There are three open spots on Charlottesville City Council this year and three candidates who’ve won the Democratic nomination, usually a virtual guarantee of being elected. But three independents are still in the race, and as Nikuyah Walker proved with her victory in 2017, they can’t be discounted. We asked each of the candidates the […]
Michael Payne
Future code: How will a tech boom change the city?
By Sydney Halleman It’s 10am on the Downtown Mall, and already the sounds of demolition flood the area. Pedestrians stream past Mudhouse Coffee and The Whiskey Jar, and a few glance at the tall fence erected recently across the walkway, and the signs that read, “Do not trespass. Construction site.” Machinery looms over the area […]
Moving forward: Two years after A12, how do we tell a new story?
It’s been two years since the “Summer of Hate,” and Charlottesville, to the larger world, is still shorthand for white supremacist violence. As we approach the second anniversary of August 11 and 12, 2017, we reached out to a wide range of community leaders and residents to talk about what, if anything, has changed since […]
Ground-ed: UVA considers requiring second-years to live on campus
Every college student knows it’s coming. Do it right, and you’re securing an enjoyable experience for two semesters of your college career. Mess it up, and you may be looking at a 12-month sentence of living with that guy who never learned how to do the dishes. Signing that first lease, even if [...]
‘Progressive energy:’ Hudson, Payne wins signal generational shift
In the end, the 57th District race pitting a millennial and a baby boomer for the open House of Delegates seat wasn’t even close. Thirty-year-old Sally Hudson crushed two-term City Councilor Kathy Galvin with 66 percent of the vote in the June 11 primary. The same dynamic played out in the [...]
The virtues of incivility: Looking closer at the City Council candidates
Despite the refrain from all quarters that the defining issue of this year’s City Council election is housing, this election is a referendum on the status quo. In what feels like hundreds of candidate forums, the five candidates in the Democratic primary for City Council have spent more energy [...]
Local races: Your primary guide
Primary day is June 11, and there’s more on the ballot than the 57th District race between Kathy Galvin and Sally Hudson. If you live in the city, the three people who win the Democratic nomination will likely be the ones to fill the three empty seats on City Council in November because [...]
Windfall blowback: UVA donation spurs backlash
UVA announced the biggest donation in its history, from hedge fund quant Jaffray Woodriff, with much pomp and circumstance, including an appearance by Governor Ralph Northam. But not everyone was happy with the McIntire alum’s decision to spend $120 million on a School of Data Science. Some [...]
Slight snag: City Council candidates, new PAC launch campaigns
It wasn’t your typical launch party. Supporters of local activists Don Gathers and Michael Payne gathered at Kardinal Hall January 8 for the official tossing of the hats into this year’s City Council races. But Gathers made a different kind of announcement: A doctor’s visit three hours earlier [...]
In brief: Out of business, second wettest, medically deficient and more
Knock, knock. Who’s [not] there? Sears. Sweethaus. Performance Bicycle. And Brown’s Cleaners, just to name a few recent local closings that left community members shocked, and in at least one case, without their clothes. The closing of Sears at Fashion Square Mall heralds the demise of one of [...]
Divestment: Charlottesville considers dumping fossil-fuel holdings
In the wake of recent U.N. and U.S. government reports on the catastrophic environmental damage already attributable to climate change, the City of Charlottesville has been challenged to divest from investments in the fossil fuels industry. Local activist Michael Payne proposed several steps [...]