Unavailable: To re-establish trust, the police department, and the city, need to do better
On May 3, I joined a small crowd at City Hall to see 11 Charlottesville police officers receive their promotions. But only 10 were there. Officer Logan Woodzell, whose promotion to sergeant had been announced in the city’s press release the previous day, was not present and was not mentioned. A city official shared that […]
Worth the wait: We need the Police Civilian Review Board
After nearly nine months of work, the Police Civilian Review Board is finalizing its initial bylaws. The proposed model would require the city to hire up to two full-time professional staff members to assist the board in processing and independently investigating complaints against Charlottesville police officers. There has been an understandably high degree of public […]
Working the system: Galvin has a history of supporting the status quo
Councilor Kathy Galvin won’t be sitting on the dais in City Hall much longer. Instead of running for re-election to council this year, she’s currently campaigning as a progressive candidate for the House of Delegates. The planks of her platform are “a sustainable future,” “an equitable future,” and a “just and safe world.” At face […]
A moral map: The city budget is a chance to show what matters to us
It’s budget season. For four months every year, council and staff hold public meetings about the coming year’s priorities. For four months, I sit through what I am absolutely certain is the exact same PowerPoint at least a dozen times. Much of it remains inscrutable to me. I am growing comfortable with the idea that […]
For the record: How a ‘strange hobby’ became a public service
I had lived in Charlottesville for 10 years almost to the day before I saw the inside of City Council chambers. I’d paid my gas bill in person once or twice. I think I bought a trash sticker in 2012. But I’d never even been upstairs at City Hall before. If you’d asked me at […]