The one member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board who opposes the Western Bypass has been kicked off the board, Sean Tubbs reports for Charlottesville Tomorrow. In an extraordinary action, James Rich—the representative for the Culpeper district, our district, on the statewide board—received a phone call from Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton informing him that he’d been removed. (Those who serve at the pleasure of the governor can be removed once the governor is no longer pleased.) Rich was in the news last month after he made a motion to reallocate the Western Bypass money to an upstate project; Connaughton was angered by the move. He feels certain he was removed because of his opposition to the contentious road, and figures it’s inevitable that Gov. Bob McDonnell will replace him with somebody who supports it.
Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith
Page 17 of 549
The Senate of Virginia’s Privileges & Elections Committee held a vote today on whether to remove UVA Board of Visitors Rector Helen Dragas from the block of nominees to be confirmed, and the motion failed, on a 12–3 vote. That means that her confirmation will be bound up in the confirmations of lots of other nominees, which is to say that it’ll quite certainly pass the Senate. Although Sen. Creigh Deeds voted against Dragas and pleaded with other senators to do likewise, Albemarle’s other senator, Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania), voted in support of Dragas. This same process still has to repeat itself before the House Privileges and Elections Committee. The only local legislator on House P&E is Del. Steve Landes (R-Weyers Cave), who opposes Dragas’ reappointment.,
The Supreme Court of Virginia has dismissed the lawsuits against the Young Men’s Christian Association’s planned fitness center in McIntire Park, Sean Tubbs reports for Charlottesville Tomorrow. ACAC and Gold’s Gym sued Charlottesville and Albemarle County after the governments struck a deal with the YMCA to put a gym in the park, but didn’t open the process to a competitive bidding process that would have allowed either of those businesses to have a shot, as is standard in the procurement process.
The 39-page opinion makes for an interesting read. Although § 15.2-953 of the Virginia Code allows localities to provide money or property to non-profit organizations in exchange for those organizations providing services to citizens, the plaintiffs argued that the defendants’ actions here really should be governed by procurement law, and not by § 15.2-953. The court disagreed, citing a 2007 case to say that the gyms are “attempt[ing] a third-party challenge to a governmental action when such a challenge is not otherwise authorized by statute.” “ACAC alleges that it pays taxes in Albemarle County, it is not seeking to protect the interests of the taxpayers of Albemarle County and thus does not allege a justiciable controversy.” Also, the plaintiffs didn’t name the YMCA as a defendant, making it impossible for the court to compel them to do anything in this matter. The court considers a string of similar claims, and comes to the same conclusion in every case—there’s nothing that the court can do about them.
It was in December of 2007 that City Council voted to lease parkland to the YMCA—just over five years ago—and May of 2010 that the lawsuits were filed. This legal dispute was said to be the only thing standing in the way of starting construction, so presumably that’s the next step.
Two and a half years after he went on the run, Jim Baldi has been arrested in California, Dave McNair writes for The Hook. The former owner of an accounting firm (and Bel Rio, the Belmont restaurant) disappeared after financial irregularities emerged. He was charged with embezzling from clients, and then was gone without a trace. Many folks—myself included—thought he’d never be heard from again. The U.S Marshals Service and the Albemarle County Police tracked him down. He’s awaiting extradition to Virginia.
Republican John Pfaltz and Democrat Jason Vandever will be the candidates for Charlottesville treasurer, Graham Moomaw writes in the Daily Progress. Vandever is the interim treasurer, having served as the deputy for retired long-time treasurer Jennifer Brown. Pfaltz is a professor emeritus of computer science, perhaps best known in local political circles for his unsuccessful run for City Council in 2000.
The special election is being held at the behest of local Republicans, who didn’t want to see Vandever remaining interim treasurer until next November. They demanded an election, but before Judge Hogshire would order that one be held, he wanted to know that Republicans would actually run a candidate, something that they have often failed to do in city elections. As Moomaw points out, the chairman of the Charlottesville Republicans assured the judge that they had a candidiate, but that his identity was a secret, in an interaction that took place prior to when Pfaltz says that he decided to run. (Pfaltz says that there was another person, but he declined to run.) He’s holding a campaign announcement for the city office in North Garden tomorrow morning.
The good news is that the election is being contested. I was beginning to doubt that Republicans could find candidates for any office in Charlottesville.
01/06 Update: It turns out that Pfaltz is running as an independent, not as a Republican. So one could either see this as yet another a failure on the part of city Republicans to field a single candidate, or an effort by Pfaltz to avoid association with a label that he fears would tarnish his candidacy. Or maybe something more generous that I can’t think of.
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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