Category: Politics

Remember Bay Oaks

Guest post by Chuck Taylor In reacting to the recent Norfolk City Council action concerning the development of an apartment complex in the neighborhood of Roland Park, I must admit I am of two minds.  Of course, I am furious that the Council would ignore community desires and force a huge complex of multi-family units … Continue reading Remember Bay Oaks →

Kenny Golden, candidate for Congress

In the latest installment of PoliTalk, I interviewed independent candidate Kenny Golden. (Note, if you press the large play button in the middle, you will be taken to the UStream page where this video is located. If you want to stay on my blog, press the smaller play button on the bottom.) If you are … Continue reading Kenny Golden, candidate for Congress →

Another petition drive in Norfolk

Residents of Roland Park and Sunshine Homes are launching a petition drive to overturn the decision of City Council that allows a developer to build a multi-family residential development at the intersection of Tidewater Drive and Roland Park Drive. Council voted Tuesday to allow the development, which includes 187 apartments, to go forward with certain … Continue reading Another petition drive in Norfolk →

Pilot calls for new Norfolk School Board leadership

In a strongly worded editorial, The Virginian-Pilot makes the case for Norfolk City Council to appoint all new members to the four seats available on the School Board. Returning anyone to the School Board is an endorsement of the division's leadership in the past few years and a tacit acceptance of its irresponsible administration. Three … Continue reading Pilot calls for new Norfolk School Board leadership →

Shucet meeting with bloggers

Tuesday afternoon, HRT President and CEO Philip Shucet again made himself available to local bloggers. As it turns out, only Henry Ryto of Avenging Archangel and I were able to make it. After talking about tweeting for a while 😉 we spent about a half an hour discussing a number issues that have come up … Continue reading Shucet meeting with bloggers →

A turn at the top

The chairmanship of the board of Hampton Roads Transit rotates among the seven member cities. Soon, it will be Norfolk's turn and the thought that our senior representative on the board serving as chair is causing some heartburn. "I'm extremely concerned it could bring divisiveness to the board," said outgoing board chairman Jim Wood, a … Continue reading A turn at the top →

Holley “subdued”

That's what the headline from Sunday's Virginian-Pilot called the beleaguered Portsmouth mayor, James Holley III. The writer was being polite. A reading of the article gives a far different picture. At 83, he stays silent for long stretches at City Council work sessions, sitting back while other members hash out issues with staff. When he … Continue reading Holley “subdued” →

Final Norfolk Council race numbers

The Virginia Public Access Project has posted the final numbers on the Norfolk Council races held in May. Over $1.1 million was spent in the five contested races, with Mayor Paul Fraim's spending accounting for about 46% of the total. With only 23% turnout (although it represents an increase over the 18.67% from four years … Continue reading Final Norfolk Council race numbers →

Texas congressman apologizes to BP

Rep. Joe Barton apologized to BP today. Backlash for this apology resulted in ... an apology for the apology. Finally, Barton retracted his apology to BP. I'm guessing Barton wished that he had remembered Mark Twain: “It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.” … Continue reading Texas congressman apologizes to BP →