April 17, 2025: First campaign reports are in for local races in 2025 with Council incumbents raising funds through joint political action committee

Plus: Zyahna Bryant leads fundraising in Charlottesville School Board race

Apr 17, 2025

The Commonwealth of Virginia effectively left the United States of America on April 17, 1861 after a vote by a secession convention. This event 164 years ago would not be official until ratification several weeks later. This history is worth revisiting because that time no longer seems as far away as it did when I was growing up.

Charlottesville Community Engagement is a publication created by a person whose father wore gas masks as an infant when German bombs were dropped on the English city where he was born. I’m Sean Tubbs, determined to remind as many people as possible that it’s important to look in all directions when you’re on your own timeline.

In today’s installment:

Campaign finance reports in for races in Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville
Two incumbents on City Council are running as a pair and that includes joint fundraising efforts under a separate political action committee
The Charlottesville Fire Department releases its annual report for 2024
The Central Virginia Electrical Cooperative recognizes April 18 as Lineman Appreciation Day

First shout-out: Charlottesville Jazz Society presents Charlie Ballantine concert on April 24

The Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU welcome the return of Charlie Ballantine to Charlottesville, for a concert at Belmont Arts Collaborative on April 24th at 7:30 pm.

Named as one of the top 200 living guitarists by All About Jazz Magazine, Charlie Ballantine is acclaimed as one of the finest and most versatile guitarists on the scene today. JAZZ TIMES MAGAZINE hails his playing as “teeming with intricate grooves and maniacal precision, both beautiful and complex.”

Following two very well received appearances in Charlottesville, Charlie this time brings a veteran band featuring his long-time bassist from Indiana days, Quinn Sternberg, and the great New York City drummer Dan Weiss. The group will be playing selections from their forthcoming release due out in April. The first single from that recording is a thrilling version of The Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever.

Tickets to see Charlie Ballantine’s trio April 24th at Belmont Arts Collaborative on Carlton Road are available online. General admission is $22, and paid subscribers of The Charlottesville Jazz Society pay $18. All tickets will be $25 at the door. Call 434-249-6191 for more information, or visit Cvillejazz.org.

First campaign finance reports in for local races

If you’re running for office in Virginia and you plan to raise money, you must tell the Virginia Department of Elections who has given your campaign money and how you have spent the funds.

The first deadline for campaign activity was April 15 and the Virginia Public Access Project has compiled all of the reports. They’re also available through a portal on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Albemarle County

Three of Albemarle’s six seats on the Board of Supervisors are up for election this fall, but there’s only one party primary coming up on June 17. That’s for the Jack Jouett District where Democrats Sally Duncan and David Shreve are competing for the open seat. Supervisor Diantha McKeel has decided to retire after three terms.

Shreve outraised Duncan in activity reported for the first three months of 2025. Shreve raised $6,370 from eight individuals including $5,000 from Sonjia Smith and $250 from former Samuel Miller District Supervisor Liz Palmer. There were five contributions under $100. That’s the threshold where someone has to identify themselves under Virginia law.

The former member of the Economic Development Authority’s Board of Directors spent $719. (view the report on VPAP)

Duncan reported $5,290 in contributions between February 11 and March 31 with two individuals contributing $1,000 each. Duncan had 18 contributions under $100 for a total of $1,160. She has loaned herself $1,180 for the campaign. The Duncan campaign spent $920. (view the report on VPAP)

Images of the Sally Duncan and David Shreve — Sally Duncan and David Shreve

There is at least one campaign forum scheduled for this race. The Free Enterprise Forum will hold an event at Journey Middle School on May 21. This event will begin at 5:30 p.m. and topics to be discussed will include affordable housing, economic vitality, infrastructure, regulations, and taxation.

“Contested elections make better public officials”, said Free Enterprise Forum President Neil Williamson in an information release.”

Charlottesville City Council incumbents outraise newcomer through joint political action committee

There is a three-way race for two Democratic nominations for the two seats up for election to Charlottesville. Incumbents Brian Pinkston and Juandiego Wade are running as a pair and are facing a challenge from newcomer Jen Fleisher. In addition to raising funds individually, Wade and Pinkston have a joint political action committee.

Incumbent Brian Pinkston reported the highest contribution with $100 in cash and $12,672 in in-kind contributions. He began the year with $507 in his campaign’s bank account and ended March with $560 in the bank.

In-kind contributions consist of the financial value of goods and services offered to the campaign. These are listed as $12,360 from the “Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund” as well as a $313 in-kind contribution from former City Councilor Heather Hill.

Anyone can search raw reports at the Virginia Department of Elections at this link. There are two reports for this newly created political action committee.

The Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund reported its first report on January 13, 2025 for activity in December 2024. A political action committee subject to the same fundraising rules as candidates but not directly tied to them. The Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund raised $17,890.44 in December with $1,576.58 in expenditures. The fund had a balance of $16,403.86 coming into 2025.

The top contributor in this period is developer Ludwig Kuttner who donated $6,000. A cannabis retail store called The Hidden Leaf contributed another $2,000 and developer Keith Woodard contributed another $2,000. Another $1,000 came from a transfer from Juandiego Wade’s political action committee.

The second report covers activity from January 1 to March 31. The Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund reported $33,448.82 in contributions during the period. There were $18,881.93 in expenditures leaving a balance of $30,970.75 coming into the second quarter of 2025.

There were two contributions of $5,000. The first came from an entity called 11th & Cochran LLC identified as a real estate entity based in Albemarle County. Property records indicate they are the owner of a building identified as 119-123 East Main Street on the Downtown Mall.

The second $5,000 contribution came from Chris Henry, president of the Stony Point Development Group. That’s the group behind the recent renovation of Dairy Market into a mixed-use development.

Developer Richard Hewitt of Seminole Trail Properties contributed another $2,500 as did ShelterPAC. The Monticello Business Alliance PAC made a $2,000 donation and Keith Woodard added another $4,000.

From this report we learn that Hill covered the cost of a campaign event at $313, the source of that in-kind contribution listed above. Kardinal Hall provided event space for a $200 in-kind contribution.

Actual expenditures went to pay for consulting, marketing, and other campaign funds.

In contrast, Fleisher is running without the benefit of a mate. Her campaign raised $3,675 in a period from March 6 to March 31. That includes a $300 in-kind contribution. Fleisher spent $740 and had a balance of $2,635 at the end of the month.

So far I am aware of two campaign forums for the three-way race that will be the first time ranked-choice voting will be used in an election in Charlottesville.

The Greenbrier Neighborhood Association has invited all three to participate in a virtual forum on May 14. Details on how to participate as we get closer.
The Free Enterprise Forum will have an in-person forum at the Hillsdale Conference Center on May 28. Here’s the next time we hear from Williamson:

“These May events will provide a venue for each candidate to outline their vision as well as their priorities, strategies and specific tactics to achieve that vision,” Williamson said.

Bryant outraises candidates in Charlottesville School Board race

There are three seats open on the Charlottesville School Board this November. These are non-partisan races so there is no primary.

So far two of the three incumbents have officially announced they would seek re-election to new terms. They are Emily Dooley and Lisa Larson-Torres. Dashad Cooper and Zyahna Bryant have declared races and the third incumbent is Dom Morse.

In the first campaign report of the year, Bryant reported the highest amount of contributions with a total of $8,946. That breaks down to $3,841 in contributions over $100 and $5,105 made up of 91 contributions below $100. Bryant’s campaign spent $3,295 and had a balance of $5,650 on March 31, 2025. (view the report on VPAP)

Cooper ran for Council in 2023 and had $1,334 in that campaign account at the beginning of January. He transferred this amount to his School Board campaign and reported another $350 in receipts for that account. He spent no money and had a balance of $1,636 at the end of the quarter.

Dooley reported an opening and closing balance of $4,304 with no activity.
Larsen-Torres reported an opening and closing balance of $1,634 with no activity.
Morse reported an opening and closing balance of $1,326 with no activity.

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Second shout-out: ReLeaf

In today’s second subscriber-supported announcement: ReLeaf Cville seeks to help restore the amount of the city that is covered by trees. Here are some of their efforts since 2022.

• Planted over 300 trees particularly in neighborhoods with low tree cover, including 10^th and Page and Rose Hill. Most recently in the Woolen Mills, working with the Rivanna Conservation Alliance, the group will have planted 140 trees to help keep the Rivanna River clean. Their teenage group, the Green Team, helped with the Woolen Mills plantings

• Started a three-year Tree Preservation Program with a $189.9K grant from Virginia Department of Forestry to provide free tree care to 28 Fifeville homeowners to help preserve 48 mature trees this winter.

• Educated over 540 students about the value of trees and nature in the City and developing a Green Team of 15 teenagers every year. This group is taught about the value of trees and nature in the City. After teaching them how to approach people going door – to- door, they canvas the neighborhoods asking if we can plant trees in homeowners yards. This winter the Green Team, working with the Rivanna Conservation Alliance, is removing invasive plants and plant new tree seedlings to refurbish forested areas.

• Environmental Education Summit. With a grant from Clean Virginia, in March the group held a summit with over 40 organizations involved in environmental education

Charlottesville Fire Department releases annual report for 2024

A good practice for any government department is to produce a report listing its activities in a given year. This can take many forms and this year the Charlottesville Fire Department has opted to go with a “StoryMap” for its annual report for 2024.

“We invite you to explore the information and reach out if you have questions or comments,” reads the opening statement.

Lesser known is how many people actually take a look at these. A major role of Charlottesville Community Engagement is to increase the amount of information people know about local government and in the spirit of that mission here are some highlights:

The CFD hired 12 new recruits to bring the total number of employees to 115 with 108 of them sworn personnel.
A new fire station on the U.S. 250 Bypass is expected to be open in May 2025.
In its first six months of operation beginning in July, the ANCHOR team responded to 211 service calls. The ANCHOR team assists in situations where someone is having a mental health crisis.
The StoryMap has links to letters from various personnel including Chief Michael Thomas.
The FY2025 budget for CFD was $20,188,484.
CFD responded to 7,884 calls for service in 2024, down 0.3 percent from 2023.
One new employee hired in 2024 was a technician to manage medical supplies to comply with new federal guidelines on their exchange between different health care providers.

*A breakdown of the types of service calls in 2024. Read the StoryMap for more information. (Credit: Charlottesville Fire Department)*

Central Virginia Electrical Cooperative to mark Lineman Appreciation Day

At a time when a shifting climate results in stronger and strong storms, there is a large workforce of men and women who respond to the aftermath of powerful wind events.

April 18 is Lineman Appreciation Day and the Central Virginia Environmental Cooperative is one of many utilities across the country that is making the occasion.

“We commend these men and women for their hard work, commitment, and sacrifices,” said Melissa Gay, CVEC’s Vice President of Communications and Member Services. “They often work in difficult conditions and miss time with their families to keep the lights on, our communities safe, and power flowing to our homes and businesses.”

The United States Congress established Lineman Appreciation Day in the wake of Hurricane Sandy which devastated the coast of New Jersey in late October 2012.

CVEC has over 150 employees, most of whom are in the field after power outages and performing routine maintenance. CVEC covers parts of 14 Central Virginia counties including Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson.

For additional information, visit a website set up for the occasion.

(image) Graham Hughes and Mike Reynolds, two linemen with the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (Credit CVEC) — Graham Hughes and Mike Reynolds, two linemen with the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (Credit CVEC)

Reading material:

Local Vietnam vets push for easier access to Dogwood Vietnam Memorial, Sarah Allen, CBS19 News, April 10, 2025
ACPD releases crime stats for quarter 1 of 2025, Sarah Allen, CBS19, April 11, 2025
With Missing Middle up in the air, developers turn to single-family homes, Dan Egitto, ARLNow, April 17, 2025

Memories at the end of #850

Today is the 18th anniversary of me joining Charlottesville Tomorrow. The day before was the massacre at Virginia Tech. As I type those words, many memories pour out from slowly realizing the enormity of that terrible day. Someone called me up to ask if I could go down to cover it for a national outlet, but I really needed my local job.

My first effort to build a business didn’t work out so well. In the mid-2000’s, there was not a system to get payments from people who wanted to pay for my experiments in journalism at the Charlottesville Podcasting Network. So I became an employee and had a very good manager who was able to nurture me. In the business, I was trying to do way too much and I had no focus. I was chasing whatever revenue I could get and had way too many ideas and not enough knowledge about how to do anything.

I graduated from Virginia Tech in 1995 and a very strong voice in me wanted to go down there to cover the tragedy. I knew if I did, I would probably not have actually taken the job. I was being hired to do a very specific kind of writing, and I made a decision to say no. I had a family to support.

And now here I am. Other people told the stories of that horrible day and the many people who were affected by such devastating loss. I did not have the experience of telling those stories.

My time at Virginia Tech helps explain who I am. When I was in high school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I didn’t do well at all as a computer science major, as that’s what I said I wanted to do. I had no idea what I wanted to do.

Somehow I figured it out, and I owe everything to those four years I spent in Blacksburg. As you may know, the motto is Ut Prosim, That I May Serve, and I’ve taken that to heart the entire time I’ve spent learning how to do this.

I’m grateful for all of the blessings I’ve had along the way. I’ve had a lot of fortune, and I’ve developed resiliency to get me through hardship. I think about that terrible day on April 16, 2007, and I can imagine the horror and also want to be able to imagine a world where we didn’t have all of this violence.

But looking back, humanity goes through phases and cycles. I play my part trying to put together whatever this is. I am grateful many of you are assisting me in able to do this.

And this track is where we have to end it today. One day I’ll record a cover version of this song.

Charlottesville Community Engagement