Legislative Assistant John Westbrook Announces Retirement

Today, Councilwoman Ellen Robertson's liaison [6th District], John Westbrook, sent an email announcing his retirement from the City effective March 1, 2010. Mr. Westbrook has served as Councilwoman Robertson's liaison since 2004.

Best wishes to Mr. Westbrook and his wonderful wife Winnie.

A Glimpse of how the Local News Media Interact with Our Government

Behind the Scenes: After the Meeting with the Mayor, Council Members Speak with Local Television News - Jan. 11, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Airport Commission desires Leasing Authority / RRHA's Voucher Program/ Lehigh Cement Environmental Assessment Good @ Land Use - Jan. 19, 2010

Part 1/2 - Citizen Comment & Papers for Consideration @ Land Use - Jan. 19, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

At this meeting the Capital Region Airport Commission wanted to amend the language of their agreement with the city, giving the Commission sole authority in determining leases at the property.

Part 2/2 - Presentations on RRHA's Voucher Program & Lehigh Cement Environmental Assessment @ Land Use - Jan. 19, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Noise Ordinance / Scooter Laws / Prohibiting Ex-Felons from Fire Dept. @ Public Safety - January 19, 2010

Part 1/4 - Citizens Comment in Support of Noise Law @ Public Safety Jan. 19, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Finally catching up on a backlog of meetings. Above, during the Citizen Comment Period three of five speakers addressed the Noise ordinance, Ordinance 2009-236, asked questions of the committee to see if it could address their particular issues. One woman spoke of her next door neighbors, obnoxious college students who drink, party and cuss constantly and are ruining her quality of life. Another woman spoke about her neighbor's HVAC machine that made a lot of sound and impacted the quality of her life.

Part 2/4 - Scooter Traffic Laws @ Public Safety Jan. 19, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 3/4 - Noise Law - Ord.2009-236 @ Public Safety Jan. 19, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 4/4 - Prohibiting Ex-Felons from Serving as Fire Fighters @ Public Safety Jan. 19, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Richmond City Council • February 8, 2010 - Storm Water Fee Complaints / Renaming the Finance Committee

Part 1/5 Richmond City Council - Prayer, Pledge, Amending Agenda, Citizen Comment Period - Feb. 8, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Above. During the Citizen Comment Period five citizens complained about the Storm Water Assessment Fee. The people who complain the loudest are churches and businesses. The bigger the roof and parking lot, the bigger the bill and complaint. Speakers for the citizen comment period included: Ronald E. Mabry with Veterans First a group that works to house homeless veterans asked Council to give his group an old school building at Laburnum & Brook Road, Rev. Matthew Brown from Branch's Baptist Church on Storm Water Fee, Rev. Bryan Roberts from Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ on Storm Water Fee, Samuel Seward on Budget Concerns, School Board and marijuana, Nick Eubank (Owner, Eubank Truck, Inc.) on Storm Water Fee, Amelia Lightner yielded her time to Rev. Ralph Hodge from Second Baptist Church, Charles S. Gilbert from the Acca Temple on the Storm Water Fee, Willie Earl Bradley (Owner, Bradley Development) on Section 3 HUD program.

Part 2/5 - Mayor's Comments on Snow Removal & Storm Water Fee - Feb. 8, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 3/5 - Richmond City Council - Consent Agenda, Approval of Minutes, Expedited Resolution - Feb. 8, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 4/5 - Council Reports and Announcements - Richmond City Council - Feb. 8, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 5/5 - Introduction of New Papers - Richmond City Council - Feb. 8, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Patrick Henry Charter School Needs Money/ Teen Pregnacy Prevention Program/ RBHA Initiatives Discussed @ Health, Human Services & Edu. - Jan. 20, 2010

Part 1/5 - Citizen Comment @ Health, Human Services, & Edu. - Jan. 20, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 4/5 - Antione Green on Patrick Henry Charter School @ Health, Human Services, & Edu. - Jan. 20, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 2/5 - Dr. Stern Proposing Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program - Community of Caring - Jan. 20, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 3/5 - Overview of RBHA Initiatives - Dr. Jack Lanier, CEO, RBHA - Jan. 20, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 5/5 - Minutes Approved / Staff Committee Report - Jan. 20, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Jewel Objects to Reappointment of Full Term for Marilyn Olds to RRHA Board / Council Evaluations of Appointees / Budget Process Discussed

Part 3/3 - Jewel Objects to Reappointment of Marilyn Olds to RRHA Board @ Organizational Development - Feb. 1, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 2/3 - Budget Process & Deadlines / Renaming Finance Committee @ Org. Dev - Feb. 2, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 1/3 - Charter Changes / Council Appointees Evaluations @ Org. Dev - Feb. 2, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Council Gives $600,000 to Wealthy Landowner-Developer Ronald Stallings & Abolishes Admission Taxes for Businesses at Request of Business Group

Above, you may listen to my comments during the citizen comment periods speaking in opposition to Ordinance 2009-217 to grant $600,000 for the Hippodrome/Taylor Mansion renovation on 2nd Street and Ordinance 2009-237 which abolished the Admissions Tax on complimentary tickets.

Part 1 - Richmond City Council • January 25, 2010 - Awards Period from Silver Persinger.

Part 2/5 - Hippodrome $600,000 Grant - Ord. 2009-217 - Jan. 25, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 3/5 - Richmond City Council - Consent Agenda - Jan. 25, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 4/5 - Richmond City Council - Council Reports & Announcements - Jan. 25, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 5/5 - Richmond City Council - Introduction of New Papers - Jan. 25, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Dr. Donald Stern on the "Status of the City's Health" @ Informal Session

Part 1/3 - Report from Richmond City Assessor / Docket Review @ Informal Session - Jan. 25, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 2/3 - Dr. Donald Stern "State of the City's Health" @ Informal Session - Jan. 25, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Support Keeping Inmates in Their Local Communities

It was announced in December that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine had negotiated a contract with Pennsylvania's Department of Corrections to bring 1000 inmates from Pennsylvania and keep them in Virginia's prisons.

According to an article from the Richmond Times Dispatch [Dec. 22, 2009]:

"Larry Traylor, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections, said the general terms of contract reached but not yet signed with Pennsylvania call for a payment of $62 per day per inmate to stay at the 1,000-inmate prison near Chatham.

Gordon Hickey, spokesman for Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, said the contract could bring in $20.4 million annually, of which the Department of Corrections would keep $10.5 million for operating expenses and the remaining $9.9 million would go to the general fund."

Another interesting bit from the article:

"Virginia now hosts 269 inmates from Wyoming, 38 from the Virgin Islands and two from Hawaii, Traylor said.

After parole was abolished in 1995, the state picked up the pace of prison construction. But the prison population did not rise as fast as expected. As a result, the state was renting out 3,300 prison beds and grossing $78 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2001."

The Pittsylvania County Branch of the NAACP is circulating a petition to oppose the transfer of local inmates because it would place additional burdens on the families of inmates. On Tuesday, January 19, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to the same effect.

Please Sign this Petition to show your support for keeping inmates close to their families at Green Rock Correctional Facility.

$600,000 Grants for Millionaire Ronald Stallings' Hippodrome Theater / Taylor Mansion Project / Abolish Admissions Tax Revenue Now?

Here are a couple of recent worthwhile articles on the Hippodrone deal written by Isaac Graves, a former aid to Mayor Douglas Wilder.

Hippodrome deal merits further Council scrutiny as City finances become constrained

Ron Stallings and The Hippodrome; the final act or only intermission in a lengthy play?



At Thursday's Finance Committee meeting, I spoke in opposition to Ordinance 2009-217. It would give a $600,000 grant to millionaire Jackson Ward developer Ronald Stallings' Hippodrone Theater and Kelvin Hanson's Taylor Mansion. By chance, Kelvin Hanson's name was on the agenda, named as a reappointment to the Economic Development Authority. The summary of Ordinance 2009-217 reads, "To authorize the CAO to execute a Development Agreement between the City of Richmond, Virginia and the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond, Virginia for the purpose of implementing economic development and HOME grants for a mixed use development..."

Does something sound wrong? Should a developer who is a member of the Economic Development Authority also be a primary developer in a project financed by the Authority?

Part 1A - Marcus Jones on Future Economic Outlook for Richmond @ Finance - Jan. 21, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Part 1B - Byron Marshall on Budget Process for FY 2011 @ Finance - Jan. 21, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Finance Committee Discusses $600,000 Grants for Hippodrone Theater - Jan. 21, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Above, listen to the entire Council discussion of the ordinance. The final vote from the Committee was 2-1 . Mrs. Ellen Robertson [6th District] and Mr. Charles Samuels [2nd District] in the affirmative and Mr. Bruce Tyler [1st District] voted in the negative.

Silver Persinger Speaks Against Exemption from Admission Tax for Business - Jan. 21, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Ordinance 2009-237 proposes to abolish admissions taxes on complimentary tickets. I spoke in opposition to the paper. This paper was inspired by the Virginia Automotive Dealers Association not being happy to pay the $7000 for handing out 20,000 complimentary tickets. So they sent their representative to their friend Mr. Doug Conner [9th District], a friendly ear in the auto body repair business, himself.

Why should businesses be exempt from paying the same taxes that us regular citizens have to pay? When I buy two tickets, I am paying the admissions tax. This is the cost of doing business. Perhaps there are better ways they can spend their marketing dollars. Corporations and business organizations should not have so much influence creating legislation.

As you can see from the existing legislation, there are already exemptions for children under 12 and for free admission to "museums, botanical gardens, or zoos."

Part 2- Shall Business be Exempted from Tax? Jan. 21, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Above, watch the entire discussion on abolishing the admission tax on complimentary tickets, the discussion starts around 3 minutes, 30 seconds [3:30].

Part 4 - Consolidation of Departments Discussed / Bond Issuance Rushed to End Meeting Quickly - Jan. 21, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

City of Richmond Debuts New Website & New Blogs!

Check it out. www.richmondgov.com

According to a blog post at richmondvacitynews.blogspot.com yesterday at 12:18 PM, the Press Secretary's Office announced the newly redesigned website.

It has a nice look. My only criticism so far of the updated site is that URL addresses changed. This would make links on bloggers, individuals, and organizations websites return a broken link. It is important to preserve the accessibility that the community builds around the City's website.

Also worthy of note is the Jones Administration's recent effort to improve communication with the public. Here is a list of official City of Richmond, Virginia blogs, many are new.

Richmond Police Department's Blog
richmondvapolice.blogspot.com The Police Department's blog began in January. Track crime in the "Noteworthy Reports." View photos of wanted and arrested individuals. I learned this interesting fact from the blog, "Further details can be obtained from incident reports at RPD Headquarters’ Information Desk or by calling the numbers listed below. Reports are kept on file for public review for 24 hours."

Press Releases from Mayor's Press Secretary richmondvaannouncements.blogspot.com This blog is a collection of Press Releases that have been issued by Press Secretary Tammy Hawley and Michael Wallace, Public Information Officer III.

Mayor Dwight Jones' blog, nothing on here yet.
richmondvirginiamayor.blogspot.com

City News
richmondvacitynews.blogspot.com

Department of Community Development Blog
richmondvacommunitydevelopme.blogspot.com

Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities Blog
richmondvirginiaparks.blogspot.com

Department of Public Works
richmondvirginiapublicworks.blogspot.com Nothing yet on this blog.

And a heck of a lot of blogs about Procurement.

Procurement Requests richmondvaprocurementrequest.blogspot.com

Procurement Request Proposals richmondvaprocurementrequestproposals.blogspot.com

Procurement Informal Bids richmondvaprocurementinformalbids.blogspot.com

Procurement Formal Bids richmondvaprocurementformalbids.blogspot.com

Procurement Construction Bids richmondvaprocurementconstructionbids.blogspot.com

Procurement Awards richmondvaprocurementawards.blogspot.com