Bryan McKenzie wrote about former city councilor Rob Schilling’s show on WINA yesterday in the Progress, highlighting how the Republican is using his knowledge of city government to act as an outside agitator. (I’m a sucker for local media articles about other local media outlets.) The Schilling Show is firmly conservative and anti-establishment, and features the sort of guest lineup that you’d expect—Agnes Cross-White, Rick Turner, Ken Boyd, Keith Drake, etc. The city Democrats quoted in the piece are less than thrilled with the show, describing him and his show as “full of ridicule” and “a lot of hot air stitched together by a fair amount of blatant demagoguery.” Recent interviews are archived on the page’s webpage—decide for yourself.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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firmly conservative and anti-establishment
That’s a bit of an oxymoron, no? Sure, c’ville is a thoroughly Democrat town, and we could do with a bit of a loyal opposition to counterweight the worst excesses of one party rule, but I don’t think one can apply the common usage of ‘anti-establishment’ to the Schilling, Hodus & Pfaltz trifecta or any of their policy stances, even if they are purportedly in opposition to our ‘establishment’. On Establishmentarian hot-button issues, they appear to have far more in common with City Dems than they do with party brethren as close by as Virgil Goode, Eric Cantor, Rob Bell (legislative armorer to prosecutors everywhere), Watkins Abbitt, Bill Janus…well, you get the idea. Schilling does have the Pirates of the Carribean Metal-Head hair, and I suppose by that very superficial measure he’s a bit of a rebel relative to, say, Dave Toscano. Schilling is a harmless gadfly, and at least WINA is hiring local voices.
I’m glad it’s just a radio show and not TV so you don’t have to see him. But if he did get a TV show then I think he ought to grow his little mustache and goatee back. That and the long hair plus the flamboyant wardrobe always made him look like a cross between Wild Bill and Liberace to me. Which is fine since he is a maestro at shooting off his mouth.
http://eluxtroxl.blogspot.com/2007/09/dude.html
Wow-Blake C. really went after him. Dang. No love lost there.
Much as I admire Blake and lament that Rob did very little that seemed productive while serving on City Council (he did jump on the elected School Board bandwagon, and worked to get it passed, give him credit for that), I think Blake’s comments in the DP were over the top. Sad to say, but to get a hearing in this town, you just about have to start a movement. True during the school mess a few years ago, when we had an appointed School Board; true with the dredging debate right now. Maybe Rob should have been a radio host all along. Not Mr. Outside on the Inside; Mr. Fourth Estate….
I find it funny that Blake Caravati and David Brown make these charges but never give an example of what they mean. I believe I read that Schilling abstained from voting a measly seven times during his four years on council. So what? I think it’s said that council still allows Overrun O’Connell to hand them a five-to-seven inches thick notebook on Thursday and expect any reasonably intelligent person to vote on all of it Monday night. That’s why we have a multi-million dollar website still in progress, multi-million dollar cost overruns and a ridiculous water supply proposal. Why do not Brown and Caravati complain about that? Is it because neither one of them have been up to the job to run a city?
Those two also wanted to criticize Lynch and Hamilton for appearing on the Schilling Show and criticizing the City Manager for not giving them adequate information. Obviously, Brown and Caravati didn’t need much to do as they were told. Their complaints are child-like at best. I enjoy listening to the Schilling Show more than watching council meetings.
City Council spends much of their time telling others what to do on turf they have no business being on. Definitely a protest mentality.
I think it is kind of cute the author considers Schilling anti establishment.
Sure he’s anti-establishment—the establishment, in Charlottesville, is 95% Democratic, and he’s opposed to every last bit of it. I understand that this runs counter to the traditional logic of Republicans, but that doesn’t make it any less true. I’d argue that the same was true of many Virginia Republicans for decades (especially the 50s-80s) under the Byrd Machine, an establishment if there ever was one.
Rob is a valuable asset to this community the way he challenges the arrogant city leadership we have. Its true he was often a voice crying in the wilderness when he was on Council.
I used to vote for Democratic candidates. Not anymore. I voted for Rob when he ran for re-election, and for the two independents last time. I have had it with the fiscally irresponsible,head-in-the-clouds Council that we have had recently. Transit center, YMCA deal, Mall bricks,foreign policy resolutions-all of it.
I do wish that he had more libertarian leaning figures on the show. i am one who supports both the National Rifle Association and Planned Parenthood and do not care for the influence the Religious Right has had on the party. Nor do support the “developers know whats best” attitude displayed by groups like the Free Enterprise Forum.
Barry Goldwater, Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower are the Republicans I admire,not what all too often is the face of the party today.
And Waldo you are exactly right about the Republicans in the days of the Byrd Machine.
First of all, I live in the County, so look at the City Council actions from the outside in.
Second, we know Charlottesville is heavily Democratic, but 95%? Really?
Now, what exactly does Charlottesville represent? Ten square miles with 40,000 residents. Albemarle, which leans Democratic, but certainly not heavily Democratic, has over 92,000 residents. The other surrounding counties have about the same population combined (probably more).
Therein lies the problem. The City seem to think they are the Sun with all the county residents revolving around them looking for enlightment and sunshine.
I think its time for Change in how we think. Isn’t that the motto of the day?
Go Rob!
I think you misunderstand my comment, Randy. I wrote that “the establishment, in Charlottesville, is 95% Democratic.” I don’t mean that figure to represent the population on the whole, which is generally hovers around 80% as expressed in voting behavior, but the people who are in charge. That was the whole point of the Byrd machine, an organization that remained in place and effective up into the 90s. It was, of course, quite effective.
Waldo:
I think 80% is still a little generous, but that would be splitting hairs as no doubt Charlottesville is heavily Democratic. I do now understand and appreciate your point about the “Charlottesville Establishment”, and it being 95% Democratic.
While I disagree with a number of your views, I do enjoy looking at your blog
I’m just going on past voting behavior. In 2006, Webb won with 77.3% of the vote, prop 1 failed with 77% of the vote, and Weed got 74.6% of the vote. In 2005, Kaine got 79.4% of the vote, Leslie Byrne 78.3%, Deeds 77.7%, and Toscano 81.4%. I’ve spared you the City Council results, because those are, of course, so lopsided as to skew all of the data. Those aren’t cherry-picked numbers: they’re just the most recent election results in Charlottesville. Averaging them together, we get 77.9%, or 2.1% shy of my “80%” figure. Again, ignoring Council results, I’ll grant you that 2.1% leeway. :)
Thanks! That’s about my favorite compliment. :)
We are missing the point. WINA hired Rob Schilling to front a show that listeners would turn on – and advertisers would pay to sponsor. Mr. Schilling is at best a cartoon character. His views are firmly rooted in thoughtless conservative values, and shared by many within the listening area. WINA appears to have had success with Limbaugh, and the other conservative scaremongers, so why not Schilling? The long hair and retro look all reinforce the bogus anti-establishment noir.
The city Democrats probably need better checks and balances, and a quality talk show thoughtfully presented and honestly moderated would go a long way toward those ends.
I doubt Mr. Schilling is up to the task, and I don’t think that is in WINA’s business plan.
Diane Rhem where are you?
michael m, are you the guy that is constantly running around disrupting conversations?
CvilleEye are you the guy that guy that cowardly calls everyone names from 1 to 2 every weekday?
Bill Bevins, the reason I asked michael m is because he has publicly stated on the Schilling Show that he would like for WINA to hire him to have his own show, which adds context to michael m’s comments if that is he. The michael I’m talking about is the one that had to be physically removed from some event at the Omni and recently tried to take over the Schilling Show trying engage a guest in a debate. Although there has been no time limit set on that show, michael m knew he had tied up the phone for an inordinate amount of time.
I have never called the Schilling Show.
Cville Eye, I am not the person you are thinking of, but I am interested in good political discourse whenever possible. I too have never called Mr. Schilling’s show. In fact, I have 3 kids and little time for blithering idiots, but I will try and tune into the show more again. I need to keep an open mind.
michael m, what I have found out is every side provide more opinions and conclusions overshadowing the few tidbits of facts that they offer. The Schilling Show, for example, has had Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Green, and Socialists so far. With each I decide what is clearly opinion, what is conclusion (without supporting information) and what is hard core fact. So, I agree with you, unless they are blithering idiots, exercise an open mind by listening to a variety of sources, not just that show. I amaze my old acquaintances with my opinions that have changed in the past thirty years. And please teach your 3 kids the perils of following with a pack mentality.