Mayoral Debate
It’s not in the neighborhood, but the Richmond Crusade for Voters and the Urban League Young Professionals of Greater Richmond are co-sponsoring a Mayoral Debate at Thomas Jefferson HS tonight, 6:30 PM.
It’s not in the neighborhood, but the Richmond Crusade for Voters and the Urban League Young Professionals of Greater Richmond are co-sponsoring a Mayoral Debate at Thomas Jefferson HS tonight, 6:30 PM.
It was clear last night that Paul Goldman is the best hope this city has.
I especially appreciated his remarks about the need for the city and school system to be more receptive to charter schools.
I am sending Paul Goldman a campaign contribution today and I urge everyone to do so as well. WHY?
Paul is the only man in this race who did not engage in the back-and-forth-finger-pointing oneupsmanship bicker battle last night.
http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=11903
He is the only one who has any substantive and strategic plans to bring Richmond forward.
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-09-02-0135.html
He is the one who came up with the “City of the Future” idea to obtain money for us to fix our city and build and renovate our schools.
He’s also the only man who has pushed to make our schools ADA compliant without raising taxes or taking away any money that needs to be used to educate our children.
http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=14753
Goldman’s e-mail: GOLDMANUSA@Aol.com
** I accidentally left two words out when I posted this earlier. ***
Paul is the only man in this race who did not engage in PERSONAL ATTACKS during the back-and-forth-finger-pointing oneupsmanship bicker battle last night.
He did have the smartest comebacks, but he never hit below the belt.
I also believe that Paul is the only one who can unravel the madness and mess that Wilder has wrought upon City Hall and the schools.
Don’t be so sure about Paul Goldman. He wants to turn Cary Street into a pedestrian mall. This is a bad idea for both the Cary St businesses and traffic flow that would likely have to be routed through some residential neighborhood. Goldman told me if it works in San Diego and other large cities he named it will work in Richmond. I think he is just another flaky politician – sounds like what we have already! Unfortunately I cannot comment on the other candidates.
I attended the Forest Hill Mayoral Forum last night and wanted to comment on the format.
I thought is was very well run and the two minute time limit for the candidates to answer the questions kept the tempo and meeting flowing nicely.
Great job to the neighborhoods who sponsored with a HUGE thanks to grace LeRose and the FHNA for hosting.
D. —
Why can’t you comment on the other candidates? Perhaps because they have no fresh ideas about anything. At least Goldman isn’t afraid to try something new. These other fellas are just yawn……………….the sameol’ sameol’ sameol’……
CAN ANYONE NAME SOMETHING NEW THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED BY ANY CANDIDATE BUT GOLDMAN?
Reachem – I strongly agree that we need to get the respect and cooperation of our neighboring counties and jurisdictions, not sure if Goldman is the candidate for that…
I’d like to add my appreciation for the job Grace LeRose and Rob Jones did last night keeping the candidates in check with a lot of class and civility. It was a tremendous turnout and the neighborhood associations should be credited with “getting the word out.”
With regard to Goldman’s flaky idea about Carytown–this guy has ideas all the time and I think maybe every third one is a keeper (ok, maybe every fourth one). But, don’t knock the guy for trying. Keep what you can use and leave the rest.
We’re not doing so hot with that as it is (Diamond Debacle, anyone?). Perhaps someone who isn’t a typical Richmond choice would work out better.
I’m certainly not claiming to be 100% right, but I’ve yet to see Section, Chapter, Paragraph, and Clause cited that contradicts my statements.
The Board’s main responsibility is to establish and clarify policy to guide the employees of the system. The board can explicitly hire 3 positions: Superintendent, Clerk of the Board, and Internal Auditor.
The Board can implicitly manage the system by establishing a budget, and approving or denying fund transfers between accounts.
Holding a title doesn’t necessarily grant unlimited authority over a specific subject area.
I think we’ve seen ample evidence what can result from that theory of government.
“Perhaps someone who isn’t a typical Richmond choice would work out better.”
A nontypical choice I’m OK with, but do not feel as though Goldman could represent the Capital City well
Richmond should eliminate the position of mayor, elect a board of supervisors and hire Accenture (consulting firm), to run the City like a business. In so doing, services would achieve greater efficiencies (more service per dollar). Accenture with it’s global network, would implement systems and programs that Richmond currently has no capacity to deploy. The public could access records online to all city departments and see where the money goes. The city employees would have to perform or reform or be gone. Richmond is a relatively small city, most major companies operate very successfully with many more variables and much higher budgets. Get rid of political EGO’S and let’s give the management of this city to professional people with proven records that must be accountable to get paid.
Let’s get past the theatrics, which are always fun. Goldman has never managed a budget, or met a budget. He has never managed a governmental program. Much of the turmoil of the past four years can be attributed to his poor draftsmanship of the charter amendments. Much of the rest can be attributed to his candidate for Mayor, Doug Wilder.
Ask yourself, when a Fortune 500 company comes to Richmond looking for a new home, is Goldman who you want representing the city?
I see where Barack Obama and I continue to be attacked for having a similar resume in many ways, this time those attacks for some of those things directed at me by “David” in an earlier post.
Mr. Obama and I are not the same ole, same ole. We did poverty work in Chicago, we were on Law Review, and we have put together historic political coalitions of blacks and whites.
So yes, we have never run a government program or been responsible for a government budget.
But as State Democratic Party chair I did inherit a party with a record budget deficit and left it with a record surplus, praised by Mark Warner, my successor, for leading the Democrats back to fiscal soundness.
So the claim by “David” is simply not true.
Like I say, Barack Obama and I are use to these kinds of false attacks.
And in terms of fiscal savvy, my record of being a leading anti-tax, anti-wasteful spending advocate is well known, even the leading Republican newspaper in the state has acknowledged my credibility of fighting for the average citizen in this regard.
A friend of mine, who says he knows who “David” is, emailed me to alert me to the unprovoked and false attacks in his post.
If “David” is who my friend says he is – and I have no way of knowing – then “David” is a paid employee of someone backing another candidate for Council – and presumably John McCain for President. And in that regard, don’t you think “David” should have been honest in revealing that?
I am running on a record of proven change, someone who has a proven record of real leadership on the toughest issue facing Richmond, overcoming the legacy of racism and sexism that has held Richmond back.
“David” makes the same basic attack against me that the McCain campaign makes against Obama in terms of having certain experiences.
That’s his privilege, and hardly surprising.
Real change-agents expect this kind of feeble attack.
In my case specifically, “David” fails to mention that relative to the City Charter, that the final version of the Elected Mayor law was drafted by the General Assembly, and supported unanimously by Bill Pantele, and the entire City Council, Lt. Governor Kaine, Delegate Viola Baskerville, Delegate Dwight Jones, Governor Mark Warner, and the overwhelming majority of the Virginia General Assembly.
In 2005 and 2006, the Charter was amended, again with Mr. Pantele, Kathy Graziano, the entire City Council, Govenor Warner and then Governor Kaine, and the Virginia General Assembly agreeing to it.
City Council has had 4 years to change whatever it is “David” says needs to be changed.
So why didn’t they do it if it was necessary?
Or is it just easier to blame the Charter and Doug Wilder for everything, instead of the City Council facing up to it’s own failures?
Truth is, I have had not had a single conversation with Doug Wilder since 2005. I was the first one in the city writing a blog to predict that if he tried to through the School Board out of City Hall, it would ruin his reputation. Indeed, I was in School Superintendent Jewell Sherman’s office trying to help her that Friday afternoon.
When companies wanting to move to Richmond realize that I am the only candidate whose platform includes a 50% cut in the city business taxes to spur job growth [we were dead last in this category according to the Kaine study], who do you think they will want to meet?
And when companies that want to move to Richmond find out that Goldman’s “City of the Future” plan is being praised by all his opponents for it’s visionary approach, who do you think they will want to meet?
And when the leaders of these companies find out that the Mayor of Richmond has been a subject of more books than most Fortune 500 Presidents, which Mayor do you think they will want to meet?
Interesting …. given Goldman’s record of accomplishments and his clear desire to serve Richmond, I can’t help but wonder why is it people seem to say he isn’t electable?
On the contrary, I think he is very electable and would be the best man for the job. Here’s why:
Richmond does not need another preacher elected to high office. Haven’t we already been there and seen enough? [Hint, Leonidas Young, Gwen Hedgepeth ...]
I wish Pantele had been consulting his list of thing he “would like to do” during his past 6-plus years on City Council. What has he been doing other than spending our tax dollars and crazy lawsuits. The potholes in this town are getting worse by the day.
Robert Grey. Great guy. Smart as a whip. But, no fire-in-the-belly. Hasn’t really said what he will do even though he is the clear pick of the business community and Wilder’s anointed one.
Too bad Grey couldn’t have said to Wilder what the Republican Party had to say to Nixon when Nixon offered to help the party after his resignation: “No thank you, sir. You’ve done quite anough already.”
Which brings us to Paul Goldman. True, Paul can get some crazy ideas going, but he knows how to work with people and is skilled at persuasion and diplomacy.
What Richmonders have been subjected to these past three years has been “Wilder Unplugged.” Paul always had work hard to help contain whatever urge is that makes Wilder the way he is and it is unfortunate that Wilder did to Paul what he has done to so many good people over the years. Had Wilder only listened to Paul, instead of kicking him to the curb, our city would be a far better place today than it is.
Paul knows government. He knows people. Sure, he comes out with some crazy ideas that are klinkers. But, hell, Babe Ruth held the home-run record and the strike-out record. Similarly, Michael Jordan held both the record for the baskets he made — and the record for the ones he missed.
Plus, I like the way the man tells it like it is.
You nailed it GetReal!
Two candidates are practicing the politics of destruction –Bill Pantele and Dwight Jones — and appear hellbent on trashing all things Wilder, although neither has an original idea in either one of their pointy little heads.
Grey and Goldman on the other hand are the two candidates who seem to have the most constructive messages.
Grey needs to pump up the volume and substance while Goldman needs to continue to bring forward his ideas in a positive manner.
And, yes, I certainly can see Goldman able to greet business leaders in this city and help our entire region.
Unfortunately, I worry that just as some people are against Obama simply because he is black, I think some people may be against Goldman because he is Jewish.
Sooner or later, we need to get to a place as a society in which we judge one another based on the merit of ideas and the substance of their characters.
As others have said, I wish we could meld Grey and Goldman into one candidate. Think of what they could accomplish if they teamed up!
I think Goldman is a very smart man (as he will tell you), but he is not a front man, and that is what this town needs. Telling it “how it is” may be a breath of fresh air for some, but tact is also typically very useful. It has nothing to do with the fact that he’s jewish, it has to do with the fact that it is hard and a chore to hear him speak.
The election of the Mayor is not by popular vote. A candidate could lead in popular vote, but fall to a candidate who wins five districts. That being said, show us which distict you are going to win, Paul? You don’t even have to show us five, just one will do. Having listened to several of these forums, and reading so many of your blogs, it looks like you just want to help Dwight Jones win.
What other Mayoral candidate has supported the charter school?
What other Mayoral candidate has called for unity from City Council the Schools and the Mayor’s office?
What other mayoral candidate came up with a plan to build schools and improve the infrastructure?
Dwight cannot win the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd or the 4th. Pantele cannot win the 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th or 5th. Goldman and Grey are the two candidates who have the greatest economic and racial crossover appeal. Grey has stronger support than you imagine as does Goldman.
And just wait ’til people learn that Dwight has received contributions from Al Sharpton. How d’ya think that news will go over?
I own a business squarely in the middle of Carytown and will not vote for Paul Goldman because of his thoughtless and half baked plan to turn Carytown into a walking mall. He has never owned a retail business in our district, and as far as I know never polled the Merchants Association to find out what *we* think of his ideas.
Where would the money come from to reroute thousand of cars and trucks that traverse Cary Street each day? Where would all of our customers park? If the answer is parking decks, where would they be located? Has he ever considered that one very small trade off Carytown businesses receive for their high rents is an endless stream of driving traffic providing free advertising? Lastly, why does he believe Carytown needs “fixing” in the first place?
As we all know, the schools in this city need “fixing”. Crime needs “fixing”. Downtown needs “fixing”. Paul Goldman needs to leave Carytown out of his idea box, and focus on making relevant change in this city. (Even though floating his Carytown plan got him some free space on the front page of the TD)!
On this thread http://rvanews.com/2008/09/from-the-candidates-thinking-beyond-baseball/ Jones, Goldman, and Grey write about their priorities and plans for the city. Goldman gives specifics but doesn’t mention the Carytown idea -I think it was for media attention and/or to see how the public would react.
Jones and Pantele each have axes to grind. And, Goldman is to be commended for conducting himself as a gentleman. It would be so easy for him to attack Wilder, but he doesn’t.
I find it very disturbing that Jones and Pantele are practicing the politics of division and negativity.
Grey is the only one who is willing to take what HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED and build on the positive of the last four years as opposed to wallowing in the negative.
Goldman is the only one who seems to have a clue as to what is necessary to bring the change to get city government back on the course he envisioned prior to Wilder’s unfortunate decision to crown Himself Emperor.
For an excellent analysis of the “State of the City,” you should read Chris Dovi’s story in Style Weekly.
http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=17748
Has Goldman changed his mind about his proposal to close off Carytown and make it a pedestrian mall? If not, he needs to. I would not vote for him based on this alone. It’s a stupid idea and really poor planning.
Goldman: You want to put in a pedestrian mall? Enclose the 17th Street Market and allow the local surrounding restaurants to use the market for dining AND let them serve alcohol(the market can be used for it’s original purpose during the day). This model is a proven success in many areas. That would do more to revitalize downtown than any other idea.
Just yesterday someone almost ran over me as I was trying to get in my car parked in front of World Of Myrth. I’m sick and tired of Cary Street trying to function as a main through way AND a major shopping desitination. CaryTown can’t grow any further with the current traffic situation. My two cents.
Still there are bigger Mayoral issues than CaryTown…..
And, Goldman is the only one who has thrown out any specifics. The rest are almost comical in the way they blather on and on layering platitudes upon platitudes.
Goldman is gifted with “out-of-the-box” thinking and understand the governmental process far better than the other candidates combined.
Burlington, Vermont has a shopping area that forbids cars as does Charlottesvile. The merchants in those areas all do incredibly well.
Still, if the majority of citizens do not want to go that, Goldman is savvy enough to understand that. He is not rigid in his thinking.
I’ve always thought that closing off 17th Street between Main and Franklin would be a good idea. Driving through this area is cumbersome and already offers very little in parking. 17th Street could be like the streets closed to traffic I’ve visited in Europe with wonderful markets and cafe life.
So…it’s just me and the people of Carytown that think Goldman might not be the man for the job??? I really find that hard to believe, I want to like him, but even reading his blog is so painful – I think he would be a disaster as front man for this City!
Common Sense Mom, a good trick might be to pull around the corner and park on Sheppard Street when going to WOM. I would imagine that loading kids in and out of the car in traffic is hazardous.
And Get Real Richmond, the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville is *not* doing “incredibly well”. A large portion of those storefronts are empty, and the ones that seem to be succeeding are on the fringes of the Mall and, surprise, close to parking.
LG — For the sake of discussion, let’s assume for the moment that you are right and I am wrong.
Tell me how you would solve the problem of the traffic congestion in Carytown?
That Cary St. is a main artery in the city is a fact, and one I cannot imagine is easily changed. However, I would restrict large trucks and 18 wheelers from using the street at all. There are very few businesses in Carytown proper that need their goods delivered by a truck that large (now that Richmond Piano has closed) and yet big trucks barrel through there all day. Those trucks can’t be helping the condition of the asphalt much either.
But after spending the last 12 years of my life working in Carytown, I can tell you that much of the vitality and energy of the area comes from the traffic. Yes, it is a nuisance sometimes, but we live in a city, and traffic and noise are part of the symphony of all of that… in my opinion at least.
Now all that said, driving down Cary Street is misery on a lovely Saturday. And parking is a bear too, with best bets being on Ellwood or Parkwood. In that example, I can only say that those are the days when people really want to be out shopping down there, and it is just a case of popularity. But even Short Pump mall gets crammed on days like that, and they have cavernous parking lots and wide streets.
There is not enough discussion around the race for mayor on this site. The recent mailer from Pantele to Woodland Heights and Springhill has me up in arms!
Pantele is trying to pander to this area by mentioning his “no” vote on the development on Cowardin @ James River. Truth is, he probably knew how that vote was going to go down, and knew it would pass with his “no” vote. HE DID NOTHING TO LEAD ON THIS ISSUE. NOTHING AT ALL. He also mentions he supports the Patrick Henry charter school. Again, he lift not one finger in support. NOTHING! In fact when a supporter asked him about it he was extremely condescending about the efforts of the Patrick Henry school initiative. Please do not be deceived by Pantele’s latest propaganda!