One City Blog

Eating Organic is (literally) for the Birds

2008-03-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

The NY Times has an an opinion article on how our growing reliance on fresh vegetables from Latin America is killing our songbirds. The culprit is heavy use of pesticides, often ones that are banned here, that are poisoning birds as they winter in Mexico or Central America.

And of course this produce has higher residual pesticides than North American produce, and cannot be very good for us, either...

Carbon Footprint

2008-02-28T21:18:00.002-05:00

The New Yorker had a recent article on carbon footprints - how our consumer choices affect the amount of carbon we put into the environment. It is an interesting and often counterintuitive article. Would you expect that a bottle of wine from Bordeaux cost less in carbon than one from California? (Shipping by ship is very efficient; shipping overland is not) Or that it is way more carbon-efficient, in England, to buy roses from Kenya rather than Holland? (Don't have to heat the greenhouses in Kenya) Or that apples from New Zealand may have a smaller carbon footprint than apples from New York?

A couple of things are very clear. Drinking bottled water, rather than regular water, is ridiculous, carbon-footprint-wise. Insulating our houses, better windows, and efficient furnaces probably matter more than where our food comes from. And the most important thing we can do as a planet is to stop cutting down our rainforests.

CCoES

2008-02-28T21:16:00.002-05:00

In January Dave Norris became Mayor and I took over the Citizen's Committee on Environmental Sustainability (CCoES). I think I got the better end of the deal.

In its first year the Committee - made up of smart, knowledgeable people from the City, County and University - made some solid recommendations. Increase City recycling rate to 50% (ambitious goal!). Establish an anti-idling policy for City vehicles. Give a tax break for energy efficiency improvements. Begin a public education campaign.

But we need to take these ideas - being green and being efficient - from things the City can do to what we all can do. Residents and businesses, rich and poor, young and old, we all need to embrace sustainability.

One idea I would like to pursue is a speakers bureau: creating presentations on recycling, saving energy, stormwater, etc., that could be given to neighborhood associations, church groups, boy and girl scouts, or whoever.

Have skills in powerpoint, and conveying information to various groups? Let me know and we'll put you to work...

Better World Betty

2008-01-11T11:13:00.000-05:00

A cool new website had its coming out party at South Street last night. Better World Betty ("green living made easier") is a local guide to living lightly: reduce, reuse and recycle. Kudos to Teri Kent for this useful and charming website.

Also debuting last night was the City's Green City webpage, full of useful information and resources about sustainability.

Not quite as cool as Betty, though.

Charlottesville Marathon

2007-12-13T09:07:00.000-05:00

The Marathon Guide 2008 in the January Runner's World features the Charlottesville Marathon (April 19) as one of 10 best "up and coming marathons". Our marathon gets kudos for beauty and a warning about the hills. Congrats to Francesca Conte and Russell Gill for this recognition.

I completed the Marine Corps marathon in 1991. One was enough. And that one is flat.

Dennis Kucinich

2007-12-09T17:35:00.000-05:00

This has been a remarkable year as far as presidential politics go. First Clinton, then Obama, and now Kucinich have had Charlottesville events. At the moment I cannot recall that any candidates for President, pre or post nomination, have visited here before. Clinton came here after he was elected, and Edwards and Gore were here for campaign events for Kaine and LF, respectively.

In any event I chose not to attend the Clinton event (sorry but I am not a Hillary fan), was wowed by Obama at the Pavillion, and got to meet Kucinich on Friday. Kucinich was inspiring, articulate and I agreed with him on almost everything he said. Lots of friends in the audience. A great event.

My first choice remains Edwards, though.

Kin Flicks

2007-10-28T12:29:00.000-04:00

The 20th Annual Virginia Film Festival starts Thursday with a focus on family. John Sayles, one of my favorite filmmakers, kicks things off with a screening of his new film Honeydripper. Jean and I saw him (and Maggie Renzi) at the 1989 Festival at the now-defunct University Theater in 1989 and are looking forward to seeing him again. We also plan to see Charles Burnett's My Brothers Wedding, although I hate to miss the Brent Green Animations at Gravity Lounge. John Turturro will be here with a couple of films, there are some documentaries that I'd love to see, and of course there's the Adrenaline Film Project. And The Savages, with director Tamara Jenkins, looks like a film not to be missed.

Too many movies, not enough time.

CTS

2007-10-08T07:18:00.000-04:00

As my fellow councilor Dave Norris has previously blogged, City buses are free this month.

This is a great opportunity to give the buses a try. Charlottesville Transit Service has made a lot of improvements in the last couple of years. The buses are much more reliable (ie, on time!). Two important routes, the trolley and the 7, run on Sundays, and a new route runs to the County office building on 5th Street. Faculty, students and staff at UVa always ride free (thanks to UVa) and City residents can use their fare-free system as well. And our buses are wheel-chair accessible, and have a rack for your bike.

In the future, both CTS and UTS will will use have a GPS system that will tell riders how long until the next bus arrives. There is discussion of making the system always fare-free (but I wonder why a 75-cent fare would make a difference, but I'm told it does), and the City and County are looking at creating a Regional Transit Authority, with the goal of a significantly expanded system.

So give the bus a try this month, and let us know what you think.

Drought Warning

2007-09-05T07:39:00.001-04:00

Last night at City Council we received an update on the drought from Tom Frederick, the Executive Director of the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority. News was not good. By the end of this week our reservoir levels will be below the levels when we declared the warning on August 21 (the thunderstorms the end of August gave us a temporary respite). We need some rain! So far the hurricane season storms have taken a very southern course, and Tom expressed concern that forecasts indicated the possibility of a drier than usual winter.

So for now:

• No car washing, except at car washes (which recycle their water)
• No watering in the yard, except using containers 3 gallons or less
• Restaurants to serve water only upon request
• No filling of pools or fountains
• No washing of buildings, pavement, etc except through businesses established for that purpose

Tom also gave us the current timetable on expanding our water supply. RWSA hopes that state and federal regulators will give preliminary approval to the plan by the end of the month, and seek public input, with final approval of our plan by the end of the year. Preliminary engineering has already begun on expanding the Ragged Mountain Dam.

Recycling

2007-08-30T16:37:00.000-04:00

Curbside recycling in the City has expanded again (wasn't too long ago that we started picking up plastic bottles and cardboard). We now accept all types of paper that can be recycled - phone books, office paper, junk mail). A brochure outlining how to properly recycle (ie, junk mail and office paper in a paper bag in the recycling bin; avoid putting paper out on rainy days; cardboard in bundles, etc.) will be in the next City notes with the utility bills (and is on the website). Great news!

The City's Population

2007-08-20T08:25:00.000-04:00

One issue that seems to arise every year is a population estimate from the Weldon Cooper Center, or the US Census Bureau, showing that people are leaving Charlottesville. In 2005 the US Census thought we had lost 4000 people since 2000;we appealed this and won. This year the Weldon Cooper Center thought we had lost 140 people since the year before. This position seems at odds with almost everyone's intuitive sense of the City - not to mention things like building permits, car registrations and the like - so I recently met with some Weldon Cooper folks to see why they think we are shrinking, and to tell them why we think they are wrong.

This is what I learned. Basically the Weldon Cooper Center looks at the increase in state population, and estimates what portion of the increase goes to each locality by looking at changes in a locality's housing stock, school enrollment, births, tax return exemptions and driver's licenses. And also takes into consideration "group-quartered population" - military, prisons, jails, dorms, etc.

The problem (assuming that I am right, of course) lies mostly in the peculiarities of being a college town - of UVa's 18,000 or so students a significant portion live in the City, although I should note that the dorms are technically in Albemarle County. Some issues may lie with students not having their fair share of babies, not to mention school-age kids, or not getting a local driver's license, or not claiming any exemptions. But the bigger issue may be that the density for much of our housing, and hence our population, is higher than our housing stock would lead you to believe. In other words, a significant amount of new housing in the City is near the University (our 2003 zoning ordinance allowed much denser buildings adjacent to UVa) where the number of bedrooms, and shared bedrooms, is likely higher than the state average. The WC Center assumes a certain number of persons per household, and we discussed that a way to get at this would be a survey of households to determine a more accurate assumption for the City.

I also learned that one problem with the way the U.S. Census Bureau conducts their estimates is that they look at how many people have moved into a locality vs. how many have moved away. This information is gathered, at least in part, by looking at where you live each year when you file a tax return. So UVa undergrads move here, often not filing a tax return - so we don't get credit for the inflow. But when they move elsewhere, and file a tax return, it is counted against us. According to this model we had a net loss in population, from coming and going, of almost 6000 people from 2000 until now.

Is it worth doing a survey (at our expense) to help the Weldon Cooper Center conduct a more accurate estimate? The financial implications of a small discrepancy in population are not large, and not consequential if we are talking about a couple of hundred (couple of thousand might be a different matter).

But I just hate to leave any impression that people are choosing to leave the City, when the reality is, I think, just the opposite.

Best of C-Ville 2007

2007-08-16T17:25:00.000-04:00

Even though I never get around to sending in a ballot for the Best of C-ville (not even the year I got Best Chiropractor, honest!) I always like to see how my favorites stack up.

Glad to see that my dentist (David Dalley) and doctor (Greg Gelburd) got the nod. Blue Wheel Bikes and Gravity Lounge - both of which I have previously singled out in this blog - also made the Best Of list.

My Pilates instructor, Robin Truxel of TruPilates, was voted runnerup. Pilates is great stuff - a very good complement to chiropractic for back pain patients - and Robin, a physical therapist by training, is fabulous.

And my current favorite restaurant - Aqui es Mexico - was also a runnerup. If you haven't tried this authentic, inexpensive Mexican - Salvadoran restaurant, on Carlton Road, be sure to.

Plastic Water Bottles

2007-08-12T11:01:00.000-04:00

Recently the Mayors of Salt Lake City and San Francisco banned the purchasing of the ubiquitous plastic water bottles by their cities, as a green measure to save energy. Not only does the production of these bottles consume a lot of energy – enough in this country to fuel 100000 cars for a year – but only a small percentage of these bottles are recycled. And water is heavy – not exactly a great thing to move all over the place.

So at last week’s Council meeting I brought up to Council the idea that we look into following the lead of Salt Lake and SF. Not a great reception – Kevin Lynch in particular was skeptical. We decided to have the Sustainability Committee take a look at it.

In the large scheme of things the City doesn’t use that much bottled water; more important is to get everyone in the entire City to avoid buying plastic bottles of water. I think that City action would just be a way of calling this to everyone’s attention.

We signed the Mayor’s agreement on Climate change a year ago, joining hundreds of other cities in agreeing to dramatically decrease energy use – and the only way this will work is to get the entire community, not just the government, to use less energy.

Like drinking our own water.

Monticello Community

2007-07-18T19:01:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I had the privilege of welcoming to Charlottesville a truly fascinating group - the Monticello Community Gathering. This was a meeting of the descendants of the large community that made Monticello a successful plantation and supported Jefferson in his genius: artisans, enslaved people, family, workmen. Over 200 descendants of this community got together to learn about the lives and history their ancestors were part of. It was truly moving to hear one of Sally Hemmings descendants - and elderly african-american woman (from the Thomas Woodson Family)telling of learning that one of her great grandfathers was a President...

Center for Nonprofit Excellence

2007-06-15T15:11:00.000-04:00

Tuesday saw the opening of The Center for Nonprofit Excellence in the former Downtown Visitors Center, on the Mall side of the Market Street Garage. This organization, run by Wendy Brown, is a tremendous resource for all of the non-profits that our community depends on - there are over 700 non-profits in the region, of which more than 100 have already joined the CNE. The kick-off reception was well-attended and gave a chance to learn not only about the resources of the CNE - courses, a comprehensive online databank, a community conference room and much more - but to see the wide range of non-profits and the benefits they bring to Charlottesville.

Festival of the Photograph

2007-06-04T15:15:00.000-04:00

Although the Festival of the Photograph officially runs from Thursday June 7 through Sat June 9, it really started the end of last week, with numerous top quality gallery shows opening Friday - Jean and I saw Bill Emory's show at the C & O Gallery, and William Allard's at Les Yeux Du Monde - and with the arrival of Festival organizer Nick Nichol's banner photos hanging from downtown mall trees. The shows we saw on Friday were fabulous, and we've yet to see Sally Mann at 2nd Street and Eugene Richards at McGuffey. There are events this week at the Paramount, the Pavillion and the Ix Warehouse. An event that apparently is unique in the country and certainly a great thing for the City. Don't miss this!

Dahlia Lithwick

2007-05-14T15:24:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of fine writers in and around Charlottesville. Always have been. I have read a lot of them - John Casey, Henry Wiencek, Jennifer Ackerman, George Garrett, John Grisham, Maude Casey - the list goes on and on.

But my current favorite may be Dahlia Lithwick, who is a columnist for Slate. Normally she covers the Supreme Court and other legal issues. Lately she has done a great job skewering Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.

And yesterday she penned a hilarious Mother's Day column, on the absurd selection of Mother's Day gifts at Barnes and Noble.

Happy Mother's Day, Dahlia.

Number 17

2007-05-07T06:51:00.000-04:00

Charlottesville has dropped from Number 1 to Number 17 in Cities Ranked and Rated. Gainesville, Florida is the new Number 1.

The culprit? Cost of housing and cost of living.

Gainesville better watch out.

More on Eating Local

2007-04-27T16:24:00.000-04:00

Wednesday's NY Times food section had an article on folks who are only eating foods produced within 100 miles. Can be a challenge. One woman boiled seawater for the salt. Also articles on Prince Charles the organic farmer (who knew?) and on some organic wines - not just ecological but perhaps a way to make better wines.

And next week there will be a presentation in council chambers, on Tuesday, May 1, at 6pm by members of UVa Professors Tim Beatley and Tanya Cobb's class on "Planning for a Sustainable and Secure Community Food System". This class identified specific issues that could foster better linkages between local farms and community schools, food stores, restaurants, and residents. Beatley and Cobb's students will present a range of options that might be pursued by the community - from developing farm-to-school programs to address public health concerns with obesity and diabetes, to creation of more farmers markets throughout the region, creating easier access to food in some of Charlottesville's neighborhoods, and even assisting the creation of urban farms and gardens as well as new part-time farmers.

Should be interesting. Council passed an Eat Local resolution a couple of weeks ago, and this should help us find ways to promote this idea.

To Fight Global Warming, Some Hang a Clothesline

2007-04-13T09:30:00.000-04:00

An article in yesterday's NY Times on the trials and tribulations of hanging clothes outside to save energy caught my attention. Interesting because while Jean and I have always hung laundry outside (or in the basement, next to the furnace, in the winter), I don't think that any of my immediate neighbors do (ie, the ones whose backyards I can see).

The challenges noted in the article begin with the author's sub-division rules, which prohibit clothelines, but also include the time it takes to hang laundry vs the dryer, and that dryers result in softer towels and clothes.

But the advantages are simple - saving energy and money. Of course, there is a website devoted to the advantages of clotheslines, and next Thursday, April 19, is National Hanging Out Day.

Achieving the goals of the Mayor's Agreement on Climate Change will require all of us to make changes in our lifestyles to use less energy. Driving less. Switching to compact flourescents. Putting TVs and other appliances on power strips.

And hanging out the laundry.

Linda Peacock Memorial Garden

2007-04-13T08:40:00.000-04:00

In a moving tribute from her friends, a memorial garden in Jackson Park - adjacent to the Albemarle County Courthouse in Court Square - was dedicated this week to the memory of long-time City employee Linda Peacock Okerlund.

Linda, who died last spring of cancer, had served the City in a variety of capacities since 1976, most recently as Assistant City Manager. She was very active in the community, serving on the Board of Directors and in different volunteer capacities of numerous organizations, including the McGuffy Arts Center, Camp Holiday Trails, JAUNT, and the Commission on Children and Families. She received the 2006 John L. Snook Child Advocate Award by Children, Youth and Family Services.

This new garden - entirely funded by donations from friends - is a great way to remember Linda Peacock.

CHS Orchestra

2007-04-09T10:13:00.000-04:00

The CHS Orchestra swept the awards at the Heritage Music Festival in London last week. The String Ensemble won the First Place Award for Orchestras and the Adjudicators Award for Best Orchestra; the Concert Orchestra won the Second Place Award for Orchestras. Concertmaster Shankar Srinivasan earned the Maestro Award for best solo performer of the entire festival. And to top it off, the Orchestra earned the Sweepstakes Award as Grand Champions of the festival.

Congrats, not only to Director Laura Thomas, but to all the kids and parents, and to the school programs at Walker, Buford, and Clark and Jackson-Via. And thanks to everyone who worked so hard and contributed to the fundraising - $300,000!

And thanks to Boyd Tinsley (a CHSO alum) for sponsoring a program to make private lessons available to kids from lower-income homes.

Check out the blogspot and Progress blogs for photos and commentary.

Blue Wheel Bikes

2007-03-28T09:17:00.000-04:00

I've been a customer at Blue Wheel Bicycles since the around 1974, when I bought a Torpado from a hole-in-the-wall location near what is now Coupe DeVille's on Elliewood. For years the Blue Wheel was in the blue house at the end of Elliewood, and last year moved downtown to the Ix Building. A friendly, knowlegeable, low-key, high-quality shop.

So Tuesday I decided to buy some lights for my bike - if I want to bike commute more than one or two days a week, I need to be able to safely ride after dark, since much of my council time is in the evenings. I was planning to get just a flashing red light, but Scott told me that City law required a headlight as well (guess I should have known that...).

And we (city council) just decided to invest a lot more next year in bike lanes (and sidewalks and trails) so hopefully bike commuting will become a bit easier and more common.

Signals For Health

2007-03-09T15:49:00.000-05:00

This week the UVa Hospital opened an innovative new program at the Wahoo West Cafe (the cafeteria in the old hospital), designed to promote healthy eating by making it readily apparent which food choices are good ones and which are not. The Signals For Health program colorcodes all items in the cafeteria with green, yellow or red labels, based on calories, fat and sodium. Green indicates healthiest, red means eat sparingly or avoid, and yellow means eat in moderation. This follows an earlier plan with vending machines, with similar labels, that resulted in fewer red items sold, and more green and yellow.

I think this is a great idea - not only does it make it easier to make good choices, but the learning about good nutrition should extend beyond the cafeteria - and is the brainchild of Medical School Dean Tim Garson.

CNN was in town to do a story yesterday (and asked me for my thoughts!). This is a good idea that should spread.

Cville Dave

2006-12-12T11:20:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already, be sure to check out my fellow councilor Dave Norris's new blog. He shares his collection of vintage postcards as a way to shed light on city issues and city history. Great blog!

EAT Local

2006-12-11T07:07:00.001-05:00

At last week's Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission meeting (I am one of two city reps, along with Planning Commissioner Jason Pearson) we had a presentation on EAT Local. This organization stemmed from a Spring 2006 UVa class "Planning for a Sustainable and Secure Community Food System" taught by Tonya Denckla Cobb and Tim Beatley. EAT Local Workgroups include Urban Community Supported Agriculture, Farm to School, Composting and a Local Food Directory. There are plans for a statewide conference on the Local Foods movement this spring, in Charlottesville.

EAT Local is meeting tomorrow night (Wednesday Dec 13, 6 pm, at the new Albemarle County Office Building), followed by the film The Future of Food at 7pm ($5 donation, to support the co-sponsoring organization, One Seed at a Time).

This is a timely event. Last week there was a city meeting on our very successful Saturday market, to address vendor issues and make this venue for local agriculture even more successful. Having this be an issue for the planning district is important. Supporting local agriculture is essential to dealing with global warming and energy issues - does it really make sense to import food from thousands of miles away?

Blue Moon Diner

2006-12-03T12:29:00.000-05:00

Great news! The Blue Moon Diner is back in the restaurant business, after a two year hiatus while owners Mark Hahn and Rob Gustafson concentrated on their catering business (Harvest Moon Catering) - and I am pleased to report it is better than ever! Laura Galgano and Rice Hall, formerly of Bizou, have joined the Diner, bringing local and heirloom ingredients to the Diner's tradition of high-quality affordable food. Jean and I ate there last night and thought it splendid. Nice selection of beers on tap, including my new favorite, Eggenberg Pilsner.

My chiropractic office used to be a few doors from the Blue Moon Diner, and I've enjoyed it through a long series of owners. Buzz and Allison White had it when I began my practice in 1982, and I got to know Jerry Danner when he ran it. Maybe my favorite incarnation was when Maggie Cox and Martha Tharpe (now Martha Woodroof, commentator for WMRA, and the original Martha of Martha's Cafe) ran it in the late 80"s. In any event a great place, with breakfast anytime.

No Child Left Behind

2006-11-26T15:16:00.000-05:00

A couple of articles from today's papers that involve No Child Left Behind.

The New York Times Magazine today has a cover story on the achievement gap. Very much worth reading. A comprehensive and somewhat hopeful look at an issue that challenges a lot of communities, including ours.

And Bob Gibson has an article in the Progress on the recent visit to Charlottesville by Ellen Sauerbrey, assistant secretary of state for refugees, and of how grossly unfair NCLB is to schools when it comes to non-English speakers. Refugees and other non-English speaking students are given one year - one year! - to be on grade level, as measured by the SOL exams. Otherwise their performance is counted against the school system for meeting NCLB standards and accreditation.

ACAC Downtown

2006-11-20T09:37:00.000-05:00

The new ACAC downtown opened today and is fabulous. What a great addition to the expanding downtown. The workout room has large windows to the east and south - nothing like watching the sun come up while lifting weights! More significant to me is squash courts. I haven't played in at least 15 years, but have bought a new racquet (like racquets in all sports, the head is a lot larger). My college squash partner Joe Mason has likewise gotten a new racquet and hopefully we'll play soon.

I did play some racquetball this morning with ACAC owner Phil Wendel; a good workout but he beat me handily. I'll have to get him on the squash court sometime...

Happy Rickshaw

2006-10-27T07:08:00.000-04:00

There is now a pedicab business in Charlottesville. UVa grads and pro cyclists Ian Ayers and Christoph Herby have had Happy Rickshaw up and pedaling for over a month. They had a great open house on Wednesday at their Ix Building location, to show off their various cabs (room for up to 3 people) and introduce their very fit drivers. So far they run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, mostly working the downtown - UVa corridor and local events. Mike Gaffney told me that he and friends took a rickshaw from Eric Clapton and thought it was fabulous. Currently you need to get lucky and flag one down, but soon they will have their phone dispatch up and running.

CHS Orchestra

2006-10-25T07:27:00.000-04:00

The Charlottesville High School Orchestra is going to London! At the end of March they have been invited to participate in the Heritage Festival of Music competition at the Royal Academy of Music. The CHS orchestra is outstanding - best in the state, I have heard - and routinely comes home with top honors after competitions. They had a very successful trip to Vienna in 1998, and now orchestra director Laura Thomas has another ambitious trip planned.

As you can imagine, taking an 125 member orchestra to Europe is expensive, and yesterday they had a big event on the mall to kick off the fundraising. The challenge is made greater by the success the orchestra has had in attracting members from all parts of the student body. All students at Clark and Jackson-Via elementaries - schools with higher numbers of low-income students - now learn violin, with many staying with it into middle and high school. And former orchestra member Boyd Tinsley sponsors a program to provide private lessons to those who otherwise could not afford them.

If you would like to learn more about the trip, here is a link.

Virginia Film Festival

2006-10-24T00:29:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite events, the Virginia Film Festival, starts on Thursday.

Since it started in the mid-80's Jean and I have been fans of the festival. What do I like about it? Well, you get to see films that you (or at least I) would never have even considered seeing. Small, independent films. Often with the director or producer there, or with a thoughtful panel. And every year someone interesting is featured, such as Robert Duvall and Morgan Freeman this year. (Tender Mercies, which is showing on Friday, is one of my alltime favorites).

So what is on my list this year? Well, we are going for the glitz, with tickets for Duvall's "The Apostle" and Freeman's "10 Items or Less" on Friday. We will also see City resident (and Academy Award winner) Paul Wagner's new film "God of A Second Chance" on Saturday, and the screening of the Adrenaline Project films on Sunday. And I hope to fit in "A Flock of Dodo's", a film about intelligent design vs evolution in Kansas...

Besancon

2006-10-24T00:26:00.000-04:00

Now it is official. Besancon, France has joined Pleven, Bulgaria and Poggio a Caiano, Italy as a sister city to Charlottesville.

Thanks to Louisa Dixon and former councilor Blake Caravati, Charlottesville has had ongoing exchanges with Besancon for a number of years. Numerous school groups have been exchanged, as well as gospel choirs. In 2004 Besancon sent an exhibition from their outstanding museum to the University of Virginia Art Museum, and it looks like our museum will soon send an exhibit to France.

Sister city relationships offer a great opportunity for citizens, and offer tourism and business possibilities. For our sister city relationships to flourish, there needs to be an advocate - thanks Louisa and Blake.

From Poverty, Opportunity

2006-10-17T18:48:00.000-04:00

From Poverty, Opportunity: Putting the Market to Work for Lower Income Families by the Brookings Institution is a fascinating new publication about the high cost of being poor, and strategies for communities to help with this. Banking is almost prohibitively expensive for the poor - monthly charges are high if you do not have much in the bank, and charges for overdrafts are, well, ridiculous. Consequently the poor pay high prices just to cash checks ($400 - $800 a year for a family making $30K a year, depending on where they live). Grocery stores in low income areas tend to be small and expensive. Auto loan prices are higher for lower income borrowers - hundreds of dollars per year more. Same for home mortgages. Same for auto insurance. Rent-to-own businesses flourish in low income neighborhoods - a new $400 washing machine can cost $1000 if bought rent-to-own.

Strategies to help level the playing field include promoting market opportunities in lower income neighborhoods, curbing unscrupulous business practices in the lower income marketplace (by the way, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Association of Realtors is having a course on "Avoiding Predatory Lending" on November 14), and assisting lower income consumers to become educated and savvy.

The Metro Section of the Brookings Institution regularly provides useful and thoughtful publications for local governments; this is one of their best.

Walk Bike & Run Update

2006-10-08T11:01:00.000-04:00

When I started this blog I announced a goal to walk, bike or run on every street in Charlottesville while a member of council (actually I've included the walking I did campaigning). Some observations...

1. The smaller streets are often hillier than the main streets, which are generally on the ridges. And there are a lot of long dead-end steep streets, almost always entered going downhill.

2. It is very hard to methodically run the streets. My map has lots of small sections of streets missed, so at some point I will spend a long afternoon or two or three on my bike getting these done.

3. There are a number of county streets that are only accessible from a city street. Brenda Court and Virmira off Brandywine and parts of Willoughby, for example. Not exactly convenient for county schoolbuses.

4. This goal needs to include the Rivanna Trail. A couple of weeks ago I did the trail from Quarry Park to Woolen Mills. Very interesting, but the trail is on the far side of Moore's Creek and there is no crossing except at the beginning - which means backtracking (or taking off your shoes and fording Moore's Creek, or illegally crossing the rickety train trestle).

Woolen Mills

2006-10-07T19:04:00.000-04:00

Amid all the issues about trucks and traffic in the Woolen Mills neighborhood is an exhibit at the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. An opening reception was held last night, and the show runs until early January. A great opportunity to learn about the one of the earliest textile mill villages in the south, and the families that worked the mills.

Charlottesville Peak Oil

2006-10-04T10:44:00.000-04:00

The last 3 city council meetings (and, I think, recent County Board of Supervisors meetings) have had a stream of speakers during public comment from Charlottesville Peak Oil. This very earnest group – like similar groups around the country - is urging the City to prepare for what they forsee as a rapidly approaching time of oil shortages. The argument, as I understand it, is that oil production worldwide either has, or soon will, peak, and that the remaining oil is going to be much harder to extract. Prices of oil will spike, they predict, with overwhelming impacts on transportation, food production and distribution, and of course the economy. And they urge us to prepare.

I don’t know how accurate their crystal ball is, but I think that our efforts for the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement should address at least some of their issues – increasing alternative transportation, and decreasing community energy use. Another big concern for them – creating more local food production – is one I strongly support, but am not sure of the city role.

Chamber of Commerce

2006-09-19T21:10:00.000-04:00

The Charlottesville-Albemarle Chamber of Commerce had a remarkable luncheon today. The topic for the annual legislative luncheon was poverty - actually the luncheon was titled "Improving Economic Opportunity in Our Community", but the topic was poverty - with a presentation by Buz Cox and Kathy Ralston, heads of social service in the city and county. Buz and Kathy presented a sobering appraisal of the plight of the working poor in our community, and used the hypothetical example of a couple, each making $11 an hour, with two young kids, and how they could not afford housing, transportation, food, and health care on this income, much less school supplies, clothing, insurance, recreation and all the other things that probably everyone reading this blog takes for granted.

Hats off to Kathy Train - Chair of the Chamber and Director of the United Way, and Tim Hulbert, Chamber President, for making this issue a priority. Having the Chamber roll up their sleeves on this is incredible. Discussion ensued about how businesses can join local governments in helping, especially with summer youth employment initiatives.

And the irony that this luncheon was held in Glenmore - an affluent, gated community - must have been obvious to everyone present.

South African Wine Exchange Program

2006-08-29T07:39:00.000-04:00

Piedmont Virginia Community College is partnering with the South African Wine Industry Trust and the US/South Africa Wine Foundation in the first US - South Africa Wine Exchange Program. Ten young winemakers from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa are beginning an eight-week program in the US, in which they will combine classroom experience at PVCC with internships with wineries in central Virginia or California. Local vineyards include Barboursville, DelFosse, Kluge and Jefferson. A reception last week at the First Colony Winery welcomed the interns - I was joined there by City Manager Gary O'Connell, Chamber President Tim Hulbert and Congressman Virgil Goode and many others who are involved in the program. Neil Williamson of The Trellis Group had a lot to do with making this program and event happen.

The South African Wine Trust not only has a mission to promote the wine industry in South Africa, but to support the wine industry in disadvantaged communities, with an emphasis on Black South African economic development. A very positive program, and a very promising partnership.

And particularly interesting to me, since my brother Keith spent 6 months in the Stellenbosch region a couple of years ago, and was enamored of the region, and its wines. And suggested Stellenbosch as a potential sister city for Charlottesville.

Zona Latina

2006-08-16T16:38:00.000-04:00

Premiering September 16 a bilingual TV show, Zona Latina, is coming to Charlottesville. This magazine format show will be shown at 9 am on ABC-16, via Cable 3 and by satellite on Dish Network, and re-aired Sundays at 12:30 am. Among the features will be UVA professor Fernando Opere, and a segment on cooking (and since Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday is my current favorite cookbook, I am looking forward to this!).

This show reflects what we see around us - a significantly increasing Hispanic population, in the city and county, and in fact, statewide.

Grace Tinsley

2006-08-10T20:35:00.000-04:00

I was deeply saddened by the recent death of Grace Tinsley, a long-time community leader. A school nurse, Grace and her husband Robert were very involved in the local civil rights movement, and she was the first African-American on the school board. She also served on the PVCC board, and was the driving force in Charlottesville getting a public defender's office. Grace was tenacious - the legislation for a public defender's office was passed 4 years in a row by the general assembly, and each year vetoed by George Allen, before finally passed and signed. She was smart - very smart - with a sharp sense of humor and an infectious laugh. A mentor and advisor to many recent city officials. Fairminded and tough, and a good friend, and someone Jean and I will really miss.

Best of C-Ville

2006-08-09T17:44:00.000-04:00

I always enjoy the annual Best of C-Ville (maybe getting best chiropractor previously has something to do with it...) and seeing how my choices fare. My family doc (Greg Gelburd) and dentist (David Dalley, above me in the Wellness Center) are on the list, as is my Pilates class, TruPilates. Blue Wheel Bikes made the list - I've been buying bikes there since 1975, congrats on their new location in the Ix Building. I'd hate to have to narrow my favorite restaurants to one or two, but I can't argue with C&O or Zocalo - both are in my top five. Mudhouse, 91.9, Bodos, Albemarle Baking - a lot of good choices. And the pool that we have belonged to for 20 years, Fry's Spring Beach Club, got runnerup; what a great place, with all the shade trees, an enormous pool and the funky clubhouse.

But Meadowbrook Hardware remains my favorite hardware store, no matter what the voters think.

Vertical Sprawl

2006-08-06T18:46:00.000-04:00

A lot of controversy in Charlottesville revolves around development - infill development, increased density, tall buildings. Partly this arises from people wanting to live here, and the market responding to demand; part is due to rising prices making it feasible to build on difficult parcels (many times, in my opinion, parcels that never should have been zoned for development in the first place), and finally because of the zoning ordinance passed 3 years ago (before I joined council), allowing more density. In any event, density that may, as former Mayor Maurice Cox argues, allow for much better transit and walkability - but that certainly generates concerns about traffic, noise, parking, etc.

Yesterday the Times had an article titled Cities Grow Up, and Some See Sprawl on these controversies around the country - in places like Austin, Denver, DC, Palo Alto and Seattle. Another example of how the problems we face here are generally being faced by cities around the country.

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-08-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

Have you seen An Inconvenient Truth? I think it is a movie that everyone should see - a forceful statement about global warming, and a fascinating campaign piece about Al Gore. It also effectively compares the scientific "controversy" about global warming with that of tobacco in the 60's, which is particularly powerful because of his families' history of tobacco farming and his sister's death from lung cancer.

It has a couple of memorable quotes:

Mark Twain: "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."

Upton Sinclair: "You can't make somebody understand something if their salary depends upon them not understanding it."

At Vinegar Hill.

US Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement

2006-07-23T20:52:00.000-04:00

Last week City Council endorsed the US Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement that I somewhat precipitously signed this spring (I read about it, felt strongly that I should join well over 200 other Mayors in this, and went ahead and signed it, confident that Council would support me). In the meantime the Sierra Club and Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice gathered hundreds of names on petitions urging the City to sign up. It was appropriate we endorsed this the same week that An Inconvenient Truth opened at Vinegar Hill.

What does this mean? It means we pledge to reduce our emissions to follow the Kyoto Protocol - which the US never agreed to - by reducing our emissions 7% below 1990 levels, by 2012. Not only will this mean we are doing our part as a city and as citizens to address global warming, but by doing so we can save energy costs. We will inventory emissions and create a plan to reduce them, through land use and transportation policies, looking for alternative energy sources, increasing City and community conservation efforts, encouraging sustainable design, and promoting tree planting.

Councilor Dave Norris suggested a citizen advisory group to work with the City on this. The good news is that the City has been working on a number on initiatives in this area already - for example, replacing our vehicles with hybrids and dual fuel vehicles. For me, I want us to develop a plan to make sure we develop policies and programs to replace the trees we are losing to development, and make sure that energy saving approaches are implemented in our entire community, not just the affluent households. And I have already asked City staff to review our procurement policies, to make sure we use recycled products whenever possible.

And we need to get the bigger community - including Albemarle and the rest of our region - involved as well. Suggestions, anyone?

Trains

2006-07-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

Last week I had dinner with a group of area residents who want to get more train service between Charlottesville and Washington. The Charlottesville Citizens for Better Rail Alternatives are promoting the extension of the Virginia Railway Express, which currently has two lines, from Union Station to Manassas and to Fredericksburg. This group, led by Thomas Kester and with the help of former councilor Meredith Richards, will be mounting a campaign this fall to get the community behind this idea. A couple years ago Charlottesville was left out when plans for the Trans-Dominion Express were made, although whether this plan will ever be realized is debatable.

Works for me - I frequently take the train to NY to see my father - and I told them I would do what I could to help.

New York

2006-07-16T21:49:00.000-04:00

My father moved to NY when I was in college-and as a consequence I go there a couple of times a year, at least, and just got back this afternoon from a long weekend visit.

It is always fun and amazing to run into someone you know in NY, especially if they also are visiting. Happens more often than you would think. Last year Jean and I ran into school board member Peggy Van Yahres at the new MOMA.

But it was especially fun this Friday night when I was walking along West 71st, and heard "hey - aren't you the Charlottesville Mayor"?

Outside Magazine

2006-07-13T14:44:00.000-04:00

The August 2006 edition of Outside Magazine features "The Best Outside Towns 2006", and Charlottesville is the runner-up to Bend, OR, in the "Best Trail Running" category.

Putting aside concerns about whether winning the ratings game is a good thing for Charlottesville or not - do we really need to give people more reasons to pack up and move here? - what I think is interesting is that the article doesn't even mention the trail that many of us are very proud of - the Rivanna Trail circling the City.

Some great towns in this article - Austin, Santa Fe, Bellingham, Madison, Asheville, Durango, as well as several I have never heard of - Truckee, Sebastopol, Bishop, New Paltz.

The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society

2006-07-02T10:05:00.000-04:00

Until I looked at their photos of Main Street before the mall was built, I had no idea how fascinating the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society's website is.

It currently features two photo collections about downtown, one that is also currently on exhibit at the Sage Moon Gallery and the other John Shepherd's photos taken in 1976, just before the mall was built. There are several other online photo collections - including one that I found very appealing, on "Ghost Signs and Vestige Billboards", a photo essay on the fading signs painted on our buildings. There is a list of previous exhibits at the Historical Society, most of which are available on loan. And there is a fabulous page of links, including one to the the Holsinger Studio Collection (9,000 images of turn-of-the-century Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the University of Virginia).

A great community resource.

Downtown Mall Anniversary

2006-07-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

The City and the Downtown Business Association are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Mall.

Last night there was a presentation and discussion of the history of the mall in council chambers, to be rebroadcast on Ch 10. Participating were the two councilors who voted for the mall, Mitch Van Yahres and Charles Barbour (the other three councilors - Francis Fife, George Gilliam and Jill Rinehart - had conflicts of interest and abstained, although all were in favor), former City Manager Cole Hendrix and Planning Director Satyendra Huja, and Al Clements, a banker who led the committee for the mall.

John Shepherd showed some of the photos he took in 1976 of Main Street, just before mall construction.

The photos show the decline of downtown and why city leaders took the bold move, over much local (business) opposition, of a pedestrian Mall. Mitch's wife Betty said they received 100 calls the night before the meeting in opposition to the plan.

None of these leaders quite envisioned the mall the way it has evolved - especially the restaurant and entertainment scene (Al Clements jokingly referred to it as a food court) - and all admit to a time, maybe 15 years ago, when they were worried - vacancies and few people.

Check out the celebratory activities, next Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Short Story Salon

2006-06-27T08:15:00.000-04:00

Come to the Piedmont Writers' Institute first ever Short Story Salon on Saturday, July 1, at 10:30 a.m. The venue is the New Dominion Bookshop at 404 East Main Street, on the downtown mall. Along with cookies and coffee, this venue will serve up the latest on the local short story scene. Admission is free.

Writers are encouraged to bring their own work to read, or bring a
recent discovery to share with an audience of short story enthusiasts.
Readers will have a ten minute limit. Stories that are begun but not
finished at the reading will be considered for full publication on the
Piedmont Writers' Institute website's Short Stories Page, or writers
may bring copies to distribute at the event.

The Piedmont Writers' Institute is a Charlottesville-based
organization that provides instruction, certification, networking
information and support services to writers in Virginia and beyond. It
wants to encourage new, exciting, cutting-edge writing that reflects the
Virginia experience. It also wants to build a statewide network of
writers and groups to help emerging writers find a wider audience and
take the next steps toward publication

4th of July

2006-06-23T07:08:00.000-04:00

A wonderful 4th of July event, that I never thought to attend until I was invited as a member of council, is the naturalization ceremony at Monticello. Is there a better way to celebrate our nation's birth than with people who are very proudly becoming our newest citizens? And at Monticello? This event starts at 10 am, is free and open to the public, and this year's speakers are environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Last year the speaker was I. M. Pei, and he was thoughtful and charming. Having brought us Running Fence and The Gates in Central Park (which Jean and I went to see, and loved), Christo and Jeanne-Claude should be pretty interesting.

A New Council

2006-06-20T20:05:00.000-04:00

Last night was the last council meeting for Rob Schilling and Blake Caravati. It will be different - calmer, certainly, and less entertaining to watch on TV - without them.

Rob Schilling came out of nowhere. He and his wife Joan had moved to Charlottesville only a couple of years before his surprise election to council in 2002 - he won by virtue of being underestimated, doing an enormous amount of door to door, having an uninspired Democratic campaign, and, maybe, being mistaken for a moderate or liberal because of his hair. He never fit in with the rest of council (unlike the prior Republican, Darden Towe) and maybe did not want to. He excelled at constituent service, and he can take a lot of the credit for elected school boards.

Blake Caravati, on the other hand, has been working for the City in one way or another for a long time. Not only 8 years on Council, but 8 years on the Planning Commission. I met Blake in the early 1980's when Mark Lorenzoni recruited me to serve on the Offender Aid and Restoration Board - Blake was the President. Blake both talked the talk and walked the walk - he is committed to the things he believes in. Blake had institutional knowledge, and a keen and insightful mind - and a sharp tongue. Someone I depended on the last 2 years for advice.

Oil and water, Blake and Rob. So what will the next council be like?

Habitat Homebuilders Blitz

2006-06-11T12:06:00.000-04:00

Today is the dedication of 6 homes in the City that have been built as part of the nationwide Habitat for Humanity Homebuilders Blitz. Local architects and builders have teamed to complete, in one week, these 6 homes; nationally over 500 homes were built this week. The homes are on Hanover Street, near Cherry Avenue. Amazing.

Thanks to a great organization, Habitat (for which I am an occasional volunteer) and to all the builders, architects, crews and sponsors who have made this happen.

WiFi Downtown

2006-05-30T19:46:00.000-04:00

The City, in conjunction with the Downtown Library and ADI engineering, has created a "hot spot" that includes Lee Park and up to Central Place and McGuffey. Councilor Kevin Lynch spearheaded the effort to make the City a wireless community, for which this is seen as a first step.

CHS Girls Soccer

2006-05-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I watched the undefeated CHS Girls for the first time this season and was tremendously impressed. They cruised to a 6-0 regional victory over Handley (Winchester), and they did it not just with talent - which they certainly have - but with flair and precision. They have a strong team, with a couple of very gifted players in Amy Hemenway and Emily Perrin. And the entire team plays possession soccer, with one-touch passes, timely runs, passes into space and great crosses. Beautiful.

They play again on Wednesday, at CHS.

Boards and Commissions

2006-05-29T07:50:00.000-04:00

Interested in getting more involved in the City? There are openings on many of our boards and commissions, including the Board of Architectural Review, the Commision on Children and Families, MACAA and Region Ten. If you have questions or to request an application, contact Jeanne Cox (coxj@charlottesville.org or 970-3113). Applications can also be made online.

Shopping in Albemarle

2006-05-08T18:38:00.000-04:00

The Southern Environmental Center has issued a report on retail development in Albemarle County, that supports what a lot of us are thinking - that way too many shopping opportunities are being planned and approved in the County. Retail overload, according to the report, 3.3 million square feet of additional 'big box' shopping centers and other retail space in the next decade. That's a 70% increase in the county's existing retail area, and, according to SELC, triple the amount that the area can reasonably absorb. Albemarle Place, Hollymead Town Center, North Pointe - where does it end?

Raingarden Dedication

2006-05-08T07:52:00.000-04:00

A big issue is stormwater runoff, as we lose green spaces - often in steep areas - to houses, lawns, streets and parking lots. Our streams can never be healthy if they are overwhelmed when it rains. At Greenleaf Park there is now a demonstration raingarden, a way of channeling runoff into a place designed to filter, disperse and slow the runoff. The city received a grant from the Virginia Dept of Conservation and Recreation, and on Friday all the folks who helped make this happen were recognized at a dedication. The demonstration raingarden will serve to educate the community (it is next to Walker school) and hopefully serve as a model for future public or private development; I know of a couple of projects in the city that are using something like this.

Invisible Children

2006-05-07T07:16:00.000-04:00

A recent event that somehow generated no press (or whatever press there was, I missed) was the April 28 Invisible Children Vigil in front of City Hall - fittingly, in front of the Free Expression Monument. The issue that this vigil was trying to publicize is the plight of children and families in Northern Uganda. The brutal civil war has resulted in thousands of children being abducted and forced to become soldiers, and to avoid abduction they leave their villages and sleep in front of the city hall. So on April 28, vigils were held worldwide, including 131 US cities. Over 80 people participated here, mostly UVa students, it appeared to me.

Julian and Dave

2006-05-04T18:08:00.000-04:00

I am thrilled to soon be serving on City Council with Julian Taliaferro and Dave Norris. I think they both bring some real strengths to council - Julian the experience of creating one of the top fire departments in the country, Dave the energy and ideas of a community activist.

One of the reasons I was elected Mayor (the Mayor in Cville is picked every 2 years by Council) was in hopes I could bring some civility and cohesion to what had been a fractious Council. I was at most only partly successful, and on a few evenings not successful at all. But with the addition of Julian and Dave I think the next City Council can function well. Doesn't mean we will agree on everything - I already know that Dave differs with me on the Parkway and the Mall crossing - but that we will be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

While I was confident that the Democratic ticket would win, I was predicting a 400 vote margin - not the 1200 votes that separated Julian and Rob Schilling. A significant part of the margin was the young (18 - 30 or so) voters that were excited by Dave Norris.

Last year, my first on Council, was just plain hard, with the Scottie Griffin controversy. This year has been smoother. Next year could be great.

On Being Mayor

2006-04-26T18:43:00.000-04:00

In Charlottesville the Mayor is elected by City Council, and has three roles, aside from being a member of council: chairing the meetings, setting the agenda, and serving as the ceremonial head of the City.

The ceremonial part is fun. A frequent ceremonial duty (or request), and one that I really enjoy, is to welcome various visitors or guests to Charlottesville. Most often this is for conferences held in Charlottesville (or Albemarle - somehow being welcomed to our area by the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors sometimes just doesn't seem to have the same appeal - sorry, Dennis.)

Groups I have had, or will have, the opportunity to welcome, include the state associations of:

Independent Resource Centers (Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities)
Building Inspectors
Parliamentarians
Parks and Recreation Departments
Zoning Officials
Historic Preservationists
First Night Committees (Nationwide - there are First Night Celebrations in an amazing number of communities, including Delray Beach, Fort Collins, Missoula and Akron)
Accountants
Improved Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks of the World
Nurses
Police Chiefs

There are a number of other groups that I can't think of at the moment, but you get the idea.

Traffic Synch

2006-04-26T18:33:00.000-04:00

Both the Daily Progress and CvilleNews have had stories this week on one of the more noticeable improvements the city is making - computer synchronization of the traffic lights (aka ITS). We are not yet fully synchronized or computerized, but what we have has already made a big difference on West Main. This will gradually extend to all of our lights and will connect to the VDOT synchronization on 29 north of Hydraulic. Kevin Lynch deserves credit for pushing this project, and if anyone has questions they should ask him (he is a systems engineer), not me!

Free Expression Monument

2006-04-20T14:52:00.000-04:00

Today was the dedication of the Free Expression Chalkboard on the mall. I was asked to say a few words, and was followed by noted writers George Garrett and John Grisham and musician Boyd Tinsley. Slate columnist Dahlia Lithwick was the keynote speaker - if this is podcast she is definitely worth the time, and if you haven't followed her on Slate, you should. CHS student Brandon Dudley, a member of the Music Resource Center, concluded with an original rap performance - not only was he poised and articulate, but what a great choice of music for the free expression ceremony.

For me, it was one of the few occasions where I thought I could make "political" remarks, so in addition to welcoming everyone and thanking the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, I expressed some (brief) concerns about the freedoms we are losing:

"As my sons move into adulthood and I think about their future, I worry about the steady erosion of freedoms I have always taken for granted.

Some of these freedoms we seem to give up willingly. We allow databases of personal information of our buying habits to be built, in exchange for a savings card at Harris Teeter or to gain frequent flyer miles with our Mastercard. We allow databases of our travel habits in exchange for the convenience of EZPass.

Some freedoms we give up less willingly, as private information is collected every time we visit the hospital, or as we submit to searches of our belongings in order to travel.

And some freedoms are simply being taken away from us, through the Patriot Act, through the imprisonment of members of the press, and more recently, through unauthorized wiretaps."

Afterwards the speakers were given chalk and we had the honor of being the first to write on the chalkboard. I had written down some quotes - a couple from TJ, a couple of others - but somewhat typically for me I left them home. So I wrote what is maybe most important to me at the moment:

VOTE MAY 2 FOR TALIAFERRO AND NORRIS

Walk Bike & Run Update

2006-04-14T10:12:00.000-04:00

I've been plugging away at my goal of walking, biking or running on every street in the City while on City Council.

The City is hillier than I thought. Although I have been running in the city for almost 25 years (including the 10 miler several times) my routes are usually the larger streets - Main, Preston, Rugby, Park, JPA - which are on generally flatter and the hills less steep than many neighborhood streets. And there are a lot of dead-end streets, many of which I have never been on. Baker Street off JPA is a steep downhill curve dead-end. Long way back up to Cherry.

This morning my run included Edgewood Lane, a beautiful hilly deadend - especially today, with the dogwoods and redbuds blooming. Edgewood is the home of some very interesting city residents - Kevin O'Halloran, who is on the planning commission; Saphira Baker, formerly director of the Commission on Children and Families, who is now Doug Wilder's Deputy CEO in Richmond; and Jeff Rossman, Professor of Russian History and civic activist, just to name a few.

On Sunday Bill Emory is taking me on a bike/walking tour of Woolen Mills. Any other tourguides out there?

Paramount 3rd St Commemoration

2006-04-11T07:20:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Paramount is having an event to commemorate the theater's 3rd street entrance - the entrance that from 1931 to 1964 was the "colored" entrance. During that time there was a separate entrance, box office, concessions and seating, with African-Americans restricted to the balcony. A display has been created detailing the story of segregation at the Paramount.

Soprano April Jana Johnson-Bynes is performing, accompanied by Jonathan Spivey, and I know that councilor Kendra Hamilton will be among those making remarks.

8pm, with tickets available at the door ($10 students up to $50 patron, which gets you in to a reception afterwards).

Gravity Lounge

2006-04-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

I love the Gravity Lounge.

Great acoustics, nice staff, good beers and wines, unique atmosphere, and, most importantly, great acts. No smoke, and shows start early. Last night Jean and I went with friends to hear Darrell Scott. Fabulous guitarist and singer songwriter. Place was mostly full, which is good for a musician most people have never heard of. And the opening act - Doug and Telisha Williams, from Martinsville - were charming.

Some of my favorite musicians are coming back to Gravity - Eliza Gilkyson April 26, Steve Forbert May 19, Lucy Kaplansky June 24. And some bigger names - Jesse Colin Young, Holly Near, Janis Ian, Tom Rush, Odetta - in the next couple of months. Just to name a few.

The Gravity Lounge is seemingly carved out of a basement space, and rumor has it that they couldn't get equipment in so developer Oliver Kuttner dug the space out, himself, with a wheelbarrow. True or not, one of my favorite places anywhere to hear music, and a significant contributor to making Charlottesville a great live music town.

My Week

2006-03-30T07:23:00.000-05:00

A busy week. Especially since I try to be in my chiropractic office 30 hours a week. One child in college and another starts next year - don't quit your day job!

Monday - nothing council related, but phone calls and reviewing the budget, in preparation for this weeks work session. Started a slow-cooked pork dish in the crockpot from Rick Bayless's Everyday Mexican for dinner. Wrote a letter of recommendation for a community member nominating him for a national award. Dinner was great.

Tuesday - Lifted weights at ACAC, early. Patients in the morning (and had a family medicine resident shadowing me). In the afternoon met with the city manager for a couple of hours, mostly working on agendas for upcoming meetings. Had a meeting to get updated on some proposed county developments and implications for the city, especially roads. Met with Kirby Hutto of the Pavillion, with the Vice-Mayor Kevin Lynch and the city manager, to get updated on the Pavillion's efforts to tame the noise (serious efforts and money being spent by them to solve this). Met with councilor Blake Caravati for an hour, and then attended a Boys and Girls Club event on an anti-gang initiative. I really like what Tim Sinatra and the Club are doing. Attorney General Bob McDonnell spoke, and had a great quip about getting "20 votes in Charlottesville - and I think they are all here".

Wednesday - An early morning run. Then, along with Kevin Lynch, Gary O'Connell, School Board Chair Julie Gronlund and incoming superintendent Rosa Atkins, I met with the Board of the Chamber of Commerce - an annual early morning event to talk about a wide range of issues. It is the third time I have met Rosa Atkins and I am very impressed and excited about her bringing leadership and stability to our schools. Patients the rest of morning and early afternoon. Returned phone calls at lunch. Later, a work session 4 - 7 on the budget. Shakai (former foster child) was home and I gave him a ride back to his sister's in Friendship Court, then grabbed a slice at Christians. Finally, Harris Teeter at 9:30 pm.

Today - a morning off. Took Jean's car to Edgecombs, then went to a Pilates class. Relaxed at Cafe Cubano with the Post. Mailed a package to Greg at Earlham College. Talked to Councilor Kendra Hamilton on the phone, and briefly the City Manager. Responded to emails. Picked up some meds for my mother in law and bought a new cheap sports watch at KMart. At 2 I'll go to my office until 5 or so. Then I will meet a group of Swedish officials who are here for a couple of days, attend an hour of the North Downtown Neighborhood Board meeting, and drop by the Living Wage banquet.

Tomorrow is patients all day, and lunch with the Swedes. The Architecture School has an event at the Community Design Center in the evening that I said I would drop by. And Darrell Scott is at Gravity Lounge; Jean and I are joining another couple to hear him.

Fortunately the weekend is pretty free.

A Hawk!

2006-03-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon there was a hawk at our birdbath. Watered for several minutes before flying up into a row of trees next door. Kind of amazing; I feel a little worried about the birds at our feeders.

Probably 12 years ago or so there was a bear cub in our backyard. Jean was the only one home, and got some photos. The cub was looking through our compost heap before hopping the fence and ambling away. The cub was in the papers for several days before finally being caught.

Pretty good for Rugby Avenue.

Evan Almighty

2006-03-26T19:43:00.000-05:00

One of the perks of being Mayor - just about the only perk, actually - is getting invited to cool, interesting events.

Last night was one of these. There was a kick-off party at Starr Hill Brewery for Evan Almighty (the sequel to Bruce Almighty, being filmed here). Lots of people, music, dancing. Interesting people, too. I met the set crew, that are responsible for building everything, and the location people. I met the director, Tom Shadyac - a great thing about being Mayor is it is fairly easy to walk up to someone and just introduce yourself. I tried to meet the lead actor, Steve Carell, but I was hindered by not really knowing what he looked like (he is in a TV series called The Office, which I have not seen) so I didn't actually meet him.

Lots of interesting local folks. Richard Herskowitz, who directs the Virginia Film Festival. Paul Wagner, academy-award winning documentary filmaker. Barry Sisson, who produced The Station Agent. Entertainment lawyer Kirk Schroder, former president of the Virginia Board of Education. And from Richmond, Virginia Film Office Director Rita McClenny.

Now I am hoping to get a chance to see the set and filming...

The New Dominions

2006-03-23T06:03:00.000-05:00

Saturday Night will be the final concert with the New Dominions for my nephew Paul Hiatt, who graduates from UVa this spring. They are fabulous and I cant wait to hear them - I missed the fall concert. I dont think a cappella groups were such a big think when I was in college, and I have been surprised by the music they play; songs ranging from Simon and Garfunkel to Radiohead to the Doors to They Might Be Giants.

8pm, McLeod Hall.

Festival of the Book

2006-03-23T05:44:00.000-05:00

I hope the Charlottesville blogging community takes advantage of the Virginia Festival of the Book the next few days. It is a tremendous community event with a wide range of topics. I plan to go to the luncheon today (sorry, sold out), then hear Democracy Now host Amy Goodman speak on the importance of independent media on Friday (7pm, Mcleod Hall), and hear John McCutcheon and Barbara Kingsolver (one of my favorite authors) on Sunday afternoon at the Paramount. Jean (my wife) went last night to hear John Hope Franklin and Rita Dove, but I couldnt make it. Oh well. I wonder if I can find time on Saturday to see something...

Reids Supermarket

2006-03-21T18:05:00.000-05:00

Anyone beside me notice the changes at Reids? (Anyone besides me shop at Reids?)

Reids is a working class grocery on Preston Ave, halfway between UVa and Downtown. Mostly African-American patrons. Has always had the basics, a little overpriced, and a butcher. A strong sense of neighborhood and community, a friendly place.

Now - in the last year - decent wines, organic produce (limited), mission home baked goods. Cilantro. Local apples.

A good place to go if your menu is straightforward and you dont feel like going to Barracks Road.

What they need is better lettuce and fresh fish.

School uniforms

2006-03-21T17:55:00.000-05:00

City council was filled last night, for the first hour of the meeting, with CHS seniors getting credit for government class (and filled because it is the end of the marking period, I think). The students were mostly African-American, and included a several kids I coached in soccer.

And Rick Turner, Dean of African-American Affairs at UVa, and the current head of the local NAACP, spoke during the public comment period and gave them plenty to think about. He was responding to Councilor Kendra Hamilton's recent comments that the middle school consider uniforms.

He talked about research that indicated that uniforms resulted in less violence and less disciplinary incidents in inner-city schools - but also resulted in lower self-esteem. I would imagine government classes had some interesting discussions today.

Thanks, Rick.

Run, walk and bike the city

2006-03-19T12:48:00.000-05:00

Probably the most fun part of campaigning two years ago was walking door to door. Partly it was meeting people, but also seeing homes up close (and being validated that my porch wasnt the only one in Cville that still had a snowshovel sitting there in April) and just getting a sense of all the neighborhoods.

So when this year began I set a tenative goal - to have walked, biked or run on all the streets in town while a member of city council. I have a map on my office wall where I highlighted the streets I walked during the campaign (which I am including) and now has streets run and biked highlighted.

So I guess this is the announcement of this goal.

The good news is that my running partner of over 20 years, Rich Kovatch, is agreeable to this idea, and this morning we weaved through some JPA and Fry's Spring streets in the course of an hour run. Discovered a business - Cville Imports, on Lewis Street - that I didnt know of, and saw a house on Shamrock with a bamboo teepee in front.

This should be fun.

Why blog?

2006-03-18T23:12:00.000-05:00

After being elected to council almost 2 years ago, I started to occasionally read Waldo Jacquith's cvillenews. After a while I realized he had another blog, which is a great place to learn some things about Virginia politics. Then I found his blog compiler, which I enjoy as a way to see what people in our city are thinking and writing.

Being on City Council, and especially being Mayor, gives me a chance to see and learn about Charlottesville in ways that I would like to share. There is a lot happening that I would like others to know about. I thought a blog might be a good way to communicate.

For example, in the last few weeks I have had lunch with a dozen UVa students who were spending their spring break volunteering with Abundent Life Ministries, in low-income Charlottesville; gone to an incredible exhibition of photos and painting at Jefferson School documenting the vibrant Vinegar Hill neighborhood that used to exist where Staples and the Omni are now; and last night went to a fabulous production of 12th Night at CHS.

So thanks, Waldo. If my blog seems a bit ragged, well after all I am 51.