The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - City Councilor Salaries Set To Spike Almost 2X; Will City Salary Spike Entice "Career Politicians?"

Episode Date: July 29, 2024

The I Love CVille Show headlines: City Councilor Salaries Set To Spike (Almost 2X) Will City Salary Spike Entice “Career Politicians?” Habitat, PHA Want To Buy Carlton Mobile Home Park ACPS Working On Hiring More Bus Drivers 19 ACPS Drivers Hired Last Year, 20 Drivers Quit Friends Of CVille Launches Downtown CVille Petition Former Mayor Walker Throws Shade At CPD Is Ranked Choice Voting Right For CVille? Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible, Rumble and iLoveCVille.com.

Subscribe to the show, offer comments to the show. We really want you guys watching on YouTube and subscribing to our channel, please. That would mean the world to us. 1,000 plus followers over on YouTube, and it's just a great platform for consuming video content, as you guys know. So subscribe and like the show on YouTube,

offer some comments over there. Judah Bukower, my friend, we can rock and roll on today's program when you are ready. This is the Monday edition of the I Love Seville show. The last Monday of July, Judah, in 2024, my friend. I'm in your hands. We can rock and roll when you're ready. Quiet on the set. Oh, man. Amen. Amen. Good Monday afternoon, guys.

My name is Jerry Miller. Thank you kindly for joining us on the I Love Seville show. It's great to connect with you through a network that airs on every social media platform possible. We encourage you, the viewer and listener, to chime in with what we're talking about, shape the discussion, challenge us, agree with us, push us, help us consider different viewpoints. Please, we just want to be the water cooler of conversation. We're not always right on this program. We just want to have conversation that's local, that matters to Charlottesville, Alamo County, and Central Virginia. I think today's show identifies with that mantra. We're going to talk city council or pay. There's someone I respect and follow on Facebook,

Heather Lamond Walker. I've called her the queen of Johnson Village. She publishes prolific content that I often find compelling, and I hope Heather Walker hears what I have to say here or someone lets her know what I have to say. She posted over the weekend some commentary on city councilor salaries set to spike. And by spike, I don't mean keep up with the cost of inflation. By spike, I don't mean let up with the cost of inflation. By spike, I don't mean let's pick up, you know, we haven't offered a raise in a few years, so let's, you know, catch up over a couple years of raises and uptick a bit. I'm talking nearly 2x city councilor salaries

are going to spike. And her commentary on Facebook got some folks in the community that you would certainly call stakeholders offering their comments in the comment section. Matthew Gilligan, the co-chair of Livable Seville, offered some response to Heather Walker's post. Mayor Nakia Walker offered some comments to Heather Walker's post. I also offered some comments to Heather Walker's post. We're going to have this discussion on the show, and we're going to ask this question. If the salaries spike nearly 2x, will we see career politicians in the city of Charlottesville? A follow-up question to that should be this. Is a career politician a good thing for the city of Charlottesville?

A follow-up question to that would be, should a spike in salaries, will a spike in salaries create more diversity on the dais? Right now, you can make a legitimate argument. I've been in this community 24 years in August. There's not much diversity with council. Most of the councillors are, let's cut to the chase, white. Most of the counselors are either self-employed, retired, or have a spouse that is well off, which allows them to spend hours in local government. Here's the spike for counsel. As per a legal notice that's been published on the

record with the media, Charlottesville counselors will see an $18,000 to $34,000 increase. That's nearly 2X, 18K to 34K. The mayor, 20K to $37,000. I want to talk this topic from every side on today's show. I also want to cover on today's show the petition that's circulating from the Friends of Seville lobbying group about downtown Charlottesville. The headline of the petition is, Ensure a Clean and Safe Downtown Charlottesville. You can find it on the change.org platform. As of now, 129 signatures on it.

I think it's a good petition, but the activists in the community are pushing back on this petition created by Friends of Seville. We'll talk about that today on the program. We will also talk about the Albemarle County public school system and hiring bus drivers. Get ready for a damning statistic.

Last year, 19 Albemarle County bus drivers were hired. 19 to help fill a shortage of drivers in a large county, one of the biggest ones in the Commonwealth. Ladies and gentlemen, by the end of the school year, 20 Albemarle County public school drivers had quit. 19 bus drivers hired, and last year's school year, 20 bus drivers quit in last year's school year at ACPS. We'll unpack that for you today on the I Love Seville show. We'll also talk to Nikiah Walker, the former mayor of Charlottesville, throwing shade at the Charlottesville Police Department

and Chief Mike Kotchis' outfit. Chief Kotchis has done a fantastic job, from my standpoint, of holding what I would call meet and greets, the proverbial fireside chats, the opportunity for community members to talk with the police in a friendly and approachable setting. He's doing that by walking neighborhoods. He's doing that by playing football, by playing basketball, holding fairs or events in Ix Park where he gets into a dunk tank. I was at one town forum, community forum, at the church next to Dairy Market where Chief Kachis spoke in front of the community when

it came to gun violence. And he was in front of the proverbial firing squad as community members lambasted him looking for answers. Today, Mayor Walker is throwing shade at the Charlottesville Police Department and calling his efforts, for example, what he did at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia, where he played basketball with local youth from marginalized communities, she called those efforts contrived window dressing in a dog and pony show. I'm paraphrasing. I'll read her Facebook post to you on today's program. We'll talk rank choice voting,

and we'll talk Habitat and the Piedmont Housing Alliance now making a serious effort to purchase the Carleton Mobile Home Park. So many storylines to cover. Judah, if we could weave you in on a two-shot, and then we'll go back to a one. Use that studio camera when you can. Which headline is most intriguing to you, Judah B. Wigower or Jack of All Trades? Like I said, I think I'm very interested to hear a discussion on rank choice voting

and how it could fit in with our community. Because I think it has the opportunity to provide some possibly different outcomes than we've been seeing lately. Former delegate Sally Hudson, one of the strongest or loudest advocates of ranked choice voting. Before we go on the first topic, I want to weave you back in. Do you think ranked choice voting is good for Charlottesville, Judah, in a nutshell? Yeah, I think it could be good for Charlottesville, though, like I said, I would like to hear other arguments. I know my opinion is not the only one that matters. John Blair, welcome to the program. People watch the program to hear your opinion, though. So we're very excited to hear what you have to offer. John Blair, welcome to the program. People watch the program to hear your opinion, though.

So we're very excited to hear what you have to offer. John Blair, thank you for watching on LinkedIn. Deep Throat's got some thoughts already on ranked choice voting. Put the first, lower third on screen, if you could, please, about city councilor salaries. The sticker shock, I think, is the first reaction people will have. City council salaries, it's on the public record now in legal notices with the Daily Progress. Kevin Yancey, thank you for liking the show.

We appreciate you watching and listening to the program. $18,000, the current salary for a counselor. Lloyd Snook makes $18,000 a year. Brian Pinkook makes $18,000 a year. Brian Pinkston makes $18,000 a year. Natalie Ulsheren, $18,000 a year. Michael Payne, $18,000 a year. The mayor makes $20,000 a year. That's Juan Diego Wade. Counselors are pushing, it's on the public notice record now, increasing those salaries from $18,000 to $34,000 and the mayor's salary from $20,000 to $37,000. The initial reaction from the community is going to be one of sticker shock and a time of economic headwinds, inflation

and credit card debt and housing, in a time when the city of Charlottesville is raising the meals tax, the lodging tax, and taking essentially more from homeowners and property owners in the city through increased assessments and increased real estate taxes, increased tax rate, they are at the same time paying themselves almost two times the salary of yesteryear. Where do you want to go with this, Tom? It's certainly going to create a lot of angry people on both sides, I think, arguing with each other. I can see the potential to bring in people that otherwise would have to make a really tough decision

to take on something like this for $18,000, $20,000. On the other hand, I know that there's a strong argument that we're going to start bringing in people that want to do this as their sole job, as their business. And like you said, creating, is this going to create career politicians in Charlottesville? I think that has ups and downs as well. Okay, so what was the answer there? Are you saying, am I for it or against it? I mean, that's generally, it's an opinion show.

Man. That's a tough one. I need to hear more. I don't know how it's going to go. No answer from Judah? No, I think it's an interesting discussion that I want to hear more on before I. All right, so I'll give a straightforward commentary on this. Right now, Alamaro County, the jurisdiction right next to the city of Charlottesville,

it has a board of supervisors. There's five people on the board. Ann Malick is in the middle of her fifth term. That's a career politician. Alamaro County board of supervisors are paid less than the city of Charlottesville. If you are a person of affluence or means and a person that has time on your hands, the pay does not really even matter. Diantha McKeel of the Jack Jewett District and Malik is of the Whitehall District. Diantha McKeel is in either her third or fourth term right now. Nad Galloway is in his second term right now.

All the positions in Albemarle County are paid less than the city of Charlottesville. And three of the five board members in Albemarle County are in deep, multiple terms. Two of them in particular, Diantha McKeel and Ann Malek. If you have economic means and if you have affluence and you have time

on your hand, then it's not going to impact a career politician route. You're going to do it anyway because it's either about serving the community or it's about the influence and power that comes with it. I also posted this under Heather Walker's she started this

conversation on Facebook. I posted this under Heather Walker's – she started this conversation on Facebook. I posted this. $34,000 per year is not going to allow anyone to solely serve on council and live in the city limits unless he or she is living with their parents. They're still going to have to work another 20 to 40 hour a week per job. $34,000 in Charlottesville is poverty line. It's poverty line, especially for somebody who has not locked in housing in a fixed scenario. If they don't own their home and are not in a 30-year mortgage vehicle that was set up before the pandemic. If you are in a housing situation and you have a 30-year vehicle that was set up before the

pandemic, you have an advantage in the city of Charlottesville that those that do not have a housing vehicle that was set up before the pandemic, if they have either a renter situation or they bought a house post-pandemic. They're in a very different situation. And this career politician concept, if someone wants to be a career politician at $34,000 per year, this is probably not the candidate that we want running a $200-plus million yearly budget. And I'm not trying to throw shade at somebody here. The folks that we want to run a city like Charlottesville, we want to have a level of educational sophistication, whether that's government sophistication, whether that's finance sophistication, whether that's leadership

sophistication. And that sophistication is not going to be tied to a $34,000 a year salary. It's not going to create a career politician. Some people are making the argument by raising the pay, you're going to get a more diverse body of candidates. For you to get a more diverse body of candidates to run Charlottesville, to run for city council, you're going to have to pay them a lot more than $34,000 per year. Michael Payne, for example, is able to have his sole, his top revenue stream, his top item of pay every year because he's living at home with his parents. That's how he's able to do this.

If he had a rent scenario or had to pay $1,500 to $2,000 a month in rent, which is market rent right now, $1,500 times 12 months, there's 12 months in a year, is $18,000. That's the entire salary he's earning from serving on council. That would leave no money for food, groceries, health, anything. $34,000, the sticker shot, the perception is the biggest issue. We're in a time of economic hardship for many, at a time when the city is raising taxes across the board on all of us. When it's more expensive to live in the city now

than ever in the history of the city, right now, most expensive. And we're 2x-ing salaries, basically. It's the sticker shock that we should have a problem with. It's the timing that we should have a problem with. It's the perception that we would have the problem with. The lack of nuance that we have a problem with. It's not the fact that 34,000 is going to create a career politician. That's my two cents. That's my take.

I don't think 34, 000 is going to create diversity either i think 34 000 is let's put it in perspective the 18 000 that counselors were making a rate that was set in 2018 in those six years from 2018 to 2024 look at what's happened with the cost of housing directly tied to the pandemic and COVID. It's gone up astronomically. I would bet you the cost of housing in Charlottesville City from 2018 to 2024 has gone up 50%. At least. Anything you want to add to this before we go to the next topic

let's rotate those lower thirds on screen there's a second one that we can put on there your thoughts on what I had to say Judah viewers and listeners will offer your perspective live on air as well so it sounds like you're more you have more of a problem with the overall

price increase than with the fact that it's increasing my problem with the overall price increase than with the fact that it's increasing. My problem is the timing of it. My problem is we just had to swallow the meals tax going up. We're now going to restaurants and paying 12.5% on taxes across the board. Not just city taxes, but all taxes. What we need to have at a restaurant. My problem is the cost of housing is more

expensive than ever. My problem is they're raising taxes on lodging at the same time personal property taxes are increasing. My problem is the timing, the understanding of market dynamics. That's my problem. I don't think 34K is going to create a career politician. Yeah, I think you're right in that. And I don't know 34K is going to create a career politician. Yeah, I think you're right in that. And I don't know that it will necessarily create diversity, but wouldn't it help? I mean, you're right. Nobody's going to choose this. Most people aren't going to choose this as their singular job.

This is going to be part of whatever else they're doing. Um, isn't that kind of a good thing? Make it more, make it, uh, less of a bitter pill or make it easier for someone, um, working a part-time job to run for a position? Heather Walker makes this point in one of her comments on this post, that right now we don't have true diversity with council. She says, council does not have one member that lives in the Johnson or Jackson via school districts. Three live in Burley Moran, one in Greenbrier, and one in Venable. Then she says, with very few exceptions, it has been that way for the last 40 years.

You know why? Those are the voting districts. Those are the residences. Those are the neighborhoods that generally are affluent, self-employed, retired, flexible with time. The sole mission or purpose of raising the salaries is to potentially get a more diverse council pool.

Counselors that may represent FIFIL or Prospect, Star Hill or Tenth and Page. We rarely get those. But for us to get that kind of level of diversity, the pay has to be much higher than this. Someone going to a 40 to 50 hour a week position that is then under the microscope for a four year term with a large majority of the community hating you for the policy that you're creating, and you choose it to take home $34,000, the level of stress that would come with a job with that level of pay is considerably worse than what Albemarle County public schools are paying bus drivers. And we just highlighted that we will highlight on today's show

that this past school year, 19 drivers were hired and 20 quit. Yeah. I would say the ACPS bus driver work position is one full of stress, underappreciated, full of stress, lack of pay, a challenging job.

Would we make the argument that the council is even worse than that? Probably so. Viewers and listeners, let us know your thoughts. This coming from Randy O'Neill. Ask if anyone would donate their salary on council. I can't think of a single person that's on council that would donate their salary.

Not a single person. If I could think of one person on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors that would consider donating their supervisor salary, it would probably be Ann Malik, who's in the middle of her fifth term. Kevin Yancey asked if the city manager has the final say on this. No, this would be something that pushed through by council. And then he highlights that 75% of UVA facilities make it work with pay at that level or less.

Why can't the councilors? I would respond by saying this. Those that are working for UVA facilities and their management team, their blue collar team, their operations team, they are doing yeoman's work and they should be paid more, no doubt. But the level of stress and responsibility that comes with those positions versus the councilor positions are not comparable. Kevin Higgins says this. And we've got to rotate some photos on screen. These council and mayor new salaries are still too low.

This is Charlottesville. The question is what is the mayor and council delivering? What's the game plan for crime? They better figure that out or the city name will change to Sharkargo. It's a reference to Chicago. We did just have a shooting on Market Street over the weekend. We had a shooting a little while ago at Holly's Diner. The shootings are picking up, unfortunately.

He also says, Kevin Higgins, those new salaries are too low. Accountability should be at an all-time high. I don't see it. I think the city is in trouble. What exactly are they doing? Seville needs more than a daily operation management system. It needs inspirational leadership. I don't see it at all. If you have the right team, those salaries are still too low. Vanessa Parkhill has these comments. Put the photo for Vanessa, the Queen of Earliesville, on screen.

If the concern is neighborhoods being representative, then go to a ward system. The ward system is something that's been floated in the past, where each district has a representative and you vote a district representative. We see that in Albemarle County. Yeah. Albemarle County's got that. Mm-hmm. Mike Pruitt, Scottsville District. Yeah.

Nat Galloway, Rio District. Diantha McKeel, Jack Jewett District. Ann Malik, Whitehall District. Jim Andrews, Samuel Miller District. Charlottesville, you're just voting at large. You have a ward system. That would create more of a career politician than raising the pay to $34,000. You have a ward system. Look at how Diantha McKeel and Ann Malik have been able to corner the market in their respective districts because you're shrinking the candidate pool. And in an at- because you're shrinking the candidate pool.

And in an at-large race, the candidate pool is larger. In Alamaro County, you have a lot of races that go uncontested. B. Lepisto currently had some competition against T.J. Fatally in the Rivanna District. Nat Galloway ran unopposed. Diantha McKeel ran unopposed. Pruitt? Pruitt ran unopposed. Diantha McKeel ran unopposed. Pruitt? Pruitt, unopposed. Unopposed.

Jim Andrews, unopposed. The ward system shrinks the candidate pool, which means more career politicians. If you want a career politician, you go to a ward system. Taking the pay to 34K ain't going to create a career politician. You were going to say something. We're throwing around the words career politician like it's always a bad thing. Is it necessarily

always a bad thing? Most people would say career politicians yield to cronyism and backroom dealing and a consolidation of power that's unhealthy for a municipality. Other folks would say career politicians yield institutional memory and a track record of getting stuff done. Right. That's what I was going to say. If we had more institutional memory, if we had more vision for where we're taking this city. I don't know that that would necessarily

be a bad thing, but I do see the natives inherent as well. This from Deep Throat. Number one in the family. He says, 36,000 for council. Will this create career

politicians only if their alternative career involves saying, would you like fries with that 50 times a day? Will this create career politicians only if their alternative career involves saying, would you like fries with that 50 times a day? And it's perhaps a comment that folks will find maybe distasteful, but the point he's making is that level of pay is synonymous with someone working 40 or 50 hours a week at a fast food restaurant. He also says this. Here's a firm answer. Yes, you have to pay more. These people spend 10 to 20 hours a week and take a lot food restaurant. He also says this. Here's a firm answer. Yes, you have to pay more.

These people spend 10 to 20 hours a week and take a lot of crap. I think the current council is worth approximately $0 per year, but hopefully that will change over time. He also says the way you get diversity is to do away with a multi-vote at-large race, much more important than salaries. Single ballot rank choice on the lines of the hair system. This is the answer. Measure of the bumpkinity of Seville is that

this has never been figured out. You can look back at John Foltz's report on electoral systems from the 90s. They consider it. John Foltz, a man I know well, former professor at the University of Virginia in the engineering school. I did a seller finance deal on some real estate with John Foltz

and just paid that seller finance deal on some real estate with John Foltz and just paid that seller finance mortgage off. He lives in the city in the rugby area, and he still follows local topics inside and out. Judah's going to talk about rank choice voting. In fact, that's a good segue into rank choice voting. If you want to put the rank choice voting on screen, Ginny Hu, thank you for the retweet. Rank choice voting lower third, and then Judah offers some commentary on rank choice voting. If you want to put the rank choice voting on screen. Thank you for the retweet. Rank choice voting lower third. And then Judah offers some commentary on rank choice voting. I believe we're about to start testing it out in our. Who, what, when, where, why?

I don't know the exact who, what, when, why. I know that that counselor pain is very interested in rank choice voting. And I, other than that, I don't really know. I believe we're going to start testing it out soon, but I don't have the, the finer details. I think it's, I think it's an interesting push and I think it could be good for Charlottesville. I know people have problems with it, especially in regions or in races where there are quite a few candidates, because you end up with a four, five people, I think it could create some interesting races where we don't end up with the standard winners being chosen by the Democratic Party,

or I think it gives us some options that we haven't had in the past. For those who are not familiar with what ranked choice voting is, it's a voting method in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. First choice, second choice, third choice. Ranked choice voting allows your vote to count towards another candidate. If your first choice candidate receives the least amount, Second choice, third choice. Ranked choice voting allows your vote to count towards another candidate. If your first choice candidate receives the least amount, voting a ranked choice voting ballot is very similar to voting a traditional ballot. With the RCV ballot, voters mark their ballots in order of preference, first, second, and third. John Blair on LinkedIn, his photo on screen.

Mr. Blair says this. I listen when he comments. Typically, ranked choice voting, Jerry, results in more moderate candidates winning elections. However, I am not sure it would work that way in Charlottesville. I suspect, John Blair says, it might lead to even more liberal election winners. In most localities where there are competitive parties, a moderate is able to win in multiple candidate fields because the majority of voters is moderate, and once the second and third rounds are tabulated, a moderate wins. However, in a city with a very

liberal majority, and Charlottesville may be that type of place, it may result in a more liberal council. A moderate who might get one of three slots or one of two slots in the current first-past-the-post system might not get a majority of the votes in a rank-choice system. It's a fantastic point. Interesting. I'm not sure. I'm curious of what viewers and listeners have to think about this. Deep throat, I'm curious of your thoughts on this.

I am not sure. And, John, this is a question for John as well. This is a quick question for Vanessa Parkhill. This is a question for all the viewers and listeners watching the program right now. I am not sure Lloyd Snook would have gotten on the dais in a rank

choice voting scenario this past election. Interesting. Who do you think would have won out in ranked choice? I think, man, I'll tell you what. Let me do this.

2023 Charlottesville City Council candidates. I'm going to Sevillepedia. I'm calling up the 2023 election. Michael Payne, Natalie Oshren, and Lloyd Snook. I think in a ranked choice scenario, you may have... What was his name? Was it Cooper?

Deshaud Cooper? Yeah. I think you may have seen Deshaud Cooper push Snook in a ranked choice scenario. Bob Fenwick was not going to get in there. Payne and Ostrand were slam dunks. In a ranked choice scenario

would a Deshaud Cooper have beaten a Lloyd Snook with the theory that John Blair just outlined on LinkedIn? Interesting. He's basically saying this voter base is so lopsided with its ideology that it's a way to monopolize the voting booth. It's a way to diminish democracy. Interesting. Viewers and listeners, your thoughts on that. Put them in the feed. I'll relay them live on air.

What do you want to add to that, Judah Wickhauer? I mean, that certainly gives me something to consider. Would it matter a whole lot one way or the other? I see what he's saying, but... I don't know. It's an interesting thought. I don't know if Lloyd would have been pushed out or not. Deep Throat says this. I think we need an even broader discussion of electoral system in Charlottesville.

Having five at-large seats where every voter gets a vote on every seat is absurd. You get five clones and views with very high but not majority support. Get zero voice on council. We should do ranked choice but single vote ranked choice and then fill council from that the way they do in Cambridge or in Boulder. I think what we are all in agreement when it comes to Charlottesville is it needs more diversity in thought, diversity in party, and diversity in perspective on the dais. And with RCV, you probably won't get that in the city. Interesting.

What's the next headline Judah would count? I think what we need to do is talk the Habitat PHA story that was on CBS 19. If you could put that lower third on screen. I'm hesitant to even talk about this. This is a headline from CBS 19 from over the weekend. This broke on Friday. The headline is Habitat, PHA, and LAJC, the Legal Aid Justice Center, PHA is Piedmont Housing Alliance,

Habitat, of course, is the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, are moving forward with an offer to buy a mobile home park. My concern with covering this story is this journalism is... I mean, I guess I'll just cut to the chase. This article is sloppy. It's riddled with grammatical errors. The headline leads you to believe that an offer is secure and is happening. Yeah.

But when you read the actual story, it highlights that the financing is in place. It's not in place. It's not in place. Does it even mention the financing? If you follow the show, you will know that the Carlton Mobile Home Park has an offer of $7 million. Yeah. We don't know who the buyer is. You're going to pay $7 million. You're not going to keep it a mobile home park for 60 offer of $7 million. Yeah. We don't know who the buyer is. You're going to pay $7 million.

You're not going to keep it a mobile home park for 60 to 80 families. I've heard it's 80 families that live there. I've heard it's 60 families in there that live there. Depends on who you talk to. Depends on the narrative they want to weave or the narrative they want to spit. Once the $7 million offer came to the forefront, you had Habitat and PHA and the Legal Aid Justice Center

jump in the mix to try to save the housing for these folks in the park. The problem is you need to beat $7 million. There's a penalty clause in the contract. If you don't take the initial offer, you have to pay the folks that made the offer a set amount of money. We don't know what that money is. We don't know who the buyer is. This would be much clearer if we knew who the buyer is. If the buyer had a track record of housing development that we would know, it would probably not stay a park, a mobile home park. Let's cut to the chase. If you're paying $7 million,

you're not going to keep it a mobile home park. So now you've got these nonprofits in the mix trying to save the park. To say they're in the bottom of the ninth inning is an understatement. They're in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and two strikes in their last hitter at the plate. It's gotten to the point where they're probably asking city council for a loan, a loan of some capacity, which they will then try to pay back by either some fundraising or getting some state money contributed to their efforts. Once they buy the park, they're going to have to maintain the park. So it's creating a hole of future taxpayer revenue moving forward.

Just because you buy something doesn't mean you don't have to maintain it. You're still going to have to upkeep it. You're still going to have to maintain it. You're still going to have to upkeep it. You're still going to have to maintain it. You're still going to have to do something with it. There's going to be more money for that too. I made the argument on this program that with the new zoning ordinance, this is the exact type of property that's going to be targeted by speculators. Because it's underachieving from a housing situation.

I'm not throwing shade on the mobile home park. Yeah. I'm not throwing shade on the mobile home park. Yeah. Not throwing shade on the mobile home park. I'm not throwing shade like Nakia Walker's throwing shade on the Charlottesville Police Department right now. I'm saying six acres and 60 mobile homes is not density. Yeah. It has much more density upside.

So CBS 19 reports that they're moving forward with an offer to buy the park. Then you read the article and you realize that the funding isn't there. They kind of buried the lead at the very bottom where it says the handwritten signed commitment was produced, but Habitat and PHA

have been looking for financing to submit an offer to the Bolton family ahead of an August 6 deadline. Which is looming. The August 6 deadline is a week from tomorrow. Mm-hmm. A week from tomorrow. Is Charlottesville going to give this organization $7 million?

Actually, $7 million plus. Yeah. And if it gives this organization $7 million plus. Yeah. And if it gives this organization $7 million plus, does it completely deplete its affordable housing fund? Does it spit in the face of the new zoning ordinance? It's giving nonprofit developers taxpayer money to keep density from happening. Yeah.

That is peeing in the wind. taxpayer money to keep density from happening. That is peeing in the wind. That is the definition of urinating in the wind. Follow it closely. A week from tomorrow I'm not I was hesitant to even talk about this topic on the show because of the nature of this reporting

I would love a good article from Sean Tubbs on this Olivia Branch and Logan Wells-Claylow thank you for giving promise to the program we appreciate you this via DM Thank you for giving promise to the program. We appreciate you. This via DM. Deep Throat is correct.

A good board member deserves much more than $18,000, and nothing less than $50,000 would create a true career politician. The backbone of the issue is stability in the central C-suite office. A healthy relationship between the board and management must be observed with both parties understanding their roles for proper leadership and performance. The city needs stability and vision from the manager's office and their top deputies, and the council needs to understand their role in guiding and getting some policy. I think the line has been blurred between management and the council and the turnover in the C-suite for years to set that on fire. Matthew Green, thank you for watching the program on LinkedIn. Talented commercial broker.

I want to talk this headline. Get ready, Albemarle County parents. There's two lower thirds that you can rotate on screen. Albemarle County Public Schools, it's head of transportation. What's her name? It's in the article that's in front of you. Let me see.

Geller, last name Geller, if memory serves correct. That sounds about right. Let's see. Gellner. How do you spell it? if memory serves correct. That sounds about right. Let's see. Gellner. How do you spell it? G-E-L-L-N-E-R. Gellner, thank you. The Director of Transportation for Albemarle County Public Schools is under the microscope. Why Dr. Matthew Haas is not taking the heat on this, I don't know. It should not be one of his lieutenants that is in the crossfire. It should be him because this has been an ongoing

problem. If it was a problem for one year, it's the problem of the director of the transportation. It's the problem for two years, it's the problem of the director of transportation. But if it's been a problem since COVID, since the pandemic, years of problems, it's the head of the organization's issue. I own stock in companies. One of the companies that's my primary holding is NVIDIA. NVIDIA is an international, multinational company. Its CEO is Jensen Wang. If the co-founder, the president, and the chief executive officer of NVIDIA,

who founded the company in 1993, if he was missing earnings, or he had supply chain issues, or he had employee issues, or if some of his team members were tarnishing the brand in the media through their political messaging, if this was happening on a regular basis, he would be the one that's addressing it. He would be the one under the microscope. It would not be one of his lieutenants. But that's what's happening at Alamo County Public Schools. And its transportation director is now being interviewed

by every media left and right. It's got moms and dads and families in Alamo County sending emails out saying, what the hell is going on? Why can't my kids get to school on time? And she's having to respond to all these people, do all these media requests. And she lets something slip.

Probably not the best PR. She said, last year, we hired 19 drivers. 19 bus drivers at Elmore County Public Schools. Yeah, full-time school bus drivers and other positions like assistants and band drivers. 19. And how many quit? But by the end of the school year, 20 had left for various reasons. That's not something you release to the public when the public is already angry with your services.

That's bad PR. But, just being honest, 19 drivers hired last year, that's bad PR. But, just being honest, 19 drivers hired last year, 20 drivers quit. Yeah. That's a negative. Mm-hmm. A net negative.

I'm going to ask you this question. You're paid $34,000 to be an Alamaro County public school bus driver. Or you're paid $34,000 to be an Alamaro County public school bus driver. Or you're paid $34,000 to be a Charlottesville City counselor. You got the same benefits that come with both. It's a government job. Which job do you take? And my follow-up question to you is this. What does it say that 19 drivers were hired last year and 20 quit? Why don't you answer that one

first? And then as a follow-up say, which job would you take? Would you have 40 rugrats sneezing on you, coughing on you, spewing COVID on you, not listening to you and cussing you in the morning and the afternoon, five days a week. Or would you want 47,000 taxpayers scream at you, cussing at you, not listening to you and disrespecting you? At least you're not getting sneezed on and coughed on or getting COVID spewed on you. Right. What does it say, 19 hire 20 first? It says that for 20 people, the money just wasn't worth it.

It tells you how brutal this job is. It tells you how brutal the job is. It tells you how brutal the job is. Yeah. Which job would you take? I'd probably take the counselor position. You would take the counselor position? If the money was the same? There's no work in the summer.

There's no work in December. Are you sure about that? What are they driving in the summer? What are they driving over Christmas break? What are they driving over Christmas break? What are they driving over Easter break? You might not need as many drivers, but you've probably still got things going on. What are they driving? What are they doing? I mean, you've got to have kids going to summer school, right? Are the drivers driving them to summer school? I don't know.

I have to figure that they... If both jobs were equal, you would take the counselor job over the bus driver job. Both jobs equal pay. You'd take the counselor job over the bus driver job. You'd want to respond to hundreds of constituent emails every week, have half the community know your name and hate your guts,

and the other half not care, show lukewarm interest to you. Be an infamous local celebrity versus having no celebrity or recognition whatsoever. What's the bus driver do? Work for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon? Isn't that kind of what the counselors do? And you don't have to drive around in the bus.

I'm just saying. You go with the counselor job. I'd probably go with the counselor job too, Jim. I'd go for that job as well. Having 40 rug rats. Besides, how do you know I wouldn't be roundly applauded and loved? As the bus driver? No, as a counselor.

Which counselor do you most identify with? Not current or former. That's a tough question. Probably the last Republican that we had. Which one? What do you mean, which one? Which counselor do you most identify with? Rob Schilling, maybe?

Oh, you're saying the last Republican you have is the one you most identify with? Probably. I mean, I don't know that I would be in agreement with a lot of what the... Sorry, I didn't hear you here. I didn't hear you. I didn't realize you utilized the word Republican there. Unbelievable. 19 hired, 20 quit. Guys, eventually ‑‑ Not a good record.

Eventually we've got to say, what is the superintendent doing to fix this? Yeah. Eventually we have to ask that and say that. Yeah. We have to ask, okay, are you talking to the people that left and asking them why they left so that you can fix the issue? I mean, I will say this. Lloyd Snook ran for re-election. Michael Payne ran for re-election. Yeah. Right? Yeah. That's an indication that people are willing to do it again. Definitely. John Blair on LinkedIn. One thing we can definitively say wages are not always the answer to employment decisions

after a very large increase in wages by the 2022 Albemarle County School Board you have a higher turnover rate people should bookmark this the answer to every labor shortage is not always money smart HR people understand this 100% if it's an environment

that you just can't work in it doesn't matter how much money they're offering. It's not going to be enough. One star man to watch the program. He says, I would take the counselor position. There are still several school and other activities that need bus drivers. And you don't have to worry about actual violence. Then he says, I have no clue. I said I would take the counselor position. I'd take the counselor position. I don't want kids sneezing and coughing and spewing on me. Same thing you said, Juan. I will say this. Not all the drivers that are driving during the school year are driving in the summer.

Right. They certainly don't need... It's a much smaller student body. Yeah. Next headline. What is it, my friend? Let's see. Friends of Seville. All right. Friends of Seville launching a downtown petition. I have no problem with this petition. I don't either. Greer Achenbach, the executive director of Friends of Seville, does a petition on the 25th of July.

That was Thursday on change.org. The petition is titled, if you want to find it, Ensure a Clean and Safe Downtown Charlottesville. The petition is two paragraphs, and they highlight that concerns around cleanliness and safety have started to taint the historic downtown district. All residents deserve a city center that they can feel proud to call their own, welcoming to all who visit our beautiful city. It's time for the city officials to step up and address these concerns to maintain the charm and vitality of downtown Charlottesville. She writes, a clean and safe downtown contributes to enhanced quality of life, promotion of business, and increased tourism. Therefore, we kindly request the city council

to implement robust measures promptly aimed at improving cleanliness and safety in downtown Seville. Please sign this petition to encourage council to do this. From 2017 to 2023, downtown Charlottesville has seen a drop of 1 million visitors. Greer Achenbach of Friends of Seville presented that data to council in the last city council meeting while standing next to Joan Fenton, who owns three businesses on the downtown mall and a boatload of real estate. That data is tied to cell phone IPs on the mall. I want to say that again. From 2017 to 2023, one million less visitors on the eight blocks that are the most important in central Virginia.

Having a petition that encourages council to focus on the cleanliness of the mall is a great idea. And the surrounding area. And the surrounding area where a boatload of people live and there's a ton of density. Unfortunately, activists in Charlottesville, including the co-chair of Livable Seaville, are spinning this petition as a... I don't know. Maybe they think that there's nothing wrong with the downtown area. As a profiling effort of the homeless in downtown. As a targeting effort of the homeless in downtown. As a propaganda effort

fairly depicting the homeless in downtown Charlottesville. Say what you want. Having panhandling and the houseless sleeping in doorways, on benches, or around the mall is not good for the success of the mall. This seems to be common sense. We can make that statement that I just said while still having empathy, sympathy, and offering a hand up, not a handout, but a hand up to the houseless. You can be in both camps.

I can say I want to support the houseless, while also saying I don't want pain handling and the houseless on the mall. And anyone who tries to spit in otherwise is weaving a nasty narrative. Court Square Park. Tell them the bench story. I mean, both parks have had issues. I've been through Freedom Park, Market Street Park, and seen leftover food, I'm assuming from Haven, just left, dumped sometimes. In Court Square Park, there's a metal bench that's been, I don't know how to explain it. Somebody picked it up and dumped it on top of the stone benches, and it's been there for a week. this petition is about is not just homeless but about

having a regular I don't know, a regular group of people who clean things up. They've taken some of the some of the trash cans away that used to be

used to be set up in convenient places around the park. Now some of those are gone. I've oftentimes seen stuff dumped at the Court Square Park as well. Food dumped in the bushes. The petition's a good thing. They're doing what they're supposed to do. Attracting attention to the challenges that downtown Charlottesville is facing. The organization, Friends of Seville, its entire

mission is to champion, support, and foster a downtown that can be the lifeblood or can be the driver of positivity and brand recognition for not only the city, but the region we call Central Virginia. And they're certainly not doing that job if they're just telling all of the tenants of the businesses, businesses, restaurants, on the downtown mall

that everything is fine. Stop complaining. This is a good thing. There goes the Charlottesville Fire Department. That is loud. That's very loud. Props to friends at Seville for this effort. Next headline, I believe it's our last one.

Is this the Nakia Walker throwing shade at the Charlottesville police department? Yeah. Help me understand this. Help me understand this. Three days ago, the former mayor of Charlottesville, Nakia Walker, publishes this on her Facebook page. She shares a post from the Charlottesville Police Department page where police officers, including the police chief, Mike Kochess,

are playing basketball at the Boys and Girls Club on Cherry Avenue with youth from the community that are from marginalized neighborhoods, forgotten neighborhoods. And then she, along with sharing the posts that positively spotlights the efforts the police department are doing, she throws shade on their efforts by saying, I never promoted nor sponsored events like this when I was the mayor. Even with my presence and a willing police chief, we had not changed the culture

enough to sit in front of our youth and tell them anything. The work is figuring out how to stop abusive policing practices. The work is to acknowledge the likelihood that you're going to probably arrest or harm the majority of them in the future and work to change your culture to prevent them from going to prison or being harmed by an officer. She also writes, if the real work was important, Chief Kachis would not need a camera and curated events. He would be so busy doing the real work that you would think he did not exist. You want to go first on this? I have some thoughts on this.

Yeah, I see a few problems. First, I'll talk about the last part of what she's talking about. And I don't think that having cameras there, I don't think that the fact that there are cameras there doesn't preclude, it's not like you can't bring someone with a camera and still do the job um it's it's pr of course but that doesn't mean that it's a bad thing and and i i think what's good about about our police chief going to events like these meeting people going on uh on meet and greets, walk and talks, is that it not only humanizes the department, I think it also humanizes the people to the department. This is a police chief who is hoping to avoid the exact things that former Mayor Nakia Walker is talking about. The police chief and the police department holding meet and greets, walk and talks,

town halls, community forums, gun buyback programs, playing basketball with at-risk youth, playing football with at-risk youth, sitting in a dunk tank in Ix Park while police officers are mingling with community members is a good thing. It's creating communication. It's creating communication. It's breeding trust. It's showing and establishing human connection. It's proving that it's not just about law enforcement. Yeah.

Rather, it's about folks that care and want to see the community better itself. The shade that's being thrown on the police department by the former mayor either reeks of jealousy, because during her period, the police department was at its absolute worst. So much so that her police chief, Dr. Brackney, filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit with the city claiming she was fired because she was a black woman at a time of massive attrition and turnover within the department. When Chief Kotchis took the department over, the SWAT team was in shambles.

The department was 30% empty, and the brand that was Charlottesville Police Department was at one of the lowest it's been in my 24 years in this community. Now the brand is one of trust and one of getting work done and solving crimes and putting people behind bars. Results are being proven. There was a time when the Charlottesville Police Department put a list of crimes on the internet and said, if you experience these crimes, we don't have the

manpower to send police officers to you in person. Just file out a form online and we'll try to figure it out whenever we get to it. Now they have personnel to go and solve those crimes in person the day of. Not to mention actually taking the phone calls. I just cannot understand the what's the word I'm looking for behind cannot understand the... What's the word I'm looking for behind this post? The motivation behind this post is either not truly in touch with today's reality

or a motivation that is one of bitterness and anger. Trapped in an idea that the cops are always... I mean, you can see it all over the city. And sadly, ACAB is a common... a far too common assessment of most police departments. And I think for most of us, looking at the work that's being done right now,

that's hopefully no longer the case. Frustrating. that's being done right now, that's hopefully no longer the case. Judah Wickhauer, Jerry Miller. It's the I Love Seville show. Kevin Higgins says this entire show was great, and it's a show that's rooted in accountability with leadership. He says maybe there is some leadership in the city. I just don't see it. Who's in charge and what's going on. Thank you guys for watching today's program. It's the Monday edition of the show. We're back tomorrow at 10.15 a.m. with the Jerry and Jerry show

and then the I Love Seville show at 12.30 and the White Mountain Ministry show at 2.30. All we're trying to do with this network is to deliver local content to you in the place you are the most, which is on your phones, there in your hands. Enjoy your Monday afternoon. So long. Thank you.