Newbille a 7th District resident for 18 days

Ellen Robertson just doesn’t get it.

Sure, Newbille has every right to move into the district and RUN for the seat in an OPEN election. Let the citizens of the district decide if she deserves their support after she has lived elsewhere for YEARS.

But, for her to move into the city one day and then be APPOINTED to the seat the next because of a back-room, political power play by certain office holders who always contol things and who often have a vested FINANCIAL INTEREST in who holds the position (check out the thread on the stadium proposal), well, that’s just WRONG!

No wonder so many citizens have such a cynical view of politics and government.

I just hope the other 7 City Council members who will choose our new representative aren’t swayed by Ms. Robertson’s views on this.

I second Scott’s call to action. I know for a fact that certain members of city council will go along with nonsense because they genuinely believe residents of the 7th District are more concerned with African American representation than carpet bagging.

TODAY is the perfect time to remind our city-wide elected officials that we are ready for them to consider ONLY the content of each applicant’s character!

This is the e-mail I just sent to all members of Council:

Dear Honorable City Council Members,

I am writing all of you to express my opinion regarding our impending City Council appointment. I would urge the members of Council to consider only candidates that have lived within the District prior to November’s election.

I am no political hack; however, I have heard the talk around the neighborhood since The Honorable Dwight Jones announced his Candidacy for Mayor that our former Council member would be pursuing his seat should things work out as they have. Any number of opportunists could have arrived in our District to pursue their political agenda or the agenda of others.

I believe that the 2008 election cycle has taught all that regardless of one’s place in line on the political ladder or how many elected officials endorsed a campaign – the voters have the final say! Unfortunately this is not the case for political appointments. If potential candidates, who have recently moved into the 7th, wish to fill the vacant seat then they should take this opportunity to convince the electorate they are the right candidate prior to the special election in November not as an appointment.

My hope is that the member of Council would appointment one of the candidates’ that has lived and not just worked in the 7th District prior November 2008.

Gray, You are right Newbille do receive a paycheck for the work she’s hire to do in the East End. To be real about it, if she was in the private sector, she would have been FIRED long time ago. If one was to evaluate the work in the East End you would realize that all the great work she claims to doing, really do not exist. The outcomes for the families and youth are at an all time low. Just look at the numbers, they don’t mislead ( teen pregnancy, high school graduation, health indicators, STD, employment rates and poverty).

This situation is so ludicrous that it should probably be a national story. Maybe the rest of the nation should be made aware of where we still are, especially with one of the most groundbreaking inaugurations in history happening tomorrow, right up the road in DC.

What is going on here is a big, big deal. About as un-American as it gets. What a political joke. Other places do not suffer from this kind of struggle between preserving the historic and progressing.

It is really not supposed to happen like this in the US. And in 3rd world countries, shams like this are often dealt with using the very permanent remedy of murder. Check your Caribbean history. Check your Caribbean current events, even. And if that seems too far away to be relevant, check your American history, while you’re at it! And then ask our Native American brethren how well it works to trust the government.

I keep asking myself what kinds of egomaniacs have the gumption to participate in this. Are they qualified to make any decisions at all? I wouldn’t want them planning the school lunch menu, at this point. It doesn’t always work so well when protection is sought from the very system that folks like this are trying to bend for their own agenda. People get pissed.

The single-minded, divisive rants that I have read associated with this situation would lead me to believe that these guys don’t have even a drop of worldliness to know where trying to manipulate the masses can lead, though. Open up. You can pull your heads right on out anytime and take a good look around. Ivory towers get smashed every day, worldwide. Believing you are immune would be mistake number one. There are always people crazier and more intelligent than you are ignorant.

BTW – just wrote another contract on Midlothian new-ish construction yesterday. This is a great young couple with a little baby, and plans to have more children. We looked at a bunch of stuff in District 7, and they decided after much deliberation to opt out of this inner-city struggle. Excellent people who would have made great neighbors for any of us. The in-my-backyard consequences of this drama are constant. Drama that is successfully detracting from unification and progress for our neighborhood schools, businesses, and community at large.

Do Richmonders, specifically East Enders, have some investment in hiding this problem that we have? Are we too embarrassed to fully disclose the fuel that still powers our machine because it is so archaic? If so, we should be. We should be straight-up ashamed.

It is good to see the topic taken so seriously on this forum. Expose, expose, expose. Our small pond is not so isolated as it may appear.

Sadly, this has gone on for years throughout the City and no one paid attention to it, or really cared much about it, Allowing the “power” and control to stay in the same hands for years. Finally, other district’s “got it” and voted their own candidate in. The time has come for the 7th District to do the same.

Couple of thoughts:

1. We need to send Letters to the editor of the RT-D.

2. I have tried a couple of times today to post a comment on the RT-D website following this article and have been unsuccessful. I am sure other people must have tried as well. Is it just me? It strikes me as so odd that there are no comments there.

3. Robertson really is clueless. It is utterly bizarre that anyone on this City Council would invoke Wilder’s name as a “justification” for continued abuse of this city and the Democratic process. Still, this is the same Ellen Robertson who accused Sheila Hill-Christian of being a criminal last summer.

4. All 7th District residents needs to get their friends in other parts of the city to sign the petition and to write letters to their respective Council members.

apellerano@wtvr.com

Angela Pellerano, Channel 6

She’s great!

Does anybody know if Newbille is actually living in her new digs in the 7th or is it just a “front” for her residence?

Does she have any children enrolled in Henrico schools?

I’m going to send an e-mail to the following addresses:

apellerano@wtvr.com
rnobles@nbc12.com
news@timesdispatch.com
news@wric.com
news@foxrichmond.com
genecox@nbc12.com
newsroom@nbc12.com
newstips@wtvr.com

to see if we can get some mainstream press coverage of this mess…I urge the rest of you to do the same. The more people who voice their outrage for this, the more likely someone will pick up the story.

Great suggestion Kelly!

She is “living” at 1601 N. 27th St., directly across the street from Betty Squire, who has lived in the District at least 15 years. The property is rental and less than 1,000 sq. ft.

It is shocking that Marsh/McQuinn/Robertson/Jones’ “sense of decency” would permit them to initially support Betty Squire only to turn on her and move Newbille in across the street. Directly across the street!

Of course, McQuinn did support her own son, JJ Minor, for the position but once he got promised a $70k cushy job in City Hall, she decided to help move Newbille in from Henrico County.

Someone needs to find out the square footage of Newbille’s Henrico home, 3005 Oxnard Road, and how long she and her husband have paid Henrico County taxes.

This whole McQuinn machine and 7th district debacle is getting weirder by the minute!

Eric

I doubt you would see a car since I’m sure she doesn’t actually live there…she’s just renting to have an address in he 7th.

A quick call to the Henrico tax assessor’s office will give you some answers.

I do know that the house on 27th Street was built in 1956 and only has 945 sq. feet. It’s original 1956 value was only $600. I know people with master bedrooms that big! It was owned by Robert A. and Lucille Christian and valued in 2008 at $83k. It is a single story house. Her house in Henrico on Oxnard Street is 2-stories and worth twice as much.

Why would she downsize and down value?

I also noted that at 3005 Oxnard Street there is a Robert Evans running a business out of there called “Key Awareness Newspaper” which was founded in 2007 and has annual revenue of $54k. Newbill runs the “Annie E. Casey Foundation” out of that address as well. A lot of “businesses” attached to that address… will they transfer to the 27th Street address or will she not totally move?

Again – absolutely no concerns about the “historical” aspect of Church Hill and moves into a not so perfect modern house out of another modern house. If you don’t “live” what others are concerned about how can you understand it?

Eric

One interesting connection I find in the public directory access sites. It shows Cynthia I. Newbill (age 57) as also Cynthia I. Marsh – linked to Clifton E. Marsh (age 62). Also linked to James C. Newbill (age 55).

Marsh – Newbill – Hmmmm?????

I did see that Clifton E. Marsh wrote a book in 1996 entitled “From Black Muslims to Muslims”. A VERY black oriented person.

Re post 30 – This hadn’t been sent to the board yet when I posted #32. That makes sense, then.

Thanks.

#31 Steven, Do you have a problem with Black Muslims or Muslims? And what does this have to do with McQuinn moving an outsider into our district for the appointment? I think you went way off track in that last statement and it offended me. I have no problem with a muslim, jew, christian, atheist, black, white, etc being appointed to the 7th district as long as they are a true resident and not part of some political scheme/set up.

To McQuinn and Newbille: Read transcripts of Obama’s Inauguration speech and summon that spirit of “honesty” and “fair play.”

Robert Evans is Cynthia Nebille husband.

The Annie E Casey Foundation is a national foundation located in Baltimore Md., which funds the Family Resource Center and other work in the City of Richmond with DSS and DJJ. Newbille and her husband are paid out of the monies that the foundation awards to the east end. Maybe the Foundation needs to be aware of this information too

Just sent this off

Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 03:39 PM
To: Graziano@Richmondgov.com, Ellen.Robertson@Richmondgov.com,
Bruce.Tyler@Richmondgov.com, Chris.Hilbert@Richmondgov.com,
Marty.Jewell@Richmondgov.com, Reva.Trammell@Richmondgov.com,
Doug.Conner@Richmondgov.com, Delores.McQuinn@Richmondgov.com
Cc: ‘Nobles, Ryan – Anchor NBC12’, ‘Pellerano, Angela’, murden@gmail.com

Subject: 7th District City Council seat

Dear City Council Members,

A few days ago, Council Member Kathy Graziano said regarding this new administration, “Today, we embark on the opportunity to get that new system of government right. With a new mayor, a new council, new school superintendent and a new School Board, we have a chance for renewed commitment.”

In stark contrast, Cynthia Newbille’s “rental” of an apartment in the City of Richmond solely for the purpose of being able to qualify for political office harkens back to a different time, days of “suspect” government, the political power plays and corruption we are working to commit to memory, as a city, and a Nation. The words “honest and honorable” do not ring out in my mind when I think of the motives behind an appointment of an interim Council person that would have lived in the City of Richmond for a mere 40 days on February 9th.

An appointment of such a nature would appear to serve a different purpose rather than serve the residents of the 7th district. I strongly believe future adoptions and resolutions of the City Council during this interim term would be suspect.

It is imperative for the new council member to have strong connections to the 7th District, including a history of living among the community that person will serve. I urge the members of Council to consider only candidates that have lived within the District prior to the November 2008 election. I encourage the Council to appoint a 7th district representative from the list of the qualified applicants who are long-time Church Hill residents.

If this new administration is to embark on the opportunity to “get that new system of government right”, we cannot launch it with what has been so wrong; the methods of old.

Respectfully yours,

Deanna Lewis

314 N 36th St – Richmond, VA 23223
http://www.314n36thst.com

RE: post 38

Larry, please know that I did not send off the above lightly and without doing my homework on Cynthia Newbille. I agree, there is a history of service to the community and I respect that a great deal.

The timing however, in my mind, is questionable, hence my addition of the words:

— I urge the members of Council to consider only candidates that have lived within the District prior to the November 2008 election. —

The commitment to such a post, in a time when many important issues that touch this district are pending before Council, I feel, could be served better by one of the qualified residents of the 7th district that will be have to live with the consequences of the rulings of the City Council and the people they call neighbors.

“Rental” implies temporary. The adoptions and rulings that will be made between February 9th and November are long lasting and some, irreversible.

Agreed, great info, Larry!

The debate really isn’t about Newbille as a person as much as it is about how some people are attempting to manipulate the system and allow Council to appoint someone who has not actually resided in the District until very recently.

Some very serious questions have been raised on this site and simply to attempt to dismiss them and NOT answer them by saying she used to lived here doesn’t really answer the fundamental problem people are having with this situation.

gray…

All I can say is that every Muslim I have ever ran across is all “Black Power” and “Africana” energized and dislikes whites or what they stand for. That is where I am coming from. It is from observation and experience. They don’t exactly believe in “equality” for ALL.

Larry,

All of the “social” involvement is great and commendable for Ms. Newbill but how many poor white families has she helped?

AND, the question about historic values concerning a neighborhood that needs someone in charge of preservation and development of a Old and Historic District, hasn’t been addresses as far as where she stands on it? She CAN NOT sidestep this factor concerning Church Hill. It will haunt her every time someone has issues while restoring a old house and she needs to be in the know as well as involved.

Steven –

With all of your black/white talk, and insistent search for nothing but stark contrast between the two, I can’t help but wonder what you are so afraid of.

When we get to the bottom of all of these shenanigans (and we will) I will personally be very disappointed if we find out that our new Mayor is behind this scheme. What a way to start a new administration. As for the involvement of McQuinn and Marsh…I would expect no less from either of them. I have watched McQuinn for years and frankly, I have always been deeply disappointed and AMAZED when that woman was re-elected. If Jones’ involvement is confirmed, this would pose a severe strike to his integrity and future credibility. Moreover, any councilperson that would vote in favor of Newbille’s appointment (under these circumstances) would be suspect as well. There is clearly no rational argument to support that she has a vested interest in the 7th. If so, why doesn’t she live here? Simply renting a “front” residence in the district smells awfully bad. Ms. Newbille’s integrity is at risk…does she not realize that the right thing for her to do is withdraw her candidacy for this appointment? Most in the district would support her run in the ELECTION if she was a bonafide resident at that time. The real truth is in her actions. And Mr. Och’s, your argument in support of her for this position defies common logic. However, you are entitled to your opinion however misguided it may be.

On this day of all days, please let us not get distracted by the differences we may have one with another.

Let us remember our common goal and that is to take a stand and demand an appointment for the district of an individual who is a bonafide resident.

All praises to some powerful citizen journalism today! I hope everyone is sending stuff to Chris Dovi and Will Jones as well, even though they have each reported on the issue. Dovi deserves great thanks for having the news sense to get on this story early. Let us hope others will as well.

The unity of purpose that has been demonstrated on this blog is powerful. It looks like we are trying to “Be the Change” we want to see in the world.

Everyone is O-bama-be-you-ti-ful!

Amen Joe 🙂

It’s my understanding that, as of late yesterday, no candidates had applied. It seems that most of the previous posts deal with one or another sets of “qualifications.” What can/have you done for the people on the hill, interested in renovation/preservation? What can/have you done for the people who live below the hill, needing higher levels of social services? These are points to consider, certainly, but I want to seggest some other issues. Our new form of government is based on a council that can reflect the city as a whole, rather than a set of little fiefdoms. Dotts and Newbill are “old council” models. So where do the potential candidates stand on the relationship between council and the mayor and his administration? How do they see the role of the legislative council? How do they approach budgeting vs. real estate burden? What is their vision of the city, rather than just the Seventh?
Say what you will about McQuin and Robertson, they are products of the “old council” mentality, seeking earmarks and pork barrel programs, narrowly aimed at their districts. Neither in the past four years has patroned a piece of legislation that reached across district lines to affect a significant part of the city. If you talk with any of the named possibles, ask them this: What will be the first piece of legislation you will proposal, and what effort before council will you oppose? I think it will give you a good grasp on what kind of “new council” member they will be.

I think the Obama approach is definitely “new council”, looking beyond parochial approaches.

All,

I just received a phone call from Sandra Jones from channel 6 news. Sandra is interested in running a story on the topic of Newbille’s appointment. She is also looking for volunteers to speak on camera about their concerns. Conversely, I’m sure she would like to also speak with anyone who is supporting Newbille. She is looking to run the story tomorrow (evening I believe) and she would like to come out to the area and interview some folks around 10:30-11:00 tomorrow. If you would be interested in speaking with her, I urge you to give her a call at 804.393.1499. Many of you have voiced concern that this is not being picked up by the mainstream media so here is our chance to let our voices be heard.

Put down your torches, everyone. What is going on is not illegal and is common practice (Wilder moved to Richmond to run for mayor, Clinton moved to NY to run for senator.) Objections based merely on the fact that she has recently moved to the Hill are silly considering the work that Newbille has done for our neighborhood.

I think we should look at Newbilles’ and any other candidates qualifications and dedication to service before we jump on any political bandwagon.

This thread reminds me of the Church Hill I moved into in 1990. At that time, there was a very vocal minority of residents who looked down upon and did not support the needs of the majority of its residents.

Frankly, I believe McQuinn has done more to help those in need in Church Hill than any other representative before her that I can remember.

As of 3 pm, one person had applied.

Nadine –

It’s gaming the system — pure and simple — and it’s just wrong. It’s what makes people so cynical about government and politics.

Re: Post#67

As of 3 pm, who is the one person that has applied? Or were they not allowed to share that kind of information?

What I find particularly offensive is the idea that supporting Newbille or McQuinn or Marsh is “old school” politics. Maybe commenters do not remember, but prior to 1980, rule of the minority white population with disregard for the African American residents was “old school” politics.

Henry Marsh won the mayors seat in 1977 not because he was in a corrupt machine, but because the Federal Court found the existing election process in Richmond was racially biased and order the city to redraw it’s voting districts to more appropriately represent the population.

To many, he is a civil rights hero. And McQuinn is trying to continue down that path.

Re: Post #72 Gentrification is not the problem in Church hill, poeple like you who want to cry gentrification because of lack of Innovation on your part to improve your own outcomes.
The issue here is the lack of integrity on the part of Newbille to think she has the right to be appointed to the 7th district seat. We have many residents that have volunteer in a civic capacity to improve our community. These people work the jobs they get paid for and then turn around and work hard for their community. Newbille get paid to do the work she does.

And by the way, it’s the people you claim committing gentrification that has made both cash and other resource contribution to the family resource center.
Most if not all of the people who signed the petition to support Newbille do not live in the 7th and some don’t live in the city

Brother Manifest/ Duron Chavis maybe one in the same, you don’t speak for the majority of the black citizen in the district. I doubt if your views represent the opinion of the majority in the 7th.

Will Sandra Jones be located at a specific location tomorrow?

#72 Chavis, How long have you lived in Church Hill or the east end?

What I find interesting is that when whites leave the city it is called, “white flight,” thus racism; and when whites move into the city it is call “gentrification,” again racism.

Chavis, Did you know that whites serve alongside blacks on the board of the Family Resource Center? Do you call that gentrification? Do you wish them to leave?

How does Newbille feel about being represented by someone like yourself who is accusing people, who serve on the board of the Family Resource Center and live in the district, of gentrification and racism?

Time to start talking about classes –poor to working poor to rich—instead of race, otherwise nothing will ever improve.

Is Echo Harbor an example of systemic institutional racism?

The reason that a representative for a district is required to live within its bounds is based on the fact that such a person will be more familiar with the overall picture of the community, not just a segment of it. Working in an area 9-5 does not make it your community, and it takes time adjust when moving into an area, which is why there is typically a one year rule in place. Anyone respectful of the district’s residents would understand that.

The future involves installing the same (or nearly) people who brought us PAYGO?

Looks like we are blasting into the past, folks.

I do believe that there is systemic oppression going on in Richmond. I agree with that. And I think that a baseball stadium might represent that attitude really well, actually. Again, with a predominantly black-attended school up the street, suffering socio-economic turmoil and violence. Reminds me of this plumber I know who sports what appears to be a pretty expensive toupe, but has like 4 teeth. It kind of confounds you, when you are standing there talking to him. Your mind wants to make it make sense, even though it really doesn’t.

But insensitive large-scale economic decisions by suits and elected officials is not the same as co-existence of humans. Mr. Chavis – for effectiveness of argument, you must define the difference. It’s on you, since you brought it up. That’s how it works. I think that folks with “radical” views have a very important place in this city. We are completely behind the times. We still need a good bit of that here.

I hope that Mr. Chavis can narrow his argument to identify the oppressive policies with specificity and clarity, point those arguments in a direction where they will be most useful, as well as inspire those that he may identify as oppressed to make the personal, spiritual, choice to take a different route for their lives, as individuals – stop buying into a system that is archaic and oppressively designed.

If the goal is freedom, independence, happiness and spiritual fulfillment for folks that he identifies with, anger will never lead directly there. But I think anger can be useful if it brings focus to public policies that may not have the best intention for all. Identify your true opponent, and let ‘em have it, supporting your statements so that thinking people can’t dismiss you and tune you out.

All of this out there, this appointment is still about residency.

Would the organizers of this site or interested parties be interested in holding a public town hall forum on gentrification of church hill? I would be willing to help organize it. My email is brothermanifest@gmail.com

posted by Shannon at January 20, 2009 7:59 pm :

” Steven –

With all of your black/white talk, and insistent search for nothing but stark contrast between the two, I can’t help but wonder what you are so afraid of.”

What am I afraid of? The LACK OF CHANGE. That things will continue on as they are in Church Hill rather than trying to better it including historic property issues.

Everyone has their own opinion on this situation, that’s okay. In fact it’s good that citizens on both sid es are speaking, their true opinion. I think we all have an interest in making the 7th the best that it can be. Well let’s talk it out. We all want a safe neighborhood, good education for our children, removal of blight, scenic views, trees planted and so on. We can do this together we have no choice. Let make this a win win outcome. Let’s all meet face to face and cast all of the demons on both sides. Yes We Can !

So far:

John Gerner
Sam Patterson
Matt Conrad
Betty Squire
Carletta Pittman Wilson
Sharon Burton
Keith West …

Hear Newbille is withdrawing and will go for it in November!

No word yet on Mrs. Dotts …

Newbille & Dotts have applied!

*go

Word now, Newbille did submit an application. ‘

Mr. Chavis, I would be interested in attending a forum. But tell me, do you live in the east end and if yes, for how long?

There is no question that particular people, organizations, politicians, would be stripped of their power if the people made it out of poverty. Think of the old South American dictator tossing candy out to the starving poor and they look up to him like he’s a prince -yet they all remain dirt poor.

Whether it is purposeful or not, the system is broken when we find families three generations deep on welfare. Welfare should help people, help people out of the wreck; get people back on their feet and no longer reliant on the government. Welfare is a great temporary fix but only breeds poverty when it is a way of life.

And no answer for #98 that is supported by facts from a reliable source?

Tiny,

I am saying this one more time, s-l-o-w-l-y ….GO…….. READ … PLEASE …GO….READ ….the article from Style Weekly which contains several reliable sources for the factual information.

http://www.richmond.com/news-features/14918

RE post 95 – Steven –

“What am I afraid of? The LACK OF CHANGE. That things will continue on as they are in Church Hill rather than trying to better it including historic property issues.”

Your negative and racially biased comments do not support this conclusion. It’s you that seems tied up in knots over the desperate clinging to stereotypes, as well as needing to sum up fellows in a very judgmental way. Doesn’t seem like a happy way of life. What kind of new experiences can get in when you are so full up with that junk?

I don’t mean to humiliate you, and I am sure you are not alone. I just think that it is important that we don’t let that attitude go unchecked. It’s like snickering at a racist joke, or putting up with hateful slurs so as not to offend the offensive.

Steven – You do know that people are people, right?

Joe #98: “2. How much money Henry Marsh, Delores McQuinn, Walter Kenney and Colleagues have made from developers who want to place a baseball stadium in the Church Hill. How much have they made from Echo Harbor?”

How about how much Marsh et al made from Sixth Street Market and Project I? Rhetorical question, don’t bother to answer. I’m just posting it as a reminder to all that this has been going on a long, long time. Someone else posted there that Mr. Marsh has made a lucrative career out of this stuff. No kidding, folks.

RE Post 118 – That is interesting what you are saying about the SW Virginia miners. Coincidentally, my dad was one of those miner’s kids in Butte, Montana. My grandfather worked at the Berkeley Pit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Pit

My dad went on to get his PhD in neuroanatomy, and has taught medical schools, chaired Anatomy departments at places like Marquette and NYU, done groundbreaking research in cell regeneration, and now lives half time back in his hometown of Butte, and the other half in St. Lucia, where he is on the board of a medical school that he founded.

He did this coming from a town where the jail was on the walk to school for many, and this was good because the kids could wave to their dads first thing in the morning. No helmet law in Butte, still, and you really don’t call the police in this town. You handle it.

Recently, during a visit to St. Lucia, my dad was talking to me about being self employed. It’s a lot of work, and he was kind of ribbing me that it’s a good thing that I like what I do because I am pretty much unemployable in the mainstream. We both were laughing so hard that we were almost crying. Finally he was able to talk again, and squeaked out, “I’m unemployable too! And I live in St. Lucia!”

My dad did it, from that miner’s kid to Resident of the World, at large. He is smart as hell, but if he can do it, it proves that it can be done. People can do what they put their minds to. He did it putting himself through school being the guy that drove the truck that painted the lines on the road of the Pacific Coast Highway, and continued to create opportunities for himself throughout his life, relying largely on his great attitude and openness to hard work. That poor miner kid living in a 600 square foot house with two sisters and his parents. Sheesh. I went to see that house again when I was in Montana in June, and oh my goodness, it’s small. Unbelievable.

I have had a good example for success. And I think that the most important quality that I would like to see in a council member come election day is a free-thinking, respectful role model for our young folks. I’m not saying they have to look the same, but I think that the young people in the community need to feel heard and cared about as important. I want someone who will show them that they can do anything, including being so unemployable that they get to live in St. Lucia.

Re Post #119

Thanks, crd, for the extra assist there.

And thanks to you — and others — for all your hard work, great comments and supportive comments. 🙂

Thank you for you kindness, Bob. I do not claim to know everything. I just get frustrated with the mob mentality of this blog.

The Style article only address the claims about Jones. Now, I don’t know much about the man, and I did not vote for him. My comments are in support of McQuinn. I wanted to know your sources for the first two questions.

And please do not ask me to read an entire book! I am at work. I shouldn’t even be blogging. I just feel compelled to express the points of view of those who do not log in.

And, I am open to new ideas. But, I am not open to conjecture.

Joe Richmond, I haven’t received any email from anyone else who was interested in the forum. I was born and raised in Richmond VA and have lived in every part of the city from southside to northside. I see the same gentrification happening on every side of the city. Please email me if you are serious about a forum. Also does anyone have Mr. West contact info I would like to assist in the community forum – there is 45 days till city council makes a decision and I think the people deserve to hear from all aplicants.

RE 129: Mr. Chavis – I emailed you yesterday as well. Did you not receive? I could re-send from my sent folder, if for some reason my email got lost.

I am not offended Shannon.

What I am offended by are people who cast a blind eye to what is really happening here. Statements like “Yes We Can” rides on the coattails of Obama and blacks using that catchphrase as a protest march for equality. Or supporters of one candidate using phrases like “black power” or “civil rights movements” all lean towards what can a candidate do for the blacks who live in Church Hill and no one else because they feel they are the majority and no one else matters.

I am all for equality but that also means that both blacks and white have to live by a set of rules and no one side is favored over the other when it comes to enforcing them on all levels of government.

This gets back to buildings and codes. If you don’t have decent houses to live in you either get people moving out of the area, people moving in because they can get cheap housing through notorious slumlords, or houses that are left to rot away. Who wants that in their back yard? I sure don’t but would like Church Hill to become another Georgetown, Charleston, Savannah, or even Ashbury Heights. Heck, Charleston started their historic preservation and restorations back in 1931 yet Church Hill predates that city by at least 100 years so why hasn’t anyone grasped that fact about the historical importance of our area and the need to turn it around? Many parts still looks like ghettos and slums even blocks of boarded up houses while many of the poor are caught up in this mess. Fix the housing situation leads down the road to fixing other parts of infrastructure within the community including racism. Fix the community – Get rid of the problem.

Chavis, When you know the time and place of the forum, please post it on CHPN or list it in the Church Hill newsletter.

People probably are like me and tend to keep their email addresses private.

I’m not in this district, from the 3rd, but if this was situation me I would not want someone from outside city/district to put into that seat.

Also I don’t see how race plays into this at all.

RE 135/136 – I think that people are up for different levels of involvement, and that’s cool.

mark might be in exile or northside maybe dead, bet on both

Thank you Ramzi for saying it so well!

So I was just sitting here putting together a CD for my day’s soundtrack in the car. Something to keep me going while I’m cruising around, working today. Track 3 on the disc is White Lines, by Grandmaster Flash, released in 1983. About freebase, which is the stuff that we now call crack. Rang dang diggity dang didang.

Makes me think about the gang/drugs aspect of this conversation – what we normally see called black-on-black crime. It’s a real situation, huh? Little kids in the line of fire. Why is this such a problem in this community?

I think that it’s a hopelessness that perpetuates this dangerous career move, for many. This is one of the reasons that I won’t shut up about Armstrong. Why bother staying in a school that’s full of turmoil, when I can go out and do business for myself? It actually makes sense from an entrepreneurial standpoint, if you think about it. The problem is that it’s a short term career, riddled with drama and heartache for the folks involved – sometimes innocent bystanders.

Over seven years ago, 8/31/2001, I received the gift of freedom from alcoholism. It was the hardest thing that I have ever done, and I seriously looked like I had been run over by a train for about a year. I had almost died from my compulsions, completely unable to stop making choices that I knew were wrong, and were definitely going to lead to my death and the destruction of what was left of my family. I was helped on this path by people of all backgrounds, economic, racial, social. They were my angels, and were more than happy to have been a part of saving my life. It didn’t matter what else we might have had in common – we had this. I was struggling, and they had been there, right where I was. They worked tirelessly with me, and by the Grace of a force larger with myself, the message stuck. Totally miraculous.

Since then, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to help lots of other folks. Some have grabbed what they learned from me (exactly what I had been shown) and others, and run with it. Some have died, including a girl who I was working with who decided to put a gun to her own head a couple years ago out of hopelessness – a choice that my grandfather (the miner) made himself in 1984 for what I would guess to be the same reason. This is serious business.

One thing that was said to me when I was in my heavy growth stage around this was, “if you want what I have, do what I do.” I had to make lots of choices that were counter-intuitive to my sick self, building on a foundation of taking total responsibility for my path. Boy, we sure like to blame. The problem is, blame kept me drunk. And blame is going to keep this district sick.

If racist policies are keeping people down, what have the leaders of this district done to eradicate them? The current administration has certainly had time to start a revolution, wouldn’t you say? Where has the system stepped in to fix itself? How can we start from a foundation of individual responsibility for our own paths? Cause in the words of Grandmaster Flash, “If you get hooked, baby, it’s nobody else’s fault. So don’t do it!” When it all comes down to it, nobody made me drink, sometimes forcing it down with shaking hands to get my fix. Addiction of any kind makes you crazy. It’s so powerful, that most people just can’t conquer it alone.

It sounds to me like Ms. Newbille has been on the front line, doing important work for the community that has been shattered by problem public policies, and the lack of action (Armstrong) that has created a situation where becoming a gangster for a living seems like a great idea. That’s awesome! But I still want to know what her friend Ms. McQuinn has done with the power that she has held for so long – what has she done that is moving toward eradicating the problems that lead to the hopelessness? Because whatever it is, it doesn’t appear to have been very effective.

Even so, that’s the past. I think that we need to keep our eyes on the prize of the possibilities that exist. Yes we can might sound overused and trite. But seriously? We really can. We have to be thoughtful, though, because the “right now” is a crucial time for our area.

Let’s make sure that whoever we endorse is in the solution, and is experienced in the area of recovery, economic, social, and spiritual. I honestly believe that the racial divides can disappear if we can keep focused on personal responsibility and spiritual health for our neighborhood, and endorse public policies that have a chance of leading us in this direction.

Chavis, good article. The finger needs to point to our leaders and their corrupt policies. McQuinn did not do enough to lower realestate taxes for the poor. And there should be programs in place to help the working poor and those on fixed incomes keep and fix their places. The same thing happened in Oregon Hill -the white poor chased out. There are years I struggle to keep my place -purchased in 1965 when the entire neighborhood was poor. It’s true, to keep up a place in this neighborhood you need a lawyer’s income or more.

Don’t blame the people for purchasing homes, blame the leaders that enact policies that make city living unbearable for the poor.

Mr. Chavis,

First things first, good article.

Secondly, let me assure you that were I to be sarcastic with you, there would be no question in your mind (or anyone else’s)that I was doing so.

As Gray noted earlier, personal e-mail addresses are a private thing. I do not know you well enough to have an offline exchange at this point. Whatever we need to say to one another, we can say it on the blog. That is one of the reasons it exists.

I do have hope that good will come from what has been a frank discussion of racial issues that have held our community back for so long. More good will come from a public organizing effort for such a forum than from an offline discussion. I would be happy to participate, but ask that we do our work together as an entire community rather than two separate individuals.

Rev. Campbell was a fantastic resource for all of us Fox families who were affected by the Harvey tragedy a couple years ago. Great man.

Good suggestion, crd.

I am interested in helping to organize a forum. Joe Richmond if you are interested in organizing a forum let me know yes or no. I am not sure if the organization ofa public forum over theses issues can be adequately done in the comment section of someone’s blog. Coming from experience I am sure it is not. At the end of the day, I am interested in moving forward in truth regardless of what it is. I see alot of slander on the comments of Mrs. Newbille here, which is really disturbing considering her work.

A good friend of mine says that many talk the talk, but few walk the walk. SO Joe if you are ready to get down to business of making change – lets have a forum on the very issues you are speaking of. I am asking to work with you to organize it. Even if you organize it yourself I would assist in putting it together. If you are interested in just blogging, that isn’t my persona. I am offline doing more work in the community that I do on somebody’s blog comment section – when you are ready to get offline and make a change I will be looking for an email from you.

Shannon, I sent an email to UR to get in contact with Dr. Moeser and will get in contact with Ben Campbell.

To Love All People, What Ms. Newbille is doing should be applauded. Only question is… how much of her work is volunteer? Many people in Church Hill volunteer in one capacity or another.

All, can I ask, specifically, what Newbille has done that makes her so deserving of this appointment? If it’s her job, sorry that won’t cut it. What volunteer work has she done in the area and what specific successes has she had? I’d like to see some numbers please…

Okay Duron I see your point but there are plenty of others that actually work in their jobs and then do community work on the side to help. All I’m saying is that she shouldn’t be lauded so much if she’s just doing her job.

Also, I asked for SPECIFIC examples of her successes…I haven’t seen anyone able to respond to that one…

#158 Chavis, you make some valid points but again the other 11 applicants also work hard for a salary and volunteer and all their endeavors matter to the community in which they also live. Newbille took up an address in the 7th solely for the purpose of appointment after McQuinn won the delegate seat. What is so ironic is that we have you, who is not a resident of the 7th, trying to force us to accept another non-resident as our representative on council. Now that is crazy. No one here would take issue with Newbille running for council because that would show all her dedication but for her to be handed a gift of an appointment merely by donning a temporary address is a slap in our faces.

BTW, From the list of questions City Council sent out to applicants, volunteering experience seems to matter to them.

Thanks Jay for the heads up. Once again, only proves the “backdoor shenanigans!

#162 Jay, that sounds almost illegal – a city agency sponsored it (Dept. Social Services), and what appeared to be a sign-in sheet was, in fact, a petition for Newbille? TRASHY!! DIRTY POLITICS!

Yes, Newbille was there and so was Torey Edmonds and Don Coleman. Do not know if they were aware of the petition.