Graziano opines on the Mayor (redux)
Today’s New York Times profiles the recent fireworks surrounding Doug Wilder and his clashes with City Council and the School Board. 4th District Council Rep Kathy Graziano shares her feelings:
“Mr. Wilder has the skills to do things no one else could do,” said Councilwoman Katherine C. Graziano, who voted for Mr. Wilder and contributed to his campaign. But Ms. Graziano no longer counts herself as a Wilder supporter, citing “the mayor’s disregard for the law, his lack of communication with and disrespect for Council.”
The City of Richmond has a knack for taking the national spotlight for the worst things, doesn’t it?
What I have said publicly is that I don’t care who is right, Council, Mayor, School Board, etc, as long as someone updates the school buildings for ADA access before the City gets sued again. The infighting is all a big distraction.
Wilder has disappointed me, after I voted for him. Yes, the aborted City Hall move has wasted a lot of money, but I was more upset that Wilder (and my Councilperson Marty Jewell) did a 180 to support the VaPAF downtown arts center deal. That’s a waste of a lot more taxpayer money, and, more importantly, continues to skew the City’s priorities.
Thanks,
Scott
I was at the James Taylor concert last night, which was attended by both the mayor and the city council president and a few other VIPs who were acknowledged by the Genworth Financial guy at the beginning of the evening. There were a lot of boos from the audience when the mayor was announced, which, no matter how one feels about a politician, is just rude & classless behavior at an event that’s supposed to be a charity fundraiser for underprivileged kids.
At this point, Kathy G looks as bad as Mayor Wilder. Actions speak louder than NYT articles. Maybe Mrs. G should start thinking about finding a way to make change in her own district, instead of focusing on picking public fights with the Mayor.
I wrote her this week asking her what her plan was to do something about all the traffic accidents on Forest Hill, and her assistant wrote back, “What would you have us do?” Classic.
She can start by being consistent and protecting taxpayers (her constituents as well as other residents of the city) from fraud, abuse and corrupt political patronage.
Her rationale explaining her “yes” vote for the $80+ million opera house was that she didn’t want to encroach on the Mayor’s power. “I don’t believe that council has the power to negotiate the mayor’s deals,” she said at the time. Now she claims that it is her job to do so.
Which is it? It can’t be both.
If we are to believe the position she is taking now — council serves as check and balance — why wasn’t she joining Bruce Tyler in introducing corrective amendments to the CenterStage deal, and demanding that the Mayor’s office produce the data and economic studies that were cited by VAPAF but never produced? Why didn’t she call for a single public meeting on the subject in her district? Why did she allow CenterStage to be shielded from basic Freedom of Informaton laws?
The answer is that it is easier to badmouth Doug Wilder in the press than to challenge the unelected political heavyweights behind VAPAF on matters of public policy and longterm use of city tax dollars. No, that would take REAL political courage.
We’ll be paying for her decision for 40 years. Taxpayers present and future will now have little oversight over how millions in city money will be spent. Some check and balance!
Note re: Caitlin’s comments — No one can pass ordinances or take action that curbs stupidity. What indeed would you have your councilperson do?? Have a loud speaker blast drivers with information like — red means stop, green means go, watch what you’re doing and stop being idiot drivers or you’ll cause an accident! If people weren’t such hotshots, inconsiderate of other people and generally bad drivers –there would be fewer accidents.
I’d ask my councilperson to put pressure on the police to enforce the traffic laws in our neighborhoods, for a start! I just think it’s stupid that Kathy Graziano continues to pick pointless public political fights with the mayor when her own district really wants her help and support, and her response to requests for change are smart-alecky “what would you have us do” baloney.
Sometimes the citizens of southside and especially “southwestern” Richmond City feel like they reside in a different city. For many years the term “occupied chesterfield” was used by older residents, who suffered from the annexation. Now 37 years has passed since annexation and our council reps do a good job in securing our interests. But sometimes when major projects are mentioned in the city, it would be nice to hear more about the “Hills and Heights.” Thanks for Stoney Point Fashion Mall, but how about better roads and more RPD patrols?
Just following up on a previous point about Councilwoman Kathy Graziano. According to Judge Spencer’s ruling last week, Richmond City Council CAN negotiate contracts and leases.
So, once again, one has to wonder how Ms. Graziano gets to have it both ways and why, during the $80+ million CenterStage decision, she failed to join Bruce Tyler in amending the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation’s agreement with the city. Her reasoning for doing nothing to protect generations of taxpayers? She said that she didn’t believe she had the power to negotiate the mayor’s contract with VAPAF.
And yet when it comes to stopping Wilder’s move of Richmond Public Schools, she and her fellow councilmembers DO have the power. Judge Spencer made that very clear.
So, to recap: When the mayor does something controversial (even disreputable and wasteful) that Ms. Graziano approves of, she says she has no power to stop him or re-negotiate the terms to protect the best interests of city taxpayers.
But when its something she doesn’t like, she and the rest of council DO have the power to stop, alter or change the mayor’s terms. In fact, full speed ahead and call the lawyers!
To paraphrase Ricky Ricardo, I think that Ms. Graziano has some ‘splainin’ to do.
By the way, here is something else to ask her: Richmond taxpayers have still yet to see the economic studies cited by the Mayor and the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation to justify the 40-year payout to the secretive private entity controlling CenterStage. When will we get to see these studies.
If these studies turn out not to exist, can we conclude that Richmond was just bamboozled out of $80+ million dollars and that it is high time to call in the Commonwealth’s Attorney?