The City of Charlottesville has hired a 28-year veteran of law enforcement to serve as the next director of civilian oversight for the police department. Inez Gonzalez served 25 years with the police department in Newark, New Jersey
“Ms. Gonzalez is passionate about police accountability and policies that ensure that accountability,” said Ashley Marshall, the city’s Deputy City Manager for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Read moreCharlottesville has voted to agree to provide $5 million for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to use as part of their loan to purchase several dozen apartment units throughout the city.
“This is a $10 million acquisition of 74 units referred to as the Dogwood Portfolio which is a naturally occurring affordable housing set of properties here in the city,” Sanders said.
Read moreThere appear to be two contested races for the Board of Supervisors with independent candidates lined up to face Democratic candidates in the Rivanna and White Hall Districts. Independent candidates have until June 20 to get their paperwork filed to be in the race.
In the Rivanna District, incumbent Bea LaPisto-Kirtley (D) has raised $11,800 from six donors, with $10,000 of that coming from Seminole Trail Management. That’s the company that owns the J.C. Penney building that Albemarle County is renting for a public safety fleet operations center. La-Pisto Kirtley also raised $1,000 from outgoing Scottsville District Supervisor Donna Price. The candidate spent $3,964 and had $7,835 on hand as of March 31.
Read moreNear the beginning of yesterday’s City Council meeting, the city’s budget director gave an update on the city’s revenues and expenditures as of the end of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.
“Revenues are still performing well and with our last real estate assessment that came in in January we are anticipating about $10.4 million of a revenue surplus for the end of FY23,” said Krisy Hammill.
Read moreIn another race between two Democrats fighting for a safe seat, Delegate Sally Hudson opted to not seek another term but instead sought a challenge with Senator Creigh Deeds for the new Senate District 11. The new boundaries cover all of Charlottesville and Albemarle County as well as Amherst County and Nelson County.
Creigh Deeds had a starting balance of $293,131 as of January 1, 2023. His campaign raised $238,877 in cash from 392 donors with 215 of those over the $100 threshold to be identified. There are six contributions of $10,000 including one from the Clean Virginia Fund. Deeds spent $109,106 in the period including a $15,000 contribution to the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus. Deeds had a balance of $422,902 as of March 31, 2023.
Sally Hudson began the year with $149,701 and raised $78,324 from a total of 344 donors. Eighty-one of them exceeded the $100 threshold including a $20,000 contribution from Ted Weschler. Her campaign spent $88,839 and reported $7,302 in in-kind expenses. Hudson closed the period out with $139,383 in the bank.
Read moreThere are two Democrats vying for the nomination for House District 55 which includes most of Albemarle County, a portion of western Louisa County, and a portion of northeastern Nelson County. Also a very small sliver of Fluvanna County.
Both candidates raised a lot of money for a nomination contest that may lead to an easy victory in the fall. Delegate Rob Bell opted to retire rather than seek reelection.
Read moreThere are three Democrats seeking the party’s place on the ballot in the open race for the House District 54 which includes all of Charlottesville and parts of urbanized Albemarle County.
Rio District School Board Member Katrina Callsen began the year with $10,509 in her campaign account. She raised $86,601 in cash from 178 donors and received $11,889 in in-kind contributions of more than $100. Add in one in-kind contribution of exactly $100 and that’s a total of $98,590.
Read moreThere are five Democrats in the primary race to be held on June 20 but only four of them filed reports electronically. The one who didn’t is Bob Fenwick, who filed his statement of organization on paper in the Charlottesville Registrar’s office. More reporting is needed. (no campaign website)
Incumbent Lloyd Snook began the year with $4,107 and raised $6,935 from 33 donors and took out a $2,000 loan from himself. He received $2,500 from Seminole Trail Management and 10 other contributions above $100. Snook spent $4,862 including a $360 fee for running for office. He ended the month with a balance of $8,180. (campaign website)
Read moreThere’s a competitive race for the at-large seat on the Albemarle School Board. That body has seven members whereas the Supervisors only have six.
Meg Bryce raised $18,490 from 56 donors in the first quarter of the year with 29 of them coming from people who made cash contributions of more than $100. Bryce, a daughter of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, spent $1,285 to have a balance of $17,204 at the end of March. (campaign website)
Allison Spillman raised $1,260 from three donors and recorded $238 in an in-kind contribution from herself. Spillman spent $666 for an ending balance of $1,250. (campaign website)
Read moreThe Charlottesville City Council has been awarded $7.1 million funding from the federal government to replace some of the remaining iron pipes that convey natural gas to customers in the city.
The funding comes from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation and ultimately from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“The project will enhance the resiliency of the gas system along West Main Street, a central artery that connects downtown Charlottesville to the University of Virginia,” reads a press release sent out this afternoon.
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