Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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Your City Council Endorsements?

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 31, 2007 in Politics. 7 Comments

Charlottesville Democrats will be holding their convention on Saturday to choose three nominees for City Council among candidates David Brown, Holly Edwards, Satyendra Huja, Jennifer McKeever, and Linda Seaman, with Mayor Brown seeking reelection. The event will be held at the Charlottesville Performing Arts Center beginning at 1pm, but anybody who wishes to vote must arrive prior to 1pm in order to get signed in.

I live in the county, so what I think doesn’t particularly matter, but my favorite candidates for the two open seats are Holly Edwards and Jennifer McKeever. They’re smart, engaged, and experienced, and are very much their own women. (Holly has the added bonus of being a total badass.) I know and like all of the candidates, and, for the first time in my memory, I can say that I’d be very happy to see any of the candidates serve on Council. Both Linda Seaman and Satyendra Huja have enormously valuable experience and long histories of service to the city, and I quite like them both personally.

Now you’re up — who do you support, and why?

Flier Kerfuffle Redux

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 29, 2007 in In Brief. 10 Comments

Remember the kerfuffle over sending pagan fliers home with kids at Hollymead Elementary? Fundamentalist Christians figured that only their religion was allowed in schools. Well, here we go again — an atheist summer camp wants to promote itself in schools, but some teachers are refusing to hand out the flier because it promotes atheism, Lonnie explains over at his blog.  #

Foster Some Kittens!

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 29, 2007 in In Brief. 3 Comments

The kittening season is underway, and the SPCA needs foster parents. If you’re willing to take care of a littler of kittens until they can find a forever home, e-mail Jennifer and let her know. For more about the local kitten fostering process, see ScamperDude.  #

Foreclosures Skyrocket

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 27, 2007 in Development and Law and Justice. 36 Comments

'We Buy Houses' SignI’d wondered to what to attribute the “We Buy Houses” signs all around the county, planted illegally in the right of way. (The sign at right was planted by DMT Properties, one of dozens that literally litter the landscape.) They’re a scam, of course, but Commonwealth Attorney Jim Camblos has apparently chosen to turn a blind eye. Turns out there’s a reason for the flourishing signs, as Brian McNeill points out: rising adjustable mortgage rates mean that people’s homes are being foreclosed on as they fall behind on their payments. The purpose of the signs is to prey on these desperate souls, offering them false hope at a chance to escape foreclosure.

Foreclosure notes in the paper during the first quarter of this year are up 27% from the same period last year. The Piedmont Housing Alliance says they simply can’t keep up with homeowners seeking help, which has increased by five-fold since this time last year. Subprime lenders have provided mortgages to people who simply can’t afford them, and now the industry is collapsing.

I’m mystified that no local media outlet has done a story about DMT Properties and their ilk. The business is a scam, their method of promotion is unsightly and blatantly illegal, and yet nobody says boo. What gives?

05/29 Update: DMT Properties responds.

Privatizing the Downtown Mall

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 26, 2007 in General News. 9 Comments

In the current week’s Hook, columnist Peter Kleeman decries the loss of public space on the Downtown Mall, now that it’s being leased for the exclusive use of not just cafés, but to the ever-growing Charlottesville Pavilion. The agreement between the city and the pavilion allowed them to occupy a certain amount of space, which was extended down the Mall a bit while the transit center was under construction. Construction is finished, but the pavilion wants to continue to cordon off the Mall beginning at the end of the free speech monument, completely blocking the entrance to City Hall. The city is considering allowing the pavilion to continue doing this permanently, any time that they hold an event.

Henry Graff picked up the story for NBC 29, interviewing local blogger Sean McCord, who was recently surprised to be halted at the barricades while taking a walk.

It was only two years ago that Rich Collins was arrested while campaigning on private property. He decried the loss of public space to privatization, a concern that looks downright prescient now.