The fine folks at AltDaily have decided to record and post videos of the informal meetings of the Norfolk City Council. Most of the work gets done in these sessions, but so far, council has refused to broadcast them. I hope the headline from The Virginian-Pilot story is true - that AltDaily will be streaming … Continue reading Norfolk informal meetings recorded
Category: Norfolk
Norfolk City Council: 3/1/11
By Tommy Smigiel Sorry for the delay on posting the agenda items for this Tuesday. I had some difficulty downloading the agendas and some of the item specifics were deleted by accident from my drop box. City Council was off last week, and this week doesn't offer anything exciting on the agenda. Some may question … Continue reading Norfolk City Council: 3/1/11
Fiscally irresponsible through any eyes
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday. The topic, of course, was the now-failed effort to build an office tower. Despite all of this, there was something else going on with this project, an invisible hand pushing it as it rose, phoenix-like, from the ashes for the third time. In various reports … Continue reading Fiscally irresponsible through any eyes
Norfolk news: more spending
Let's see: Norfolk is facing a $32 million budget deficit, $53 million if the schools are included. So what austerity measures did the newspaper report today? How about more spending? The beleaguered Community Services Board, which is funded by a combination of city, state and federal funds, gave their executive director a bonus of $21,700 … Continue reading Norfolk news: more spending
Democracy does not end at the ballot box
Guest post by Maria LoPresto Many of us concerned about Norfolk’s government ask for transparency, yet not all of us take the time to make our concerns known during the budget process. WHY is the budget process important to the average citizen? What is important about this process and why should be we care? The … Continue reading Democracy does not end at the ballot box
Take out the trash day: Norfolk police chief to retire
Aficionados of The West Wing will recognize that Friday is Take Out The Trash Day. The latest release came a bit ago, innocently entitled "City of Norfolk Announces Staffing Changes." Within the release was a relative bombshell: Police Chief Bruce Marquis will retire effective April 1. The chief has been under fire lately related to … Continue reading Take out the trash day: Norfolk police chief to retire
Norfolk bails on Tivest deal
From a press release this morning: NORFOLK –The City of Norfolk administration received information this morning that the STOP Organization has reversed its decision to be a tenant in the Midtown Office Tower. The City’s participation was contingent upon Tivest Holdings, LLC being able to confirm that the STOP Organization was committed to the project. … Continue reading Norfolk bails on Tivest deal
GA update from Sen. Ralph Northam
By Sen. Ralph Northam With only one full week remaining in the 2011 General Assembly session, the House and Senate are working hard to complete action on the budget and other legislation. Several of my bills have passed both chambers and now await the Governor’s signature, including measures to ease access for our veterans to … Continue reading GA update from Sen. Ralph Northam
Remarks to City Council on Tivest Project
Sometimes, right and left take a back seat to right and wrong. With that, here's what I said to City Council today about the Midtown Office Building project: By Coby Dillard That a majority of City Council has spoken in support of this project, in a time where our schools continue to fall apart and … Continue reading Remarks to City Council on Tivest Project
Norfolk: Just say no
This morning's newspaper reported that the developer of the office building project paid delinquent real estate taxes on properties it owns in the city. The taxes, penalty and interest on more than a dozen properties were paid for properties the company owns in Broad Creek, a development in central Norfolk in which the city has … Continue reading Norfolk: Just say no
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 