City Council President Kathy Graziano, Mayor Dwight C. Jones, School Board Chair Kim Bridges, and School Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Brandon sent out a press release on proposed changes to the state budget that would have a devastating affect on school budgets.

Copy of the Press Release:
Regarding the Recent Proposal to “Unfreeze” the Local Composite Index of Ability to Pay for Education

Richmond, VA – City officials announced their disappointment in a recently proposed change to the introduced State budget involving the local composite index. The introduced State budget included a “freeze” on the local composite index, which is the measure of how much a locality can afford to pay for K-12 education. This freeze was extremely important to the City of Richmond, and most localities in the Richmond region.

“The proposal to ‘unfreeze’ the local composite index hits us at a most unfortunate time. We are in the process of assessing the first round of reductions to our schools, in the range of $13.7 million, from the introduced State budget. We are also balancing other potential cuts to our locality – another $7.8 million in cuts to police and sheriff’s operations. We are looking at the potential losses to our own locally generated revenues.

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Received word earlier that the 4th District meeting scheduled for tonight is canceled. If and when it is rescheduled we’ll let you know.

Councilwoman Kathy Graziano, Southwest 4th District, Richmond City Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday in Richmond’s Southwest 4th District. If Richmond Public Schools are closed due to weather this meeting will be canceled and we’ll let you know when it is rescheduled. All Southwest 4th District citizens are invited and encouraged to attend. The meeting will include:

Topics

• 2010 Richmond Real Estate Assessments – James Hester, Richmond City Assessor of Real Estate
• 2010 United States Census Information – Jeffery Bourne, Assistant Chief of Staff, Richmond Office of the Mayor
• Richmond Police Department

  Read more >

Councilwoman Kathy Graziano, Southwest 4th District, Richmond City Council will hold a meeting in Richmond’s Southwest 4th District. All Southwest 4th District citizens are invited and encouraged to attend. The meeting will include:

Topics

• 2010 Richmond Real Estate Assessments – James Hester, Richmond City Assessor of Real Estate
• 2010 United States Census Information – Jeffery Bourne, Assistant Chief of Staff, Richmond Office of the Mayor
• Richmond Police Department

WHEN
Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

WHERE
St. Luke Lutheran Church
7757 Chippenham Parkway
Richmond, Virginia

WHO
The Honorable Kathy Graziano, Councilwoman
Richmond City Council, Southwest 4th District

CONTACT For more information, please contact David Hathcock, at 804.320.2454, or david.hathcock@richmondgov.com.

Council President Kathy Graziano presented the Richmond Community Service Award to Mary Argenteanu and Mary Blanchard for the support and commitment to the Southampton Learning Garden Project. Earlier posts on the awesome Southampton Garden are here and here. Congrats ladies it is well-deserved.

Councilwoman Kathy Graziano, Southwest 4th District, Richmond City Council will hold a meeting WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2009 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at  St. Luke Lutheran Church.  All citizens are invited and encouraged to attend. The meeting will include:

Richmond Department of Public Works

• Report on Leaf Collection
• New trash collection schedules
• New bulk trash pickup schedules

Flu updates and information from Dr. Daniel Stern Virginia Department of Health

Today’s RTD article has much of the same information that was in the tv report. I didn’t know it was scheduled to go before committee today. (According to comments by David Hathcock it will not be heard by committee today.)

The proposal is scheduled to be considered today by the Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee and by the full council Nov. 9. The projects haven’t been designed, but construction could start by the end of 2010, officials said.

Kathy Graziano also chimes in but doesn’t speak in favor or against the traffic circle but acknowledges the issues.

Council President Kathy C. Graziano, whose 4th District includes the Forest Hill area, acknowledged the roundabout might be a tough sell, but she credited the Department of Public Works for seeking neighborhood input and said the intersection has issues with left-hand turns and that Forest Hill Avenue could benefit from slower speeds.

“You can’t cross that road anywhere,” she said.

On 9/11 the city held a service to honor Richmond ’s Police, Fire and Emergency Services departments, Richmond Ambulance Authority, and the Red Cross as part of the National Day of Service and Remembrance. Council President Kathy Graziano was among the speakers and her comments follow:

Read more >

Mayor Dwight Jones and Superintendent Yvonne Brandon will discuss the Richmond Public Schools.

All parents interested in Richmond schools are encouraged to attend and ask questions of the leadership.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

7:00 pm

St. Luke Lutheran Church,

7757 Chippenham Parkway

For information please call the office of Kathy Graziano at 320-2454.

Style Weekly published their list of the 75 most powerful people in Richmond in their 2009 Power List. Kathy Graziano came in at 25 and was not on the list last year.

Commanding the allegiance of a majority voting block of fellow City Council members, Council President Kathy Graziano stands ready to play yin to Mayor Dwight Jones’s yang. So far, it’s mostly been yawn. But the protracted council-mayor honeymoon hasn’t seen Graziano sleeping on the job. Once a statewide Republican politico, her inner hippie grandma has emerged. She’s the financial cheerleader behind the popular South of the James farmers’ market and advocates similar satellite markets throughout the city. She’s also hammered out agreements that led to placement of the sprawling riverfront James River Park into a conservation easement that’s a first of its kind in Virginia.

We would be remiss if we did not also mention John Murden the Godfather of the Richmond neighborhood blog scene, who came in at 75.

From his defensive ground high atop Church Hill, part-time blogger and full-time teacher John Murden shows that a force of one can take on a seasoned army of hundreds. Church Hill People’s News (chpn.net) makes and breaks news, often putting the daily paper — and, um, the weekly — to shame.

On July 19, the Friends of Forest Hill Park and Council President Kathy Graziano will sponsor the Fifth annual Sunday in the Park with Friends. The totally free event will feature hot dogs, Graziano water, ice cream, water melon, kids games and activities, clowns from Clown Alley #3, police, fire, sheriff and emergency services participation, a moon bounce and misting tent, and a long list of environmental activities from a host of business and advocacy groups, and three bands, ranging from klezmer to country to blues.

Official Press Release with additional details

Balloons, bubbles, bounces, bands and more! The fifth annual “Sunday in the Park with Friends” will take place on July 19 from noon to 4 p.m. in Forest Hill Park. The free family event is sponsored by the Friends of Forest Hill Park and Kathy Graziano, President of Richmond City Council and Fourth District Council Representative.

In the spirit of Forest Hill Park’s former use as a 19th century amusement park, there will be plenty of old-fashioned fun with games, crafts, exhibits, tours, food and live music. Children will enjoy face painting, balloon animals, a bubble machine, moonbounce, sack races, carnival games, a corn pool, crafts, clowns, a juggler and nature hikes. There will be free hot dogs, watermelon, ice cream and bottled water.

Three local bands are lined up to perform: Klezm’Or’Ami’n, a klezmer band; Van Driver, a Celtic group; and Cy Taggart’s Blues Band. As an added bonus, the free monthly “Music in the Park” concert will follow “Sunday in the Park” with the Southern Blues group performing from 6 – 8 p.m.

Several area organizations will set up displays with an environmental or energy-related theme. Local Fire Trucks #17 and #20 will be on display (barring any emergencies) and the Richmond Police Department and Sheriff’s Department will be represented. Tours of the historic Stone House will be offered.

Additional sponsors and supporters of the event include: Dominion/Virginia Power, Westover Hills Merchants Association, Forest Hill Neighborhood Association, Woodland Heights Neighborhood Association, Ukrop’s Super Markets, Wal-Mart, Fulton Hill Properties, Sheriff C.T. Woody and Sue Durlak.

Families are welcome to bring their dogs to the park but must keep them on a leash at all times.

For more information about “Sunday in the Park with Friends,” call Debra McClane, co-president of Friends of Forest Hill Park, at 233-3890 or email her at d_mcclane@hotmail.com.

Council President Kathy Graziano’s spring Fourth District meeting is set for May 13 at 7 p.m. at St. Luke Lutheran Church at 7757 Chippenham Parkway.

For additional information, contact Graziano’s office at 320-2454

City Council President Kathy Graziano, and our 4th district representative, has been selected by the James River Advisory Council as the winner of its “Guardian of the River” Award. The award was presented April 23 at the organization’s quarterly meeting by President Ralph Hambrick.

The James River Advisory Council established the Stewards of the River Awards in 2006 to recognize outstanding community members who make measurable, positive impacts through their roles as leaders, community partners, guardians and spokespersons on behalf of the river.

Graziano was honored for her work, as council representative for the 4th district and president of the Richmond Coty Council, in support of the protection and appropriate use of the James River and her leadership in spearheading the effort to establish a conservation easement for the James River Park.

The office of Kathy Graziano passed the following statement on the conversation easement to Hills and Heights.

Richmond City Council has passed and sent to Mayor Dwight Jones and Governor Tim Kaine a proposed conservation easement for James River Park.

The easement is believed to be the first of its kind for an urban park in the United States. It was proposed and shepherded through an almost four year process by Richmond City Council President Kathy Graziano. The easement will provide permanent protection for the park in its natural state and will prevent any future city government from selling the park or developing any part of it for commercial, industrial or residential purposes.

It leaves ownership of the park in city hands, and allows the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities to continue to manage the park in its present state.

“I believe the James River Park and the river are our most precious treasures,” Council Member Graziano said “and I am so pleased Richmond City Council and Mayor Jones’ administration have worked together to make sure that future generations can enjoy this park. ”

“Men can make a playground or a ball field, but no-one can craft something as vital and important as our park,” she continued.

The easement will be held by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Capital Region Land Conservancy and the Richmond Recreation and Parks Foundation.

The idea for the easement came after a previous city administration attempted to sell a portion of Great Shiplock Park to a developer for a waterfront development in 2004.

RTD has a write up on the Conservation Easement proposal that was introduced by City Council President Kathy Graziano.

A conservation easement would be placed on about 280 acres of parkland, including the James River Park System, Great Shiplock Park and Belle Isle, meaning the land never could be sold or developed, even with ball fields or cell-phone towers.

From Kathy Graziano’s 4th District Update we learn that the first day of the popular (35,000 visited last year) South of the James Farmer’s Market will be May 2nd. This year there will be more of a focus on farm raised/produced goods, organics and produce. I would like to make a personal plea that the Texas BBQ does not go away. There is little better in life than having some good BBQ for breakfast.

For information contact Karen Atkinson who serves as the Market Manager at either 513-3100 or www.themarketumbrella@msn.com.

From the office of Kathy Graziano Richmond City Council President:

Fourth District Council Member Kathy Graziano and the Huguenot Neighborhood Team are jointly sponsoring a public discussion of the proposed development of a ballpark and mixed use development in Shockoe Bottom

The meeting will be in place of the regular February meeting of the Team, and is scheduled for February 3, 6 pm, at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 7757 Chippenham Parkway.

Representatives of the developer will make a presentation and take questions from the attendees. The meeting is scheduled to last about 1 ½ hours.

For information call Mrs. Graziano’s office at 320-2454.

From the office of Kathy Graziano Richmond City Council President:

We have been successful in building a tax relief program that has offered assistance to seniors and the disabled to allow them to remain in their homes. This year, the downturn in the economy will provide both greater challenges and greater opportunities for those who qualify.

Essentially the program is open to those who are permanently and totally disabled, or who are over the age of 65 and who are homeowners.

If the homeowners income is less that $50,000 in gross income, and if totally assets are less than $200,000, not counting the home, they may be eligible for relief.

Where the opportunity comes is in the total asset column. Since many people have seen losses in the value of their investments, they may well qualify this year, when in years past the level of assets would have exceeded the $200,000 level.

Our District Meeting scheduled for February 11th will discuss this issue, and other subjects relating to taxes and assessments.

The RTD is reporting that “Kathy C. Graziano, 4th District councilwoman, is likely to become the next president of Richmond City Council.”

Richmond’s incoming new mayor Del. Dwight Jones will speak Nov. 12 at the Fourth District meeting sponsored by Richmond City Council Member Kathy Graziano. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 7757 Chippenham Parkway. [via]

At tomorrow’s rendition of the South of the James Market, 4th District Council representative Kathy Graziano and her culinary-minded sons will compete against a team of chefs from Positive Vibe Cafe in the MarketVibe Chefs Challenge. Like something straight out of Top Chef, the teams will purchase all items from the market offerings and prepare a variety of dishes using small appliances, grills and the like. Graziano told the T-D:

We originally thought of this as a way to get people to come to the park, and it’s also a good way to show people what they can do with fresh stuff…It should be fun. We should raise a lot of money for a good cause and get even more people to come to the market.”

From Kathy Graziano:

Richmond City Council Member Kathy Graziano today announced that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has approved a permit to restore the lake at Forest Hill Park to its historic boundaries.

The project has been in the planning stages for more than three years by the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. The Department will move forward to commission engineering drawings and specifications, and start the bidding process within the next two months, with work to begin this summer.

Read the whole release at the above link.

(This story comes to us from Marc LaFountain with Richmond DPW. We’ve been meaning to post it for a couple weeks now)

On January 23, a Department of Public Works sanitation crew working in the Oxford area of southwest Richmond came upon an elderly woman lying in her driveway. They immediately helped her home and offered medical assistance. They also arranged for her to have special door service so that she will not have to bring her trash can down to the street in the future.

Read more >

A T-D article on City Council members and campaign donations briefly mentions Kathy Graziano’s fundraising efforts, noting that she has “collected almost $39,000 in contributions in the last six months of 2007 and has almost $58,000 in her campaign war chest,” much of which apparently came from the business community. Jon at River City Rapids pointed out that VPAP doesn’t seem to have local election financing information any longer, so hopefully local media (cough) will help fill in the blanks for us.

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?