October 28, 2024: Virginia asks U.S. Supreme Court to overturn court ruling blocking purge of voter registration lists
October 28, 2024: Virginia asks U.S. Supreme Court to overturn court ruling blocking purge of voter registration lists
Plus: The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority posts its draft annual plan
There is nothing special about this edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement except that internal measurements have determined this is the 750th edition. Some humans attach special significance to particular numbers. Two previous milestones in the history of this publication:
September 22, 2021 was the 250th edition
February 21, 2023 was the 500th edition
What changes have occurred in your life since those times? What changes will happen between now and whenever CCE-1000 goes out? I’m Sean Tubbs, and this is a little window into how I think.
In today’s installment:
Two levels of the federal judiciary have ordered the Commonwealth of Virginia to restore over 1,500 people removed from voter registration lists and Attorney General Miyares has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court
The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority has posted its draft annual plan for the next fiscal year
The Town of Bedford receives nearly $1.5 million in federal funds toward construction of a train station for future passenger rail service
The City of Charlottesville and the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont will hold an event Thursday to celebrate the restoration of a stream bank in McIntire Park
Charlottesville City Manager shares more of his community inventions with City Council including an idea to buy three high-end portable toilets
First shout: September has been a busy month for the Rivanna Conservation Alliance
In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out, The Rivanna Conservation Alliance had had a late summer and early fall in September and here are a few items:
At the recent Round-Up, RCA had 142 volunteers at 18 cleanup sites across the Rivanna River watershed. Together, they removed 219 bags of trash, 14 tires, and many more bulky items that did not fit into trash bags from our stream, roads, and trails. The dumpster was weighed and contained 2,340 pounds of trash.
In September, the RCA’s new River Steward begins work with middle schools in Albemarle and Charlottesville to help students learn about the Rivanna.
A new watershed coordinator has joined the team to lead the Rivanna River Forest Health and Resilience project and to run the monitoring program.
Watch this space for new volunteer opportunities!
Virginia takes voter purge case to the U.S. Supreme Court
Attorney General Jason Miyares has filed an emergency petition to the United States Supreme Court to appeal a ruling that the Commonwealth of Virginia must restore over 1,500 people to voter registration lists.
“Less than two weeks before the 2024 Presidential Election, and more than a month into early voting, the district court below ordered Applicants, Virginia and its election officials, to place over 1,600 self-identified noncitizens back onto Virginia’s voter rolls, in violation of Virginia law and common sense,” reads the emergency request filed on Sunday.
Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order #35 on August 7, 2024. This directed the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections to update the voter list daily and remove persons who are dead, have moved, or are ineligible to vote.
A coalition of groups including the League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Virginia on October 7. They argued that Youngkin’s directive was a violation of the National Voter Rights Act because there is to be a quiet period 90 days before an election where sweeping edits of the lists are not to be made.
At issue is whether the Commonwealth’s action is based on individual requests or a systematic program. The latter falls afoul of federal law.
On Friday, Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered the Department of Elections to restore anyone who had been removed from the voter rolls since August 7 unless they had made a request, have died, or are ineligible to vote due to criminal activity or mental incapacity.
The court order also requires the Department of Elections to contact anyone who was removed to inform them they are still eligible to vote. This note must also state that non-citizens are not eligible to vote.
“A process is systematic if it uses a ‘mass computerized data-matching process’ to identify and confirm names for removal without ‘individualized information or investigation’,” reads part of the six page ruling.
Attorneys for the Commonwealth had argued that the quiet period did not apply to the program to remove non-citizens from registration lists. The three judge appeals court disagreed.
“Under the preliminary injunction, appellants remain able to prevent noncitizens from voting by canceling registrations on an individualized basis or prosecuting any noncitizen who votes—options the district court specifically flagged at the hearing and in its written order,” the ruling continues. (read the ruling)
The Commonwealth of Virginia has until Wednesday to comply with the ruling and a response is due from the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow afternoon. According to SCOTUS Blog, these cases are usually dealt with an unsigned orders with little explanation.
CHRA posts annual plan for FY25/FY26
The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority was created in 1954 after voters in the city answered “yes” to an April 15 referendum on whether it should be brought into existence. The vote was 1,105 to 1,069.
A lot has happened in the past 70 years as the CRHA presided over the urban renewal project that demolished homes and businesses in the city’s Vinegar Hill neighborhood. Hundreds of public housing units were built in some but not all parts of the city.
The past few years have been a very different CRHA as the agency redevelops some of its properties, makes renovations to others, and purchases more housing units across the city.
Today the agency posted its draft annual plan for FY25/FY26 as required by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations. CRHA’s next fiscal year begins on April 1, 2025. (read the draft plan)
According to the plan, CRHA now oversees 293 public housing units and administers 641 housing choice vouchers. The agency proposes continuing to dispose some of its existing units to prepare them for demolition and will continue redevelopment through “mixed finance modernization” at the Sixth Street property.
The CRHA needs HUD to approve a plan to demolish one existing apartment unit with six units to make way for new places.
“We anticipate developing between 40-45 units on the site with a mixture of 1- to 3- bedroom units,” the plan continues.
Other units that have been traditional public housing units are being transition to ones subsidized through project based vouchers. That’s the case at the second phase of the South First Street project where 58 units have recently been demolished.
“Through the Mixed Finance redevelopment of South First Street, we have determined it is most financially feasible for CRHA to redevelop the site with a mixture of project- based voucher, public housing units and non-subsidized tax credit units,” the plan continues.
Other highlights from the plan:
“The CRHA acquired a total of 80 units within the last year and is currently in the process of acquiring 15 additional [Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing] units.”
The CRHA is in the midst of creating a non profit to assist in fundraising for operations.
The CRHA is also creating a homeownership program for residents with a target of using five housing choice vouchers.
There will be a series of meetings for people to review the plan before a public hearing on December 12.
Republican Congressman announces nearly $1.5M in federal funding for Bedford train stop study
Last week, one of Virginia’s Congressional delegation announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $1.481 million to help a community on the Northeast Regional line plan for a potential train station.
“Bedford is a growing community with a lot of potential, located between the cities of Roanoke and Lynchburg,” said Morgan Griffith, a Republican who represents the 9th District. “This DOT grant for nearly $1.5 million helps the Town of Bedford complete preliminary engineering and promote access to passenger rail services.”
The funding comes from the DOT’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program. That came through legislation called Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act that was signed into law in December 2015. The legislation passed 359 to 65 with Griffith voting yea.
Passenger rail service to Roanoke was restored in October 2017 after many years with no routes available. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation conducted an analysis of a potential stop in Bedford and found that the addition of a stop would not delay freight service if Amtrak stuck to its regular schedule. (read the report)
Amtrak and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority have also agreed to extend the service to the New River Valley with a stop proposed in Christiansburg.
“The New River Valley Passenger Rail Project will extend Virginia’s state-supported Amtrak service to the historic Cambria Yard, which served rail passengers from 1904 to 1979,” reads a description on the VPRA site. “The project will construct a high-level platform, canopy, parking lot, siding track, and layover facility on Norfolk Southern’s N-line.”
Griffith was present at a ceremony held in May 2021 where former Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation creating an authority to build the Christiansburg train station. At the time, he said he had initially been skeptical of the idea but came around when he saw ridership numbers continue to grow.
“I have to confess and anybody who studies the record would know that I missed the train in Lynchburg and I missed the train in Roanoke, so I wanted to make sure I got on in Christiansburg,” Griffith said.
That last quote comes from the May 6, 2021 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement.
Second-shout out: Camp Albemarle
Today’s second subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for over sixty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”
Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman’s River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Are you looking to escape and reconnect with nature? Consider holding an event where the natural beauty of the grounds will provide a venue to suit your needs. Visit their website to view the gallery and learn more!
New date for celebration of Schenks Branch stream restoration set for this Friday
One way that the city spends money that comes through the stormwater utility fee is to cover part of the cost of restoring stream banks that erode away in floods and other high water events.
This Friday at 11 am, the city and the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont will hold a two-hour event to commemorate the recent restoration of 840 linear feet of Schenks Branch in the city’s McIntire Park on land leased to the nonprofit group, according to an information release sent out today.
“The stream, now home to over 1,000 native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, stands as the Garden’s first major completed feature,” said Jill Trischman-Marks, Executive Director of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont.
The event will offer a guided tour and will feature before and after exhibits.
Funding for the project came from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) and was matched with funding from the stormwater utility fee that goes to the capital improvement program.
The Botanical Garden of the Piedmont is located at 950 Melbourne Road in Charlottesville.
Sanders briefs Council on other community interventions such as purchase of portable restrooms
(Second of two parts)
Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders spent just over an hour on October 21 explaining to City Council several “community interventions” he expects to make in the coming weeks and months. (read part one)
At about halfway through the meeting, Sanders began discussing quality of life issues with a discussion of the Downtown Mall.
“It's a centerpiece and it is ground zero for a lot of things, good, bad and otherwise,” Sanders said.
The 50th anniversary of the mall is in 2026 and earlier this year a committee produced a report with several action steps. Sanders said it is time to prioritize what to do including the tree replacement plan. One suggestion is to make permanent what is to soon be a temporary holiday display.
“A couple weeks from now, Friends of Cville Downtown will initiate a brand new holiday lighting display,” Sanders said. “It'll be a very colorful experience.”
Sanders said he is considering leaving the display intact year round but converting the bulbs to all white in order to provide more lighting on the mall. He also wants to add more public seating.
“I know people don't want to add benches because they feel like if we do then homeless people will take them,” Sanders said. “And I say, well, learn to live with that because we're going to put them back out there. And we're going to find additional ways to bring seating that doesn't require you to be in a cafe space, which meant you had to spend money in order to come to Charlottesville's downtown.”
Sanders also wants to hire someone to manage the mall so members of public can easily contact someone if there is an issue. He said it is time to create a public restroom that is more than just space leased from York Place and he showed a demonstration of a high-end port-a-potty that could be purchased for $80,000 each.
“This is about solving problems,” Sanders said. “I don't want to be here five years from now and not know that we haven't solved this bathroom problem.”
Sanders said he wants to buy three of them to get started with placements to be determined later. An advantage is that they do not have to be connected to utilities. However, they would need someone to service them and Sanders is recommending taking another $450,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act funds toward a pilot program.
“The goal would be for us to add additional staff and resources that we would need, that they would work a schedule, they'd be branded the same way and you would see them in key areas,” Sanders said.
Sanders said there is no plan to prevent the unhoused from being on the Downtown Mall, though he knows there many who want that to happen.
“Not saying that, because I don't believe that is what you want,” Sanders said. “And ultimately I do not believe that is what the larger community wants. That is not a solution.”
However, he did say that some people have been encouraged to get their possessions off of the mall. The city has provided bags to some people to keep their items at a pod provided by the Salvation Army. Sanders said the policy is so far working.
“That has been why we don't see what we saw just three months ago,” Sanders said. “And I measured three months because I go out on the mall now on a much more regular basis. And I don't see the big piles of things in places. And I know it's because of what we've already been doing.”
Sanders said the city is not seeking approval at this time from Council to be able to clear out encampments but Police Chief Michael Kochis may want that ability.
When it came time to give comment, City Councilor Brian Pinkston said Sanders long list of community interventions, but wasn’t so sure about a plan to purchase six prefabricated homeless shelters from a company called Palette.
“I would probably put buying $600,000 worth of, you know, corrugated metal boxes maybe at the bottom end of my list,” Pinkston said.
Pinkston also said he would support lowering the speed limit to 25 miles per hour immediately.
Councilor Michael Payne suggested that any improvements made on the mall could be paid by property owners through formation of a business improvement district (BID) such as the case in portions of Arlington and Alexandria.
“The businesses themselves came together to basically tax themselves but it is all going directly right into that business district,” Payne said. If we're going to make some of those investments sustainable, if it's just for that downtown mall area is just something, you know, I had wondered about in terms of figuring out how we make this all work.”
The idea has been floated before with a proposal in 2014 from the defunct Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville. For more information, visit this page on cvillepedia.
All of these conversations took place at a work session and there were no official votes. Council will have to vote on resolutions to appropriate the money for any of the interventions at future meetings. Stay tuned to Charlottesville Community Engagement.
Election reading material for #750
Note: Charlottesville Tomorrow continues a tradition of providing voter guides and so I’m putting these first
Voter Guide: A Scottsville Town council member and the incumbent are both vying for town mayor, Charlottesville Tomorrow, October 26, 2024
Voter Guide: Incumbent Stephen “Steve” Catalano is running unopposed for Greene County Board of Supervisors Stanardsville District, Charlottesville Tomorrow, October 26, 2024
Voter Guide: Dawn Lotts Marshall is the only certified candidate for Greene County Treasurer, Charlottesville Tomorrow, October 26, 2024
Reading material for #750
Virginia city’s preelection fight over certification shows how local procedures have become a flashpoint, Renee Marsh and Tierney Sneed, CNN, October 22, 2024
Virginia didn't DNA test 3 criminal cases in a 2005 post-conviction review, Megan Pauly, VPM, October 23, 2024
Virginia board votes to reject changes to hound hunting regulations, Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury, October 25, 2024
Charlottesville, Albemarle early voting turnout lags 2020, Jason Armesto, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), October 25, 2024
Where does the 5th District Republican Party go from here? A look into the tumult wrangling the conservative stronghold, Elizabeth Beyer, Cardinal News, October 25, 2024
Charlottesville city manager floats multimillion-dollar plan to assist homeless, Emily Hemphill, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), October 26, 2024
Student body presidents at Virginia colleges urge Youngkin to address 'attacks' on DEI, Anna Bryson, Richmond Times-Dispatch (via Charlottesville Daily Progress) (paywall), October 27, 2024
Sabato speaks on tight presidential race with just over a week to go, Ford McCracken, Cavalier Daily, October 27, 2024
Three-quarters of the way to a thousand!
There really is nothing special about this edition of the newsletter but there’s something about milestone numbers. Yet, each one I do is intended to convey information the reader would not have had otherwise.
With 750 of these under my belt, perhaps I’ll stick around to keep doing more. There definitely appears to be support with about one in five readers contributing financially one way or another. I also have people asking me for rate sheets and I’m attracting attention from groups who want to improve access to information.
My entire career I’ve wanted to improve access to information and I know I’m far from perfect. I would like to be able to write much more, and I am hopeful in the coming year I will be able to hire people or begin some sort of formal training program.
January marks the 30th anniversary of my first professional journalism experience as an intern at WVTF Public Radio in Roanoke. What I learned at 21 I put into practice every day at 51. I would still like to be doing this in some form at 81 as doing this work is how I stay sane.
If you’d like to support the work and are unsure about Substack, ask me for other ways. It is just me doing all of the work. That’s been the case since the beginning except for the volunteers I had for a while who helped with voiceovers.
Your work pays me directly to keep this as my full-time job. And there’s certainly enough to write about each week! And if you do pay through Substack, Ting will match your initial payment.
If you sign up for service and you are within Ting’s service area, enter the promo code COMMUNITY you’re going to get:
Free installation
A second month for free
A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
