phase 1B of COVID vaccinations. The decision was praised by justice reform advocates who have watched with horror as correctional facilities around the nation have become COVID hot spots. Phase 1b also includes people aged 75 or older and frontline workers like firefighters and K-12 teachers.
Wading in
Charlottesville City School Board member Juandiego Wade announced that he’s running for City Council this year. Wade, a school board member since 2006, was awarded the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Paul Goodloe McIntire Citizenship Award in 2019. Certainly, it takes a person with real character to run for council after watching how city government has worked for the last few years.
McIntire Skate Park, photographed at its opening last year, has been a popular destination during the pandemic.
PC: Tristan William
Grinding to a halt
Last week, a final warning was issued to all skaters: If more than 25 people were seen gathered at the Charlottesville Skate Park—or other city parks and recreation areas—over the weekend, the city would consider shutting down all of its outdoor facilities until the declaration of emergency is lifted.
Officials stopped by the skate park throughout the weekend, and noticed an immediate improvement, compared to the gathering of more than 75 people witnessed at the park two weeks ago.
The threat of closing was enough to spark outrage among young skaters.
“There are some ways we could keep it open COVID safe,” said 12-year-old Skippy Norton during public comment at Monday’s City Council meeting. Norton, who claimed they’ve been encouraging fellow skaters to comply with safety rules, said, “If I’m having a hard day, I can go to the skate park and I’ll be happy…And I know it means a lot to a lot of kids.”
“Skating helps a lot with mental health…it can put you in a much better mindset,” added 12-year-old Alice Christian. “I’ve met many people at the park who have made my life a little bit more happy.”
“There certainly was a lot more compliance” with mask wearing and social distancing, said City Councilor Heather Hill during the meeting. “But it really is going to be the onus of the skate community to ensure that they’re following the rules…so [it] can continue to be open.”
Several parents joined the kids in speaking out against closing the park, urging council to consider less extreme measures.
“It’s a lifeline for my children,” said parent Kerri Heilman. “The lack of things they’re able to do, and being able to get to the skate park and be outdoors, it is really great for their mental health.”
“Skating rules!” her 8-year-old child chimed in.
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Quote of the week
“I would not mind spending Christmas with my family.”
—UVA football player Joey Blount, on whether or not he wants to play in a bowl game over the holiday break
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In brief
Sally forth
Unsurprisingly, Charlottesville’s delegate, Sally Hudson, has announced her campaign for re-election. In 2019, Hudson took down former city councilor Kathy Galvin in a primary before running unopposed in the general election. She says her priorities for next session include COVID relief, as well as continuing the work of the last session on education and the environment.
Sally Hudson PC: Supplied photo
Tree time
Charlottesville’s Christmas tree sellers are seeing record sales this year, reports NBC29. With everyone gloomy about the virus and eager to get out of the house, firs and pines are flying off the lots. If you’re hoping to get your holiday decorations set up early, don’t wait around.
Oh, shit
Charlottesville has recently begun wastewater testing to detect coronavirus cases, reports The Daily Progress, in an effort organized in conjunction with the state health department and the CDC. It sounds nasty, but the testing has proven an effective way of detecting the presence of COVID early in the virus’ spread—UVA has been running a successful wastewater testing program at its residence halls since September.
It takes two to HueHuetenango
At Monday’s City Council meeting, counselors decided to begin the process of becoming sister cities with HueHuetenango, Guatemala. The 120,000-person city is located in the west of the country and is known for a distinctive set of Mayan ruins nearby. Familial bonds between municipalities aren’t formed overnight, though—for the first three years, the two cities will just be “friendship cities,” says the commission.
